The blanding of Union Square West

Bloomberg files an article on the escalating rents on Union Square West that are forcing restaurants such as the Blue Water Grill and Republic to close or relocate.

Some passages from the piece...

Rising rents and real estate turnover are hardly new phenomena, but Union Square West, along with other desirable residential areas of New York ... have seen their rents become so prohibitive that most of their restaurants — with the exception of chains, or flagship “loss-leaders” — are forced to move elsewhere.

And!

“When rents go up, it makes the viability of restaurants harder,” said Stephen Sunderland, the senior managing director of Optimal Spaces, a tenant broker in the city. “You have to think of restaurants as artists, or neighborhood pioneers,” he explained. “They come into a neighborhood, it becomes hip, and that’s the source of their demise,” he said. “They create the trends that undo them.”

80 E. 10th Street rises, teases

The broker bunting is up on the sidewalk bridge surrounding the new development on the southeast corner of 10th Street and Fourth Avenue.

As previously reported, a 10-story, retail-residential condoplex is on its way up on the property that was formally a one-level structure of businesses.





The address here is officially 80 E. 10th St. And there is a teaser site up for the 12 condos. Sales are expected to start this fall.

Incoming rendering!



Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Demo permits filed to raze southeast corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street

The 'tremendous retail potential' of East 10th Street and 4th Avenue

10 stories of condos in the works for the long-vacant corner of 4th Avenue and East 10th Street

With new building OK'd, corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street finally ready for razing

98/99 Favor Taste opens on St. Mark's Place

98 Favor Taste is in Grand Opening Mode now at 37 St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. (They opened on Saturday.)

As noted back in February, 98 Favor Taste is from the operators behind the 99 Favor Taste restaurants, which include locations in Sunset Park and Grand Street.

The restaurants specialize in traditional Korean-style barbecue and Chinese hot pot meals. You can find their menu here.



Upon opening on Grand Street, the Voice gave 99 Favor an enthusiastic review... calling it "a feastly orgy: trays heaped with raw meats and fishes, feathery greens and fungi, boiling and bubbling pots, and popping and sizzling meats top every table. Diners crowd around, heads-down, slurping noodles and soup with chopsticks, only looking up to tend the meat, cooking at arm's distance away."

And as you may recall, the hot pot hotspot went through some signage changes during construction...


[Photo from February by Steven]

These storefronts had been vacant going for nearly five years. Timi's Gelateria Classica™ closed at the end of 2011 in one of the spaces… while Michael "Bao" Huynh's Baoguette Cafe shut down at summer's end in 2012.

The Pourhouse might be in the poorhouse with back rent due in excess of $60k

The Village Pourhouse vacated the premises at 64 Third Ave. at 11th Street back in April after 10-plus years in business.

Over the weekend, the landlord placed some legalese on the front door... giving notice that the establishment owes $65,046.29 in back rent (which includes some legal fees...)



Take a look at the notice... the combined rent (for "store west" and "store east") is more than $30,000 a month.

Meanwhile, the owners of the Ainsworth, an upscale sports bar with multiple NYC locations, have been vying for the space.

This week at the Village East Cinema

[Random City Cinemas Village East marquee shot]

A few screenings to note this week at the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue at 12th Street.

On Wednesday night, its the 50th anniversary of the Oscar-winning "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" with Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn.

On Thursday night, Hedda Lettuce hosts a viewing of "American Gigolo."

Find ticket info here.

The Village East is also showing "Dunkirk" in 70mm.

[Updated] RIP Neftaly Ramirez

The cyclist who was fatally struck by a garbage truck early Saturday morning in Greenpoint has been identified as Neftaly Ramirez, 27, who lived in East Village, according to published reports.

Ramirez was biking home following his shift at Paulie Gee's, the pizzeria on Greenpoint Avenue.

About the collision, per DNAinfo:

Ramirez was riding on Franklin Street about 12:30 a.m. when the garbage truck driver, heading south on Franklin, turned right on Noble, fatally struck Ramirez, and kept driving, NYPD officials said.

The truck was green and had white and yellow writing on it, police said. Investigators were still trying to find the driver Monday morning, police said.

Authorities said they believe the truck belongs to a private company.

The Daily News talked with several people who knew Ramirez.

“He was such a nice, quiet guy,” said tearful neighbor Emily Yambo, 43.

“He was a good, hard-working person,” the pal said, adding he was loved animals and video games. “They need to find the person that hit him.”

Last night our beloved staff member Neftaly Ramirez tragically lost his life as he was struck down on Franklin Street by a hit and run garbage truck driver while bicycling home after his shift. We are all heartbroken and will miss him very much. Please be careful out there on the roads. They are a very dangerous place these days. RIP Neffy.

A post shared by Paulie Gee (@pauliegee123) on Jul 22, 2017 at 3:23pm PDT

Updated:

Gothamist talked with Paulie Gee proprietor Paul Giannone about Ramirez:

"He washed dishes for a while and he was engaged to be married and he was very excited about that, and he wanted the opportunity to make more money," Giannone said. "And I just recently had the opportunity to promote him to a bar back, and he was very excited about that. And the staff was very supportive about him, and helped him."

Updated 7/31

The truck that struck and killed Ramirez reportedly belongs to New Jersey-based Action Carting.

Per DNAInfo:

Action Carting, the city's largest private garbage company which has been lugging waste since 1999 and picks up garbage from more than 16,400 private restaurants, offices and companies across the city, has settled a handful of cases in which its drivers have struck and injured people.

Updated 8/11

The NYPD declined to charge the garbage truck driver who struck and killed Ramirez, per Gothamist.

1st LinkNYC kiosk coming to St. Mark's Place

[Photo Saturday by Steven]

There was a ceremonial groundbreaking on Saturday (following the ceremonial sawing down of the pay phones) on St. Mark's Place just west of Second Avenue ... where workers have started the prep work for what will be the first LinkNYC kiosk on St. Mark's Place.

The other pay phones remain up for now on this block between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, where the LinkNYC will sure to be put to good use.


[A Clint Mario special]



Despite LinkNYC's tech advances (Wi-Fi, device charging, access to city services, maps and directions), they do not provide ample space to, say, mix or hold beverages like the pay phones on the block ...



Previously

Former San Loco space for rent on 2nd Avenue

[Photo from Friday]

The empty storefront is now on the rental market at 124 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

The listing (PDF here) doesn't offer too many specifics on the 800-square-foot space. There isn't any mention of the asking rent... (the first neighboring tenant mentioned is Caffe Bene, which closed in April on St. Mark's Place...)



San Loco closed last month "due to a rent increase that is unsustainable," according to owner Jill Hing. The business opened in this location in 1986.

Polish G. I. Delicatessen has officially closed

[Reader-submitted photo]

Back on Friday, an EVG reader spotted workers removing shelves and equipment from the Polish G. I. Delicatessen on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. With that, it appears the shop is now closed for good.

Eater reported that that the Eastern European specialty foods shop was closing on June 30. However, counterman David Cohen kept the space open for several weeks after that, selling coffee and doughnuts from the mostly empty storefront.

There are two versions of what will happen next with the business.

1) Cohen told Eater that they would be taking a two-month vacation and returning with hopes of opening in a new location. "Nothing is sure, but we'll see what happens," he said. EVG reader DrGecko said the shop would reopen on Ninth Street in September.

2) Multiple readers told us that chef-owner Grace Iwuc was retiring, and closing the shop. The retail listing for the space notes that "the owner is retiring and selling her 10-year lease of $2,600/month." Several readers wondered how a business could find a more reasonable rent in a different locale in the neighborhood.

The Polish G. I. Delicatessen opened in 1996.

H/T Luke A

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Polish G. I. Delicatessen is closing at the end of the month

Bonefade Barbers mark arrival on Avenue A

A tipster told us last month that a barber shop is opening at 115 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

On Saturday, the coming soon message/skull arrived for Bonefade Barbers.

The space hasn't had a full-time tenant since Alphabets closed here in February 2014 and moved to 64 Avenue A.

Here's Martina

Just a quick post to note that the plywood came down last week outside Martina, the Roman-inspired pizzeria from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group that's opening next month on 11th Street at Third Avenue...



The previous Martina post (here) had a few more details on the place.

Eventually the space will look like this rendering...



Meanwhile, the corner slot on 11th and Third — the former M2M — still has the plywood treatment while workers carve out the incoming Wagamama.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group planning Martina for 55 3rd Ave.

Darkstar coffee opens on Great Jones

Darkstar Coffee opened late last week at 2 Great Jones St. between Broadway and Lafayette.

As you can see, the place wasn't open for the day yet when I stopped by on Saturday morning...



It doesn't appear to be related to the Darkstar Coffee in Perth, Western Australia.

The cafe shares space with In Living Stereo ... where they had a small but well-curated record shop that closed back in the spring.