A new awning for East Village classic Veniero's

Top photo by Steven; 2nd pic by William Klayer 

It's new-awning delivery day for Veniero’s Pasticceria and Caffe on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

There's also a new era for the awning color, as the familiar red has been replaced with a midnight blue (NOT the Lou Gramm song). 

Veniero's is also celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2024. 

Updated: 

Here's a look at the awning in place... which looks more black than midnight blue in person...

The $24 million renovation of the Nuyorican Poets Café is officially underway

ICYMI: Last week, officials announced the start of the three-year, city-funded $24.1 million renovation project for the Nuyorican Poets Café on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

The Nuyorican Poets Café, a space steeped in history and cultural significance, closed its doors this past fall after its 50th-anniversary celebration. The NYC Department of Design and Construction is now overseeing the project for the Department of Cultural Affairs that will not only renovate but also expand this iconic space, ensuring its legacy continues to thrive. 

About the work being done:

This project will renovate and expand the Café, with a new main lobby and performance space on the first floor, an additional dedicated performance space on the fourth floor, and a “flex” space on the second floor, which can be used as a classroom or rehearsal space. 

The project will also add a new elevator to the four-story building and office space for staff. These improvements will allow the organization to reach a wider audience by hosting multiple performances concurrently and providing local students with masterclasses and workshop opportunities. 

The project will also entail exterior work, including a new roof, extensive building envelope rehabilitation and waterproofing, a new ADA ramp for public access from the sidewalk level into the facility, new fire exit stairs as well as renovations to the plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems. 

Here's a look at two renderings (Rice+Lipka Architects is designing the project)...

The expected completion date is spring 2026.

Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín founded Nuyorican in 1973 as a living-room salon on Sixth Street along with Lucky CienFuegos, Bimbo Rivas, Pedro Pietri and Miguel Piñero. Algarín died in December 2020 at age 79.

The programming here has included poetry slams, open mics, Latin and contemporary jazz and hip-hop shows, theatrical performances, educational programs, and visual art exhibits.

During the renovation, the Nuyorican staff is staging pop-ups and collaborating with other New York institutions. For updates, check Instagram or the Café website.

After 8 years in the East Village, Fortnight Institute has closed its doors

Fortnight Institute, an art gallery that billed itself as a public salon, closed on Tuesday. 

Founders Fabiola Alondra and Jane Harmon made the announcement on Instagram: 

We deeply appreciate and are thankful to our gallery team, to the artists, supporters, visitors, curators, collectors, writers, and interns throughout the years, for their contributions and involvement in Fortnight Institute's life. Fortnight Institute was established in 2016, and now, eight years later, its journey has completed its full circle with its closure in 2024, reminiscent of the cyclic nature of the ouroboros. 

At the heart of our gallery's inception was the desire to experiment and collaborate closely with artists. Keeping this priority in mind, we, as advocates for creative expression, engaged in numerous discussions. We questioned whether we would need to adopt a more market-oriented approach and further expand the gallery to support our artists. Amidst these conversations, we reflected on the most enjoyable and valuable aspects of running this space. 

Ultimately, these discussions led us to reaffirm our commitment to a mission centered on creativity and artist-driven endeavors — a mission that resonates deeply within us and one that we aspire to nurture in our future endeavors. With this pursuit in mind, after eight fulfilling years, Fortnight Institute is concluding this chapter of our lives with gratitude and fulfillment. 

What turned out to be Fortnight's final exhibition featured paintings by Cheri Smith. It had been scheduled to run through April 20. 

Per artnet: "The gallery was instrumental in launching and supporting the careers of numerous figures who went on to fame, such as the London-based figurative painter Somaya Critchlow and New York's Chris Oh, a creator of beguiling sculptural paintings."

Fortnight Institute opened on Fourth Street Second Avenue and the Bowery in April 2016 ... before relocating a block away to 31 E. Third St.

Let's look inside the Five Guys slated for 2nd Avenue and 12th Street

We've been receiving numerous inquiries about the Five Guys setting up a new outpost on the SE corner of Second Avenue and 12th Street (188 Second Ave.). 

The coming-soon signage arrived on Nov. 13. This outpost is on the Five Guys website, though no other info is available. 

Looking inside reveals a lot of work is left to do before a grand opening...

The burger chain, which started in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, now has 1,700 outposts worldwide, including 30-plus locations around NYC.

Five Guys takes over the space from Strings Ramen, which closed in April 2022 after two years in business, opening just before the start of the pandemic. (Signage remained up for Strings, giving the impression they were still in business.)

As previously noted, the restaurants at 188 Second Ave. haven't fared well since old-timer Shima got rent-hiked out of here in January 2014. Lumos Kitchen lasted three months in 2018. Others that made quick departures in the past five years were Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go.

Wednesday's parting shot

Taking shelter today from the rain at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on 10th Street and Avenue A... thanks to Drew for the photo!

At Tabby Twitch's 'Prime'

Photos and text by Stacie Joy 

Since last summer, an unexpected performance has been taking place in a space better known for watching sports.

Tabby Twitch's live burlesque show "Prime" has found a home in the back room at the Gray Mare, the pub at 61 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street. (The next quarterly show happens on May 2 Thursday, April 4. See the end of the post for info.)

Twitch dubs herself the "friskiest feline in burlesque." Twitch, also known as actor Jane Cortney and a longtime local resident of Ninth Street, produces and performs in "Prime."

She describes it this way: a "racy romp set in an elegant East Village tavern, featuring a ravishing array of burlesque performers at the height of their powers. Not a canter, not a gallop, this show is a sultry yet invigorating trot featuring libidinous libations, the raffle of your dreams and more rhinestones than a room can hold." 

I attended the January show featuring Amanda Poise, Ella Blu, Maria Bartolotta and Queerly Femmetastic.

Here are a few scenes from the evening...

"Prime focuses on performers at the height of their powers because I came to burlesque later in life. I want to show what it means to be 'in your prime,' with all the richness and experience that entails," Cortney said. "Though I highlight burlesque performers, there is a salon feel to the evening. A vocalist performs, and I weave poetry throughout the night. My goal is for the audience to leave my show feeling relaxed and reinvigorated, in their prime regardless of their actual age."

The next "Prime" is this Thursday (April 4) at 8 p.m. now scheduled for May 2. Keep tabs on the shows here.

Mr. Throwback gets a spin-off on 9th Street

Photo by Steven

Mr. Throwback is going old-school on Ninth Street.

The retro sports apparel shop at 437 E. Ninth St. is opening a second outpost — at the spot of its original storefront at 428 E. Ninth St. here between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The new (old space) will sell non-sports-related vintage items. Throwback 2, which has an Instagram account here, is opening soon. 

Mr. Throwback debuted here in November 2012 and took business across Ninth in late 2017.

Openings: Yokox Omakase on Avenue B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Yokox Omakase debuted at 41 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street this week.

They offer a 15-course omakase dinner for $89. (Additional rolls/pieces may be possible if the chef isn't too busy.) 

The owners are waiting for the liquor license to arrive. At that time, they plan to offer a sake menu. 

Hours: 

Monday through Thursday, 5-10 p.m. 

Friday, 5-11 p.m. 

Saturday, 3-11 p.m. 

Sunday, 3-10 p.m. 

Reservations and more info are on the Yokox Omakase website here.

On the April CB3-SLA docket: The Onion Tree Pizza Co. on 1st Avenue

A Long Island-based restaurant known for serving some unique pizzas is opening an East Village outpost.

Jay and Raquel Jadeja, a husband-wife team, plan to debut an outpost of The Onion Tree Pizza Co. at 214 First Ave., on the SE corner of 13th Street, this spring. 

The owners are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a beer-wine license but will not be appearing before the committee. (They have received administrative approval based on the method of operation, a beer-wine license for a previously licensed space that will primarily be a restaurant and not a bar.)

The restaurant out in Sea Cliff on the North Shore serves traditional (and not-so-traditional) pizzas, including a chicken tikka masala. (The menu is available here.)

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website shows that The Onion Tree Pizza Co. plans to have daily hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. ... with 16 tables accommodating 36 guests.

Koko Sushi was the most recent tenant in this corner space.

Thanks to Pinch for the second photo!

Noting

The porta-potty triplex that arrived in Tompkins Square Park yesterday is unlocked and ready for action. 

Despite not receiving hazard pay, EVG correspondent Steven opened one of the unoccupied portaloos and noted it was already a little messy and not a breath mint, comb or mint toothpick in sight. 

More background on the port-potty situation here.

Lower East Side legend Sammy's Roumanian Steak House announces its reopening dates

Get ready to break out the schmaltz: Sammy's Roumanian Steak House has announced its return to the Lower East Side. 

For two nights this month (April 22-23), Sammy's will be at its new home, 112 Stanton St., between Essex and Ludlow ... before service on every Friday and Saturday in May. From June on, Sammy's will be open daily.

Per their return notice:

Exciting announcement! Sammy’s is making a comeback and we couldn’t be happier to return to the Lower East Side. Huge thanks to our loyal customers and fans for keeping the Sammy's spirit alive over the years.

We're kicking things off with a two-night Passover special, followed by weekends in May leading up to our grand reopening in June. Enjoy entertainment featuring the one and only Dani Lev, along with our original menu and staff.

Sammy's closed in early January 2021 after 47 years of serving up ice-encased vodka, smeared pitchers of schmaltz and enormous platters of meat from the lower level at 151 Chrystie St.

The restaurant had been shuttered since the PAUSE of March 2020, and this wasn't a business ready-made for delivery or outdoor dining.

In an Instagram post at the time, owner David Zimmerman left the door open for a return.

We may be closed now, but when all this is over and we feel safe enough to hold hands during the hora, we will be back stronger, louder, and tastier than ever before. We are New York. We will survive this. We will always cherish the memories we shared with all of you.

Last May, as we first reported, Community Board 3 approved an application for 191 Orchard St. between Houston and Stanton. 

We're not sure what happened with the Orchard Street space ... as previously mentioned, it had been vacant for nine years and needed a lot of work to bring it into service. Apparently, the Sammy's team needed to move on from the location.

You can make reservations at the new location by calling (646) 410-2427.

Welcome back, Sammy's!

Vacated 9th Street parking garage fetches $14 million for likely residential conversion

The Little Man Parking garage (also known as LaSalle Parking) on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue has sold for $14 million.

According to public records and the TradedNY account, Arcus Development, operating through Astor Nine LLC,  is the new owner of the vacant property. 

While Arcus hasn't revealed its intentions, Crain's noted that the property "seems poised to become luxury housing."

The garage has been closed since late April 2023 after the Department of Buildings issued a vacate order on the property following the deadly collapse on April 18 at the Little Man garage on Ann Street in the Financial District.

Per the DOB vacate order: "The occupied parking structure with concrete framing observed to be in a state of disrepair at several locations in cellar level... crushed column base observed at several locations in cellar level ... vertical cracks observed inside elevator shaft and on masonry walls."

The address was offered as a "redevelopment project" last August. 

So far, no demoliton permits are on file with the DOB for the 22,000-square-foot structure. (No new building permits either.)

Budget Car Rental and Tori-Bien, a restaurant that specialized in Japanese fried chicken, were also forced to leave their retail spaces at this address due to the vacate order.

Why the International Bar has been closed

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy 

You may have noticed that the International Bar at 102 First Ave. near Sixth Street has been closed recently.

The iBar folks tell us that they have an active liquor license and an A rating from the NYC Health Department (public records confirm this). However, they are waiting for the city to process some unrelated paperwork before they can reopen. 

The bar hopes and plans to be back soon. "The International Bar family cannot wait to get back to serving the East Village community. We miss you!" 

Keep an eye on the iBar Instagram page for updates.

Monday's parting shots

A look at the recently completed mural on the NE corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street (alongside Offside)... the work is by LeCrue Eyebrows...