Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Valentine's night at Sunny's


[Photo by @EdenBrower]

Sunny's Florist, operated by Sun "Sunny" Ja Hwang and her son Edward, on Sixth Street at Second Avenue is arguably the best place to buy flowers in this or any neighborhood ... no surprise then that there is always a line on Valentine's Day or Mother's Day for quality bouquets that start at $10.

Noted


[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg]

Streeteasy teamed up with Hinge, the relationship app, for a Valentine's Day survey about dating in NYC.

Here are a few places in which the East Village rated...

Residents of Murray Hill, Gramercy Park and the East Village in Manhattan are the most prone to conversation after connecting with someone on Hinge. However, it’s difficult to say whether these conversations will lead anywhere. After all, the goal of dating on an app – much like the goal of apartment hunting – is to eventually meet in person.

Hmmmk

And the 5 most-popular neighborhoods in Manhattan for dating:
1. West Village
2. Murray Hill
3. Flatiron
4. East Village
5. Chelsea

A mid-afternoon Valentine's break



Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Steven...

Clockwork Bar denounces weekend attack by reported white supremacist group

As you may have read, a group of men described as "neo Nazis" attacked twin brothers outside Clockwork Bar on Essex Street early Sunday morning.

The Post had the first report:

The beatdown happened when the brothers, both 27-year-old Columbia graduate students, noticed the large group of “skinheads” hanging inside one of their usual haunts called Clockwork on Essex Street and decided to head for the exits around 12:30 a.m.

On the way out the door, they ran into a group of smokers outside who noticed the sticker on one of their phones reading “New York City Anti-Fascists.”

“One of the guys … sees [my brother’s] phone, grabs it and starts screaming, ‘I know what the f— that means, I know what the f— that sticker is, you need to get the f— out of here,’” said one of the victims, who asked to remain anonymous.

“He throws the phone on the ground and they just start jumping us right in front of the bar.”

Six to seven men, all wearing matching vests with patches that read "211 Crew," reportedly took place in the fight.

Police arrested one of the group members, identified as John Young, 29, of Washington, D.C., according to DNAinfo. The charges against Young include two counts of assault as well as menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.

Gothamist has more details on the attack here.

Yesterday afternoon, the bar, which opened in 2013 at 21 Essex St. between Hester and Canal, released the following statement...



Clockwork Bar would like to express its concern for the victims of the attacks on Feb. 11 on Essex and Hester streets. Our hearts go out to them. And we pray for a speedy recovery.

We would also like to state clearly that Clockwork Bar does NOT endorse, sympathize, nor invite the views and beliefs of Neo-Nazi, supremacist hate groups. These groups and their views are not welcome at our establishment. They have never been, nor will ever be invited or allowed in our bar. We apologize for what happened and are taking steps to prevent future instances as well as working with the NYPD to increase awareness and security for our patrons.

Furthermore, it is fundamental to Clockwork Bar, its ownership and staff that we are not a Neo-Nazi, white supremacist or hate group association establishment. Clockwork is about music, friendship and good times. Anything else is hereby prohibited.

The two brothers reportedly suffered cuts and bruises to their faces and bodies and were taken to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital. One brother required five staples to close a wound on his head.

ABC 7 had an interview last evening with one of the brothers:

"I'm completely shocked, and I'm appalled by it," the victim said. "I feel like these organizations are sort of being emboldened to come out of the woodwork now, just because of the general sentiment that's going on."

The Clockwork Bar also updated their profile photo last evening...


Updated — Gothamist has more today, reporting: "It turns out that Matt Restuccia, lead singer of the right-wing oi band Lonewolf and a 211 member, was DJing an after-party at Clockwork on the night of the attack. A flyer for the DJ set advertises it as an after-party for a concert by the legendary English punk band Cock Sparrer."

Reminder: Rally at City Hall today for PS 64



As we noted last week, City Council Member Rosie Mendez and other community leaders, organizations and residents are holding a rally and press conference on the steps of City Hall today to get Mayor De Blasio's attention on the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center on East Ninth Street. The rally starts at 2 p.m. today.

As previously reported, developer Gregg Singer, who bought the property between Avenue B and Avenue C from the city in 1998, is reportedly pushing de Blasio's administration to remove a stop-work order that has been in place since 2015.

According to public records, Singer is continuing to retain high-powered lobbyist Jim Capalino, a former Mayor de Blasio ally, for the remainder of the year...


[Click for more detail]



Among Capalino's lobbying targets: the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development and the Office of the First Deputy Mayor.

Capalino, according to a New York Daily News story in March 2016, steered $50,000 to de Blasio after pushing the city to lift the deed restriction at the Rivington House. (The mayor said last August that he has cut off contact with the lobbyist in the wake of multiple investigations into his administration, per Politico.)

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, told this to DNAinfo in a story published yesterday: "We want to save our community center and we don’t want another Rivington House situation where the restrictive deed on this property is undermined or circumvented and the dorm for hire plan that the developer is currently pursuing is approved and becomes the fate of the building."

It has been reported that Singer has a signed lease with Adelphi University, and hopes to have students move in by the fall of 2018.

Preservationist groups and other residents have been opposed to Singer's plans, and want to see a return of the landmarked building to use as a cultural and community center.

Previously

Southern Cross Coffee now open on 5th Street


[Photo by Steven]

Southern Cross Coffee opened its doors on Sunday at 300 E. Fifth St. (the Shops of East Fifth Street) between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Here are details via the Southern Cross Coffee Facebook page:

The name Southern Cross Coffee is in honor of the Southern Cross constellation, which is visible primarily in the southern hemisphere and sometimes as far up as 20 degrees north latitude. Our founders were both born in the southern hemisphere, where the constellation is very much a part of our cultures.

And...

Grab a great cup of locally roasted coffee and quick bite at Southern Cross Coffee. Natural foods and espresso made the traditional Italian way.

The cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. They do have a website, though it's still mostly under construction.

Jamie the check-cashing guy previously worked from this storefront before the renovations. The other two spaces remain on the rental market.

BeetleBug arrives with flowers on 9th Street



BeetleBug, a flower shop, recently opened at 441 E. Ninth St. at Avenue A (their placeholder website is here).

They are the first retail tenant in the recently renovated spaces along here... which have been vacant for nearly a year...



According to one previous tenant here, landlord Icon Realty either wasn't renewing leases or offering new terms with unmanageable rent increases. The last tenant to leave was the Upper Rust, who found a new space in Chelsea for their antiques.

The former tenant at No. 441, the vintage boutique Dusty Buttons, moved one block to the west on Ninth Street in 2015. Unfortunately, owner Amanda Loureiro recently announced that Dusty Buttons was closing at the end of this month at 324 E. Ninth St.

Back on Ninth and A, four other retail spaces remain for rent... and the corner spot, home for 20 years to Café Pick Me Up until May 2015, still sits empty.

Updated: DNAInfo followed up with a post on BeetleBug here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
On East 9th Street Dusty Buttons is closing after 125% rent hike: 'Saying goodbye will hurt like hell'

Monday, February 13, 2017

Monday's parting shot



A view downtown early this evening via Bobby Williams...

'St. Mark's Is Dead' at the Tompkins Square Library Thursday evening

Author Ada Calhoun will be reading from (and signing paperback copies of) her book "St. Marks Is Dead" this Thursday evening at the Tompkins Square Library branch.

The reading starts at 6. The event is free to attend, though attendees are encouraged to RSVP here.

This is part of the library's ongoing LES Oral History Project.

A 4-vehicle pileup on East Houston



An EVG reader shared these photos from yesterday afternoon... showing a four-vehicle pileup on East Houston at Attorney...



Per the reader: "Guy in the black coupe tried to pass westbound cars stopped at the Attorney Street light by going in the bike lane. He hit the parked white SUV, which hit the Smart car, hitting another SUV."



And there is some surveillance video showing the impact of the crash...





The crash reportedly drew an emergency response that included four fire trucks, four police cruisers and three ambulances. According to the reader, the westbound lane of Houston was closed for several hours.

"People in the black coupe were ambulatory, but taken to the hospital by EMS," said the reader. "The traffic coming off the FDR is so fast. People think it's a highway when the speed limit is 25 mph."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reports: 73-year-old East Village woman struck and killed by van while crossing East Houston

More accidents on East Houston Street

Reader report: An assessment of the dangerous East Houston-Avenue B/Clinton Street intersection

Resident: July 4 collision highlights dangerous East Houston-Avenue B/Clinton Street intersection

1st sign of Ikinari Steak, the quick-serve, no-seat steakhouse coming to 10th Street



The signage has arrived for Ikinari Steak at 90 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



This will be the first U.S. location (there are more than 100 worldwide) for the popular Tokyo-based restaurant. The concept: Diners stand and basically eat really quickly.

Here's more on Ikinari Steak and its owner, restaurateur Kunio Ichinose, via The Financial Times:

Customers stand at 1m-high tables and order the precise number of grammes desired. The cost — Y5/gramme for rib-eye to more than Y10/g for sirloin — gives customers what Mr Ichinose claims is a vital sense of control.

Everything is calculated for speed of throughput and optimal use of limited ground floor spaces in key city locations. The height of the tables, Mr. Ichinose demonstrates by jumping up and miming, has been calibrated so that diners are unlikely to put their knives and forks down between mouthfuls. He pulls out a smartphone, which funnels him real-time CCTV footage of all the restaurants, to show this happening.

Press materials for this first U.S. location note the following:

The idea behind Ikinari Steak is to serve “super thick” high quality meats quickly and economically, therefore people stand while consuming their steaks. It’s a fun, interactive, communal, and brand new experience for New Yorkers! This is what is called "J-Steak" (Japanese style steak), a phrase coined by, and being introduced to New York by Ikinari Steak. Three cuts of Choice Beef are offered at a minimum of 12 or 14 oz.: ribeye, sirloin, and filet, cooked on an open-fire, served with corn, and presented sizzling on a cast-iron platter. Guests can choose to add more to their steaks at an extra cost. Therefore, any tenth of an ounce increment above the minimum is possible, as all steaks are cut to order. Lunch will offer a set meal of a 14oz Chuck Eye Steak with salad, soup and rice for $18.

The restaurant, designed by Idea+ Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, and Goodspeed Architects in NYC, has 40 standing stations and 10 table seats. The same loyalty program, so popular in Japan, will also be offered in New York. It's a "beef mileage card" app that allows diners to track how many pounds of steak they’ve eaten and ranks them against other regulars.

The original opening date was November... so not sure what the new date is. Soon?

This address was home to the steakhouse Prime & Beyond until last summer.

Previously on EV Grieve:
On 10th Street, Prime & Beyond has closed; popular Japanese steakhouse coming

The Empire has officially fallen: Former Biscuit shop for rent on Avenue A



A for rent sign arrived on Friday at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street, marking the official end of Empire Biscuit.

The quick-serve biscuiteers were only open a few days in 2016. They announced reduced hours in January 2016, and then never reopened. Empire Biscuit owner Jonathan Price promised a return in March. That same month, someone there posted a disposable plate on the front window noting that they were peelin' potatoes.



Legal documents from the landlord arrived on the front door back in the fall. According to that paperwork, the Biscuit owner was in arrears on rent and back taxes to the sum of $106,000.

Meanwhile, the for rent sign stipulates no bars or restaurants.

Empire Biscuit opened, originally 24/7, to some fanfare in the fall of 2013. Several near-by residents were turned off by their slogan — Breakfast Lunch Dinner Drunk.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Incoming Empire Biscuit on Avenue A launches Kickstarter campaign (122 comments)

Report: Empire Biscuit opens today (65 comments)