[Updated] CB3/SLA votes against renewal for Diablo Royale; the Bean wins one, loses one

That's the word from attendees at tonight's CB3/SLA committee meeting going on right now... the Mexican-style saloon on Avenue A was up in the "Renewal with Complaint History" category. The Board voted 5-1 to deny a renewal of the Diablo liquor license.

According to the State Liquor Authority, the Diablo Royale license is active through Nov. 30.

In any event, a vote against a renewal here isn't the final word as we've seen in the case of Heathers and TenEleven.

Also, according to those in attendance, the committee didn't approved a request for The Bean's new location at Second Avenue and Third Street (beer and wine only), but denied the Bean's request for a license at 147 First Ave. and Ninth Street.

Updated 11-16. Ike Escava at The Bean sent us a note with a few important clarifications. Here's his email:

We decided to withdraw our application to serve wine & beer at 147 1st Ave after seeing that there were people in opposition to it. If we have community support at a later time we may try again but if it is unwanted in the community we will not. We will not even address this matter again internally until we are open and operating at that location. It is our intention to maintain the feeling and vibe of the shop at 54 2nd Ave that we built at 49 1/2 1st Ave. We applied for the wine & beer as a way to add something but we will be very careful not to let that change what we really are about.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Diablo Royale Este owner blasts the 'blasphemous lies' of residents, invites the State Liquor Authority to investigate

Dog-tired, so to speak

King Crimson naps on St. Mark's Place today. Photo by Bobby Williams.

Waiting for Gaga

Perhaps you saw this over at BoweryBoogie, The Lo-Down or Gothamist... Lady Gaga and Terry Richardson will be signing copies of their new photo book "LADY GAGA x TERRY RICHARDSON" at the New Museum on the Bowery. On Nov. 22 from 6-9 p.m.

But!

To be eligible for the Gagapalooza, you need to pre-order the $50 book in person starting tomorrow at the New Museum Store...

And despite the sign out front...

... a few fans/autograph collectors/curiosity seekers are already in something of a line...

There is already a 90 percent chance of a shitshow forecast here tomorrow morning.

Media arrive on First Avenue to cover attempted rape story

EV Grieve reader Joe notes the arrival of six media trucks this afternoon on First Avenue near 12th Street... the location of an attempted rape early yesterday morning.

According to multiple reports, police said the suspect followed a 27-year-old woman into her building at about 3 a.m., pushed her to the ground and attempted to rape her. The victim fought him off and he fled the scene.

Police describe the suspect as being between 25 and 30 years old, about 5-9 and 170 pounds.

Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.

A moment ago on East Sixth Street

Between Avenue A and Avenue B. Photo by Dave on 7th.

The sandwiches of JoeDough, opening tomorrow

The husband-and-wife team behind JoeDoe on East First Street are opening their gourmet sandwich shop at 135 First Avenue tomorrow, according to write ups today at Thrillist and Daily Candy.

Among their sandwiches:

The After-School Special: White bread topped with mustard, fried bologna and chips
The Conflicted Jew: Chicken liver and onions with bacon on challah bread.

Daily Candy notes that they will sell eight sandwiches and one daily special ... each sandwich goes for $10. They will also be making six-foot party subs.

Police are looking for this suspect in an attempted rape yesterday morning

NBC is reporting that police are searching for a man they say attempted to rape a 27-year-old woman in her First Avenue building around 3 a.m. Sunday.

The police released this video of the suspect... via NBC (and NBC makes you watch a 15-second ad first...)

RIP John Leeper

John Leeper, who retired this past summer after working 24 years behind the bar at the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place, has died. Several EV Grieve readers passed along word. We understand that he died of a heart attack during the weekend. We don't know his age, but everyone's best guest is 75 to 80.

John just stopped by the bar last Thursday night, and was his usual self.

On Facebook, Grassroots regular Brian Cogan wrote the following:

John was a consumate storyteller. He WAS Grassroots for those of us early birds who sat and listened to him over a beer. Whether it was about Kansas, opera, or working for the Mob (briefly), John held us in the palm of his hand, before asking if we wanted another. And with him bartending, we always did. RIP John.

We don't have all the details about services. We understand that there will be a service in Brooklyn. He will be buried in a family plot in Kansas.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An end of an era at the Grassroots Tavern

Maybe a friend of a 'Friends' star owns 331 E. Sixth St.?

We continue to speculate about who owns 331 E. Sixth St., the now-demolished circa-1852 townhouse. Some evidence pointed to, possibly, David Schwimmer. (Read that detective work here.)

[Via]

Now, here comes another theory via EV Grieve reader BodegaMan:

I've been speculating that the building on sixth is owned by Joey Slotnick.

I saw him on the stoop there once when it was still standing, and he's business partners with Schwimmer in a theater company in Chicago. So maybe they use the same manager or something. I see him around the neighborhood regularly.

First, we had to look up Joey Slotnick. Oh, yes — we recognize him. (The fellow on the left up there.)

And yes, according to IMDB, he is an ensemble member of Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company along with fellow member David Schwimmer ... and someone spotted him drinking at the 12th Street Ale House ... and...

OK, a little flimsy, perhaps?

Meanwhile. Next theory!

Oh, also... a commenter on Friday's Schwimmer post said that the DOB slapped a Stop Work Order dated from Wednesday on the pit. We meant to walk by... but per the DOB site (in ALL CAPS!) ...

CALLER STATES THE EXCAVATION WORK AT THE LOCATION IS UNDERMINING THE ADJACENT PROPERTY AT 329 6 ST CAUSING IT TO SHAKE

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is David Schwimmer the 'Friends' star who now owns the demolished 331 E. Sixth St. townhouse?

Outrage over total demolition of historic East Sixth Street townhouse

'Artisinal cocktail bar' in the works for Avenue B

Most of the items on tonight's CB3/SLA docket are pretty straightforward ... exisiting places looking to upgrade or transfer a license... or a known entity, such as The Bean, applying for a liquor license...

One of the more curious items is:

• Pouring Ribbons (Lead to Gold Inc), 225 Ave B (op)

This is the upstairs space that has been home to White Noise and Uncle Ming's ...

According to documents (PDF) on file with CB3, the team behind Alchemy Consulting is taking over this space. If their names are on the application, then it's likely safe to assume that they are taking a more active role than just creating a drinks menu, like they have for, say, The Rusty Knot.

As you can see from the screengrabs below, the place is being described as an "artisanal cocktail bar" that will, aside from cocktails, serve "locally sourced sandwiches, crudite, hummus and desserts."

Alchemy Consulting is described its website as "a firm based on increasing the profitability of bars and restaurants around the country through innovative beverage design." New York clients include Bar Seven Five at the Andaz Wall Street and the bars at the Hotel Williamsburg.

Here's the description of Bar Seven Five:

Revolutionizing the traditional New York bar concept, Bar Seven Five combines modern accessibility and classic cocktails in the heart of Lower Manhattan. The central bar, fast becoming one of New York City’s most popular lounges, features neither front nor back, so patrons can enjoy complete ease of interaction with their designated bartender while watching their cocktails being prepared. Using artisanal ingredients, the staff at Bar Seven Five works to create classic cocktails with an emphasis on pre-prohibition design. Taking inspiration from the turn-of-the-century Pullman train car bars, each cocktail is individually prepared, served, and garnished directly in front of the guest in a miniature shaker.

Almost working around the clock on developing 326-328 E. Fourth St.

An EV Grieve reader who lives near the formerly historic townhouses at 326-328 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D reports that work is happening here at a rather frantic pace... including during evenings and Saturdays and Sundays...

The reader/resident is finding all this weekend work annoying. We walked by ourselves yesterday morning around 10 ... complete with a newspaper for authentication purposes...



Regardless, all the required After Hours Variance Permits are on file with the DOB...

More upscale housing is coming here with two new floors courtesy of developer Terrence Lowenberg and Ramy Issac, the controversial penthouse king of the East Village.

Here's how it's shaping up ... with a view from East Third Street...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Historic East Fourth Street artists' collective soon to be condos

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

City doesn't give a shit about these historic East Village townhouses

Last remnants of Le Souk have been removed from Avenue B

The former Le Souk space on Avenue B remains on the market for $25,000 a month. Still, the mere presence of all the menus and reviews and stuff on the window were enough to make some people think this place would magically reopen...



However, someone has recently removed all that (donated to the CB3/SLA Hall of Shame?) stuff from the front window...

All that remains: the menu from the summer of 2008...

Maybe just cleaning the space up for its New Year's Eve party?

Copper Building retail space back on the market

We've been keeping an eye on the retail space at the Copper Building on Avenue B at 13th Street... someone removed the for sale signs back in May...



At the time, Brian Meier, senior vice president at Prudential Douglas Elliman, said via email that the space was sold to an investor, who has a contract out on the storefront...

Anyway, perhaps that original deal fell through... there is a new sign up now for the space...

Asking price is $6,000 per month... here's a look at the info... check out the restrictions (no delis or laundromats!...)

The Burger Shop, sans burgers, now open on St. Mark's Place

Well, we were a little surprised to walk by 115 St. Mark's Place on Friday and find something called The Burger Shop up and running... Most recently, Michael "Bao" Huynh ran DOB 111 and then BarBao here. A tipster had said that Bao was opening another corny-sounding eatery here... (Turns out a father-son team from Queens is running the place.)

We stopped by and learned that they opened Halloween weekend... and that they weren't serving any food yet — likely have the kitchen in operation this week ... for now, just $10 pitchers of PBR all day/night... as well as a 2-for-1 beer happy hour... and organic wines...

So far, they are keeping the Beau art on the gate that went up in January for Barbao...

Then!

Now!

Anyway, trying to recall a little liquor license history here... In April 2010, the CB3/SLA committee rejected Huynh's request for a beer/wine license for DOB 111.

The six-foot bar at DOB had six seats, and was mainly used for people waiting for tables. However, several Board members looked through the pile of signatures that Huynh brought, noting there were only 29 signatures from residents who lived on that block from Avenue A to First Avenue. Board chair Alexandra Militano scolded an increasingly incredulous-looking Huynh for not doing better community outreach, something that a well-known restaurateur should know.

Plus, this permit request was within the so-called resolution area... because there are 18 liquor licenses or so along here on St. Mark's Place...

Anyway, we don't recall seeing this item on the CB3 agenda... There was something called "The Saint Mark's Red House (TTD& G LLC), 115 St Marks Pl (wb)" on the agenda in June, but that was a scratch. There's now an active liquor license here ... and one more place for a 2-for-1 happy hour.

And now, the red-tailed hawk eats a squirrel in Tompkins Square Park

Photos via Bobby Williams, who noted that the red-tailed hawk ate the squirrel that the hawk had killed earlier in the day...

Sunset now

And also this evening from EV Grieve reader Anthony Devers ....

And one from Bobby Williams...

NY Tofu House opens on St. Mark's Place with free samples, lines

Back in August, we noted that something called NY Tofu House was taking the former Mondo Kim's space on St. Mark's Place... EV Grieve reader Stephen Popkin sends along photos of a grand-opening sample giveaway this afternoon...

3 months ago in Tompkins Square Park: Planning for Occupy Wall Street

Here's our post from Aug. 12 ...

The planning to occupy Wall Street continues tomorrow at 5 p.m. with a meeting in Tompkins Square Park...

Interesting to look back at all this... Bob Arihood covered the meeting. He noted the following:

A number of individuals , in considerable ignorance of the law of the land, complained that their pictures were being taken . We were lectured quite arrogantly and condescendingly at length to respect the privacy of individuals .

TSP isn't the dorm rec room or the recitation hall folks , it is public property , public space .There is no expectation of privacy here , especially when engaged in a political act .

The crows of the New York City Marble Cemetery

Bobby Williams heard that some crows have been spotted hanging around the historic New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Yesterday, he spotted four crows... a little late for Halloween...

Why Abraco is closed today

EVGayBear notes the the following today outside Abraco on Seventh Street...