McSorley's reopens today on 7th Street, and this is what you can expect

McSorley's Old Ale House opens its doors today after more than a two-month-plus closure during the COVID-19 crisis.

Longtime bartender Gregory de la Haba, whose wife, Teresa Maher de la Haba, is the owner, gave us a rundown on what you'll find at the saloon on Seventh Street near Cooper Square.

"We’ll keep a limited menu of burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs," he said of their to-go items. "And we’ll implement all the necessary precautions like wearing face masks, and we've already installed four hand sanitizers with one at the entrance. Doesn’t quite go with the decor of the aged and charred wood but for now who gives a shit. Safety first."

Food aside, they'll also be selling growlers to go. And you can expect to see some familiar faces when picking up food or beer to take home. "We kept all our staff, and everyone wants to get back to work."

This is also the longest the circa-1854 McSorley's has ever been dark.

"Billy McSorley closed the bar for one full week when his father John died in 1910. Hurricane Sandy closed our bar for five days," de la Haba said. "But we had no closures during the Spanish Flu, the Civil War — or the riots due to [the War] — or any other war or outbreak. But this is also the first government mandated closing."

For now, McSorley's will be serving daily from 1 to 8 p.m. for at least the next two weeks while they see what the city does with a reopening plan.

"The uncertainty into the unknown is what’s driving most business owners mad," he said. "And the 25 or 50 percent occupancy will be the nail in the coffin for most — especially if it lasts more than one month."

[Updated] A new oven, and a new era at C&B Cafe

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

The new oven for C&B Cafe arrived yesterday here on Seventh Street near Avenue B.

As we've been noting, chef-owner Ali Sahin held a successful fundraiser to buy a larger, more efficient oven for his cafe at 178 E. Seventh St.

To help stay in business during the COVID-19 PAUSE, Sahin had been baking — and selling out of — between 30 to 40 sourdough boule loaves each day. (He also uses the bread for C&B's sandwiches.)

With a new, larger oven, he'll be able to increase his output as well as offer a wider variety of bread.

Stacie Joy stopped by to check out the new oven, which arrived on a truck from Ohio. Before the professional installation commenced, some neighbors from the building next door showed up to help load the oven inside the space.

To make room for it, Sahin did away with the small seating area in the back...









If all goes well, then the oven will be ready to turn on today...



Updated 5 p.m.

Stacie was there today for the official Oven On moment...

The 2020 [virtual] Loisaida Festival will take place on the next 2 Sunday afternoons

The 33rd annual Loisaida Festival takes place this Memorial Day weekend, though in an obviously modified format.

The festival, which launched in 1987 along Avenue C, will take place on consecutive Sunday afternoons — May 24 and May 31.

A few details:

Honoring our over 30-year tradition, this year we will bring our cultural festival to the virtual realm, reaching thousands of participants in the comfort and safety of their homes.

It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color, ravaging our health, livelihoods, economic stability, and social-emotional well-being. For these and many other reasons, we stand by our belief that “Arts & Culture = Social Justice” and, therefore, the show must go on!

Our [Virtual] Loisaida Festival’s theme Cuenta Con Nosotros – Count On Us! will highlight the unwavering dedication of our Latinx essential workers, who have bravely fought in the frontlines against the ongoing health crisis, as depicted in this year’s beautiful commemorative artwork by local artist María Dominguez.

You can find the streaming links at the official website.

Sen. Hoylman introduces legislation allowing bars and restaurants to continue offering drinks for takeout after COVID-19

[7B via Instagram]

State Sen. Brad Hoylman announced new legislation yesterday that would allow bars and restaurants to continue offering drinks for takeout and delivery for two years after the state disaster emergency expires.

The bill would also provide community boards and local government with the power to conduct oversight that ensures an establishment is operating safely.

"If we want our favorite bars and restaurants to survive the crisis, we’ve got to help them adapt," Hoylman said in a statement. "My new legislation will allow bars and restaurants to provide beer, wine and cocktails for take-out and delivery for two years after the crisis ends, giving these establishments a much-needed lifeline while New York slowly returns to normal."

Per info via Hoylman's office:

The bill includes multiple safeguards to ensure all sales are safe and legal. It would require all alcoholic beverages to be sold in closed/sealed containers, to be accompanied by the purchase of food, and to comply with open container laws.

It would also require the State Liquor Authority (SLA) to conduct regular outreach to municipalities and community boards to solicit comment, and would allow the SLA to hold hearings to decide whether to suspend or revoke a licensee’s ability to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption in response to complaints from community boards or municipalities.

The bill requires the SLA to report to the Governor and the Legislature on the implementation of the law, and to hold public hearings across the state to hear from local communities about how the law has affected them.

New York’s hospitality industry is facing enormous economic pressure from COVID-19. According to a recent report from the New York City Office of Management and Budget (OMB), restaurant revenues declined by nearly 90 percent immediately after the New York on PAUSE regulations took effect.

Benched: City removes seating from Ludlow and Stanton

From the EVG tipline... a reader shared this photo yesterday from Ludlow and Stanton, where city workers removed two four-sided benches that surround trees at this spot.

No word why these benches were deemed disposable... city officials likely wanted one less possible spot for people to potentially congregate as spring moves into the summer... there had been reports of daytime boozing without any social distancing here in Hell Square central.

Thursday's parting shot

Tompkins Square Park view this afternoon...

Takeout openings: William Barnacle Tavern, 2A

The William Barnacle Tavern opened today for take-home drinks here at Theater 80, 80 St. Mark's Place near First Avenue.

Steven ran into proprietor Lorcan Otway, whose bar offerings include mead, an alcohol made from water, honey and yeast...



And 2A has their take-home setup happening at their Second Street window here at Avenue A...



... and there are flyers asking patrons to move along after making their purchase...

Coming of red-tailed age

It's becoming more difficult to see the red-tailed hawk's nest in Tompkins Square Park... however, Goggla was able to manage a few photos of Amelia and Christo's three hawklets last evening... (unfortunately, they wouldn't cooperate and pose for a group shot) ...









As she notes: "They're growing fast and should be ready to fledge in the next couple of weeks." You can find more of her photos here.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.

2nd Avenue mainstay B&H Dairy now accepting credit cards and mobile pay

[Image via @bandhdairy]

A quick follow-up about B&H Dairy's reopening ... as noted here, the popular lunch counter (circa 1938) known for its house-baked challah at 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place is now open for takeout and deliveries as of this past Saturday.

In the first few days, they were cash only. Now, however, owners Ola and Fawzy Abdelwahed have announced that they're also accepting credit cards and other forms of mobile pay.

There was a lot of enthusiasm when B&H announced its return. Unfortunately, that hasn't translated into actual sales.

In an Instagram post about the credit cards, B&H noted:

We hope this makes ordering easier for everyone. Though we are open for take-out and delivery, we are not yet doing the volume of business needed to sustain being open and it is possible that we may temporarily close again next week.

Before the pandemic we served 200 customers a day. Now we serve 20-30 on a good day.

B&H is taking order by phone only at 212-505-8065 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check their Instagram and Facebook pages for links to the menu and daily specials.

Construction watch: 302 E. 2nd St.

There's plenty of progress to note at 302 E. Second St. between Avenue C and Avenue D where a 14-story affordable housing complex is rising on this long-vacant, city-owned parcel...



The project — called East Village Homes — will feature 45 affordable apartments and a ground-floor community facility.

As Patch reported last fall:

Eight apartments will be for formerly homeless people under Section 8 for incomes up to 20 percent of area median income, seven apartments at 47 percent of AMI, 14 apartments at 77 percent of AMI and 15 apartments at 120 percent of AMI — which ranges from annual incomes less than $15,000 to about $90,000 for a single person.

And a look at the rendering...


[Via Leroy Street Studio]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here are more details on East Village Homes, the affordable housing set for 2nd Street

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop's automated approach to dining in the COVID-19 era

As we first reported back on March 23, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is coming soon to 131 First Ave. (aka 82 St. Mark's Place).

In recent days, more details have been reported on how they plan on doing business in this COVID-19 era.

Owner Stratis Morfogen, the founder of Philippe Chow in Chinatown and Brooklyn Chop House in the Financial District, revised his opening plans after the pandemic shut down the city. Patrons can now expect an automat-type arrangement — not to mention temperature checks at the door.

Here's the Post:

The shop — now slated to open in July — vows zero human interaction. Instead of a server behind a counter, patrons will be greeted by an 11-foot-high wall of lockers, which will contain orders of steaming hot dumplings.

"When restaurants reopen, nobody is going to be saying, 'Do you feel like Chinese or Italian tonight?'" Morfogen said. "It will be, 'Where do you feel safest?'"

And the safety measures in place:

The front of the shop will be staffed by a single greeter wearing a face covering and gloves, of course, who will beckon customers through a device that’s able to scan body temperatures.

If a patron draws a red light instead of a green one, it could mean they have a fever — or perhaps that they were holding a cup of hot coffee. For a final verdict, the greeter leads the customer to a wall unit that takes wrist temperatures. If the second reading lands in the red zone, sorry, no dumplings, according to Morfogen.

Only two customers will be allowed into the shop at a time (versus a planned capacity of 10 for the earlier design). Once inside, customers who haven’t already ordered from their phones can visit one of two wiped-down self-ordering kiosks.

And how about ordering food then? Let's go to Eater:

[C]ustomers will be able to do so on their phone or through an ordering kiosk nestled among the nearly ceiling-high row of food dispensers. Diners won’t have to touch the pad; instead they can hover their fingers on the panel to make selection and to pay with a credit card, Morfogen says.

The stack of lockers — reminiscent of the Horn and Hardart automats that were a ubiquitous presence in NYC in the mid-20th century — flash red when an order is placed, yellow when the order is two minutes from coming out, and green when it’s ready to be picked up. Diners continue to receive text updates throughout and scan their phone on their locker when it’s ready to be picked up.

For now, you can visit the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop website for details and updates ... and a look at their 32 varieties of dumplings, which include some far-flung combos like peanut butter and jam and wonton with vanilla ice cream.

As previously noted, workers divided this former single-occupant storefront into three spaces. Eiyo Bowl, a vegan quick-serve restaurant specializing in acai and rice bowls, was the first tenant to sign a lease here.

The previous tenant, Foot Gear Plus, closed in July 2018 after nearly 40 years in business.