The Tompkins Square Park Media Ratstravaganza Part 2 this September?

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

In his Villager column this week, Scoopy has a statement from the Tompkins Square Park & Playgrounds Parents’ Association (TSP3A). The comment reads, in part:

If they do not have an alternative plan, or think what they have done so far, like putting in rat-proof garbage cans and laying down wood chips, is an acceptable alternative, they are mistaken. The Parks Department can rest assured that around mid-September, TSP3A will be inviting the entire New York City media back to our playground, with their cameras in tow, to see how the Parks Department has done. If they have eliminated the rats, it will be a great day for the Parks Department and for our children. But if the situation is largely unchanged, then they will be in for a second round of embarrassment courtesy of every newspaper, television and radio news program, and news blog in the New York City metropolitan area.

Woo! Blogs!

Oh, anyway. Read all the statement (and the rest of Scoopy) here. And! For the record, Bob Arihood coined the termed TSP Ratstravaganza ... we're not sure about the licensing agreement...

Restaurant (turnover) row on First Avenue

Yesterday, we noted that Veloce Pizzeria on First Avenue was "closed for renovations." Well! Matt Rosen at Neighborhoodr was first with the scoop last weekend ... Also yesterday! Grub Street got the word that they "will be relocating to midtown Manhattan sometime in 2012."

We also hear that the owners of Veloce Pizzeria might be keeping the space and trying another concept.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of restaurant turnover along First Avenue here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street:

• L’asso EV is taking over the Bonjoo space.

• wd~50 pastry chef Alex Stupak is opening Empellon, "a fine-dining Mexican restaurant," at the former Counter.

• Filipino pop-up restaurant Maharlika is the fourth restaurant to try 111 First Ave.

What gives here?

Of course, there was Teresa's, the always-reliable (and affordable) Polish diner at 103 First Ave. (which was/is Veloce Pizzeria) that closed in May 2007 ...

A sign of things (pancakes, namely) to come on 14th Street

Yesterday, Bucky Turco at Animal NY got a look inside the incoming IHOP in Bushwick ... Seeing as one (an IHOP, not a Bushwick) is opening on 14th Street soon enough, well, here's what you can likely expect....

[Bucky Turco]

And here's how it will look from the outside on 14th Street...

KIDDING about that exterior...

Casimir now offering a 'bottomless' drink brunch

Casimir on Avenue B is under new ownership... and some longtime patrons have been fretting about the changes in store at the French bistro... the following item should give those people more reason to worry... is a 25-cent wing night close behind? The following news release is from the EV Grieve inbox...

[Dave on 7th]

MAKE BRUNCH LAST ALL DAY WITH BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS & BLODDY [sic] MARYS AT CASIMIR BRUNCH AND ENDLESS DRINKS FOR $19.95

NEW YORK- NY On Saturdays and Sundays Casimir is serving brunch with bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys! For only $19.95 you can enjoy their delightful brunch menu and as many of the two brunch beverage favorites as you can drink. Come in between 11am and 4pm and get your Saturday off to a good start or begin your Sunday Funday!

10th Street and Avenue C.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Special delivery on Avenue A

A little earlier today... an Agata Olek original at Seventh Street.

Photos by Bobby Williams

[Updated]: Cyclist struck and killed on Delancey

A reader just sends us the news. It happened near the Bowery Ballroom. "Too horrible for photos," said the reader.

Another tweet says the person killed was a pedestrian.

Another reader says the victim is male.

Other news sources are checking in...

6:19 p.m. — The Lo-Down is at the scene and reports that a cyclist was struck and killed by a truck.

BoweryBoogie is on the scene too ... and notes that the area is locked down.

Per DNAinfo: "It appeared that the biker had a problem with his chain, according to the sources."

6 a.m. — The Associated Press says the victim is a 52-year-old man.

What is the City going to do about Delancey?

Per the Daily News on Aug. 1:

Crossing Delancey is taking your life in your hands.

In the last dozen years, there have been 523 motor vehicle accidents at the intersection of Essex and Delancey Sts. - 134 involving pedestrians and bicyclists - according to figures for 1998 to 2010 obtained from the state Department of Transportation.

Three people died.

RIP New York Press; welcome back Our Town Downtown

Over at the Observer, Kat Stoeffel reports that Manhattan Media is shuttering New York Press and, on Sept. 1, relaunching Our Town Downtown — "a magazine/community newspaper hybrid."

In a telling statement, Publisher Tom Allon said: "Downtown has changed, it's more ripe for a community paper than an alternative paper."

Here's more from Mr. Allon:

"It'll compete with the Voice for hipsters, Downtown Express for community activists, and New York magazine for intelligentsia who care about real estate and their home values."

Uh-huh.

Read the whole Observer piece here.

Even Cowgirls get the...

[Atron]

Outside Cowgirl's Baking on East 10th Street this afternoon...

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Union Square yesterday via blue glass]

A chat with the Tompkins Square Park Rat Lady (Runnin' Scared)

WPIX brings up the rear in TSP rat coverage (WPIX)

World Famous Pee Phone is out of order (East Village Corner)

Sturdy diner replaced by joint with a $65 prix fixe menu (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Elvis on A (Neither More Nor Less)

The historic Art Deco meatpacking building to be demo'd for shitty glass tower (Off the Grid)

Anyone wanna challenge Daniel Squadron? Anyone? Anyone? (The Lo-Down)

Marty visits the Coal Yard (Marty After Dark)

Die Hard 5 will likely happen. Woo? (BoweryBoogie)

A Cure photo mystery (Flaming Pablum)

If the white breeches fit ...: Chris Christie maybe called Bloomy "Napoleon" (Gothamist)

And in case you haven't seen the new commercial filmed at Billy's Antiques that has been making the rounds...

Bowery Beef likely pulling out of the Bowery Poetry Club

Bowery Beef opened up in the Bowery Poetry Club back in February ... And, well, we rather liked their $5 roast beef sandwich (so did Sietsema!) and coffee...

Anyway, the place wasn't open the last few times we stopped by.

So we asked one of the owners, Ray LeMoine, a few questions via email ... and turned it into a handy-dandy Q-and-A:

Is Bowery Beef closed for good at its current location?

Not 100 percent sure yet. But it looks like we may move to another location.

What happened?

We were robbed four times in one week. Bowery Beef was located in the entryway of the Poetry Club, and they stay open until 4 am. We closed due to the robbery losses and the lack of security. On top of that, we never hit the dinner rush we needed. Since there's no wall between the cafe and stage, it was essential that Beef was virtually silent during readings, which wasn't suitable for dinner.

How would describe your experience at the Bowery Poetry Club?

They had like seven managers and we never felt cohesion. But we're still working with Bob Holman, the owner of Bowery Poetry Club. Holman has taken over the club's booking and we are placing readings and events in an increased capacity. So our experience is ongoing.

Holman wants to turn the Beef space into a bookstore, and we'd help with that. Our neighbors, The Hole Gallery, have a book shop, carrying mostly art titles. Bowery Poetry Club's shop would be more literary fiction/non-fiction and of course poetry. A mini-book row on Bowery seems like a wonderful thing.

A lot of people really liked your food. Are you planning on reopening in a new location?

Thanks. We have a handful of options on Bowery and want to stay in Noho. We're talking with friends and neighbors about a Bowery Beef hybrid similar to what we did with Poetry, meaning a cultural component.

Longtime operator Greg Brier is our partner and we are scouting for all sorts of projects, not just Beef-related, and not just in Manhattan. One of our ideas is an artisinal whorehouse/casino pop-up, called Area 69, with male hookers dressed as sexy vegan aliens, sustainable poker chips and a green building made of composted human shit. We have a great secret location in Nevada. We'll be open for NYE 2012 baby!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Where's the Bowery Beef?

Bowery Poetry Club to get literary cafe, roast beef

Bookstore-cafe wanted for the Bowery Poetry Club