New East Village Brewery hopes to win you over with a stolen menu

On Monday, we reported that something called the East Village Brewery and Beer Shop hopes to take over the space at 14 Avenue B. We even ran photos of the menu the budding brewers taped to the front door.

Well! As several readers noted in the comments, the menu was exactly the same as two-star Brooklyn restaurant Prime Meats.

Indeed, Eater did the detective work today, and put the menus in a side-by-side comparison.

Exact matches.

The brewmasters were on Monday night's CB3/SLA agenda, but the committee postponed the vote because "the secret investors were not present, they couldn't identify where they were going to get the stuff to build the brewery and they had no brewmaster."

Plus, they don't have a menu, apparently.

Off to a fine start!

This find awaits your 8-track collection

EV Grieve reader BH discovered this on East Fourth Street. And in case you were curious, the panel on the bottom part is not a speaker — it's a light show box. Oh yeah.

Dessert Row lives: Here comes the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop to Seventh Street

Xoom, the nearly 18-month-old smoothie shop, moved out from its Seventh Street location in March. (Jennifer at Xoom is planning to open in another East Village location.)

Meanwhile! Serious Eats (via Eater) reports that the folks behind the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck are opening a shop in the former Xoom space. And this will likely happen next month or so.

Meanwhile! (Again!) Big Gay Ice Cream is the second trucker to open an ice cream shop on Seventh Street. We expect to find Van Leeuwen open soon near Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
On East Seventh Street: Dessert Row seems a little deserted -- Chocolate Bar has closed

Keep on truckin': Van Leeuwen opening dessert shop on Seventh Street

A bad sign at the former countercultural theater on Avenue B

So, the other day I noticed that Chico (and friends) had created new murals on the long-abandoned former church on Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street...

Then I noticed this. An asbestos abatement notice for work starting May 24.

I've been waiting for something to happen to this space for the last few years. It was a movie theater for many years, first the Bijou in 1926, then the Charles. (The theater closed in 1975.) A fire nearly destroyed the building in October 2006.



There had been talk of fixing up the place for the tenant — the Elim Pentecostal Church. But those plans never panned out. Last June, I toured the space with the Rev. Carlos Torres. (See that post here.)

He had plans to sell the space to a developer. The ground-floor would house the church and a community center. The upper levels of the new building would be for (likely, luxury) housing. He didn't have a timeline for any of this; and there seemed to be a lot of red tape involved in any plans. However, what was clear: The building was beyond repair and needed to come down. (Having been inside, I can vouch that it would take a fortune and a few miracles to get this place up to code.)

So the asbestos sign. Asbestos removal often precedes a demolition. However, there aren't any permits on file for the space with the DOB.

I'd love to see this space returned to its previous life as a theater, such as when it was the Charles here in 1966. Ha,right?



(Read more about this addresses' history as a theater here.)

Regardless, I hope that any new plans do include a rebuilt church and community center along with the nice apartments. Anything other than another lost block of just high-end housing in the East Village.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Revival planned for church and theater on Avenue B

Inside the Charles

Former landmark countercultural theater now for rent on Avenue B

Reader looking for someplace to donate books

In the spirit of this post from last October about donating clothing ...a readers asks:

Where can I donate used books in the East Village or Lower East Side? Some kid stuff, some adult stuff.

The NYPL will only take five books at a time for their fundraisers, and my kids' public school only has one fundraising book sale a year, and Project Cicero only wants new or very gently used kids' books (and only has one drive a year).

The books I have are really GOOD books, but they're not new. And I wanna purge now.

Yo landlord!

We spotted a classic Urban Etiquette Sign under the gate at the coming-soon Upright Citizens Brigade on East Third Street ...

It's about the air conditioning unit. "Please have this piece of crap repaired, replaced or turn it off!"

Signed by "the people that live here and have to listen to that crappy A/C"

You will now be able to enjoy your Joey Ramone on Joey Ramone Place

Peels, home to the Joey Ramone and situated on Joey Ramone Place, received the OK from the CB3/SLA committee Monday night to put out a sidewalk cafe. As Eater reported, "Peels' sidewalk cafe will be particularly large with an additional 46 seats outside."

46 seats? Will this make it the largest sidewalk cafe on the Bowery? Gemma, DBGB or Pulino's don't seem quite big enough for 46. I dunno. What do you think? Gemma does seem pretty big.

Womp, there it is: Tagging 147 E. Ninth St.

We usually don't note this kind of thing (or do we?), but Jim Joe/WOMP broke out the fire extinguisher here on the side of 147 First Ave. at Ninth Street, which will be demolished become a motel become luxury rentals with a yet-unknown ground-floor restaurant.

This Womp went up in the last few days...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ninth Street and First Avenue shocker: Motel ... Hello?

Blockbuster: 147 First Ave. set for demolition

A sign switcheroo yesterday at the Amato opera

Yesterday, we reported that the Amato Opera building on the Bowery is now for sale for $6.95 million. The space was previously available as a rental for $22,500 a month.



And workers quickly changed over the sign yesterday to reflect the sale.

Curbed reminded us yesterday that the building was sold back in December 2008 for $3.7 million. Will be a tidy little profit for the owner once the building sells. Per Curbed, "319 Bowery NY, LLC" closed on the property in 2008, and that LLC shares an address with Croman Real Estate, also known as 9300 Realty. Steve Croman has been named to the Voice’s 10 Worst Landlords List.

Cooper Square, 6:12 p.m., May 17

'Man cave,' get your Noho 'man cave' here...

News release from the EV Grieve inbox...

Multi-Million Dollar NYC NoHo Loft Featuring the Ultimate Man Cave

A spectacularly authentic full floor loft residence with modern flair can be found in downtown Manhattan, in the heart of NoHo. New to the market, this wonderfully expansive home has three exposures (north, east and west) and 22 oversized windows providing incredible sunlight and quintessential views of NoHo.

With approximately 3,000 square feet of living space this phenomenal loft has 11'6" barrel vaulted ceilings, exposed brick walls, extra large open floor plan and original loft detail throughout. Remarkably extensive renovation completed, no detail has been overlooked. Current configuration boasts three bedrooms, three completely redesigned full bathrooms, a home office and stunning custom library. The custom library is the ultimate in man caves.

The current owner, an avid reader custom designed every detail down to the exquisitely carved burl oak bookcases and coffered ceiling. This man cave provides the ultimate old world refuge in a sleek modern loft. Not what you would expect to find at the end of a Missoni carpeted hallway. The private master bedroom suite includes windowed dressing room and a most exquisite en-suite master bathroom with steam shower.

The landmark boutique cooperative building is firmly planted in the middle of tree-lined historic Great Jones Street. This coveted loft is situated in a vibrant and highly desirable neighborhood with an enclave of superb galleries, boutiques and restaurants. $4,200,000

Not exactly what I thought a "man cave" would look like. My former 23-year-old neighborhood described his place as a "man cave," though, despite the Megan Fox poster, he was kidding.

The listing is here.

Where to get your 100-ounce beer today on Avenue A

Cafetasia on Avenue A. Photo sent along by Shawn Chittle.