Tatsu Ramen has not been open lately

The Tatsu Ramen location at 167 First Ave. has been closed for the past month-plus ... signs on the storefront between 10th Street and 11th Street note a closure for renovations.

An EVG reader who lives nearby hasn't seen any activity inside for weeks... with the mail piling up ... 

There isn't any mention of a closure — temporary or otherwise — on the restaurant's social media properties. The East Village outpost is also no longer listed on the Tatsu website. (The three L.A.-area locations remain open.) 

We reached out to find out if/when this space will return.

The Southern California transplant opened here in a competitive ramen market back in July 2018.

H/T Steven

Dig back in service on 4th Avenue

The Dig outpost reopened last week on the SE corner of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street.

While other locations of the health-conscious fast-casual chain reopened around the city, this one looked all but abandoned ... remaining closed since the NY State on PAUSE of March 2020. A "reopening soon" sign arrived outside in September, however. 

This location is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Expect some outdoor seating here too — they received CB3's administrative approval for it this month.

Dig — still going as Dig Inn at the time — debuted in this storefront in November 2019.

This has been a challenging corner for businesses since the longtime deli was rent-hiked out of here in November 2012. In recent years, the space has been home to Fresh & Co. ... Pie Face and, right before Dig, Sandwicherie. 

Noted

As seen on Seventh Street near Cooper Square. 

And first spotted last evening by @StandingsNYC...

Temporary Restraining Order remains in effect at East River Park; first look at new green space

A few updates on what has (and has not) been happening at East River Park with the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR)...

• A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), dating to Nov. 4, remains in effect at Project Area 1 in East River Park ... the TRO brought the construction/demolition to a halt. Work started on Nov. 1 below Houston Street at the Brian Watkins Tennis Center. (Read more about East River Action's TRO here.) 

• A nonprofit sued the city for allegedly not including enough minority- and women-owned businesses in the construction contract for the ESCR. Media coverage includes NY1 ... the Post ... and The Village Sun. 

 • A third lawsuit (dating to the spring) was brought against the city by The Tully Group, a large contractor that issued one of the two bids for the ESCR. 

IPC Resiliency Partners, a newly formed joint venture, was the winning bidder.

Per NY1:

In a hearing [Nov. 12] before a panel of appellate judges, Jeffrey Cohen, a lawyer for Tully, argued that IPC effectively fudged its bid in order to meet a city requirement that the contractor have grossed at least $1 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year. 

"What we are concerned about almost as importantly as the flooding, almost as important as the ravages of climate change, is the integrity of the bids," Cohen told the judges.

More background here. 

• The DA on Friday declined to prosecute East Village residents Alice O'Malley and Allie Ryan, who were arrested on Nov. 1 for blocking the construction entrance to the tennis courts when preliminary construction got underway.

Per East River Park Action in an email: "They were in and out of court in 10 minutes when their desk appearance tickets were dropped."

• And here's a look at the former Compost Yard ... the city started removing this in mid-October when we took this photo (first reported here) ... 

Despite the TRO, work was allowed to continue here ... as the staging ground of the Lower East Side Ecology Center's composting operation was converted into green space to make up for some of the lost park access during construction/demolition over the next four years... here's a look at the area on Saturday...

And for some background... East River Park Action and other advocates say there are alternatives to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

Opponents of this version of the reconstruction project stress that there's a better path forward to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise — one that doesn't cause 1,000 mature trees to be chopped down.

So much for Spiegel's return: CR7 Gourmet Deli slated for 1st Avenue and 2nd Street

Signage is up now for CR7 Gourmet Deli on the SE corner of First Avenue and Second Street. 

Don't know anything about the incoming business... other than that there's plenty of competition for CR7 (named for Cristiano Ronaldo?) within steps of the corner, including Food You Desire 3 and the Deli & Smoke Shop (not to mention the new Manhattan Smoke Shop). 

This arrival also means that Spiegel will not be returning to this space. There were rumors of the cafe's return this past summer, and ownership was even on the CB3-SLA docket for a liquor license (application withdrawn in July). The corner cafe opened in 2014 and closed during the pandemic. 

Leekan Designs winding down its operations on the Lower East Side

Leekan Designs is wrapping up nearly 41 years of business here at 4 Rivington St., just east of the Bowery. (Thanks to @asafeplate for the tip via Instagram!) 

The shop, specializing in antique and contemporary beads and jewelry and other accessories from China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Morocco, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and other parts of Asia, will be open through the end of 2021.

The business started in a SoHo loft before relocating to the LES in 1999. And this isn't the first time the shop was set to close. It was slated to shutter in March 2019, though owner Annie Lee apparently had a change in heart.

Leekan is just open three days a week now, though you can schedule an appointment for other times...

 

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PLNT Burger announces itself on 4th Avenue

Updated: Open as of 1/24/22

Coming soon signage for PLNT Burger is up now at 139 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks to EVG reader Jeanne Krier for the tip and photo!)

This is the first NYC outpost for the Virginia-based chain that has locations in that state and in Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. 

The company is the work of celebrity chef-Food Network star Spike Mendelsohn. He told this to Jennifer Gould at the Post earlier in the fall:

"I'm very excited to be back in New York with a plant-based restaurant, full of advocacy, and doing what is good for the planet," said Mendelsohn, who opened 10 PLNT locations in Pennsylvania and in the D.C. area over the past 18 months.

The Union Square spot will be 850 square feet, focusing on take-out — with four or five seats at the counter. The plan is to open more locations in the city, he added.

This Fourth Avenue space was previously home to another quick-serve concept, Glaze Teriyaki Grill.

La Colombe Coffee Roasters debuts today at the Whole Foods Bowery

The La Colombe Coffee Roasters opens today in the Whole Foods Market® Bowery.

As Eater first reported last month, this is the brand's first New York City roastery.

According to a representative for the company, the new roastery will also offer pastries by Clinton Hill's the Good Batch. Likewise, there will be a new blend made exclusively for this location dubbed the "Bowery Blend" with notes of chocolate, almond butter, and kiwi. 

This also marks the ninth NYC location for La Colombe. The listed hours of operation here are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

La Colombe takes over this space on the SW corner of Houston at Chrystie from Allegro Coffee Roasters. 

ICYMI: Blank Street debuts on Avenue A

As noted back on Friday, Blank Street debuted its third East Village outpost since late October...  at 149 Avenue A between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

And it joins the one at 36 Third Ave. and in the Bowery Market. 

The Avenue A location is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and carries products from local brands, including King Street Baking Co. and King David Tacos. 

Meanwhile, in other coffee news along Avenue A... Peter Brownscombe reports that a regular cup of coffee at Ray's Candy Store is now $1.25, a price increase of 25 cents.

As it has been widely reported, the price of coffee continues to escalate ("skyrocketing," per Fast Company).

Still, as Peter notes, the cup for $1.25 is an excellent value for your money. And FYI: a regular drip at Blank Street sells for $2.50.

Celebrating the life of David Joffe

Friends will be coming together tomorrow evening (Nov. 22) to celebrate the life of longtime East Village resident David Joffe, who died on Nov. 1. He was 81. (Thank you Eden for the flyer.) 

The memorial takes place outside at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on the SE corner of Ninth Street and Avenue B starting at 5 p.m. The evening includes some complimentary food, including hot dogs and fries from Nathan's. (In case of rain, the memorial will move inside Trinity.) 

Even if you didn't know Joffe, a flea market vendor, you likely saw him on Avenue A or in the Tompkins Square Park dog run (RIP Cookie) wearing one of his many goofy and/or provocative T-shirts ("Oh No! I'm Becoming My Mother!")

 

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