EV Grieve

Monday, March 14, 2022

Avenue A Deli and Grill shapes up

Photos by Steven

The market-deli coming to 123 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place is shaping up.. temp signage on the front window reveals the name — Avenue A Deli and Grill...

Bit of a logjam now with like-minded businesses within a few blocks of each other on Avenue A... two new places have opened in recent weeks — one on the SW corner of Sixth Street ... the other mid-block between Sixth and Seventh... not to mention the recent renovation of Kamaran Deli & Grocery at 79 Avenue A at Fifth Street to include more to-go food options. Plus the places already in service — East Village New Deli at 115 Avenue A and Tompkins Finest Deli & Grill at 153 Avenue A.

The storefront at 123 Avenue A has been vacant since Tony (aka Abdul) died in the fall of 2018. Tony, who owned the building, ran the deli, which operated under various names in this spot for 25 years.

Sunday, March 13, 2022

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from Tompkins Square Park yesterday by Steven) ...

• Sunny's Florist is BACK (Monday)

• Two Boots supporting Ukraine with 2 new pizzas, including the Mr. Ze (Monday)

• Let's take another look at the eerie remains of the long-abandoned 6 Avenue B (Thursday)

• A visit to Arka, the 71-year-old Ukrainian gift shop on 2nd Street (Tuesday)

• A sign of spring amid the bulldozed remains of East River Park (Tuesday)

• Mayor Adams visits the EV (Monday)

• The art of East Village artist Tabboo! at Karma (Saturday)

• A sneak peek at El Colmado, opening soon on East Houston Street (Thursday)

• Ramen Setagaya's St. Mark's Place location looking very closed (Monday)

• Why the Fillmore East commemorative plaque is missing on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

• #Baonanas bringing their version of banana pudding to 7th Street (Wednesday)

• Chef Tan signage arrives on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

• On 9th Street, wind sends sidewalk-bridge plywood onto 2 cars below (Tuesday)

• World party on 14th Street: Hello, Bong World! (Wednesday)

• Higher Empire announces itself on 1st Avenue (Thursday)

• Report: 'Rowdy teens' blamed for series of attacks at Sheen Brothers on 10th and B (Tuesday)

• Purple reign: Incoming Taco Bell now looking more like a Taco Bell (Monday)

• Today is the day for the new, smaller TD Bank to debut on 3rd Avenue (Thursday)

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Indoor service is back at Abraço

For the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, indoor service has returned to Abraço Espresso. (Thanks to Drew Heffron for the photo and tip!)

The cafe had been selling their pastries and coffee drinks from a walk-up to-go system.

Abraço is at 81 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Hours:

Tuesday-Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday-Saturday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Saturday's parting shot

Photo on First Avenue and Seventh Street today by Derek Berg...

A sign of spring!

Despite the dreary weather today, Goggla notes that the cherry trees are beginning to bloom in Tompkins Square Park.

Oh, and some daffodils too...

Check out the 'Cityscapes' of Tabboo! at Karma

The work of longtime East Village-based artist Stephen Tashjian — aka Tabboo! — is now on display at the galleries Karma and Gordon Robichaux.

Here's more via Karma:

In these works, Tabboo!’s beloved stomping ground of New York City takes center stage, giving the viewer a chance to see the city through his eyes—a vantage imbued with possibility. The city has anchored Tabboo!’s practice across works on paper and on canvas. Rendered in quick, impressionistic gestures and a vivid palette, gray skies and iconic skyscrapers attest to its stoic beauty.

In describing his turn to the city as muse, Tabboo! has said, "I made art about what was around me, what I knew… I know my plants. I know all my tchotchkes, my puppet collection, and New York City…. So that’s my subject matter."

And!

These sweeping cityscapes are reminiscent of the backdrops Tabboo! painted for his drag performances in the 1980s. Dramatic colorfields render the city in moments of transition, from day into night and back again. Gleaming windows are sprinkled with glitter, scattering the sun’s brilliance as it sets.

An indelible energy soaks these cityscapes, many of which depict the view from Tabboo!’s apartment windows. "I paint from my Alphabet City apartment, which I've lived in for forty years," Tabboo! explains. Here's my big fancy artist statement: I don’t have one! I just do what I do."

The work is on view at both Karma spaces on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B — Nos. 188 and 172. Gordon Robichaux is at 141 Union Square West.

The exhibits will be on view through April 16. The two galleries on this block are open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Gordon Robichaux is open Friday-Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, Tabboo! is the subject of a Guy Trebay profile the other day at The New York Times.

An excerpt...

The irony is by no means lost on Mr. Tashjian that, while just seven years ago he was collecting disability food stamps, the art world has suddenly discovered him hidden in plain sight at age 63 ... a cadre of collectors has emerged eager to acquire one of his paintings. "I'm pushing the work harder than ever,' he said. "I'm living," he added, suddenly tearful, "for all the people who couldn't."

By that he meant countless members of his generation lost to the AIDS epidemic. "Everything before digital, there's now a push to erase," he said. "And I am insistent on not being erased."

There's a separate preview piece of the exhibits at the Times here.

Top photo via Karma

Have we seen the last of the sinkhole on 1st Avenue at 5th Street?

Updated 3/14: We're back!

After multiple attempts at digging and patching, patching and digging, it appears the intersection of First Avenue at Fifth Street is officially sinkhole free.

Workers recently painted the crosswalk and bike lanes here again ~~— a good sign that they likely won't have to do this again until the summer.~~

You can find previous sinkhole coverage from this location here and here ... and here.

Thank you to everyone who wrote in about this!

Saturday's opening shot (and non-exclusive weather forecast)

The area is under a flurry of weather statements today.

We will omit the customary byplay and go right to the Weather Channel for the latest...

Description ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...

WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of up to two inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph.

WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey, southern Connecticut and southeast New York.

WHEN...From 9 AM this morning to 7 PM EST this evening.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Temperatures will fall quickly late this morning into this afternoon resulting in a quick freezing of any standing water.

Here's more... with the National Weather Service predicting the snow to start in NYC "around lunctime" (I'm eating at 11:30 a.m.)...

Expect the changeover from rain to snow to begin later this morning in parts of the Lower Hudson Valley, making its way into NYC around lunchtime.

Strong winds and locally heavy snow may create dangerous travel conditions for a period early this afternoon. #NYwx #CTwx #NJwx pic.twitter.com/Sp05wEl2HJ
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) March 12, 2022

As is this wasn't fun enough, we also lose an hour of sleep tonight. #DaylightSavingTime

Friday, March 11, 2022

Broadcast 'News'

Local band Beechwood headlines Arlene's Grocery tomorrow night (March 12) ... as part of the New Colossus Festival taking place at several nearby venues through Sunday.

The video here is for "Front Page News," from Beechwood's January release Sleep Without Dreaming.