More 99-cent pizza for Avenue A; plus hot dog

Blink and you may have missed this coming soon signage at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street... Incoming: 99-cent pizza and hot dog (singular)...



This will mark the third 99-cent pizza shop on Avenue A between Houston and Ninth Street, joining Alphabet 99-Cent Fresh Pizza and 99¢ Pizza. (There's also FDR 99¢ Slice Pizza just off of A on Second Street.)

The latest 99-cent pizza shop takes over the sliver of a space last leased by Sorbet Cray Cray.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Tuesday's parting shot

Someone tossed a lotta locks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place ... photo by Derek Berg...

Resurfacing the sullied sidewalk on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Back on Friday, we noted that workers put in a new sidewalk around the recently renovated storefront on the southwest corner of First Avenue and St. Mark's Place... and they left the freshly poured sidewalk unattended overnight. Which resulted in the top photo.

Anyway, here's a look at the sidewalk now ... workers were able to buff it out (or to smooth it over via, say, QUIKRETE® Concrete Resurfacer?)... thanks to Steven for these photos...





Previously on EV Grieve:
A new East Village walk of fame? (31 comments)

Impact of coronavirus concerns at local restaurants

[Photo of Nowon Chef Jae Lee by Stacie Joy]

Eater posts a long read on the impact that the coronavirus fears are having on the city's dining scene.

Here's an excerpt featuring East Village restaurateurs:

Jae Lee, of casual new East Village Korean restaurant Nowon, says business started going down about three weeks ago and has tapered since then, but it’s “not detrimental.”

Sakura Yagi of T.I.C., the restaurant group behind popular downtown Japanese spots such as Sobaya, says though foot traffic is “visibly lower” and some big groups have canceled, many people seem to be coming out “to maintain a sense of normalcy.”

Still, some worry that even a small dip is a sign of more to come. East Village impresario Ravi DeRossi — who owns 15 restaurants and bars, from the more formal Avant Garden to hit cocktail bars like Death & Co — says over the weekend, a quarter of reservations canceled day-of, with some saying they’re concerned about being in public places and others worried about not feeling well.

“This was the first weekend,” he says. “My feeling is every weekend, it’s going to get worse and worse.”

Read the full article at this link.

Ray celebrates his 87th birthday

Ray Alvarez, the hard-working proprietor of Ray's Candy Store, turned 87 on Jan. 25.

And as is tradition dating to 2007, a group of Ray's friends/regulars hosted a birthday extravaganza inside the shop at 113 Avenue A last night. (The festivities were a little later this year after Ray's recent hospitalization.)

This year's theme: the golden age of burlesque. And on hand last night to help Ray celebrate (in order of appearance below):

• Pearls Daily
• Peekaboo Pointe
• Gal Friday
• Stormy Leather
• The Maine Attraction

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos...





















... there was also a card and cake...





Happy birthday, Ray!

The Tuesday morning sky

Here's a view of the spectacular morning sky from around Fourth Avenue and 12th Street courtesy of Jeanne Krier.

As someone on Twitter said about today's sunrise: "I love when New York shows up."

130 E. 7th St. sells for more than $20 million

The 7-floor building on the southwest corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street has a new owner.

According to a news release, 130 E. Seventh St. (aka 109 Avenue A) sold to an undisclosed "overseas buyer" for $20.750 million.

The renovated building arrived on the market in September 2018 with an ask of $22.95 million.

As we noted back in August 2016, the building went through a luxury makeover, with residential rentals fetching up to $16,995 a month at that time. (Last August, the penthouse was rented for $20,000 per month, according to Streeteasy.)

The current retail tenants include Miss Lily's and Avenuea Pilates.

Public records show that the University of the Streets sold the building to Park Corner Development, LLC in September 2011 for $5 million.

[Updated] Bali Kitchen is back in action, but only on Saturdays and Sundays

[Reader photo from Saturday]

Several EVG readers happily noted that Bali Kitchen reopened on Saturday after a months-long renovation here at 128 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

No word at the moment about what upgrades were made at the quick-serve restaurant serving Indonesian cuisine.

In any event, the readers who shared the news were just glad that Bali Kitchen was back open.

Updated 3/11

Turns out that Bali Kitchen is only open on Saturday and Sunday now. Per the comments:

Hi everyone, I am a friend of the Bali Kitchen owners, Jazz and David. Jazz told me that Bali Kitchen is starting to open on Saturday and Sunday for now with a limited menu after they did some renovation back in February. During weekdays, Bali Kitchen offers catering for office or private parties. They noticed their walk-in traffic is only busy on the weekends, while their catering business is busy during weekdays so they pivoted their business model a little bit. Come support them on the weekends if you enjoy their food and can make it!

Their weekend hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to Bali Kitchen on 4th Street

Doctor, doctor: Medical office set for this 3rd Avenue storefront

Renovations continue at 111 Third Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.

The DOB permits posted on the site note that the renovations are for medical offices...



With the arrival of a medical facility, you'll have to look elsewhere for a costume of a "Stranger Things" character: No. 111 served as a Spirit Halloween pop-up shop the past two years.

Until January 2018, this space was home to a Ricky's.

Xi'an Famous Foods has closed on St. Mark's Place

In a bit of a surprise, Xi'an Famous Foods has closed its outpost on St. Mark's Place near First Avenue.

There always seemed to be a crowd here for the shop's hand-pulled noodles, and it was the location where owner Jason Wang spent a lot of time as Xi'an continued to grow.

A note that arrived on the front door on Friday offered an explanation... turns out the lease was up, and Wang decided to move on... though it sounds as if a return to the East Village one day may be possible ...



Wang also tried a sit-down Chinese restaurant called Biang! at 157 Second Ave. (a doomed location) that closed after 15 months back in 2017.

Meanwhile, there are still 14 other Xi'an Famous Foods in the city to enjoy.

Land of Buddha now open on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Steven]

Land of Buddha recently made its debut at 11 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This is the second location for the shop that specializes in Buddhist-themed antiques, jewelry, textiles, crafts and religious items. (The original outpost is at 128 MacDougal St.)

You can take a look around the shop via this Instagram clip...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Land Of Buddha NYC (@landofbuddha) on Feb 21, 2020 at 11:42am PST

St. Mark's Comics closed here after 36 years in business in February 2019.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Land of Buddha, a Himalayan gift shop, taking over the former St. Mark's Comics

Cantilevering condoplex finally reaches the top at 75 1st Ave.

The 8-floor (plus that bulkhead) cantilevering condoplex has topped out at 75 First Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street ... workers planted the flag atop the structure late last week...



This has been a long time coming. The ground breaking took place in September 2016. The build included nearly 14 months of inactivity.

And some blurbage via the 75 First Ave. website, which lists that 10 of the units are in contract:

The building lobby boasts a fumed glass door entrance, lava stone floors and walls, and a contrasting yellow travertine stone desk. Black stucco adorns the elevator walls, while the private residents lounge features a yellow travertine stone fireplace, white stucco walls with brass reveals, a pool table, and several areas of seating. Additional amenities include a full-time doorman, a landscaped rooftop, a fitness center, and bicycle storage.

Available units include 1 and 3-bedroom homes with several 1-bedrooms featuring sizeable home offices, and a dazzling selection of Penthouse residences crown the building. Each home of 75 First Ave blends a modern open layout with sleek finishes, Italian doors and hardware by Lualdi, and gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows. Kitchens are equipped with white and greige matte lacquered cabinets custom made in Italy by Arclinea, white Carrara marble countertops and backsplash, Fantini faucets, and top-of-the-line Miele appliances. Bathrooms are adorned with custom sinks and vanities, and Piasentina stone flooring.

The Colonnade Group developed the building, created by HTO Architect and designed by Stefano Pasqualetti.



Previously on EV Grieve:
• 2020 vision: New completion set for Rite Aid-adjacent condoplex on 1st Avenue

• High-rise for 75 First Avenue back in play

• Long-stalled First Avenue site now has a brand-new rendering

• Report: Long-dormant 1st Avenue development site changes hands

• Plywood report and the future of 75 1st Ave. (Spoiler: condos)