Slice shockers: 2 Bros. blows up the $1 pizza model

Unveiled on St. Mark's Place — the $1.50 "supreme slice" ... at the 2 Bros. Plus location at No. 36 ... not available at No. 32, which just sells the regular old $1 slices.

Side-by-side taste test coming soon.

Oh, and in other 2 Bros. news, they are opening a location in the Bronx this October, according to their Facebook page ...

[Updated] BaoBQ has apparently closed on First Avenue

Last Monday, we pointed out that there was a store for rent sign above BaoBQ here on First Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street... however, at the time, the latest from Michael "Bao" Huynh, which opened in December, was still open for business...

However, it appears BaoBQ has closed... the storefront is in some disarray... and the phone number has been temporarily disconnected...

The Croman 9300 listing says the space is available starting Sept. 1. The asking rent is $13,995.

Updated 8/14:

Huynh confirmed to Eater that he has closed BaoBQ.

The Baoster says that the space had bad plumbing problems (see the picture at right), and an upstairs tenant complained about the smoke coming from the restaurant. He also notes that "rent is too expensive, anyway."

Utrecht is moving away from Fourth Avenue

As you may have noticed, Utrecht opened a new store on East 13th Street between University and Fifth Avenue earlier in the summer...

Now, it appears that the longtime arts supply store will be leaving its Fourth Avenue home... store for rent lease have gone up...

Not much info, such as price, on the listing... though it does note that "venting is possible" ...

Meanwhile, this will make the second large storefront available for rent along Fourth Avenue ... Dryden Gallery recently moved to a new location on East 12th Street...

Back to School

On Saturday, crews painted the crosswalks and what not on the sorta recently paved Avenue B... We looked to see if they spelled everything correctly...

Check!

And why did we check?

Flashback to January, where The Lo-Down first reported this error on Stanton Street...

[Via The Lo-Down]

Empanada Mama coming to East Houston

Empanada Mama is the latest eatery to give 189 E. Houston at Orchard a go... this address has been a carousel of concepts in recent years, most recently the short-lived Masala Twist and Kung Fu Bing ... Anyway, this one sounds pretty promising... and this will be the second Empanada Mama location — the other is on Ninth Avenue in the 50s... it's co-owned by the founder of Mama’s Empanadas in Queens ...

You can find their menu here.

Man OD's in Tompkins Square Park

From East Village photographer Steven Hirsch... A man OD'd in the Park and was revived by EMTs a little after 9 p.m. ...

[Updated] Breaking: Glowing objects spotted over East Village; no one has ruled out UFOs

Via EVG reader MP just after 9 p.m. ... "Series of at least a dozen glowing objects coming from downtown over east village toward Williamsburg... Get higher and higher and eventually fade away. Like large glowing embers. Spooky."

Yes!

Updated 11 p.m.

East Village photographer Steven Hirsch shared unretouched photos of the UFO sighting objects in the sky as seen from Tompkins Square Park ...

Holiday tree on East 13th Street; angels we have heard on high?

EVG reader Kim sent this along earlier today from East 13th Street... We are usually old-fashioned and ask for a newspaper for authentication purposes (at least an iPad edition). But! In the absence of a newspaper... a Peridance schedule will do...

Izzy is missing

Readers spotted these flyers go up in and around Tompkins Square Park this afternoon...

Blackbird opens tonight at 9

Construction delays KO'd Blackbird's opening last Thursday evening... However, the bar taking over the former Lakeside Lounge space on Avenue B at East 10th Street will now open tonight at 9, per the EVG inbox (and the sign outside the bar) ... Blackbird is owned and operated by Lakeside principal Laura McCarthy, as BoweryBoogie first reported.

[Image from last week by Bobby Williams]

Week in Grieview

[Thursday night in Tompkins Square Park by jdx]

Who said, "The East Village is ripe for picking right now"? (Thursday)

The East Fifth St. Tree Committee returns to work (Monday)

Please turn off the light on the Juliet balcony (Wednesday)

17 East Village construction projects happening right now (Wednesday)

Is an NYPD officer listing his apartment on Airbnb? (Tuesday)

New building for East Seventh Street (Monday)

New building for East Ninth Street (Friday)

Watch a video titled 'Nazi chased out of Tompkins Square Park' (Monday)

Damaged Elm OK for now in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

That Help Wanted sign at Lanza's (Tuesday)

Big City Records is closing (Monday)

After filing for Chapter 11 protection, South Brooklyn Pizza opens its dining room on First Avenue (Friday)

IL bagatto closed after tonight for summer break

In case you're an IL bagatto fan over on East Second Street near Avenue B... closing for their usual summer break after tonight...

The story behind the arrest of the purple-gloved burglar of East 11th Street

The other day, we posted the video the NYPD circulated showing a purple-gloved man breaking into an apartment at 516. E. 11th St. ... Anyway, a piece in The New York Times today has the whole story... A quickie recap. A new tenant moved into this apartment in April. The superintendent had put in a new lock. Two months later, someone entered the apartment — no forced entry — and took some electronics. The tenant, "a college professor of technology," set up the surveillance camera.

Police have now charged a 24-year-old man who lives in Greenpoint with the burglaries. (The man has spent time in prison for home-invasion burglaries upstate.) It was not clear why the man had a key to the 11th Street apartment. He had never lived there, as far as anyone knew.

Anyway, interesting story. Right the whole thing here.

There's no place like home

Spotted on First Avenue...

Happening now: people running and biking in the streets; the DOT taking your photo

Just a reminder that Summer Streets are happening today... on Fourth Avenue/Lafayette... and more around the City ...

... and depending on where you are, you may even have your photo taken by a DOT rep hovering over the street... like here on Fourth Avenue and East Ninth Street...

Perhaps for promo purposes. Or to hand out tickets later for people who didn't stop at the light...

Reader report: South Brooklyn Pizza dining room now open

After reading that South Brooklyn Pizza filed for bankruptcy protection (first reported by Crain's today) ... several readers noted that the First Avenue location's dining room expansion was now open...

Read more about all this at Vanishing New York.

Westway to the world

Sunset.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Combustible

Big Black at CBGB circa 1986 with "Kerosene" ... and without a drum machine...

Report: South Brooklyn Pizza files for bankruptcy protection

[Image via I Dream of Pizza]

Crain's reported this afternoon that the company behind South Brooklyn Pizza has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The pizzeria has three locations, one in Carroll Gardens and two in Manhattan, including one at 122 First Ave. between Seventh St. and St. Mark's Place.

Per Crain's:

According to an affidavit accompanying the most recent petition, the bankruptcy "was precipitated by landlord-tenant issues with the landlord, over-landlord and fee owner of 122 First Avenue." In 2009, [owner James] McGown signed a sublease for the First Avenue property, and invested $400,000 in the store's renovation, but the property has changed hands several times since. Mr. McGown now "has no idea who to pay money to" for the deal, the affidavit says.

Earlier this year, South Brooklyn Pizza started renovating the space next door for a new dining room.

On March 28, Jeremiah Moss reported at Vanishing New York that former East Villager Kati Duncan, who has a 25-year-lease on the storefronts at 122 First Ave., is in a "legal brawl" with South Brooklyn Pizza, who is subletting the space. In 2010, South Brooklyn took over the space next door as well... the former Ruben's Empanadas. Duncan said that this was done without her knowledge.

Per the post:

Duncan's lawyer says that South Brooklyn Pizza is "encouraging the Overlandlord to bring an eviction proceeding" against her, so they can take over the lease.

Read the whole post at JVNY.

Clearing up?

Just now, via Bobby Williams... the showers are ending here. Meanwhile, tonight, there's a 95 percent chance of woo.