New Ukrainian restaurant at 136 2nd Ave. now in the hiring phase

It has been a slow-go over at 136 Second Ave., where workers have been completing extensive renovations on the space between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street for the past two-plus years.

On May 6, 2016, workers erected the plywood in front of the vacant storefront, last in use by Bar 82. (RIP March 2013.)

The restaurant, whose name hasn't been disclosed just yet (going as UKI Freedom LLC on CB3 materials), is now hiring...



The applicants, listed as Greg Lebedowicz and Jerry Lebedowicz, were previously licensed for Nitedreams in Greenpoint from 2003 to 2008.

Back in July, CB3 OK's a full liquor license for No. 136.

Here are a few items from the meeting's official minutes (PDF here):

• "The applicant has stated that this location will be a restaurant which will host Ukrainian events, meetings and dinners by organizations from the longstanding local Ukrainian community."

• "It will operate as a full-service French American Ukrainian restaurant, with a kitchen open and serving food during all hours of operation."

• "Its hours of operation will be 8 A.M. to 2 A.M. all days"

There is a basement space here fitted with a bar and dining room for those meetings and events.

No word on an opening date.

Thanks to Steven for the photos yesterday!

Spellbound: From Cake Shake to Potter-themed Steamy Hallows on 6th Street?

Brown paper now covers the front windows at Cake Shake USA, the extreme milkshake establishment at 514 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (The place had been dark since late November, per nearby residents.)

The space was run by Zach Neil, the pop-up theme bar entrepreneur behind Beetle House on Sixth Street as well as the now-closed Will Ferrell bar Stay Classy on the LES and the short-lived 'Merica NYC on Sixth Street. Cake Shake debuted back in August.

The storefront is a good bet to become Neil's latest venture — a Harry Potter-inspired coffee shop called Steamy Hallows. The Wall Street Journal mentioned the coming-soon cafe for the East Village in a feature last week on themed restaurants in NYC.

No address has been mentioned yet for Steamy Hallows, described on Instagram this way: "This witchy goth coffee shop serves up delicious coffee and tea potions, huge homemade cookies, in an atmosphere inspired by Harry Potter & Halloween."

View this post on Instagram

We will be waking the dead in four weeks!!! Stay tuned, spread the word. #coffee #halloween #witchy #harrypotter #goth #magic #latte #cookies #veganoptions #pumpkinspice #fallallyear #halloweeneveryday

A post shared by Steamyhallows (@steamyhallows) on Jan 6, 2019 at 4:27pm PST

Previously on EV Grieve:
Beetle House founder brings ridiculous milkshakes to 6th Street with Cake Shake

Tuesday's parting shots

EVG reader Sylvia G. shared these close-ups of the moon from Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D...

9th Precinct hosting a Build the Block meeting Thursday evening for Sector A

The 9th Precinct is hosting another Sector Safety Summit for East Village residents and business owners.

The next one is scheduled for Thursday evening for those in Sector A. This Sector encompasses the east side of Avenue C from East 14th Street to Houston ... and Seventh Street from Avenue C to First Avenue back down to Houston...



Use this map to find out what Sector you're in for sure, and what meeting you should attend.

As for these Sector meetings: "This is an avenue for you to voice your grievances or concerns with issues in and around the neighborhood."

This is part of the NYPD's initiative called the Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCO) program. The 9th Precinct is split up into four sectors, with two officers assigned to each sector. (Find the sectors and the responsible officers here.)

Thursday's meeting is at the Community Room, 3 Haven Plaza (near 12th Street and Avenue C). Per the invite, doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for refreshments and the meeting will start promptly at 7 p.m.

Let it fake snow! Let it fake snow! Let it fake snow!

Crews for NBC's "The Village" are out turning 10th Street and Second Avenue into a Winter Wonderland for the upcoming shoot that also involves the return of the Tree Riders to the neighborhood.

EVG Props and Artificial Snow‎ Correspondent Steven shared these photos from a little earlier... will likely look better on TV...

Violet ready to roll out the grilled pizzas this week

Violet, a new restaurant by the Pizza Loves Emily Group and chef/owner Matt Hyland, is ready to debut this week at 511 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The Violet website shows reservations starting on Thursday. (This after some friends/families previews.) Google also lists a Jan. 10 opening ... as do various social-media posts.

Matt Hyland and his wife-partner Emily Hyland reportedly went to "grilled-pizza mecca" Al Forno in Providence, R.I., on their first date while they attended Roger Williams University.

Here's more about Violet, named after the state flower of Rhode Island, via the restaurant website:

Hyland's menu focuses on grilled cuisine that pays homage to New England and Rhode Island's flavors and abundant fresh seafood.

The menu highlight, grilled pizzas, are inspired by his nostalgia for Al Forno in Providence, where he and Emily often ate while attending school in Rhode Island and his desire to fill the void of grilled pizza destinations in New York City. The pies grilled over a hybrid gas and wood grill featuring seasonal and innovative twists on classic toppings. Small plates with a focus on New England seafood favorites, and a rotating selection of fresh, house-made pastas round out the shareable menu.

And some food pics via the Violet Instagram account...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Violet 💜⚓️ (@violeteastvillage) on Jan 4, 2019 at 8:23am PST

View this post on Instagram

We’ll be making all of our pasta right here at 511 E 5th, something we’re *very* excited about 🍝 #spaghetti with clams, dashi, and bonito butter #violet #violeteastvillage #⚓️ #💜 #eastvillage #nyc #grilledpizza #freshpasta #comingsoon #pizzalovesemily #🍕❤️E

A post shared by Violet 💜⚓️ (@violeteastvillage) on Dec 21, 2018 at 8:19am PST

The Hyland's opened Emmy Squared this past July on First Avenue at Fifth Street.

Violet's listed hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Sunday (closed Monday!) through Thursday, until 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

GG's had a three-year run at No. 511 before they turned over the space in December 2017.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Emmy Squared's owners are bringing grilled pizza to the former GG's space on 5th Street

Getting 511 E. 5th St. ready for new grilled pizza venture from Emmy Squared's owners

Countdown to grilled pizza on 5th Street

Name reveal: Emmy Squared's grilled-pizza sibling will be called Violet on 5th Street

TR Crandall Guitars trades in 3rd Street for Ludlow

[Photo by Salim]

TR Crandall Guitars has packed up and moved away from its storefront on 179 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, EVG regular Salim reports.

The seller and repairer of vintage guitars (and banjos, mandolins and ukuleles) will reopen soon not too far away — 154 Ludlow St. (fifth floor) between Stanton and Rivington.

You can check out the shop's Instagram account for the exact reopening date in their new home.

TR Crandall Guitars, featuring a repair shop with master craftsman Tom Crandall, opened on Third Street in the spring of 2013.

6th Street townhouse, once said to be owned by Andy Warhol, listed for $4.95 million

There's a new listing (h/t 6sqft!) for 321 E. Sixth St., a townhouse with five units here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

This was one of several NYC properties purportedly once owned by Andy Warhol ... as well as his longtime collaborator, the filmmaker Paul Morrissey, who lived here from the late 1960s until the mid 1970s. (It's not immediately clear how long Warhol may have lived here.)

Anyway, the whole thing can be yours. Here's part of the listing via Brown Harris Stevens:

[T]his historic residence retains many original details including wood-burning fireplaces, crown moldings, parquet and hardwood floors, and soaring ceilings. There is a distinct high stoop parlor entry as well as a separate garden level entry leading to a landscaped backyard with a pond and flagstone patio. The entire property offers nearly 6000 square feet and approximately 2,300 square feet of developable rights. Delivered vacant and priced to sell, this is truly a rare opportunity to create your masterpiece.

And a few pics...





... and you have to see the shrine room ...



Asking price: $4.95 million.

Back in June 2010, a listing for half-ownership in the property hit the market with an ask of $2.4 million.

In 2014, a con man used an apartment in the building to bilk several would-be renters out of their $2,000 deposits, collecting more than $20,000.

As a P.S. of sorts, here's part of Paul Morrissey's mortgage document via public records from 1969.. that would be a $35,000 mortgage...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Own half of a used Warhol on East Sixth Street

Former Andy Warhol-owned townhouse used to swindle apartment hunters in the East Village

If you want to hear about the new plans to stormproof East River Park

CB3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee will hear updates on the East Side Coastal Resiliency project on Thursday night.

Apparently this will be a repeat from the two public meetings the Parks Department held last month.

As you know, the city has new plans to protect the East Side against catastrophic flooding along the East River from Montgomery Street to 25th Street. The-now $1.45 billion project raises East River Park by up to 10 feet when work starts in March 2020. To do this, though, the city will need to close East River Park for up to three and a half years, and removing many of the current amenities, such as the new running track and soccer field. (Maybe Gov. Cuomo will pull an 11th-hour not-so-fast here.)

The city released new design renderings of the revised resiliency plan, which you can find at this link. (The PDF is 57 pages, FYI.)

The committee meeting starts Thursday night at 6:30. Location: BRC Senior Services Center, 30 Delancey St. between Chrystie and Forsyth. The meeting includes construction updates about Pier 35, Pier 36 and Pier 42.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: The reality of storm-proofing East River Park in 2020

Storm center: Questions linger over updated plans for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project

Questions about a partial vacate order on 3rd Street

The city has posted partial vacate orders at 61 E. Third St., a 6-floor residential building between First Avenue and Second Avenue (thanks to Marjorie Ingall for the photos!) ...



According to the complaint on file in the DOB's ALL-CAP STYLE: "TWO STORAGE ROOMS AT CELLAR ARE ILLEGALLY ARRANGED AND OCCUPIED AS SLEEPING QUARTERS... NO SECONDARY MEANS OF EGRESS OR NATURAL LIGHT/VENTILATION PROVIDED."

The vacate order has also temporarily closed the ground-floor retail tenant — Pinky's Village Spa. Not sure why they need to close for an issue with residential occupancy in the building's basement.

Public records list Icon Realty as the building's landlord.

Some dick tagged the Tompkins Square Park playground

EVG reader Angela Moore shared these photos from the Tompkins Square Park playground along Avenue A ... where someone drew a dick on the children's slide ... and a tree ...



Not sure if kids will buy that this is an interpretative drawing of R2-D2.

The ghost stand of Christmas past: Holiday confusion as trees return to 2nd Avenue

The EVG inbox lit up this afternoon like a Christmas tree after multiple readers shared photos of the tree stand returning to Second Avenue outside St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery.

This was the very spot that the Tree Riders had this past holiday season before they packed it up on Dec. 24.

Salim, who shared this photo below, notes that the trees appeared this afternoon, seemingly ready for sale, though no one was around to actually sell them. A ghost stand!



Meanwhile, Derek Berg spotted these workers delivering trees to a nearly locale in the Abe Lebewohl Triangle at 10th/Stuyvesant this afternoon ...





Apparently all this is prep work for holiday-related scenes tomorrow for "The Village," a new NBC series that has been filming around here in recent months.

Updated

I asked the Tree Riders via Facebook what was happening: "NBC liked our set up so much they asked us to come back after the holidays for a shoot!"


[Photo from last night]

EVErything about the new luxury rentals at the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

[View from 14th Street]

Leasing is underway in the new luxury building called EVE, officially at 433 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. This is on the site of the onetime Peter Stuyvesant Post Office (1951-2014).


[View from 13th Street]

New York Yimby, who first reported on the leasing, noted that market-rate units begin at $3,250 per month for studios and up to $7,000 for two-bedroom, two-bathroom units. In addition, as an 80/20 development, 20 percent of the apartments are designated as affordable.

Here are a few items about EVE to note from the website, which includes lines such as "rEVEl in your surroundings" and "EVEnings out" ...

Amenities:

Eve’s premium amenity package was thoughtfully designed to appeal to the busy New Yorker. An inviting tenant lounge, complete with a cozy fireplace, is perfect for freelancers working from home, and the state-of-the-art fitness center makes it easy to fit in a workout first thing in the morning, or later on as the day is winding down. The true stand-out is the fully landscaped roof deck, furnished with an expansive lawn, a barbecue area, and an outdoor TV and sound system which will change movie night forever.

Design:

The neighborhood’s artistic and rock roots are tastefully woven into the building’s design, bringing color and creativity to the clean, contemporary spaces. Original artwork in the REED lounge by Francis Le Gaucher and Alexander Jackson pays homage to some of the neighborhood’s most iconic bands, and Remko Heemskerk’s courtyard mural adds palpable warmth to a collaborative area.

Those iconic bands would be the Velvet Underground, Blondie and the Ramones.

And some renderings...







In the short term over the next 24 months or so, residents facing 14th Street will have a view of the L-train construction work, including the new entrance and elevator for the train at Avenue A. As previously reported, 14th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A is serving as the main hub for the Canarsie tube rehab, likely even under Gov. Cuomo's new plan for weekend-only work.

The L-train prep work started in July 2017 on 14th Street between First Avenue and Avenue B. In recent months 14th Street residents and local elected officials here have spoken out about the noise, traffic, and dust and debris that have impacted air quality along this corridor.

As for the new building, reps for Benenson and Mack Real Estate previously sought a variance to build four more floors (to 12 from 8) than the zoning would allow to make up for the "extraordinary construction costs" from poor ground conditions here. They ultimately withdrew this request in March 2017.

A Trader Joe's was originally slated for the 14th Street retail space. However, a Trader Joe's rep told me the following in October: "Unfortunately, we do not have any current plans for a store at that location."

Several articles about EVE do mention the Trader Joe's for the new building ... it's also on the map of local businesses on the EVE website (though it's not actually mentioned anywhere on the site) ...



And here's a look inside the under-construction retail space, which includes an escalator...





Previously on EV Grieve:
Today in rants: the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

Meanwhile, at everyone's favorite local post office branch...

UPDATED: Did you hear the rumor about the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office branch closing?

Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

New residential building at former 14th Street PO will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room

Developer withdraws zoning variance request for former 14th Street post office site

The Peter Stuyvesant-PO-replacing residential building tops out on 14th Street

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street


[2014]

Chelsea Thai closes after 5 months on 1st Avenue

[Photo Saturday by Steven]

On Friday night, Chelsea Thai founder-chef Saruj Nimkarn hung the closing sign on his restaurant at 192 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Nimkarn just debuted here in August after 21 years in the Chelsea Market. (A rent increase there forced Nimkarn to look elsewhere.) Unfortunately, he told EVG regular Lola Sáenz that there wasn't enough business in his new space to make the rent.

The food was delicious and reasonably priced. Not entirely sure why the restaurant didn't last. (Lack of a liquor license? Not enough daytime foot traffic? Too many other buzzy new restaurants nearby such as Little Tong Noodle Shop and Tatsu Ramen?)

The address was previously home to the Neptune. The Polish-American diner closed in December 2016 after 15 years in business. According to one source, the rent doubled. After Neptune's departure, the landlord divided up the restaurant into two retail spaces.

Space 194, a hybrid tea-coffee shop-gallery recently opened in the other storefront.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Chelsea Thai coming to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue; Filipino fare for Avenue A

Chelsea Thai debuts on 1st Avenue