Full reveal at the incoming Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place

Workers removed the plywood yesterday here on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place...





A Starbucks rep told DNAinfo last month that this location will be open later this summer.

Photos by Vinny & O.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Starbucks confirmed for Avenue A

At the 'Not Another Starbucks Rally'

Martina opens this weekend (and the sidewalk planters have arrived)

[Photo from Sunday]

Martina, the Roman-inspired pizzeria from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, opens Saturday on 11th Street at Third Avenue.

Grub Street had the news, speaking with Nick Anderer, the former chef at its sister pizzeria-restaurant, Marta.

Unlike the wood-fired pies at the mothership, Martina’s are smaller, cheaper ($7 to $12), cooked in a gas oven in about two minutes, and doled out counter-service style. But they share Marta’s ultra-thin-crust DNA: Martina’s four-slice pies use the same dough, the same California tomatoes, the same Di Palo’s mozzarella. One of those vibrating pager thingamajigs Danny Meyer popularized at Shake Shack will buzz you when your pizza’s ready ...

Also, there won't be any delivery...

But when it comes to one particular in-demand amenity, Anderer won’t budge: delivery. “I want my food to be enjoyed at the best possible moment,” he says, though he will allow takeout.

You can find a PDF of the Martina menu here.

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

Monday's parting shot

Photo from East River Park this evening via EVG reader Brucie...

Rat talk reminder for tomorrow night

Reposting from last week...

Neighborhood rat reduction plan

A public info session with Q-&-A

Aug. 15, 6:30 pm
East Village Community School at 610 E. 12th St., between Avenues B and C.

Join senior officials and experts from the Health, Sanitation, Parks Departments and NYCHA to learn about:
-New state of the art trash cans in your community
-New investments in NYCHA developments to prevent rats
-More frequent trash pickup
-Better Waste Management Practices for Landlords or Enforcement of rat-related violations by landlords

Co-sponsored by: Borough President Gale A. Brewer, U.S. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, State Senator Brad Hoylman, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, Council Member Rosie Mendez, Council Member Margaret S. Chin, and Community Board 3.

Noted

An EVG reader shared this from earlier today... a worker attempting to scrub off a spray-painted message inside the front door of a Steve Croman-owned buidling on Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

The message reads, in part: "NYU frats suck," and you can see the rest.

Last month, someone spray painted "Rats > Frats" on the new Big Belly trash can nearby on the northwest corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street.

Tonight: Opening reception for the 'Capturing the Lower East Side’s Storefronts' exhibit

Tonight is the opening reception for "Capturing the Lower East Side’s Storefronts" at the Theater For The New City Gallery.

East Village-based photographers James and Karla Murray, whose books include "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York," are the curators. "The purpose of the exhibition is to act as an artistic intervention helping draw attention to and raise awareness of the importance of preserving the small shops whose existence is essential to the unique and colorful atmosphere of the city’s streets," they said in a statement about the show.

The opening reception is from 6-9 p.m. at the Theater For The New City Gallery, 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. The exhibit will be up through Sept. 18.

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photo!

[Updated] Trees coming down for L train expansion on 14th Street

As previously reported, preliminary work is underway along 14th Street for building new entrances at Avenue A and an underground power station at Avenue B for the L train.

And to make way for all this, some trees need to come down. On Friday, workers removed several trees (I counted three barrels on top of stumps) on the cobblestone median along 14th Street/the Stuy Town service road between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Several EVG readers shared emails about this taking place.

Wrote one: "I am appalled and sickened to see [the trees] being cut down and fed through a chipper. Did anyone know that this was going to occur? I am sick at heart and will never see full grown trees on this block for the rest of my life. Incredible."

And more will be coming down between Avenue A and Avenue B... X marks the doomed trees...



These six trees have Xs on them...



... and the trees that will remain ...





Updated 8/15
Several readers noted that the six trees came down yesterday...

When Webster Hall reopens, there might be a Moxy Hotel across the street

[Photo from Saturday]

Webster Hall's Ballinger era has come to an end. The venue closed after a performance by Action Bronson on Thursday. (You can find a Webster Hall timeline here. The building has been around since 1886. It re-opened as Webster Hall in October 1992 after the Ballinger family purchased and renovated the space that was known as The Ritz during the 1980s.)

Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, along with AEG-backed The Bowery Presents, teamed up to buy the landmarked building from the Ballingers for $35 million this past spring. The new owners will renovate the space, doing away with club nights to focus on live music.

Heath Miller, vice president and talent buyer at Webster Hall, told amNewYork last week that the venue will likely be closed for the next 18-plus months for renovations.

"When I was first told about the sale, it was supposed to be a short closure for minor renovations and I was told the buyers had plans to retain the venue staff, but now the closure period has grown to 18-plus months and that plan has switched from a short-term closure to a long-term closure."

As of this morning, the new owners have yet to file any work permits with the Department of Buildings (DOB) for the property on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. So that process awaits as does getting the OK for the work via the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Meanwhile, across the street, construction hasn't started yet on the 13-floor hotel for Marriott's Moxy brand...



The DOB approved the permits last week, per the DOB website.

The Moxy website optimistically says the hotel will be open in late 2018.

So as of now, the revamped Webster Hall and the Moxy hotel have roughly the same opening/reopening dates.

Updated:

Billboard has an extensive piece on the past and future of Webster Hall.

The renovations could drag into 2020, and there may be a name change too.

Ahimsa Garden is open on 10th Street

[Photo Friday by Cheyenne]

Ahimsa Garden opened last Monday at 265 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The vegetarian Indian restaurant is an offshoot of the Thompson Street location, which boasts an $11.95 lunch buffet. (Not sure if they are offering that deal here.) They are, however, using the rear garden like the previous tenant, Moustache, which closed in May.

You can find Ahimsa's Thompson Street menu here.

DBGB has closed, and erased from the Bowery

As announced, DBGB shut down after service on Friday following eight years in the Avalon Bowery complex between First Street and East Houston Street.

"In this location, it’s busy on weekends but erratic in the early part of the week," chef-owner Daniel Boulud told The New York Times. "I hope to find a more appropriate space for it in New York."



On Saturday morning, workers (above) were prepping to clean out the space on the Bowery ... and by the end of the day on Saturday...





... and a last look at the former sidewalk cafe (for now...in case Boulud decides to do something else with the space)...



For now, three of the five retails spaces in this Avalon Bowery section are vacant as DBGB joins L'Apico and Tatyana Boutique as former tenants.

Previously on EV Grieve:
How DBGB is 'pissing on the grave' of punk rock

Why we're writing about Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar in Buffalo

Breaking: DBGB making sidewalk cafe look less barren

Tasty Tasty won't be reopening on 14th Street

Tasty Tasty Chinese Take Out (previously Tasty King) has closed for good at 534 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The gate has been down since the third week of July. There was some thought that this might just be a temporary closure. (As we understand it, the quick-serve Chinese restaurant changed ownership several months ago, with one family member buying out another.)

Late last week, a building resident here saw a worker cleaning out the space. The worker said that they decided to close the restaurant, that it wasn't a landlord/rent issue.

Perhaps it was a business issue? The restaurant (as well as the residents in the building) have endured noisy construction the past three years (here and here, for example) with the demolition and subsequent development of Extell's 7-floor retail-residential complex next door...



H/T Michael Paul!

Week in Grieview

[Those fake Alice Cooper eyes]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

New City Council legislation aims to protect tenants from construction as harassment (Friday)

No charges for driver who struck and killed East Village cyclist (Saturday)

LPC signs off on expansion for the Anthology Film Archives (Thursday)

A little more about Limited to One, a new collectible record store on 10th Street (Friday)

Out and About with Puma Perl (Wednesday)

The Living Gallery Outpost is a new exhibition and event space on 4th Street (Thursday)

Someone returned a book to the Tompkins Square Branch of the NYPL that was overdue by 38 years (Thursday)

Landlord and partner sues Root & Bone chefs for spending profits (Thursday)

Renderings reveal the MTA's plans for the Avenue A L station; why does everyone look so happy? (Tuesday)

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists & the Make-Up headline the Seaport Music Festival (Tuesday)

A look at 'Carole Teller’s Changing New York' (Wednesday)

New photo exhibit celebrates the neighborhood's storefronts (Thursday)

Dr Smood to call on the LES (Wednesday)

Dog Beach (Tuesday)

Cheers Cut bringing Taiwanese fast food to St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

New York Health Choice (aka Eastside Market) has gone dark for now on Avenue C (Monday)

Former Eye Beauty Spa for rent on 4th Street (Wednesday)

More legal drama with Raphael Toledano and 97 2nd Ave. (Tuesday)

Horus Kabab House airs out their sidewalk cafe on 6th Street (Monday)

Shake Shack announces itself at the Death Star (Monday)

A Starbucks sneak peek on St Mark's and Avenue A (Friday)

Turntable 5060 has been closed today for awhile (Monday)

Mayahuel has closed (Wednesday)

So long to those spiky structures outside Cooper Union (Tuesday)

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