EV Grieve

Monday, June 23, 2014

Joselito Restaurant has left Avenue D

Joselito, the inexpensive and delicious Dominican restaurant, closed earlier this month at 125 Avenue D near East Ninth Street.

There's some consolation. The proprietors have moved down to 172 Delancey between Clinton and Attorney. It's a much smaller space, without a bar and just a few tables ...

Joselito's used to be at 94 Avenue C, but they lost their lease in 2008 when a new landlord bought the building ...

[EVG file photo]

For a similar vibe, El Rinconcito remains open nearby at 408 E. 10th St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Sidewalk bridge arrives outside the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue on East 14th Street

[Photo by James and Karla Murray]

Workers arrived Friday to erect a sidewalk bridge outside the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

That's usually not a noteworthy event. However, as you may recall, the synagogue hit the market last fall for possible development.

This prompted all sorts of speculation, such as the space would be developed into condos. (Preservationists have also pushed to have the city landmark the structure.)

So back to the sidewalk bridge. Is this is sign of condo things to come?

[Photo by EVG reader Pinch]

According to permits on file with the city (in the DOB's ALL-CAP style):

STRUCTURAL REPAIRS IN THE (CELLAR) BASEMENT AND ATTIC TO INCLUDE JOIST SURING, ROOF JOIST AND THE CONCRETE RAT SLAB, ECT, AS SHOWN ON PLANS FILED HEREWITH. NO CHANGE IN USE, EGRESS, OR OCCUPANCY.

Estimated costs of the renovations: $$282,000.

Meanwhile, the listing for the synagogue is no longer on the Massey Knakal site. The asking price had been $13,950,000.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation

Basics Plus confirmed for former Surprise! Surprise! space on 3rd Avenue

Last month we heard that a Basics Plus was going to take over the former Surprise! Surprise! storefront on Third Avenue and East 12th Street.

The coming soon sign has arrived …

No word on an opening date for the housewares store. There looks to be a lot of renovation work left on the interior.

Surprise! Surprise! closed after 25 years in business on April 27.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Surprise! Surprise! will close at the end of April (42 comments)

Reader report: Basics Plus moving into the former Surprise! Surprise! space

Headless Duane Reade shopper giving East 2nd Street the creeps

[EVG file photo]

You've seen the ubiquitous Duane Reade store signage of the smiling woman walking into traffic while proudly carrying her Duane Reade bag.

Yes. Anyway, the recently expanded Duane Reade on Avenue B is getting a new mural along the East Second Street side.

For the time being, the smiling woman with the bag does not have a head.

It is unsettling to look at, mostly.

Looking at The Fourth's sidewalk cafe

As you may recall back in April, several residents had concerns about the proposed sidewalk cafe at The Fourth, the ground-floor restaurant located in the Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street.

The matter eventually went to City Council, who OK'd a smaller, 12-seat cafe.

Anyway, the cafe made its debut the previous weekend… not really much to look at. From either vantage point.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Concern over a proposed sidewalk cafe for The Fourth on 4th Avenue (20 comments)

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The 1st weekend of the summer

[East 7th Street]

[East Houston and the Bowery]

[Double duty on East 14th Street]

[Tompkins Square Park]

[East 5th Street and Cooper Square]

[East 2nd Street and Avenue C]

[Avenue B]

[Tompkins Square Park via Bobby Williams]

[St. Mark's Place via Derek Berg]

[Free conversation in Astor Place via John Penley]

[Dylan the bike dog on 2nd Avenue via Derek Berg]

[East 5th Street]

[Zum Schneider on Avenue C for Ghana vs. Germany]

[1st Avenue and East 4th Street via Matt Rosen]

[Tompkins Square Park via Slum Goddess]

Hawks on the horizon

EVG readers Rob & Mike noticed something atop the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on East Third Street...

Turns out that it was Dora, proud mother of the baby hawks ...

... and later, Christo joined Dora... perhaps for a quick parental meeting...

Week in Grieview

[Avenue B last evening by Fallopia Tuba]

First Avenue Pierogi and Deli is closing (Monday)

The Alphabet City-Tompkins Square Slow Zone arrives in August (Tuesday)

1st look at the Women of the Lower East Side Film Fest from MoRUS this summer (Friday)

Thoughts on the East Village today from a former resident (Tuesday, 50 comments)

City of Saints Coffee Roasters is now open on East 10th Street (Saturday)

Icon Realty's "frat house" is attracting attention (Tuesday)

Adinah's Farm is closing on Avenue C (Wednesday)

Out and About with Tim Floyd Young (Wednesday)

A visit to the Olympic Restaurant, closing soon (Thursday)

Duane Reade coming to Avenue D (Monday)

An actual barber shop opens on East Sixth Street (Monday)

Abraço Espresso opens Abraçolina on East Seventh Street (Tuesday)

Demo permits filed for former R&S Strauss store on East 14th Street (Friday)

State seizes Mobil station on Avenue C and Houston (Friday)

Royal Tailor Shop ready for action on East 11th Street (Wednesday)

St. John’s School of Risk Management arrives at the Death Star (Friday)

Eleventh and Third brands itself (Wednesday)

It is now the summer (Saturday)

Xi’an Famous Foods reopens today (Friday)

Not much left of the Sunburnt Cow (Thursday)

Retail space housing the Smith and M2M is for sale (Thursday)

Happy Father's Day Joe Strummer (Sunday)

The Copper Still takes over for Ryan's on Second Avenue (Thursday)

One way to watch the World Cup in the East Village

From the privacy outside your RV parked on Avenue A near East Sixth Street.

Someone tell those people standing outside Zum Schneider about this!

Photo via RyanAvenueA

For sale: Everything must go at the former Boukiés space on 2nd Avenue

The Greek-themed Boukiés closed in March after a two-year run at Second Avenue and East Second Street. And today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there's a sale on lights, tables, chairs, etc., as the sign on the front window reads …

As for meeting those new neighbors … the Times reported in April that Vicki Freeman, Marc Meyer and Chris Paraskevaides, who own Cookshop, Hundred Acres and Five Points, will convert the corner space into a Mexican restaurant.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Boukiés has 'permanently closed' on Second Avenue