Openings: Íxta on the Bowery

Íxta debuted last week at 299 Bowery between Houston and First Street. (First mentioned here in August 2021.)

This is a second coming for Íxta, which had a two-year run on East 29th Street from 2005 to 2007. Restaurateur Mike Himani, whose credits include a Chickpea in Penn Station and Nisi Mediterranean in Times Square, told Eater that he lost the location due to the terms of the sublease.

Here's more from Eater:

For Ixta's reprisal, Himani [brought] on executive chef Francisco Blanco from Mexico City. Blanco, who cooked at Le Cirque and Eataly’s Manzo, will fine-tune a menu of southern Mexican and Oaxacan dishes at Ixta, while mixologist Jenny Castillo will create tequila- and mezcal-based cocktails.

The restaurant is open daily from 5-11 p.m. You can find the menu here. And some Instagram pics here.

Daniel Boulud closed DBGB at this address in August 2017 after an eight-year run. 

Where to find some unique masks for Halloween

Tomorrow (Wednesday!), 3rd & B'zaar unveils a unique collection of Halloween masks — with a local flavor — via artist Leopold Masterson. 

The hand-drawn/painted (watercolor, pencil and ink) creations are all signed by the artist ... and feature an array of pop-cultural icons, in-the-news-cycle names and some local residents (behold the Stacie Joy Mask!). 

The masks may be worn out and about (there's a space for eyes) or kept in the bag with jokey titles as a collectible. 

The seasonal marketplace — titled Fall Into the City — is open from 1-7 p.m. at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Expect another batch of new masks before Halloween.

The remains of a charred Acura on Houston

10/12 update: The city has removed the car!

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Here are the remains of an Acura that crashed into a pole early Sunday (4:50 a.m.) at Houston and Allen. After the collision, the car caught fire. We're told no one was injured. (Thanks to everyone pointing out that this is/was an Acura.)

The car is now parked on the north side of Houston just below Houston (facing the wrong direction) ... where the shell has attracted some tagging attention...

Two people have been killed by motorists along this corridor in the early morning hours this year... Raife Milligan, 21, and Andy Gil, 21.

A sidewalk returns to full view and use along St. Mark's Place

Yesterday we reported that workers were finally removing the sidewalk bridge outside 19-23 St. Mark's Place. 

EVG reader KT Hendrickson shared these night/day photos showing the triumphant return of an unencumbered sidewalk between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

The bridge had been up for some six years. As we understand it, work on the 8-story building was wrapped up last summer ... and apparently, a COVID-era backlog with the city caused delays in the signing off on the work.

A familiar new rendering for 3 St. Mark's Place

Yesterday, workers placed an updated rendering on the plywood at the NE corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue. (Thanks @unitof for capturing the moment!)

After a 10-month hiatus, foundation work restarted in the late summer ... when the developer, Real Estate Equities Corp. (REEC), received a $70-million loan for the project. 

REEC plans on 53,000 square feet of office space and some 7,700 square feet for retail. The new rendering shows that version ... though the final look isn't too different from what was revealed several years ago...

As previously reported, a 10-story office building had been in the works here. In October 2020, the City Council's Zoning Subcommittee voted down REEC's application to transfer air rights from the landmarked 4 St. Marks Place to the new building across the street.

With the air-rights transfer, REEC would have been allowed to build 8,386 square feet larger than the current zoning allows.

The building, officially 1 St. Mark's Place, is slated for a July 2024 completion. 

Our previous post has more details about what has transpired here to date. 

Dumpling Lab, recipient of a new Bib Gourmand, has closed on 9th Street

After nearly a year in business, Dumpling Lab has closed at 214 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks to Steven for the photos.)

The space had been dark recently, and Google listed them as "permanently closed."

Dumpling Lab management confirmed the departure in a text, stating: "we will be looking for another location to reopen in the near future."

The restaurant, which drew inspiration from chef Xiaomei Ma's native Tsingtao, China, was from the same team behind Hunan Slurp on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

And lousy timing on the closure, as Dumpling Lab just made the 2022 Michelin Guide's list of 18 new Bib Gourmands.

Empanada Mama debuts on 14th Street and 1st Avenue

The quick-serve Empanada Mama location opened for business this past Friday on the NW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street. (We've been tracking the progress here since May.) 

Here's a look inside (before it opened for the day) ... there are two self-ordering kiosks...

There is also a cashier taking orders, so that option of paying by cash is available. 

During this initial soft-opening phase, the outpost is open from noon to 10 p.m. daily. Eventually, they will keep hours of 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. 

This is the fourth NYC space for Empanada Mama, which Socrates Nanas launched in 2005.

Papaya Dog closed here last fall, ending a 16-year-run of slinging cheap eats from this corner.

Will we be posting a lot of snow photos this winter?

Seventh and A a few winters ago

AccuWeather unveiled its Winter 2022-23 snowfall outlook for the country yesterday.

So what can we expect in NYC? AW is forecasting seasonal snowfall totals of 18-23 inches here, which would be below average for NYC... with between six and nine "days of accumulating snow."

And a lot of snow likely won't make a difference for public schools. New York City School Chancellor David C. Banks previously announced that there will be no snow days during the 2022-2023 academic year, NBC News reported. 

In a show of solidarity with the students, we will take the days off for them.

Glosslab nails down new 4th Avenue storefront

Mani-pedi chain Glosslab is opening an outpost at 129 Fourth Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

This will be the 10th location in NYC.

Mi Garba, the pleasant wine bar/cafe, closed here in December 2020 after five-plus years in business.  

Jeremiah Moss to discuss 'Feral City' at Book Club Thursday night

Photos by Stacie Joy 

This past Friday evening at the Strand, East Village-based writer Jeremiah Moss launched his new book, "Feral City," with a reading and an animated conversation led by Lucy Sante.

This Thursday night, Moss will be at Book Club Bar for an author event with Robert Galinsky. 

Per the invite: "What happens when an entire social class abandons a metropolis? This genre-bending journey through lockdown New York offers an exhilarating, intimate look at a city returned to its rebellious spirit." 

The event starts at 8 p.m. at Book Club, 197 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.