Signage up for 'Top Chef' alum Nikki Cascone's new Avenue B eatery

In recent years, 40 Avenue B has been home to Chabela's, a Dominican restaurant, and Russo's, a pizzaria.

Now, we have new signs up for the next eatery to give the space a whirl — Octavio's Porch. Back in June, the owners pitched this to the CB3 as a "global Jewish" restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.



Eater reported that Top Chef alum Nikki Cascone, who owned the now-shuttered 24 Prince, is behind this new venture. (Thought the name of this place was supposed to be Little Printz Cafe.)

Time Out just ran some photos of menu items here. You can read an interview with her at Fork in the Road here. Eater has a look at the menu here. Eater also notes the restaurant opens on Nov. 29.

[Cascone photo via Fork in the Road]

Teriyaki in a hurry on Third Avenue

The space that housed the Village Crown Moroccan restaurant on Third Avenue near 12th Street has sat empty for years... until now...

An Empire (Pizza) grows on First Avenue

The Village Restaurant and Pizza joint on First Avenue near Second Street closed in October...



It's now the second outpost of Empire Pizza, whose other shop is at 314 Fifth Ave. at 32nd Street.

KFC on 14th and Second now visible from outer space

Courtesy of a weekend paint job.

Living around: Tompkins Square Park

The Times real-estate section has a "Living Around — Tompkins Square Park" feature today titled Grit, Glam and Green, in One Vibrant Package. Here are a few passages:

Susan Stetzer, the district manager of Community Board 3 and an East Village resident since 1970, said the park had attained a state of relative quiet, aside from complaints about the handful of “very loud” concerts it hosts throughout the year.

“There’s no issues there,” Ms. Stetzer said. “We have a big playground that was renovated very, very recently. It’s very nice. The park is well used. We have a rat problem, but so does a lot of the rest of New York City.”

Speaking as a resident rather than as a district manager, she described something bittersweet about having witnessed the slow gentrification of the park. The playgrounds — there are actually three — are shinier and more colorful than when she used to take her son there in the late ’70s and early ’80s. But, she said, they loved the park then, too, and that era had its advantages.

“It was a much stronger, much closer community then,” Ms. Stetzer said. “Everyone knew everyone, and they weren’t necessarily people like you.”

November afternoon sun

From Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue B.

Cost newsbox is missing

On Tuesday, I posted photos from EV Grieve reader AWKWORD showing new street art created by graffiti legend Cost... The box on Second Avenue near Houston was part of the recent Showpaper exhibit...




I went to take some photos of it this weekend... and the newsbox is gone...



Stolen? Or confiscated by the city?

For more on the boxes, check out the NYPress cover story this week.

Three makes it a trends post!

Thanks to Tim for the tweet and photo...



Gizmodo refers to it as "the caffeinated alcoholic poison drink."

The seasoning makes it taste better

Ninth Street and Avenue A.

Second Avenue, 9:42 a.m., Nov. 21

About those tanks on Seventh Street and Avenue A

Remember those tanks that I mentioned earlier today on Seventh Street and Avenue A....?

Well, as these photos by EV Grieve reader Bobby Williams show.... they attracted a lot of attention this afternoon from the NYPD and FDNY.....

Sammy spotted in Tompkins Square Park

Last evening, we posted information about a missing dog on 11th Street and Avenue A... Meanwhile, we couldn't help but notice new Sammy flyers around Tompkins Square Park this past week...



Per the Help Find Sammy site, someone spotted him this past Monday at Seventh Street and Avenue B... According to the site: "Latest Update: That he is alone, running around Tompkins Square Park." There is a $500 reward for his return.

Also, we had noted that various people had been adding comments to the flyers... here's one of the flyers from Second Street and Avenue A that I never noticed before...



In the comments here... the person behind some of the Sammy Sign Alterations chimes in...

Things left on the street

Seventh Street and Avenue A this morning. I always enjoy walking around in the morning, looking for odd things left behind on the street.

What do you call this?

A catwalk! Thank you very much — I'll be here all weekend!

Avenue B and Second Street.