Dead water on Second Avenue?

Last week, the plywood went up at the Sea Thai Bistro at 75 Second Avenue...



There's a sign for passersby saying that you can get the "same old experience at the new location," Spice, just up the avenue at Sixth Street -- not exactly new. Of course, Spice isn't new: It opened here in August 2008. (And Eat and Spice are owned by the same people...an empire that includes Peep and Eat...)



I'm not sure just yet if Sea is simply renovating this space...or if something else is taking over. Regardless, perhaps restaurants with "Sea" in their names just aren't meant for this stretch of Second Avenue...the next block up, Sea Salt remains empty.

On St. Mark's Place, Gama is returning to life

In December, Gama, the Korean bar and restaurant at 12 St. Mark's Place, closed after a three-year run...



According to a new sign out front, the space will be reopening under new management.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at 12 St. Mark's Place

Tompkins Square Park holiday tree goes dark

Last year, the Christmas tree lights were turned off on the Tompkins Square Park tree on Feb. 7.

This year, the lights were extinguished this past week...



The lights are still on the tree, though. So you could probably go turn it on...

More scaffolding for St. Brigid's

After receiving photos from a reader on Friday morning, I had to go over and see the exterior work being done on St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street for myself... There was plenty of activity here on Saturday...

Chopping Dunkin' Donuts in half

As Jeremiah reported last Thursday, the former Dunkin' Donuts on Second Avenue near 11th Street is becoming... "two stores--an independently owned pizzeria and grocery store with cold food. No chains."

And the store has already been cut in half...



Given how long some storefronts sit empty, it's amazing how quickly the landlord turned over this property....

Rob Zombie provides a dignified touch of class to city streets

Like here on 11th Street near Avenue A.

This morning by the Pee Phone

Avenue A and Seventh Street.

(Updated) Rally to Save Ray's: A little while ago on Avenue A

The protest/fundraiser/street party for Ray's Candy Store continues...stop by and say hello to the Slacktivists... go inside and buy something to eat or drink...

Melanie has posted some of her photos here. ... Bob Arihood has photos, too, at Neither More Nor Less. ... Slum Goddess has more, including a short narrative about the evening. As she wrote:

People stood across from Ray's with signs and candles and chanted at people to buy stuff to help Ray. I wasn't sure if this would scare people away and hinder business, but business was really good for Ray and Ray was very happy about all the support and love shown.

There will be more on this later...

Previously.

Tompkins Square Park, 9:12 a.m., Jan 23

Will New York City gets its very own Whopper Bar?

Oh, probably. From the Post today:

The restuarant chain is set to open a Whopper Bar, offering hamburgers and beer, in the South Beach section of Miami in mid-February. USA Today reported Friday that more Whopper Bars could be coming to hot spots such as New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, according to Chuck Fallon, president of Burger King North America.

At the Whopper Bar, beer will be served in aluminum bottles to keep them cold [an EV Grieve intrusion: how novel!] and cost $4.25. A Whopper combo with a beer costs $7.99, roughly $2 more than the same combo meal with a fountain drink.

The Whopper Bar concept offers hamburgers such as the Whopper, Double Whopper or Steakhouse XT built by employees known as a Whopper-ista.... There are 22 different toppings to choose from to build your sandwich.

Meanwhile, on Wall Street...

Report: 16 pedestrian deaths on the LES from 2006-2008

Today, the Times looks at data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. From 2006-2008, 445 pedestrians were killed during the three-year period. According to the report: "In Manhattan, which had 120 deaths during the period, the heaviest concentration of deaths, 16, was on the Lower East Side, just south of the Williamsburg Bridge." Third Avenue was the deadliest road in the city, with nine fatalities during that time period.

Wild at heart

A Karate Boogaloo pick from over at the New York Nobody Sings. It's Garland Jeffreys, from 1973.

Updated: Save Ray's Day set: Feb. 6 (and a new three-day ultimatum from the landlord)

The above photo of Ray's was taken by Joann Jovinelly, who kindly let me repost this from her Flickr account.

So! Sidewalk Cafe, 94 Avenue A at Sixth Street, will be hosting a benefit show on Saturday, Feb. 6 for Ray's Candy Store. More details to follow. If you want to play or help out in any way, then please get in touch with Leah at:

boyslikebarbies@gmail.com

Meanwhile, Bob Arihood, who has been reporting on Ray's long before anyone else, noted the brisk business at Ray's on Wednesday night... good news to hear. Meanwhile, as Bob reports, Ray turns 77 on Monday. Will there be any surprise visitors, like dancers?

UPDATE: Somehow I inexplicably missed this in Bob's post: Last night, Ray received another three-day ultimatum from the landlord. As Bob noted in the comments: "It was very troubling for those who heard about it."


And, as a reminder...

There's now a Save Ray's Twitter feed, which will have the latest updates...

www.twitter.com/saverays

And there's the Save Ray's Facebook page, which ]has more than 1,200 members now...

And tomorrow night:

There's a protest/fundraiser/street party Saturday night at 8 for Ray's Candy Store. It's being organized by Black Ops Bob and the Slacktivists.

More LES/EV eatery listicle debate

[Photo via here Look, no Ludlow building!]

After last week's top-10 East Village eateries list... Fork in Road today puts out its top-10 list for the Lower East Side....

10. Congee Village (Cantonese), 100 Allen Street, 212-941-1818

9. Clinton Street Baking Company (American), 4 Clinton Street, 646-602-6263

8. Alias (New American), 76 Clinton Street, 212-505-5011

7. Sorella (Italian/Piedmont), 95 Allen Street, 212-274-9595

6. 'inoteca (Small plates Italian), (Italian), 98 Rivington Street, 212-614-0473

5. Kuma Inn, (South East Asian tapas), 113 Ludlow Street,
212-353-8866

4. Apizz (Southern Italian), 217 Eldridge Street, 212-253-9199

3. Katz's Delicatessen (Delicatessen), 205 East Houston Street, 212-254-2246

2. Cafe Katja (Austria), 79 Orchard Street, 212-219-9545

1. Falai (Italian/Florentine), 68 Clinton Street, 212-253-1960

No Odessa! Why you *&^%*#%*&^3! (Ha! Kidding!)

Anyway, dunno if I have the energy to debate another list! In any event, I always like Rebecca Marx's work, so I have to trust her on some of these... Plus, I've only eater at three of these places... and I have a horrible bias against Clinton Street Baking Company purely based on the crowd waiting to get in on weekend mornings...

Meanwhile!



As you may recall, last Friday (and into the weekend), there was some debate hereabouts over Robert Sietsema's top-10 East Village eateries listicle... The choices are also prompting some healthy discussion at Chowhound too... (Via Eater)

Previously on EV Grieve:
A listicle to debate: The best East Village restaurants

Workers begins shoring up St. Brigid's exterior wall (and crack)

Thanks to the EV Grieve reader for these photos.... As the renovation continues at St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street, crews are setting up scaffolding this morning to start one of the major challenges of this project: repairing the large crack on the north side, which is partially detached from the church. (The Villager had an article on the architectural plans last March)






Here's a closer look....

Send me an angel

Thanks to Scoopy for the mention this week in The Villager... and for passing this along...

Ray needs an angel:
A local blog reader, on EV Grieve, we believe (hey, that rhymes), might have come up with the best hope — well, maybe it’s more like a prayer — for saving Ray’s Candy Store, at Seventh St. and Avenue A, from eviction. Sure, a fundraiser to pay Ray Alvarez’s last two months rent would be great, but what about going forward? Goggla posted: “Maybe the mysterious donor who stepped in and saved St. Brigid’s will extend their generosity to another neighborhood landmark. If the $8K is raised to save Ray, what about the next month, and the one after that?” In May 2008, the Catholic Archdiocese announced it had accepted an anonymous $20 million donation to restore St. Brigid’s Church and save it from demolition. More recently, an anonymous donor gave the ABC No Rio arts collective $1 million. Could Ray be next?

NYC unemployment rate now 10.6 percent

From the Times:

The unemployment rate in New York City jumped in December to 10.6 percent, its highest level in nearly 17 years, as hotels, museums and builders eliminated jobs and hiring remained weak in most other businesses, the State Labor Department said Thursday.

How many ConEd pylons does it take to change a lightbulb?

Avenue A and Sixth Street.

Let the sandwich wars begin!

EV Grieve reader Creature sent these shots of the Cuban sandwich shop that opens today at Sixth Street and Avenue A... the first of the new Cuban-themed empire coming to this corner...





A few feet away...Bahn Mi Zon, the newish Vietnamese sandwich shop... Who will win the battle of the sandwiches...?



Previously on EV Grieve:
More on 95 Avenue A: Private chef's lounge and a rum punch bar

Dallas BBQ unveils new to-go containers

OK, OK... they're just remodeling their to-go portion of the place on St. Mark's Place.