Heart of India says hello on Second Avenue

The canopy went up for the new restaurant taking over the former Madras Cafe space near Fourth Street. A commenter said the new restaurant is owned by the folks who ran Curry Majal across the Avenue...

Noted

You've probably seen these signs up the last week or so... I'm not sure who's responsible for them ... and I'm not sure what to think of them...






I think I agree with the reader who sent me an e-mail and the bottom two photos: "not quite art, and not deeply philosophical, but it caught my eye nonetheless."

Pizza that may be better than it sounds

At Veloce Pizzeria on First Avenue.

New SLA chief not a rubber stamper

Crain's has a feature on new SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen titled "The Gunslinger: State's new top liquor cop shrinks license backlog, leaves community groups unsure." If you have an interest in the future of liquor license approvals in the neighborhood, then you may want to give the piece a read...

An excerpt:

“I'm not a rubber stamp for either the community boards or business,” says Mr. Rosen, a former state assistant attorney general who led a state investigation of the SLA in 2005.

Mr. Rosen, who took over in August, is overhauling the SLA from top to bottom. He has dramatically reformed the agency, once seen as a symbol of failure and corruption. He has reduced the nine-month wait for a liquor license to as little as two weeks in some cases, slashed the backlog of applications from 3,000 to 1,800, and stepped up enforcement actions by partnering with local cops to crack down on businesses that flout the law.

Balancing the interests of city residents who want quiet neighborhoods and business owners who serve alcohol late at night is a big challenge for Mr. Rosen. Restaurants and bars have long complained that overzealous community boards overstep their statutory rights by, say, declaring moratoriums on new liquor licenses on busy blocks, and that they call in political favors to get their way.

Mr. Rosen is sympathetic to residents' concerns and is meeting frequently with them, discussing ways in which the agency can help. But community boards were surprised when the SLA recently removed a question from the license application that asks for the business's hours of operation, because city law allows bars to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. Now, many boards are requiring businesses applying for a liquor license to sign an affidavit in which they state their hours of operation. That way, the boards can force the venues to close when they promise to.

For further reading:
Liquor Authority Chief Listens, As Residents and Bar Owners Vent (The Lo-Down)

[Photo by Buck Ennis via Crain's]

First Avenue, 9:12 a.m. or 10:12 a.m., March 14

Dozens of fallen umbrellas.

The long history of 104-106 Bowery

Thanks to the EV Grieve reader who passed along this link to a great story in the Times by Dan Barry that I missed. A few years back 106 Bowery was the flophouse Stevenson Hotel... and Barry traces the building's evolution through the years... An excerpt:

The building at 104-106 Bowery, between Grand and Hester Streets, has been renovated, reconfigured and all but turned upside down over the generations, always to meet the pecuniary aspirations of the owner of the moment. Planted like a mature oak along an old Indian footpath that became the Bowery, it stands in testament to the essential Gotham truth that change is the only constant.

Its footprint dates at least to the early 1850s, when the Bowery was a strutting commercial strip of butchers, clothiers and amusements, with territorial gangs that never tired of thumping one another. Back then the building included the hosiery shop, which promised “all goods shown cheerfully” — although an argument one night between two store clerks, Wiley and Pettigrew, ended only after Wiley “drew a dark knife and stabbed his antagonist sixteen times,” as The New York Times reported with italicized outrage.

Read the whole article here.

One of those days

On the Bowery.

Vote for the 20th Annual Village Awards

From the EV Grieve inbox

Since 1991, GVSHP has presented its Village Awards in recognition of those people and places which make a significant contribution to the quality of life in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. This year, GVSHP will present the 20th Annual Village Awards at our 30th Annual Meeting in June.

But we need your help!

Won’t you take a moment to nominate a Village treasure?
You can nominate almost anything or anyone: an individual, business, organization, streetscape, front stoop, restoration, or garden, from anywhere in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or Noho — someone or something you would miss if it was no longer around.

Nominations must be received by April 9, 2010. More information, a list of prior winners, and a nomination form can be found on the GVSHP Web site.

Nominate a Village treasure today!

At Ray's, the "line in the sand" for the East Village

At the Observer, W.M. Akers checks in with a nice story on Ray's titled The East Village's 'Line in the Sand.'

Here's an excerpt:

He is a neighborhood fixture, and since January he has emerged, inadvertently, as a cause. Caught between high rent and slow business, he is suddenly a symbol for local residents who feel they have seen every quirk of their neighborhood ironed out and turned into a Chase Bank. East Village organizer "Reverend" Billy Talen called Mr. Alvarez "a line in the sand." But besides being a symbol, he is a person, one who just wants to keep doing what he has done for so long, even though it's no longer marketable.

Read the whole article here. And the Save Ray's clothing/accessories are here.

What we learned about the owner of new EV pizzeria PJ Hanley's yesterday in the Post and Daily News

Jeremiah has an update today on PJ Hanley's, the new pizza place opening on First Avenue between St. Mark's and Seventh Street... Meanwhile, in case you missed this story in the tabloids yesterday... according to reports, PJ Hanley’s owner James McGown has been accused of renting out his TriBeCa condo for "extreme parties." Reports the Post:

A Brooklyn pizza man transformed his basement TriBeCa condo into a cheesy "extreme party" spot, complete with a stripper pole and a 15-foot slide onto a sunken dance floor, court papers charge.

In a bid to avoid possible legal liability for the bacchanalian bashes, the owner, James McGown, transferred the deed for the apartment to his 6-year-old daughter, his disgusted neighbors claim in papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The real-estate developer and restaurateur -- he owns South Brooklyn Pizza and PJ Hanley's bar in Carroll Gardens -- bought the basement unit on Reade Street in 2006.

He then allegedly stopped paying condo fees and mortgage payments, and improperly leased the space to a man named Dimitri Dimoulakis.

The filing seeks to stop the revelry and show the door both to McGown and Dimoulakis.

McGown claimed the parties are legal, he's been holding them for 10 years "and there's never been a problem."

Daily News has a story too.

[Image via Grub Street.]

Federal Reserve tagged

So, at the Federal Reserve — home of the largest gold repository in the world, allegedly! — someone took to the side of this Financial District institution with spray paint a few days ago... Officials quickly covered up the offending comments with poster board and duct tape... what did the person write on the building?




Attempts to unfasten the poster board were unsuccessful due to the large amount of Federal Reserve officers making the rounds.

Security has been tight there, of course, since the elder brother of Hans Gruber knocked off the joint in "Die Hard: With a Vengeance".



In any event! Yesterday afternoon, a Fed Graffiti Removal Team arrived to assess the scene and clean...



And what did the vandal write?



From our untrained eye, it appears to say: Audit Me.

The green plastic hat zone (Pub Crawl Alert!)

Pub Crawl alert this weekend!...and it's just not any ol' pub crawl... It's the Guinness Book of Records Largest Pub Crawl — a
five-mile, three-day long crawl starts that starts this afternoon, continues tomorrow morning into the pee wee hours and wraps up on St. Patrick's Day.

Whatever you want to do, fine... but do the rest of us really have to be unwilling participants in your bar-hopping hijinks? Do you have to take over the sidewalks and run in the streets, paying no mind that it might be, say, 2 p.m., and other people aren't really in the green zone?



The participating bars hereabouts are:

Identity Bar
511 E 6th St.

Company
242 East 10th St.

Central Bar
109 East 9th St.

12th Street Ale House
192 2nd Ave.

Village Pourhouse
64 3rd Ave.

Finnerty's Irish Pub
221 2nd Ave.

Kingshead Tavern
222 East 14th St.

BarNone
98 Third Ave.



If this sounds fun, then here's your info on how to join.

Speaking of which, betcha all this will keep EV Heave busy this weekend. Oh, and here's a belated weekend report from EV Heave. (DO NOT GO here unless you want to see you-know-what...)

A St. Patrick's Day alternative

From the EV Grieve inbox:

CRAFTERMATH presents an LES alternative to St. Patrick's Day mayhem in a hybrid boutique/bar.
Punk crafts, film shorts, subversive song!
From 7 til 9pm-ish:

The CRAFTERMATH creative forces sell punk crafts and unusual art at a neighborhood treat-to-behold that features emerging designers and vintage goods. Our artwork is affordable, along w/the drinks. Happy Hour features a $5 beer and whiskey combo. We'll show a collage of films by NYC underground filmmaker LISA HAMMER on the gold-framed movie screen. JESSICA DELFINO will share a new song, perhaps on an uncommon instrument. You can celebrate Women's History Month w/us, and still make it in plenty of time to get out to some place far less cool-looking to drink your green beer - if you still insist!

The Dressing Room Boutique & Bar
75A Orchard Street (btw. Broome & Grand Sts.)
7 til 9pm-ish
FREE

A fond farewell to the Blarney Stone

Sigh. It looks as if EV Grieve favorite the Blarney Stone on Fulton Street is done. As Eater reported, the bar has been closed by a court order. It was one of the few places that opened at 8 a.m. around there...

Perhaps it will all be worked out... and, one day soon, I'll be able to see the row of ketchup bottles that you're not supposed to take...



I leave with this memory from a few weeks ago...



He put about $50 in the jukebox and danced and danced and danced. And this isn't really the kind of bar that people dance in, mind you. The fellow then went outside and smoked a funny smelling cigarette and yelled something about Sinatra.

Always had an interesting crowd here

And I still think switching signs did this place in....

We're No. 3! The noisiest neighborhoods in NYC

BrickUnderground (via Gothamist) has the story on the noisiest neighborhoods in the city... based on 311 records for 2009 (sorted by Community Boards). And the losers winners are!

1) Washington Heights/Inwood -- where 6,439 such grievances were filed last year.

2) Harlem, with 4,152 complaints.

3) Community Board 3, which includes the East Village, the Lower East Side and Chinatown, came in third with 3,637 complaints in 2009.

One EV resident told BrickUnderground that bars are to blame.

"It's not loud because of the residents but because of the bar crowd," she says. "The summertime is especially bad if you have to keep the windows open. It seems like an ongoing party in the streets."

No more sidewalk shed for 325 Bowery

Previously, we noted that the construction netting was removed by workers at 325 Bowery.



Yesterday, workers removed the sidewalk shed...



...giving light to some pretty nice tags... which will, no doubt, be painted over soon enough...

Le Da Nang sign up

Workers yesterday hung the new sign for the Vietnamese eatery taking over the former Sea space on Second Avenue between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

Not the most exciting news. But! This may be the quickest renovation that we can recall... The plywood for this space went up at the end of January. We're so used to seeing renovations meander along...

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

Ray's Benefit recap: Evening nets $3K (The Villager) Some of the crowd (Slum Goddess) Monday night was the best of times for an appreciative Ray (Neither More Nor Less)

The story behind Belmont Island in the East River (Ephemeral New York)

Bowery Presents expands into....Boston! (BoweryBoogie)

How East Villagers spend their money every month (and read the comments) (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Man on roof at 185 Bowery, another lost building (The Gog Log)

Astor Place of yesteryear (Flaming Pablum)

King's Views of New York (This Ain't the Summer of Love)

Esquared always has interesting posts (Nonetheless)

What's going on with the Washington Square Park Task Force? (Washington Square Park)

There's a W Hotel in Hoboken? (The Washington Post)

And recently the old Starbucks on Astor Place started stumping for the NY Film Academy...

Scaffolding to cover Ray's, Yuca Bar

At Neighborhoodr, Matt Rosen brings the news that scaffolding will be going up on the building at Avenue A and Seventh Street...



This means that the already-struggling Ray's Candy Store will be under cover of scaffolding the next five months or so.

As Rosen writes: "While an aesthetic improvement to the exterior of one’s building might be welcome on most occasions, that the storefronts will now have to deal with scaffolding obstructing their entryways in the prime summer months in an already difficult environment for businesses in the area means they’re none too thrilled about the timing.

"It’s not just Ray’s store that is affected, as his building has a rather large footprint. I can’t imagine Yuca Bar is too happy —- might scaffolding preclude them from setting up outdoor seating? Again, not the best timing. Not the biggest nuisance, but it certainly can’t be good for business…which is the last thing Ray or his neighbors need right now."

And this past Sunday morning outside Yuca...



[Top photo via Neighborhoodr]

Price on "one of the most exceptional homes" in the EV drops $3 million in four years

Many people I know say that Seventh Street between Avenue C and Avenue D is their favorite block ... a lot of character here...



And given the many million-dollar homes on the block (the former synagogue, the Flowerbox) it's probably a favorite for real-estate agents too...maybe.

I've been keeping my eye on one property in particular: 243 E. Seventh St., a three-family townhouse. This week, the price was marked down 17 percent, from $3.5 million to $2.9 million.



According to the listing at Brown Harris Stevens:

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A LOT OF HOUSE! Spacious three family Townhouse delivered vacant, built on/about 1899. This four story, 25-foot by 44-foot (plus generous extensions) house sits on a 98-foot deep lot. Many original details are intact, like the sweeping staircase, entry foyer, beamed ceilings and fireplaces. The kitchen and baths have been renovated, down to heated marble bath floors! The feel of this house is very airy and open, loft like. The garden is extraordinarily private and serene a high fence enclosed the garden where a grand old tree presides.

The lower floor (with a separate entry under the stoop) has a laundry area, building mechanics, storage room, plus space for media room and gym. The double parlor main floor has high ceilings, renovated kitchen, dining room, garden access and a full windowed bath. The master bedroom floor above can be left grand or divided into whatever suits your needs. There is a large deck as well. The third floor is a terrific apartment unto itself with a kitchen if need. Otherwise would make an addition bedroom floor, there is a full bath as well.

This house is on one of the best and most beautiful blocks in the East Village, East 7th Street between Avenue C and D. Annual taxes are shy of $3,000.

Lovely, yes, right? But I'm curious how lovely. This house seems to have a long recent history. As Streeteasy notes, Corcoran listed the house at $5.9 million in April 2006. And Corcoran's listing was slightly different:

One of the most exceptional homes you'll see anywhere in the East Village, or in Manhattan for that matter. Built in 1899, 4 stories, 25' x 44' with a 22' extension on a 98' lot. Sunny & loft-like. Renovated with integrity, retaining original details and charm. Over 5,200 square feet. With a 32' planted country garden - a deck and hammock and giant Chinese Empress tree - the rear of the house feels like a bird sanctuary and resembles a large Italian villa. Walled buildings on either side guarantee privacy. The Firemen's Garden to the north insures an open view, perhaps forever. Huge double-parlor floor with dining room. On the lower level, a laundry room and enough space for work, storage, a playroom, gym or studio. Full-floor master bedroom suite with terrace, heated marble floors in the bath. More storage than you can imagine, fireplaces, exposed beams, high ceilings and an original stained glass and carved wood entry door. All this on one of the East Village's best blocks, beautiful homes surround. A rare opportunity! Yes, the East Village has arrived!

So let's check out the sales history here the last four years courtesy of Streeteasy:

4/13/2006
Listed by Corcoran at $5.9 million.

8/31/2006
Listing is no longer available.

9/13/2006
Re-listed by Corcoran.

11/14/2006
Listing is no longer available.

1/10/2007
Re-listed by Corcoran.

1/10/2007
Price decreased by 15 percent to $4.995 million.

4/23/2007
Price decreased by 20 percent to $3.995 million.

3/20/2008
Listing is no longer available.

5/15/2008
Listing entered contract.

8/27/2008
Listing sold.

1/7/2010
Currently Listed by Brown Harris Stevens at $3.5 million.

3/6/2010
Decreased by 17 percent to $2.9 million.

So the price has dropped $3 million in four years. Any takers?

Which reminds me that I haven't seen the documentary "7th Street" since it debuted back in 2003. The director, Josh Pais, moved on Seventh Street between Avenue C and D in 1967...