A look inside Life Cafe

Life Cafe closed on Sept. 11, as we first reported...

As Kathy Life said at the time:

"I'm doing this due to issues around building repairs the landlords were supposedly going to complete one year ago."

And not much has been happening here of late... the necessary renovations don't seem to be happening... (there aren't any permits on file to indicate any starting soon...) We noticed that a light was on inside, and we took a look ...

We've talked with several people who don't think that Life will ever return to 10th Street and Avenue B...

Will there be enough room for a sidewalk cafe outside the new 5 Napkin Burger on 14th and Third?

Upon hearing that the incoming 5 Napkins Burger is aiming for a sidewalk cafe at 14th Street and Third Avenue, a few commenters questioned this, uh, wisdom...

argie said...
I'm in favor of 5 Napkin Burger's existence (I've eaten at the Hell's Kitchen one and it was tasty), but a sidewalk cafe there is madness! It's already so crowded there. Hard to even wait for the light to change without getting knocked over.

Anonymous said...
The idea of a sidewalk cafe on the corner of 14th & 3rd is silly.

Anonymous said...
The idea of a sidewalk cafe anywhere in the EV struck me as absurd years ago. Now I think to each his own, even if it's a noisy, dirty, exhaust filled location. Enjoy... you idiots.

So we took a look yesterday during a non-rush-hour time... Let's assume that the space the plywood currently takes up will be close to the size of the sidewalk cafe ... (not sure if the sidewalk cafe will be on the 14th Street or Third Avenue side...

Doesn't seem all that appealing to sit along here for a meal... just imagine what this corner will be like, at, say, 6 p.m., when you add in swarms of students, Trader Joe's shoppers, pallets of Trader Joe's products, people returning home from work ...

Things that you can do today if you're really bored

Try Google Maps with Street View ... The Googlers have been updating the streetscenes, but not totally... so you can see Seventh and A in June 2011 ...

...and cross the Avenue and it's June 2009 again...

Or!

From Avenue A, the Washington Mutual is still on the corner circa June 2009...

...but the but the view from Second Street shows it as a Chase...

Thanks (I think!) to RyanAvenueA, who apparently was bored at work, for passing along this timesucker...

Holiday movies: 'Blast of Silence'

I know that I've written about "Blast of Silence," Alan Baron's New York (slightly hokey) indie noir from 1961.

Will repeat some of it now... the movie is about a contract killer in New York for a job during the Dec. 25 holiday season ... well, the trailer will tell you what you need to know...



Of interest hereabouts... the main character, "Baby Boy" Frankie Bono, stays at the Valencia on St. Mark's Place... which is the St. Mark's Hotel today, of course...

[Via]

In the background, you can see the former Saint Marks Russian and Turkish Baths ... which became the New St. Marks Baths ... and, eventually, Mondo Kim's ... and now the NYC Tofu House...

Piccola Positano will apparently really be into clams and mussels

On Monday, we had an item on the future of the former E.U./Tonda space on East Fourth Street near Avenue B... it will be an Italian restaurant called Piccola Positano...

Yesterday, Thrillist had more details... including that there is a January opening date... Anyway, per Thrillist from a post titled "An Italian vacation in the East Village":

Eschewing the extraneous ingredients that apparently confuse visiting Italians, the food hews to simplicity and was seriously researched (the pasta alla vongole was tested with clams from all over the world before lighting upon the perfect cockles), and includes traditional calamari fritti, mixed shellfish soup, and four different preparations (incl. sauteed w/ scallions, fennel, orange, black pepper, and olive oil) of "cultivated mussels", which refuse to be stuck with weak bivalves.

[Updated] Remembering Joe Strummer

We saw that several people stopped by the Joe Strummer mural today on the 9th anniversary of his death... a few people left flowers, candles and notes here on Seventh Street at Avenue A...

Photo by Bobby Williams.

UPDATED

Dave on 7th notes the scene at the mural this morning... made it through last night's rain...

Housecleaning at the former Yummy House

Over on Third Avenue near 12th Street, workers are on the scene emptying out the former Yummy House space... which, along with the former Nevada Smith's home next door, will be demolished to make way for this.

We saw them toss an fax machine and some security lights and some broccoli with eggplant in garlic sauce.

Anyway, Yummy House is now over on Second Avenue and 11th Street ... and, until Nevada Smith's reopens up the Avenue, they're showing matches at Webster Hall...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Those persistent rumors about 74-76 Third Avenue and the future of Nevada Smith's

The East Village will lose a parking lot and gain an apartment building

There are a lot of trees left for sale

A walk through the trees for sale alongside the St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery ... plenty to choose from...

...including these, like 30 footers that can't possibly fit inside that many apartments around here...

Related:
St Mark's Christmas Tree Vendor Fined for Shack Has Died (DNAinfo)

Markand Thakar

You may not know Markand Thakar, though it's likely that you will recognize his work. Several of his paintings adorn the walls of Sophie's on East Fifth Street as well as at Mona's on Avenue B.

Thakar, who was born and raised in New York, is 82. You can read about his life and work and view his art at his website, The Skunk Museum & Library.

The site is also full of his writings. Thomas D. Ward, who took the top and bottom photos on this page, offered this: "Those interested in a first-hand account of the New York art world from mid-century to the present will certainly find much to ponder."

You may also appreciate his vivid, street-level accounts of a native New Yorker in "Noo Yawk, New York." (You can access that work here.)

In addition to the website, he distributes his writing via pamphlets at the two bars the old-fashioned way ...

[EVG]

Depending on the day or time, you might even find him sitting at the bar at Sophie's or Mona's. (He's particularly fond of the Tuesday night jazz sessions at Mona's.) Why not say hello.

[Photos by Thomas D. Ward]

New listing for 34 Avenue A

Back in August, 34 Avenue A hit the market as a rental via Coldwell Banker Commercial ...

Of course, there's a long recent history here, from Mo Pitkin's to Ace & Eights to a CB3 smackdown.

Anyway, there's now a new listing at Living New York ...

Here are the details:

Full Built out Turnkey Restaurant for Lease/Sale - Prime East Village Avenue A Location!
34 Avenue A between 2nd and 3rd Street

Originally the Famous Mo Pitkins Performance Space Venue!

Fully Built out Turnkey opportunity for a unique, cool space.

Fully built 1 or 2- story restaurant space available leased together or separately.
3000 Sqft + 1500 basement. Loaded with charm and character this space features high original tin ceilings, exposed brick, floor to ceiling windows and plenty of natural light..

Ground Floor - 1,500 Sqft + full 1500 sqft Basement built out as a bar/ restaurant with banquet seating and full kitchen including commercial appliances, beer taps, walk ins, security system, Ice maker, etc…
$15,000/mo

2nd floor 1,500 Sqft Large open space with platform for performance use, Large Bar and glassed in front Lounge area.
$7,500 /mo

Total Rent $22,500/mo
Key money $250,000

Or you can just buy the whole fucking building. That possibility is mentioned at the bottom of the listing. No details on the price. Living had it at $4.65 million back in May.

Regardless, securing a liquor license will be a challenge.

As Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo reported back in August about the rental:

“We don’t think you can get a liquor license at this point because of so much negative history,” said Debra Stelnik, a broker for Coldwell Banker, noting her client is growing desperate to bring in a new tenant.

In any event, it has been awhile since we've been inside the place... and Living New York has some photos...

Looks like someone from Aces & Eights left behind the Jäger machine!

Joe Strummer died 9 years ago today

Joe Strummer died on this date in 2002. He reportedly had an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. He was 50.

In November 2003, REVOLT painted a mural in honor of the former Clash frontman on the side of Niagara on Seventh Street at Avenue A. (You can watch a video of the making of this here.)


Since then, I've taken far too many photos of the mural, which REVOLT updated in February 2009...


Look, Smokin' Joe! (Eh, sorry...)



There's always something comforting about seeing the mural there... looking rather calm about anything going on around it...




Let's end this with a Strummer solo number from Aki Kaurismäki's "I Hired a Contract Killer" from 1990...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe Strummer gets a splash of Niagra

Joe Strummer gets a new look, skyline

More about January's CB3/SLA meeting: New tenants for Angels & Kings and that kind of weird sushi-Jello shot place on the Bowery

[Via]

Let's pick up from yesterday's post... actually, let's just incorporate that into one big post...

(Meeting time: Monday, January 9 at 6:30 pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 East 5th Street at Bowery.)

Here are some of the items... the whole shebang is here.

Sidewalk Café Applications

• Hair of the Dog (168 Orchard St Partners Inc), 168 Orchard St

Awesome name.

• 5 Napkin Burger (Bizet LLC), 150 E 14th St.

Coming soon to the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue ...

Corporate Change

• La Vie (Le Cave LLC) 64 E 1st St (op)

Coming on the one year anniversary in which one of La Vie's owners inexplicably called District Manager Susan Stetzer a "racist" during a committee meeting. (Read about it here.)

Applications within Resolution Areas

• To be Determined, 6 St Marks Pl 1st Fl (wb)

• BK's, 115 Ave C (op)

The former place called Porch...

• JB Sushi (Marco's 88 Inc), 15 St Marks Pl (up/op)

• Bad Burger (Violily LLC), 171 Ave A (wb)

The news release announcing the opening here promised that they would seek "to eventually serve Craft Beer and a Sommelier-honed Wine List."

Alterations/Upgrades

• Goat Town (511 E 5th Street LLC), 511 E 5th St (up/op)

?????

New Liquor License Applications

• BareBurger (Bare City Two LLC), 85 2nd Ave (wb)

What's coming to the former Sin Sin space at East Fifth Street.

• To be Determined, 125-127 1st Ave (op)

We have some info on here, but will hold on to it until we verify a few things...

• Café Khufu (Café Khufu LLC), 61 E 3rd St (wb)

???

• Wisemen (355 WM Restaurant Inc), 355 Bowery (op)

Oh no! Not that kind of weird sushi-Jello shot place that we recently wrote about... they have been closed of late ("kitchen renovation").

• Calliope (67 Second Avenue LLC), 84 E 4th St (op)

This is the address for Belcourt ... Chef Matthew Hamilton recently moved on from here, as the Times reported ...

• Tinks Bake House Inc, 102 E 7th St (wb)

That incoming bakery between Avenue A and First Avenue must want a license to pair wine and stuff with their desserts...

• Zi'Peps, 424 E 9th St (wb)

The newish Italian place on East Ninth Street ...

• Keybar, 500 E 11th St (op)

Well, Keybar has been trying to move from its current East 13th Street home (last month to 14 Avenue B) ... and now to Angels & Kings? The onetime emo hotspot showed Penn State football games this past fall... We have a message to the A&K folks to find out more about their future...

• A&P Restaurant Corp, 245-247 E Houston St aka 190 Norfolk St (op)

Hmm... changes coming to the Remedy Diner?

Do you have what it takes to be a bouncer at Coyote Ugly?

[Image via Gothamist]

Well, if so, then don't tell us... they're hiring... here's the ad via Craigslist...

We are looking to hire very personable and responsible, experienced bouncers with a security license. If you are interested, please show up for an interview anytime after 6pm on Monday, Tuesday, or wednesday. Ask for Steve.
Coyote Ugly Saloon
153 1st Avenue
ny ny 10003
212-477-4431

Test question: Do we serve water in this bar?

Noted

[Saturday on the Bowery at Stanton, by Bobby Williams]

Welcome inside The Bowery Diner, an all-American homage that updates the 1950s comfort food institution in all the right ways (yes, your diner now has a raw bar), slated to open in early January. (UrbanDaddy)

A wing and a prayer

Tompkins Square Park today, by Bobby Williams.

Sad-looking tree still looks sad on East Sixth Street

24 hours after spotting one lone tree for sale outside Sunny and Annie's on Avenue B and Sixth Street... the poor thing remains...

I would buy it. Except that I already have a tree. And my tree never gets along with other trees.

And don't you think the tree is shaped like the Grinch's head?

Beef and booze mania on the January CB3/SLA docket: Bad Burger, 5 Napkin Burger and BareBurger

The CB3/SLA Licensing Committee meeting docket for January is out now...

(Meeting time: Monday, January 9 at 6:30 pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 East 5th Street at Bowery.)

Here's a quick look at a few of the items... we'll have more on it tomorrow...

Sidewalk Café Applications

• 5 Napkin Burger (Bizet LLC), 150 E 14th St.

Coming soon to the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue ...

Applications within Resolution Areas

• Bad Burger (Violily LLC), 171 Ave A (wb)

The news release announcing the opening here promised that they would seek "to eventually serve Craft Beer and a Sommelier-honed Wine List."

New Liquor License Applications

• BareBurger (Bare City Two LLC), 85 2nd Ave (wb)

What's coming to the former Sin Sin space at East Fifth Street.

• Tinks Bake House Inc, 102 E 7th St (wb)

That incoming bakery between Avenue A and First Avenue must want a license to pair wine and stuff with their desserts...

Vampire Freaks closing on Avenue A

As you can see from the signs sent along via a reader, the retail outlet for goths, punks and everyone else into skull-and-crossbones apparel is closing... Haven't heard just yet if they'll continue as an online-only entity like before opening here between 11th Street and 12th Street in the fall of 2008...

[Hat tip to Greg Masters for the photos]

And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now

This morning in Tompkins Square Park. By Dave on 7th.

Headline inspiration here.

Breaking: Japadog opening on Jan. 5; lines to start forming Jan. 2

[Friday outside the Japadogster home, by Bobby Williams]

Grub Street hears that the Japadog location is opening at 30 St. Mark's Place on Jan. 5. (They have a copy of the menu too.)

No word just yet when the lines will start forming ... so we'll go with Jan. 2. Bring your blankets!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cue the long lines: Japadog opening first New York City location on St. Mark's Place