EV Grieve

Thursday, April 8, 2010

One thing related to NYU that isn't getting bigger

Taavo Somer's new place sporting wood on the Bowery

Work is getting serious now at 325 Bowery, the future home of Taavo Somer's "classic American diner." The plywood is all around now...

A recap from Fork in the Road and the Nov. 16 CB3/SLA meeting: "Somer plans to fully utilize the bi-level space, creating a 63-seat restaurant with a 38-foot counter on the first floor and a 19-foot bar on the second. His application met with a show of support from members of the community, who bemoaned the current state of the abandoned restaurant, which has become a haven for drug deals and muggings."

Previously on EV Grieve:
325 Bowery gets scrubbed and painted

Under wraps: Work starts on two high-profile new East Village eateries

Before these buildings are scrubbed clean

With the arrival of the fancy "classic American diner" at the Bowery and Second Street ... the building was certainly going to be spiffed up to not look so urban...

Before!

This week!

It seems as if more and more of the untidy little spaces that give the neighborhood a little remaining grit are being scrubbed clean... such as the Verizon building last week.

So, before it all goes away, let's appreciate some of what remains...

Signs of warm weather: DBGB sheds its winter doors

This winter!

This week!

Can't you just smell the sausage?

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Abandoned air conditioners ready to cool you off in AC heaven

As I am exclusively reporting, it's pretty warm outside right now....

And, subsequently, a lot of ACs are on... and a lot of people seem to be tossing their old ACs, which all may need just a little work.... I think these babies might need to have their filters cleaned...

79th Street gets its taste of Avenue C's Sunburnt Cow

We know several people who continued to be annoyed by the fraternity-and-sorority hijinks in front of the Sunburnt Cow on Avenue C near Ninth Street... Maybe it's the drink-and-drown brunch weekends....

Anyway, this item in The Rundown caught our attention:

The sequel to Avenue C's The Sunburnt Cow brings the same Australians-in-exile party to the Upper West Side's post-college nightlife nexus. It's bigger, better, and has (somehow) precisely cloned its downtown clientele — this is not a place for the stroller patrol.

That fact is evident in the $18 all-you-can-drink brunch, which should create fun sidewalk traffic for moms on their way to Zabar's, as well as a series of noise complaints from their upstairs neighbors.

The menu's also a clone of the East Village institution, with Aussie-inspired cuisine — loaded up burgers, raw bar offerings, and the terrifying Pesto Shark (it's exactly what it sounds like).

It's a bar built for big blowouts. Go now and get your drink on, before the community board shuts them down.

The Lounge at Dixon Place holds its grand opening tomorrow night

The Lounge at Dixon Place celebrates its official Grand Opening tomorrow night at Dixon Place, the nonprofit that provides space for literary and performing artists...

It's a Lower East Side bar that directly supports artists and a theater that presents their works in progress. "All of our proceeds go directly to helping support the Dixon Place mission. It keeps our ticket prices low and allows us to present free music and other events in the Lounge," Tim Ranney, Dixon Place's director of marketing, told me.

So is the bar open all the time? Or just before and after performances?

"We are open every night at 6 to the public just like a real bar. It's a neighborhood bar as well as for folks coming here for a show," he said.

And there's a 2-for-1 happy hour special every night of the week from 6 to 7. "No plans yet to adopt the 'buy a keg' concept from Superdive but we do have a bar special called 'The Bull Dyke' -- a shot of whiskey and a PBR."

Ranney also noted there's an agreement with the building and neighbors that mandates the Lounge closes by midnight Monday-Thursday and by 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. "And we keep the music very, very low," he said.

Details on the grand opening are here. Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie St. between Rivington and Delancey.

High drama: a secluded perch for looking down on Third Avenue

There's a lavish unit new to the market at the "impressively awful" 110 Third Ave. Per the listing:

This dramatic corner 2-bedroom at 110 Third Avenue features a private rooftop cabana and has wonderful south and west exposures that bring in fantastic sunlight throughout the day. Built to the highest specifications by The Toll Brothers, this home features floor to ceiling windows, central air conditioning, a Bosch washer/dryer and white oak flooring. In the master bedroom there is a large walk in closet and a luxurious master bathroom with double sinks, soaking tub, and separate stall shower. The kitchen is open to the living room and features Volcanic stone countertops, a Thermador oven, Subzero refrigerator, and Bosch dishwasher. What sets this home apart from any other place you will see is the large private terrace on the roof. From this secluded perch, complete with water and electric, you can enjoy amazing views of the NY skyline that is perfect for gardening, entertaining and sunbathing.

The pad is listed at 1.55 million... A quick look at StreetEasy reveals this unit sold for 1.501 million in August 2007. See it for yourself during an open house Sunday afternoon from 1-3. Swimsuit optional.

New Tim Hortons on Union Square closed for renovations; is TGI Friday's far behind?

Tim Hortons opened in the former Zen Palate space on Union Square East back in early January... oddly enough, plywood has now gone up around the buidling at 16th Street...

Does this mean the the long-rumored TGI Friday's will soon share this space?

Thanks to EV Grieve reader Kim for the tip...

A new shopowner with a sense of humor on First Street

A few weeks back Jeremiah noted the sign on 70 E. First St. for a new business coming called Robot Daycare... As the sign said: "From Japan. "Always on time! Never inappropriate!" We were all a little suspicious of this...

Now there's new sign on the door, something for a store called The Missing Sock -- coming soon from Australia!

The store will feature "the world's largest collection of united socks collected from laundromats spanning the globe."

Heh. This ought to keep those snoopy bloggers scratching their heads over what's really coming here!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another First Street shop shutters

Easter at the Mars Bar

Following yesterday's Fuck the Mars Bar post... here's someone who just loved his experience at the bar... Marty Wombacher paid a visit on Easter Sunday for a post on his A Guy Walks into 365 Bars blog... He posted all sorts of pictures there (including these two on this page)... and even ordered Easter dinner for everyone from Two Boots....

His final assessment:

"As the Bed Bath And Beyonds and Barnes and Noble “superstores” continue to ruin New York City, thank God for institutions like the Mars Bar. This concrete rectangle of graffiti and art-filled madness is a testament to old school New York artists, free thinking folks and people looking to drink and have a good time. The only Blackberry you’ll find in here is brandy and the only thing close to and iPad is an artist pad that’s passed around the bar where the locals add their original sketches."

Thanks to the AK for the tip.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Fuck the Mars Bar

File this photo under "probably a little too obvious"

Lafayette and Houston.

Sketchy Blimpie/pizza/sushi place finally closes

I lost count how many times the Health Dept. shuttered this food court of horrors on Park Row near City Hall in the last six months... at least three, including this one.

If you’ve never been there, Mars Bar is pretty much the last of the old East Village/Lower East Side punk bars. It smells like shit, the walls are completely covered in graffiti, the jukebox only plays punk, the shots are poured huge, and the patrons are old, surly or both. These are all good things that help make a respectable dive bar. But when you ask the bartender for some soap (because some big punk fucker licked your friend’s face, uninvited, and she wants wash off the gross saliva) and the barkeep answers, “This is the Mars Bar man. There’s no soap in the Mars Bar,” that’s when you know the place has become a parody of itself.

Really dude? Are you fucking kidding me? There’s no soap because this is the Mars Bar?

Brisk sales reported for the Save Ray's clothing line, though no one has bought a thong yet

Matt Rosen at Neighborhoodr has an update on the Save Ray's clothing and accessorites line:

Sales of T-Shirts at Ray’s store have been brisk, and the online shop has seen orders from such exotic places as “France,” “Germany,” and “California.”

The most popular items thus far have been the Organic Women’s Fitted T-Shirt, Women’s Cap Sleeve T-Shirt, and the Original Fitted T-Shirt.

No one’s bought a Thong yet (prudes!), though we did sell the first Dog T-Shirt to owner Kathy and her four-legged friend, Pee-Wee.

East Village resident Conrad Oakey designed the Save Ray's logo. He and Rosen then helped launch the Save Ray's Cafe Press store, which you can access here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Save Ray's clothing and accessories line

[Photo of Ray via Neighborhoodr]

Why the Kobe Bryant video game mural was removed

As we reported last week, the Kobe Bryant video game ad on Avenue A near 12th Street was painted over by workers... The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) has more on what happened here in its most recent update (second item):

GVSHP and the East Village Community Coalition had long called upon the city to take action against the billboard which violated zoning regulations and, which some argued, violated an agreement to maintain the community mural for 10 years. Following complaints about the billboard from GVSHP and many others, and a great deal of attention from blog EV Grieve, the City inspected the site, issued several violations, and scheduled hearings on the violations. The sign was finally removed in late March.

And thanks to Christine Champagne at MediaPost for digging into the background of this wall in a feature last December.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Kobe Bryant's slam chunk

Searching for the truth about the cats and dogs mural on Avenue A