A man and his tiger

Avenue A between Ninth Street and St. Mark's Place early this evening.

Photo by Steven

Village Pourhouse no longer looks closed

Two weeks ago, the Village Pourhouse on Third Avenue at 11th Street closed up the front of the bar and posted notes saying they were "kicking off the new season with a new look." (The Pourhouse remained open though: Patrons had to enter through the 11th Street side.)

An EVG reader noted earlier this evening that the Pourhousers were opening up the doors again and setting up the sidewalk seating for the first time since Aug. 25...





As far as the reader could tell, the space looked the same — at least from the outside.

The Pourhouse is also celebrating its 10th anniversary.

1 explanation for the shortage of Rogaine and Crest Whitestrips at the Avenue B Duane Reade

Police say that two suspects have knocked off eight Duane Reades throughout NYC, taking 44 boxes of Rogaine and 54 boxes of Crest Whitestrips, among other items, in the process, DNAinfo reports.

The East Village was, unfortunately, not immune to this crime spree, as the Duane Reade on Avenue B and Second Street was hit on Aug. 13. During this early-morning visit, the suspects allegedly stole 15 boxes of Rogaine, two boxes of over-the-counter medication and 14 boxes of Crest whitening strips, DNAinfo reports.

Given the number of Duane Reade locations in the area (800? 9,000?), we thought you should be aware of these incidents and think about backup brands to Rogaine and Crest just in case.

Though not mentioned in the article, it's likely the suspects are taking the stuff to resell (based on previous accounts of these stolen items around the country)... as opposed to making some kind of homemade drug or peroxide-based dessert. (A box of Crest whitening strips cost upwards of $40.) There isn't any ingredient in a teeth-whitening strip that can be considered dangerous. And minoxidil is the active ingredient in Rogaine. It may cause dizziness. This effect may worsen if you take it with alcohol or jump up and down really quickly.

The DNAinfo piece has a description and photo of the suspects.

Report: 10 a.m. brunch drinking can officially commence this weekend

Back in June, Gov. Cuomo and the NY Legislature agreed to reform the state's Alcohol Beverage Control Law that reportedly dated back some 80 years.

Soooooo bars and restaurants in the city will be able to start serving drinks at 10 a.m. on Sundays instead of noon.

There was some question at the time when this go into effect.

The answer (H/T Grub Street!): This weekend.

Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday signed the so-called "Brunch Bill" legislation.

Now if Cuomo will only do something about Section 10-114 of the New York City Administrative Code for the benefit of puppeteers citywide.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Cuomo clears way for brunch drinking to start at 10 a.m. on Sundays (35 comments)

Remembering Tom Mulligan

Photos and text by Michael Sean Edwards

Tom (“TJ”) Mulligan, a longtime resident of the East Village, passed away on July 27, 2016. He was 79. He died of complications related to his confinement in a wheelchair.

To many in the neighborhood, Mr. Mulligan was a distinctive presence, often seen in Tompkins Square Park, either reading The New York Times in the shade near Avenue B and Eighth Street, or rolling through on his way to lunch at Odessa, 7A or the Sidewalk Cafe. He would stop often to chat with some of the regulars in the Park on his way.



Thomas James Mulligan was born in East St. Louis, Ill., on Oct. 13, 1937, and raised in what was, at the time, a solid blue-collar community. His father made his living running an auto parts store.

Mr. Mulligan studied for the priesthood at St. Henry’s Preparatory Seminary in Belleville, Ill., but left the seminary after his junior year of college. He graduated from St. Louis Unversity with a degree in philosophy and joined the Army.

As he told the story to friends, “I knew I would be drafted so I decided to volunteer, because that way I could have some control over what happened to me.” He had mastered Latin, Greek and German while in the seminary, so he applied for language school in the Army and became fluent in Turkish, graduating at the top of his class. He was sent to Turkey as a corporal and served as a translator with top-secret clearance for three years.

“Nobody bothered me. I was just this weird guy who spoke the local language. There would be flash inspections all the time and guys would get busted for having their foot locker out of order. I packed my foot locker once — you could have put it in the Smithsonian — and I lived out of my laundry bag for three years.”

This kind of sanguine thinking was a hallmark of his approach to living.


[Mulligan upon leaving the Army in the early 1960s]

Upon discharge from the Army the N.S.A. offered him a job. He declined, and in 1963 moved to New York City. Later in the decade Mr. Mulligan returned to school and became proficient in the then nascent field of computer programming, specifically in managing packet switching and routing for communications networks.

In 1971, he moved to the East Village, taking over a storefront on East 10th Street that had been outfitted as a live-in woodworking shop. There he pursued his personal passion of cabinetry and continued his now quite successful career in technology.



In 1986, Mr. Mulligan was struck down almost overnight by a devastating and rare condition that affected his spinal cord and left him a complete paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair. In spite of this condition he contrived to live alone independently, finding ways to adapt his living space and habits to suit his circumstances.

He was friendly and gregarious but at the same time intensely private and independent. Those who were brave enough or foolhardy enough to ask him what he did were usually told, “I read the paper.” He showed no mercy to anyone who tried to give his wheelchair a push.

Those of us who knew him can attest to his remarkable intellect and resilience, and will miss him deeply.

On Friday, Sept. 9, between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., there will be an informal remembrance of Tom near the Avenue B and Eighth Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park.

Raphael Toledano is selling 5 more East Village buildings

Yesterday brought word that Raphael Toledano's Brookhill Properties is selling two of his East Village properties — 221 E. 10th St. and 58 St. Mark’s Place — as part of a four-building deal worth $36 million.

The selling spree continues. Massey Knakal has listed five more of Toledano's properties, which can be bought separately or as a $64 million collection.

The buildings and their asking price, per the listing:

• 27 St. Mark's Place — $16.5 million
• 66 E. Seventh St. — $12 million
• 253 E. 10th St. — $11 million
• 510 and 514 E. 12th St. — $24.5 million (must be purchased together)

The five buildings represent 102 residential units and seven commercial units.

All five of the addresses were among those in the 16-building portfolio that Toledano purchased from the Tabak family, paying $97 million in September 2015. (In the past year, Toledano purchased 28 buildings in two separate portfolios from the Tabak family for a total of $140 million.)

Massey Knakal is also accepting offers on one of Toledano's first East Village properties — 97 Second Ave.

The Brookhill Properties website shows that the company owns 21 buildings in the East Village.

In an interview published by The Real Deal in June, in which Toledano boasted that he's "worth a fuckload of money, bro," the developer and aspiring shoe designer said that he will keep his core East Village assets "for eternity."

Experienced real-estate players have raised red flags about Toledano's heavy reliance on debt, per The Real Deal.

Toledano has been accused of a variety of predatory practices. In addition, 20 of his buildings were tested for toxic levels of dust. In May, Toledano agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged that he harassed rent-regulated residents at 444 E. 13th St.

The holistic Divya’s Kitchen coming to the Bhakti Center on 1st Avenue

You may have noticed the paper on the doors at the Bhakti Center's dining space... here's more about what's going on here at 25 First Ave. between First Street and Second Street... via the EVG inbox...

Nearly 3 years ago, a small group of devotees came together to reignite the first floor at the Bhakti Center by launching a new cafe and gift shop ... It’s been rewarding and satisfying on a personal level to see the developments of the first floor over the past few years. This coming Fall, another exciting opportunity has presented itself ...

Many of you know Purusha Sukta and Divyambhara as the co-founders of Bhagavat-Life, an educational non-profit dedicated to teaching and sharing healthy, nourishing, conscious cuisine with the world. Beyond that, they are beloved community members and friends at The Bhakti Center who have been operating on our 5th floor for several years. The Bhakti Center has made a collective decision to partner with Bhagavat Life to bring the quality and experience of our cafe to a even higher level.

The new operation will function under the name Divya’s Kitchen. In addition to being a holistic, tasty, mindful cafe offering food that nourishes and uplifts each guest, it will also be the first authentic Ayurvedic cafe in NYC, and perhaps even the country. There will be items available for grab-and-go, as well as sit-down dining services.

The Center's yoga classes and other workshops are not impacted by the cafe's closure. The new cafe is expected to be open later this month.

Tribute in Light

Seen tonight from Sara D. Roosevelt Park.

Report: Raphael Toledano sells 2 more of his East Village properties

[File photo of 58 St. Mark's Place]

Raphael Toledano's Brookhill Properties is in contract to sell two of his East Village buildings, according to The Real Deal.

Renaissance Realty Group, a Midwood-based investment firm led by Adir Cohen, is buying a pair of East Village properties at 221 East 10th Street and 58 St. Mark’s Place for $22.5 million. The sales would represent a sizable increase in value – from $2.95 million and $3.8 million in November 2015 to $10 million and $12.5 million respectively, according to sources and property records.

The controversial Toledano, who has been accused of allegedly harassing his tenants and other predatory practices, is reportedly selling other East Village properties. (The Real Deal noted this back in July.) This past Thursday, we noted that he also put 97 Second Ave on the sales block.

Hakata Hot Pot and Sushi Lounge, housed in the retail spaces at 58 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue, closed at the end of February. In a message on Facebook, the owners said that they had lost their lease. (Hakata Hot Pot combined with sister restaurant Zen 6 the next block to the west at 31 St. Mark's Place.)

Both 58 St. Mark's Place and 221 E. 10th St., which is between First Avenue and Second Avenue, were among Toledano's properties reportedly tested for toxic levels of lead.

The Real Deal reports that Toledano likely isn't through dealing.

Toledano is looking to sell more of his East Village-centric holdings, including a portion of a separate 17-building, $97 million portfolio he bought from the Tabaks in September 2015. Market observers noted at the time that the price was an incredible bargain, though Toledano is also said to be over-leveraged.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Landlord of 444 E. 13th St. threatened 'to drop dynamite on the building'

Report: State investigating East Village landlord Raphael Toledano

Health Department to inspect Raphael Toledano's East Village properties for toxic levels of lead dust

10Below Ice Cream now open on St. Mark's Place

The shop, billed as the first establishment serving Thai-inspired ice cream rolls in NYC, has debuted at a new retail space at 42 1/2 St. Mark's Place just east of Second Avenue.

A photo posted by 10Below Ice Cream (@10belowicecream) on Aug 14, 2016 at 6:39pm PDT

The quickly expanding 10Below Ice Cream has locations in Chinatown, the LES (Allen Street as of July) and Flushing. They are branching out to Los Angeles too.

The St. Mark's location is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, until 11:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

This is the latest rolled ice cream shops to open right around here. Roll It Up opened on Aug. 26 at 65 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... while Lab -321 opened at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue on June 3.

Team behind Avenue B's Pardon My French eyeing 2 spaces on 4th Street

Mario Carta and Guilherme Barreto, the proprietors of Pardon My French at 103 Avenue B near Seventh Street, have designs on new ventures in two currently vacant restaurant spaces on Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, according to documents on file for this month's CB3 SLA committee meeting on Monday.

Before Pardon My French debuted in March 2015, Carta ran the bistro Casimir in the space for 16 years. Barreto came on as the chef for the new venture.

235 E. Fourth St.



The applicants are proposing a restaurant serving French tapas called Nobody Is Perfect for No. 235.

The public questionnaire (PDF!) at the CB3 website shows proposed hours of 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday-Friday, with opening hours at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The paperwork shows 30 tables with seats for 70 diners... and two small bars seating 12 people in total.

The previous restaurant, B4, closed in June after nearly three years in business.

No. 235 has been a challenging spot in recent years for restaurants — Piccola Positano, Tonda and E.U. have all come and gone.

212 E. Fourth St.



A French-Mediterranean restaurant called Bazar is being proposed for No. 212.

The public questionnaire (PDF!) at the CB3 website shows proposed hours of 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday-Friday, with opening hours at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

There are 18 tables for 36 diners here ... along with a six-seat bar.

The applicants are hoping for an upgrade from beer-wine to a full liquor license, per the documents.

After 13 years of serving Italian fare, In Vino closed here back in May.

This month's SLA committee meeting is Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. at the Bowery.

A few details about the Wagamama coming to 3rd Avenue

[EVG file photo]

As previously reported, Wagamama, the London-based chain of Japanese restaurants, is coming to 55 Third Ave.

The applicants opening this location are on CB3's SLA committee docket this month for a beer-wine license. (This item, however, will NOT be heard during Monday's meeting.)

The questionnaire (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website offers a few details about the space.

For starters, the hours will be 11 a.m. to midnight daily. In addition, it looks to be a decent-size food space with 23 tables seating 93 patrons plus "12 stools by food counter." There is also a bar with 19 stools, per the questionnaire. (This Wagamama will also employ 40 people, the documents show.)

This will be the second Wagamama location in Manhattan. The first is opening on Fifth Avenue in a 3-story space overlooking Madison Square Park.

The Japanese-inspired, London-based chain of pan-Asian casual eateries (as the Post put it) has 140 locations around the world.

The current tenant, M2M, the Asian grocery that opened in 2002 here at the corner of 11th Street, is expected to relocate in the neighborhood when the lease is up early next year. No word when Wagamama might open then.