Previously.
Photo by Shawn Chittle
Friday, May 4, 2012
Remembering Adam Yauch in the East Village
As you likely have heard by now, Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, died today after a battle with cancer. He was 47.
Shawn Chittle points us to 171 Avenue A, former home of 171A — the studio used by the Beastie Boys to record "Polly Wog Stew" in 1982.
Per Brooklyn Vegan:
In September of 1980, Jerry Williams would begin renovating the interior of 171A. Previously the place had been a glass shop, but after moving in their PA equipment Williams went on to build a stage at the front and an audio booth in the back. By November the 171A Studio was a venue used to house after hours parties where downtown bands like the Cooties would perform [but] with a huge New Year's Eve show coming up, the New York Fire Dept. stepped in and stopped further shows from proceeding...
By now though 171A had gained a lot of name recognition around town, so instead of shutting it down completely Williams decided to change it into a rehearsal studio. At the time, most of the available rehearsal spots in New York City were tiny little rooms, but 171A offered much more. Jerry described it as being like "...a full sized room with 15 foot ceilings and a floor space 60 feet long and provided recording artists with a quality PA system suspended from the ceiling. It was a cut above other rehearsal studios and since it was about half the size of CBGB's it produced a very similar sound."
Williams, aka Jay Dublee, died in September 2010.
Bad Brains and Reagan Youth were among the other bands to record here... We hear that a few Beastie Boys fans plan to put out candles in front of 171
The Meatball Factory is now temporarily the Hole pop-up restaurant called Hole Foods
It looks as if the Meatball Factory has served its last Meatball... at least for now...
Right under our noses at the Times today:
The Hole gallery opens a conceptual pop-up restaurant called Hole Foods, with a 40-person dinner. The artist Joe Grillo designed the Day-Glo-colored space.
Hole Foods, 231 Second Avenue. Saturday from 8 p.m. Invitation only.
It's the new (previously) secret project from The Hole Gallery on the Bowery. And this explains why several tipsters insisted that the Meatball Factory was a goner.
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Renovations for the Meatball Factory
Rally Monday for East Third Street residents facing eviction
The flyer is pretty self-explanatory...
We were first to report on the looming evictions back on March 15... You can read more via the links below...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Three apartment buildings sold on East Third Street
Know your rights: Help with understanding NYC rent laws
More about the lease renewals at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St.
Tenants at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St. banding to together in face of building sale
Related:
And Economakis gets the whole building for his dream mansion
At the 47 E. 3rd St. protest
We were first to report on the looming evictions back on March 15... You can read more via the links below...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Three apartment buildings sold on East Third Street
Know your rights: Help with understanding NYC rent laws
More about the lease renewals at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St.
Tenants at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St. banding to together in face of building sale
Related:
And Economakis gets the whole building for his dream mansion
At the 47 E. 3rd St. protest
Here is the beer menu for the new bar behind Jane's Sweet Buns
At least the beer menu for tonight... Thanks to a reader for sending this along...
There are also 25 bottles ranging in price from $8 to $31 (the De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse Peated Oak Aged — wolf it!) ... you can find the list here.
The 10-seat Proletariat is now open in the rear of Jane's on St. Mark's Place... you can read about the place here ... and here.
The bar is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
There are also 25 bottles ranging in price from $8 to $31 (the De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse Peated Oak Aged — wolf it!) ... you can find the list here.
The 10-seat Proletariat is now open in the rear of Jane's on St. Mark's Place... you can read about the place here ... and here.
The bar is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Noted
From the Village Pourhouse Facebook page:
What are YOU doing on Cinco de Mayo? If your answer remotely resembles "traveling to multiple downtown bars while drinking awesomely cheap tequila & beer specials and wearing a sombrero/mustache" then you belong with us at Village Pourhouse!
What's the over/under on Saturday, May 5 being more of a shitshow than Saturday, March 17?
Making the case for Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery to serve beer
EV Grieve favorite Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery on Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street is on this month's CB3/SLA docket for a beer license... Here, EV Grieve reader Charles Hutchinson makes his case for Zaragoza...
One of the few truly unspoiled eateries on my stretch of Avenue A, Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery, has been hurting since they lost their beer license in September.
Zaragoza is a 10 year-old family-run business (husband, wife and grown son — Pompeyo, Maria and Ruben Martinez, respectively, all of whom live in the neighborhood). Zaragoza makes authentic, good, affordable fare — tortas, tamales, burritos — with fresh ingredients every day. For years it has been a convivial and crowded take-out with a few tables that were always filled.
Unfortunately, much of that has changed since the Fall when Ruben filed papers to change the establishment from a limited partnership into a corporation. What he didn't know, and now regrets, is that the change in legal status would complicate and possibly jeopardize his liquor license.
Since then, Zaragoza hasn't been permitted to sell a single can of Tecate or any other of the Mexican Beers that it used to stock. And that has put a serious crimp in their business.
So how dead is it now? When I went over there [last Friday night], weaving past the throng of revelers in front of one or more neighboring bars, the place was empty save for an occasional take-out like myself. Ironically, part of what is complicating the license renewal is the proliferation of bars that for most part didn't exist when Zaragosa started selling beer there many years ago.
Zaragoza is now seeking neighborhood support as it gathers signatures prior to pleading its case before the Community Board. Can you alert your readers of the need to sign the petition and help revive this venerable establishment?
Yes. There aren't many places like this left. [Added] They are collecting signatures of support for the CB3/SLA meeting at Zaragoza. You can stop by and sign. Ask Ruben or anyone behind the counter.
You can read a recent review of Zaragoza here at Serious Eats.
Zee's Pet Shop is now closed
Zee's Pet Shop on Avenue B just off East 10th Street had been going out of business for, well, a seemingly really long time...
As of yesterday, the store is officially now closed. I had a post in March 2010 about the space being for lease.
Mikey's on Seventh Street and Furry Land are other recent casualties... I don't own a pet. So, where do people shop these days for pet supplies in the neighborhood?
Space on the Bowery and Bond for 'the fashion crowd'
Over on Bond and the Bowery, the corner retail space (officially 57 Bond) has sat empty since WaMu moved out in March of 2009 ... But it's still ready for something fabulous, according to the new listing at Massey Knakal:
A retail condominium located on the southwest corner of Bowery and Bond Street - one of the most desirable locations in the neighborhood. The unit has exposure on Bowery and Bond Street with an entrance on Bond. ... This corner space sits on the rapidly emerging fashion district surrounding the intersection of Bond Street and the Bowery. No cooking is allowed. With tenants nearby including Billy Reid, Rogan, Blue and Cream, John Varvatos, and United Nude, this space is likely to draw significant attention from the fashion crowd.
The space is for sale for a fashionable $4.2 million; asking rent "upon request."
Previously, the space was "the new intersection of cool."
It was also a photogenic intersection for Bringing it On...
Anyway, this is just one more opportunity for my Bowery-Bond nickname to take off — BowBo.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The Post discovers that the area around Bowery and Bond is pretty nice these days — and getting nicer!
Noted
Letters addressing what you can and can't flush down your toilet are always so... awkward. Haven't seen it done well yet. And who dumps cat litter down a toilet? (Wait, don't answer that...)
Via Shawn Chittle.
[Updated] Renovations for the Meatball Factory
A few readers got further than we did with information on why the 7-month-old Meatball Factory on 14th Street and Second Avenue was randomly closed yesterday... EV Grieve reader Michael, who took the above photo, talked to a worker on the scene last night who said they were "doing some renovations." A commenter mentioned, "They've painted some crazy colors and designs all over the walls and ceilings. The bar is also gone."
Updated:
Eater has more on the Meatballers here.
This is what a view from East River Park looked like on April 29, 2012
This year, we'll post photos like this of various buildings, streetscenes, etc., to capture them as they looked at this time and place... The photos may not be the most telling now, but they likely will be one day...
Photo by Bobby Williams
Michael White now hiring at Nicoletta
Yesterday, we took a look at the incoming Michael White pizzeria on Second Avenue at 10th Street ...
Anyway, a reader sent us a link to a Craigslist ad ... apparently, if you're interested, they're hiring front-of-the-house positions... Per Craigslist: "Focused on pizza and Italian cuisine, we are seeking staff to share in our love of food, passion for service, and desire to develop a new brand offering the highest levels of quality, hospitality and professionalism."
Bonus ad except for host/hostess: "Able to multitask while remaining calm and hospitable."
Anyway, a reader sent us a link to a Craigslist ad ... apparently, if you're interested, they're hiring front-of-the-house positions... Per Craigslist: "Focused on pizza and Italian cuisine, we are seeking staff to share in our love of food, passion for service, and desire to develop a new brand offering the highest levels of quality, hospitality and professionalism."
Bonus ad except for host/hostess: "Able to multitask while remaining calm and hospitable."
Happy birthday Keith Haring
If you've been to Google today... then you probably saw the Google Doodle honoring Keith Haring on what would have been his 54th birthday today. Haring died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1990 at the age of 31.
And an EVG repost from March 12, 2009:
Blogger Jack Brummet at All This is That today posts a Polaroid that he received in 1982...It's a shot of Keith Haring's mural on Houston and the Bowery....
The photo was affixed to a postcard and mailed to him from San Francisco...the former NYC resident was living in Seattle. You can see the postmark on the bottom left of the photo....
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Allright meat, show him your heat
This afternoon, for some reason, New York Mets knuckleballer (and all-around-nice-guy) R.A. Dickey was in Tompkins Square Park to watch people throw Wiffle balls... and interact with kids. And adults.
Above photos by Bobby Williams.
And from the MLB ManCave Facebook page...
h/t for headline
Above photos by Bobby Williams.
And from the MLB ManCave Facebook page...
h/t for headline
Meatball Factory closed for the moment
Over on 14th Street and Second Avenue, the 7-month-old Meatball Factory is closed... there's no sign, and there wasn't any sign of any workers on the scene. (Perhaps in the cellar?) There isn't a message on the restaurant's Facebook page or Twitter account (which haven't been updated the past month) ... and no one answered the phone when we called; no outgoing message ... so... we'll try again later.
EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition
Extensive history of St. Mark's Place (BoweryBoogie)
Dedicating Harry Wieder Way this weekend (The Lo-Down)
What's going on at the Sun Shine Cafe on Allen Street? (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)
A look at the menu and cocktails at Bishops & Barons on IHOP Way (Grub Street)
A lot of opposition for the Chelsea Market expansion (Curbed)
Lars Ulrich on working with Lou Reed, the reaction to "Lulu" (Spin)
And at Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A today...
Proto's Pizza opens today on Second Avenue
We've been watching the space where Proto's Pizza will open on Second Avenue between Third Street and Second Street... as the above photo shows, the place looks like a nice, pretentious-free pizzeria.
Owner Rob Proto left us this message:
Proto's Pizza is opening for business on Thursday, May 3rd. Looking forward to providing the East Village with high quality and great tasting pizza, sandwiches and much more.
Let us know if you try it ... And, as a bit of background...Earlier, Neighborhoodr had more on the pizzeria:
The owner’s first go at a pizza place. Aims to hit the sweet spot of offering a high-quality slice for around $2.50. No dollar slices here. "I'd rather go out of business than have to compromise quality. You’re in New York. Do it right," says Mr. Proto, a Brooklyn native.
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