An EVG reader told us the restaurants were dark last night, with a large family (about six people) standing outside saying they had a reservation. Everyone was confused.
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Thursday's parting shot
The great First Avenue Laundry Center is closing for renovations this fall
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
In the days/weeks ahead, the First Avenue Laundry Center will be closing for renovations at 33 First Ave. at Second Street.
Fear not! The laundromat will reopen.
EVG correspondent Stacie Joy recently talked with Anne DeVita, the 88-year-old manager (above left with her assistant Nellie).
"The dryers haven't been working well since there was a fire a few months ago due to lint accumulation. The fire department had to come," said DeVita, who has worked here for 40 years. "The plan is to close down for renovations. I think it will happen after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, if I had to guess."
The rest of the conversation went like this:
How long will the laundromat be closed?
"I don't know; your guess is as good as mine. Maybe a few months? When you see a sign out front saying 'CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS' that will be it. In 40 years there have been no renovations. The owners are going to take out the nonfunctioning dryers and put in new ones."
All new washers too?
"I don't know. Maybe they will paint too, or do some flooring work. I will be getting paid to be here every day to let the contractors and workers in. I'm not doing it for free."
Anyway, in our estimation, the frozen-in-time laundromat is PERFECT the way it is...
And H/T to EVG reader Steph!
Previously on EV Grieve:
New York State is selling off the contents of Matthew Kenney's restaurant Sestina
Reps for the Department of Taxation and Finance posted the notices yesterday on the restaurant, which the state had seized in late August for nonpayment of taxes.
The auction will occur at the restaurant. Go here to find what's available to bid on next week.
Sestina's Instagram account chalked up the seizure to "technical difficulties" back on Aug. 31.
Kenney opened Sestina in the fall of 2020, one of several restaurants he operates in the East Village.
Meanwhile, a Sestina just debuted in Culver City, Calif.
This marked the fourth Kenney concept here in the past few years, following Plantmade, Plant Food + Wine and Arata.
There was also a revolving door of restaurants here before Kenney took over. La Contrada ... Contrada (not to be confused with La Contrada) ... Calliope and Belcourt all came and went since 2012.
There was also a revolving door of restaurants here before Kenney took over. La Contrada ... Contrada (not to be confused with La Contrada) ... Calliope and Belcourt all came and went since 2012.
New 6th Street psychic apparently didn't summon psychic powers before taking this space
In recent days, workers covered the storefront — the long-shuttered Taj Mahal — with plywood. A reader described the city's arrival here as a "commotion," with what looked like an eviction from the basement where several people were living/working.
Anyway, the DOB slapped vacate orders on the basement space (dated from Tuesday) ... noting "that conditions in this premises are imminently perilous to life."
And per the DOB's all-cap style online:
VACATE OF COMMERCIAL BASEMENT SPACE. AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION OBSERVED TWO LOOSE CERAMIC TILES DIRECTLY OVER MAIN ENTRANCE TO COMMERCIAL SPACE IN BASEMENT. OATH SUMMONS FOR FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AND VACATE OF COMMERCIAL SPACE ISSUED.
Obviously, we're all thinking the same thing: Why didn't the psychic see this coming????????
P.S.
And are two loose ceramic tiles "imminently perilous to life"?
Former Tarallucci e Vino space for rent
The KSR listing doesn't have a ton of info, like asking rent, though "all uses considered." (Soon listings may read: "all smoke shop uses considered.")
Tarallucci e Vino, the all-day Italian cafe, closed back in June after a 20-year run here. Their other NYC locations remain open.
Thanks to Steven for the photo yesterday!
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Pirates of the Tompkinsbbean
Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...
The former Uncle Johnny grocery slated for demolition on Avenue D and 5th Street
As previously reported, a 13-story mixed-use building is in the works for this SW corner including the parcel adjacent to the former market on Fifth Street...
This past March, NY Yimby first reported on the details of the new development in the works:
The proposed 125-foot-tall development will yield 62,200 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 85 residences, with an average unit scope of 731 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have 15 inclusionary housing units and a cellar but no accessory parking.
No word yet on a start date for the demo.
In recent years, several new developments, including the Adele ... Arabella 101 and NIKO East Village, have risen along this Avenue D corridor.
Openings: Monsieur Vo on 2nd Avenue
As previously reported, this is the new restaurant from the husband-wife duo Chef Jimmy Ly and Yen Vo, owners of Madame Vo on 10th Street. As a restaurant rep tells us: "Monsieur Vo is the team's love letter to the Vietnamese men in their lives — including fathers, uncles, brothers — and the dishes they love to eat."
And here's more about what to expect:
Monsieur Vo is inspired by Saigon's constantly evolving gastropub culture and its roots in the Vietnamese tradition of ăn nhậu, which has been described as festive dining and drinking for no specific reason."Our dads could both really cook, and they always got creative with whatever ingredients they could find in America," says Ly, who growing up, remembers his father working long hours in NYC restaurants. "A lot of our menu comes from the dishes my dad would make while drinking and smoking with his buddies. He's a little bit over-the-top — he loves the finer things in life — so everything at Monsieur Vo is big and bold as well."While the flagship Madame Vo is known for classic homestyle dishes like noodle soup, wings, and eggrolls, Monsieur Vo’s menu goes beyond soups to focus more on shareable small plates, noodle and rice dishes, and large-format meat and seafood dishes.
Monsieur Vo is open daily, from 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 5:30-11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
The Second Avenue address was previously their spinoff Madame Vo BBQ, which debuted in 2018 ... though it didn't reopen after the PAUSE of March 2020.
"The pandemic was really hard for us as restaurateurs," says Yen Vo. "We had to close one restaurant because the food wasn't delivery-friendly and it was hard to stay open. But we've transformed the space with a redesign and renovation and an entirely new concept."
Madame Vo opened in early 2017 at 212 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Pretty much a full reveal at the incoming Empanada Mama
We first reported in May that the quick-serve restaurant with an outpost on Allen Street was opening here.
Thanks to Sawyer Mitchell for the photo and to Steven and Pinch for keeping an eye on the space!
Former Los Tacos space now a 787 Coffee training facility on 7th Street
Photos by Stacie Joy
If you glance inside 117 E. Seventh St., you might get the idea that a new coffee shop is opening here between Avenue A and First Avenue.
And it's understandable why you might think that with the setup...
Turns out that this is a barista training site for 787 Coffee, which has a shop down the street as well as on Second Avenue, 14th Street and several other NYC locations.
It's not open to the public, but they did let EVG contributor Stacie Joy in for a photo.
The previous tenant here, Los Tacos NYC, closed in June. The taqueria, operated by Brandon Pena and Sam Sepulveda, the owners of 787 Coffee, debuted in October 2020 to positive reviews.
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