Tuesday, March 16, 2021
A sign of spring in Tompkins Square Park
Zooming in on the iconic work of East Village-based photographer Roberta Bayley
East Village-based photographer Roberta Bayley is the guest tomorrow night (March 17!) for the Coney Island Museum's Ask The Experts on Zoom series.
The evening includes a screening of the 33-minute documentary "Roberta Bayley: She Just Takes Pictures," which highlights her iconic punk-era photography from 1975 to 1986 (like the shot of Debbie Harry above!) ... and a Q&A session with Bayley and Beth Lasch, the film's director.
Tickets are $5 and support the Museum and its arts programming. The session starts at 7 p.m. Find viewing details here.
Dian Kitchen has closed on 9th Street
The quick-serve restaurant specialized in rice noodles and other small dishes from China's Yunnan province.
The Instagram message from the owners is below... they say they are moving out of NYC and hope to reopen Dian Kitchen where they land...
Photo from 2018 by Steven
36 St. Mark's Place for rent again as Joe's Steam Rice Roll closes
Last week we reported that workers had emptied out Joe's Steam Rice Roll at 36 St. Mark's Place.
It wasn't immediately clear if this meant a closure — or renovation. After all, the quick-serve shop between Second Avenue and Third Avenue closed for seven weeks without any public notice in the fall of 2019.
Unfortunately, it looks like a permanent closure — the address is now on the RIPCO website. The rent is available upon request.
Joe's debuted in the East Village in June 2019 ... and it seemed poised to break the curse of concepts that couldn't make it work in this space. This was the first standalone location for the business, described as a "cult favorite" by Eater, which got its start in a tiny storefront in Flushing.
No. 36 has seen a variety of openings and closings in recent years, including Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods ... Friterie Belgian Fries ... Fasta ("Pasta Your Way") ... and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza.
Photo by Steven; H/T Upper West Sider!
Hot dogs? How about Korean-style corn dogs for 147 Avenue A
Well! That's sorta accurate. Turns out "corn dog store" would have been an even better descriptor.
As Steven points out, there's now a QR code out front ... taking you to the website for Two Hands — "Seoul fresh corn dogs" ...
This looks to be the first NYC location for the expanding company that has franchises in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Here's a look at what to expect with their varieties of corn dogs...
Monday, March 15, 2021
Monday's parting shot
An open window at the former P.S. 64
The reader, who reports seeing people on the roof here fairly often, believes yesterday's gale-force winds KO'd the window.
Developer Gregg Singer, who bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998, has wanted to turn the building into a dorm called University Square. The DOB continues to maintain a Stop Work Order — dating to August 2015 — on the property.
In years past several local elected officials, community activists and residents have asked for the return of the building for community use. The building became the Charas/El Bohio Community Center after the school left in 1977. The group was eventually evicted when Singer took over as the landlord. It has sat empty these past 20-plus years, causing locals to be concerned about its crumbling façade.
Report of a roof fire at 170 E. 2nd St.
Witnesses reported seeing "intense flames" coming from the roof.FDNY on the scene of the rooftop fire at Ave A @ 2nd @evgrieve pic.twitter.com/yfQaH35swV
— Alice Bodemyr-Dunaway (@alicedunaway) March 15, 2021
No word at the moment what caused the blaze or the extent of the damage.
Here's a view of the FDNY on the building's roof via @alicedunaway ...
Vinny & O shared images from Avenue A and Second Street...
Top photo via the Citizen app
Owners of Tribeca's Khe-Yo plan to bring Laotian cuisine to 12th Street
They'll be appearing before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a new liquor license for the space...
The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website shows that the restaurant will hold 74 people inside and another 19 in the backyard... with proposed (post-pandemic) hours of 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. (with a 2 a.m. close on Sunday and Monday).
The virtual committee meeting starts tonight at 6:30. The Zoom link is here.
Until late last summer, this space was home to Mace, the high-end cocktail bar... which moved on to West Eighth Street. Mace relocated from Ninth Street to this larger space in early 2019.
Double Wide closed at No. 503-505 in March 2018 (much to the relief of some neighbors). Noise issues have been persistent here dating back to the Mundial and Totem days.
H/T to the reader who shared these photos!
The Wafels & Dinges outpost on Avenue B has closed
This was the first brick-and-mortar cafe — opening in July 2013 — for the popular food trucks serving Belgian waffles that have been in circulation around the city dating to 2007.
W&D founder Thomas DeGeest, who lived with his family in the neighborhood, confirmed the closure to EVG contributor Stacie Joy. (All photos from Friday by Stacie.)
W&D founder Thomas DeGeest, who lived with his family in the neighborhood, confirmed the closure to EVG contributor Stacie Joy. (All photos from Friday by Stacie.)
"We are in the process of moving out. The store is closed and won't reopen," he said. "It's been many years of great memories, of meeting interesting neighbors and wonderful customers. We always considered it a privilege to serve everyone. People came to spend their time with us, they came to enjoy our food and our cafe, and that's something to be grateful for.
"For the East Village, unfortunately, it's gonna be another empty storefront," he continued. "But for many New Yorkers and tourists over the past 14 years, Wafels & Dinges has become part of their New York experience."
Although this outpost has closed, he said his family business is here to stay. "We'll heat up our irons again, we'll bake and we will thrive."
The W&D trucks are still in circulation and they still have their permanent kiosks at Bryant Park and Herald Square. They're also now selling their wares online.
"When the COVID crisis forced us to close all brick and mortar locations last year, we were able to pivot, thanks to many customer donations, and we shipped over 12,000 waffles out to frontline workers in New York, Baltimore, New Orleans and Chicago," DeGeest said. "That was the launching pad to start our online shop."
Jian Bing Man coming to 1st Avenue
An outpost of Jian Bing Man will be opening later this year at 120 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
The quick-serve restaurant that specializes in Chinese crêpes recently signed a lease for the vacant space. This will be the third outpost in the city, joining the ones in Food Gallery 32 on West 32nd Street and at the Gansevoort Market on West 14th Street.
As for their signature dish, here's a description via the Jian Bing Man website:
This savory crisp-fried crêpe is all about bold contrasts of flavor and texture: eggs, spread over the surface of the wheat and mung bean flour pancake as it cooks. Each one is cooked fresh to order on a circular cast-iron grill, just the way you want it.
They'll also offer a variety of rice and noodle dishes.
The previous tenant here, Doma Food and Drinks, a Korean bistro, didn't have much of a chance, opening in February 2020 — about six weeks before the PAUSE ... this was a new concept from the owners of the Tang, which opened in this space in July 2016.
H/T Upper West Sider!
Sunshine Cinema-replacing office building reaches the top on Houston
The steel structure is complete at 141 E. Houston St. ... and workers this past week planted the American flag atop the 9-story building here between Eldridge and Forsyth to mark the occasion...
From acclaimed architect Roger Ferris, the only new development of its type on the Lower East Side, 141 East Houston is a new frame for viewing the neighborhood. Column-free and unbounded by walls, it reinterprets the area through a bold geometric perimeter of cladding and glass. State-of- the-art workspaces and private terraces reframe expectations, while a well-connected location recasts perspectives.
With its glass frame and dynamic courtyard running the length of its eastern side, doubling as a second facade, 141 East Houston challenges the distinction between indoors and out.
East End Capital and K Property Group bought the property for $31.5 million in the spring of 2017. The links below provide more background on what has transpired on the site of the former Sunshine Cinema (RIP January 2018).
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Sunshine Cinema-replacing office building moving forward; demolition watch back on
• Discarded theater seats and goodbyes at the Sunshine Cinema
• The 9-story boutique office building coming to the former Sunshine Cinema space
• A celebratory ad on the purchase of 139 E. Houston St., current home of the Sunshine Cinema
• The boutique office building replacing the Sunshine Cinema will be 'unbounded by walls' with an outdoor space called Houston Alley
• Sunshine Cinema-replacing office building moving forward; demolition watch back on
• Discarded theater seats and goodbyes at the Sunshine Cinema
• The 9-story boutique office building coming to the former Sunshine Cinema space
• A celebratory ad on the purchase of 139 E. Houston St., current home of the Sunshine Cinema
• The boutique office building replacing the Sunshine Cinema will be 'unbounded by walls' with an outdoor space called Houston Alley
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