In which Russo's kind of gives us heart failure

Nothing like turning west from First Avenue onto East 11th Street yesterday … and seeing the contents of one of your favorite shops out on the sidewalk.



Gah.

Turns out that the folks at Russo's are just doing some electrical/repair work.

Back open tomorrow, per the sign.



Now we'll go to New York magazine for a quickie overview:

Russo's has endured for a long time — they opened in 1908. Inside this diminutive shop, you'll find every Italian provision you'd expect — fresh ravioli, tortellini, gnocchi and linguini, cheese, olive oil, and canned tuna imported from Italy, as well as sausage, pepperoni, anchovies, and pignoli nuts.

Updated 8/7

Russo's reopened for business this afternoon around 3. There is a new floor and faux-brick walls ... not to mention two new display cases under the front counter... we didn't take any photos, as they were still getting things put back together. Food is the same!

2 Bros. is really gone on 1st Avenue; plus more dumplings for the East Village

[July 19]

An EVG reader spotted workers removing the ovens from the First Avenue 2 Bros. back on July 18.

And we watched workers gutting the space all weekend long. (Well, we did other stuff too that weekend, like go to Key, wash a few loads of laundry and watch some TV.)


[July 19]


[July 19]

However, one of the workers told a reader that 2 Bros. was just remodeling the space. (We've seen this closing fake-out before.)

And the 2 Bros. sign remained up here between East 13th Street and East 14th Street until this week. When this new signage arrived for Hibachi Dumpling Express.



It will be the latest in the East Village dumpling express. Mimi Cheng's Dumplings opened last month at 179 Second Ave. near East 12th Street. And The Bao just debuted at 13 St. Mark's Place.

How are they? Dunno! However, Robert Sietsema offered up a review at Eater on Monday.

His quick take on The Bao: "Though this may not be the best Chinese restaurant in the area, it has the best soup dumplings."
And Mimi's?: "The dumplings seemed a little lackluster on that first visit, but had improved considerably by the second."

Mac specialists Digital Society has closed on East 10th Street

The 20-plus year-old Digital Society on East 10th Street at Broadway closed for good after business last Thursday.



There isn't any mention of a closure on their website.

As an "Apple Authorized Service Center," they were servicing our various Macs long before the arrival of the Apple stores. Now what?

It's Enormousface … on a truck!

Well, we missed this Sunday evening after the Riot Reunion concert in Tompkins Square Park … when several people told us that street artist Enormousface put on an entertaining show outside the Park on East Seventh Street and Avenue A.

Said one spectator, "He was playing a balloon like an instrument, then climbed a truck and let the balloon launch. Then he climbed down and crawled into Avenue A, stopping traffic."

Thanks to Walter Wlodarczyk for the photo. Find more of his work here.

NYPD looking for information about a sexual assault on East 9th Street in June

These posters have been going up around the neighborhood the past few days.

The poster describes a sexual assault that occurred on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue in the early morning hours of June 20.

The NYPD describes the suspect as a Hispanic male, 25-35 years old, 5-7 to 5-9 and between 220-250 pounds.



Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

There goes the neighborhood!

EVG reader thomkat notes the arrival of a horse and buggy in front of the glorious crepe (or crape!) myrtle trees at 198 E. Seventh St.

It's for today's shoot of the ABC series "Forever" here on East Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Earlier.

Have you heard the rooftop parties at Ben Shaoul's Bloom 62?

We have! A few Sundays ago from atop the former nonprofit nursing home on Avenue B and East Fifth Street that Ben Shaoul bought and converted into high-end rentals. And we've heard grumbling from residents on East Fifth Street. (The Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation wasn't really known for rooftop parties.)

Meanwhile, an Avenue B resident shared this.

Has anyone else complained about Bloom 62? I was walking on the street Saturday night and there was music so loud on the roof ... I contacted 311 and the police allegedly “resolved” the issue, but it was still very noisy through the night. I can’t believe the neighbors around the building can tolerate it.

We actually didn’t eat at Lavagna that night because the music was so loud by the restaurant.

It was clear there was a pro DJ with very serious sound system on the roof.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Local politicians reach out to Ben Shaoul as re-sale of the Cabrini Nursing Center seems likely

More details on Cabrini's closing announcement

Check out Nicolina's beautiful bee-heart art at Mona's

Richard Corton and Kirk Marcoe, the owners of Mona's (and Sophie's and Josie's), commissioned local artist Nicolina to create a mural for the bar at 224 Avenue B near East 14th Street.

She offered a sneak preview of it in Tompkins Square Park earlier this summer …



On Friday, the mural went up at Mona's.

The art is hanging between the buildings on the bar's north side … in space protected from the elements … which offers a good vantage point from inside…


[Photo via the Mona's Facebook page]

Reminders tonight: A discussion on saving our neighborhod restaurants

[Bereket Turkish Kebab House]

From the EVG inbox…

SAVING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANTS: EXPERTS DISCUSS HOW (AND WHETHER) IT CAN BE DONE

Tuesday, August 5, 6:30 – 8 P.M.
Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
Free; reservations required: rvsp@gvshp.org

It could be Lucky Cheng’s or University Diner that you miss, Havana Chelsea or Manatus Restaurant. New Yorkers are in a tizzy over their favorite spots disappearing fast. The question is, what to do about it?

A panel of experts will investigate just that during this free discussion. Inspired by a Historic Restaurant Preservation Plan recently proposed by Eater.com restaurant critic Robert Sietsema, the inquiry will include Sietsema as well as former New York Times restaurant critic and longtime Villager Mimi Sheraton, who is skeptical of such a plan; Stacey Sutton, a Columbia University assistant professor of urban planning who specializes in community retail dynamics; and Robert Perl, the president of Tower Brokerage, which specializes in the sale and rental of commercial and residential property in the East Village. Karen Loew, The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's director of East Village and special projects, will moderate.

Around the world, people are taking action to extend the lives of businesses they love – in effect aiming to preserve the “uses” inside buildings alongside preservationists’ usual target of the structures themselves. In England, traditional pubs can be deemed assets of community value, allowing community groups time to raise money to buy and preserve them, in order to compete with other buyers who may change the use. In San Francisco, the preservation group SF Heritage promotes Legacy Bars and Restaurants as a way to drive customers to qualifying businesses. Would it make sense for our capital of innovation, dining and independent business to be the next to create a path for restaurant preservation?

We’ll look at all sides of the issue, from rent hikes to owner retirement, to explore what can be done to save our favorite cafes and bars: our hangouts, our clubhouses, the places that feed our souls as well as our stomachs. Come join the discussion that could be the beginning of something: fewer endings.

Reserve your spot today at rvsp@gvshp.org or call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35.

For more background, read our blog post Maybe You Can Save Your Favorite Restaurant Before It Closes

EVG's favorite spots disappearing fast: Bereket, Caffe Rakka on Avenue B, the Odessa Cafe and Bar, Polonia, Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen, 7A, among many others…

Part of East 7th Street looking like Forever ago for TV shoot

Crews will be filming scenes for the new ABC series "Forever" on East Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C today.

Ahead of that, workers yesterday transformed part of the block into turn-of-the-century-looking storefronts. (Not the most recent turn of the century either, per Dave on 7th, who also took these photos.)

Sake Bar Satsko is now Ruskin Pickles for the shoot…





Here is the show's premise, cut-n-paste from Wikipedia! (Don't tell my editor!)

Dr. Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd), New York City's star medical examiner, has a secret. He does not just study the dead to solve criminal cases, he does it to solve the mystery that has eluded him for 200 years — the answer to his own inexplicable immortality.

This long life has given Henry remarkable observation skills which impresses his new partner, Detective Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza). Each week, a new case and their budding friendship will reveal layers of Henry's long and colorful past. Only his best friend and confidant, Abe (Judd Hirsch) knows Henry's secret.

Unfortunately, today is the last day for E.W. Zander & Co. Dry Goods. The landlord raised the rent from $16 a month to $8,000.

Welcoming the needy

[EVG photo at the St. Joseph House]

From On the Bowery, Questions About the Catholic Church’s Shifting Mission in The New York Times today. A passage about the St. Joseph House on East First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Gerald Howard ushered a few men at a time inside. Once homeless himself, he has lived at St. Joseph House for several years, and helps the ministry in welcoming the needy.

“The hipsters, yuppies or whatever name you call them have been infiltrating this neighborhood,” he said. “They’re gentrifying the area, and I don’t think the homeless are part of their equation. I think, for them, out of sight is out of mind. You don’t see them. You don’t talk to them.”

Sunset strip

Taking in the new dorm going up on Cooper Square and East Sixth Street at sunset … looks as if workers are up to about 11 floors ... on the way to 13 for Marymount Manhattan College.

Previously on EV Grieve:
City OKs 13-floor dorm for Cooper Square

Updated: Here's what the newest East Village dorm will look like

Dig bottoms out on Cooper Square; here comes the dorm, here comes the dorm!

At Day 2 of the 'Riot Reunion' concert in Tompkins Square Park

[The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black]

The annual Tompkins Square Park Riot reunion shows were Saturday and Sunday ... EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by yesterday for some of the festivities ...

The weekend also marked the 25th anniversary of The Shadow, the underground newspaper that sponsored these concerts.

Good times.






[Rosabelle Selavy]




[Paul Kostabi of Damn Kids]


[Sewage]


[David Peel and friends]


[Gyda Gash of The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black]


[Kembra Pfahler]



Check out some of Goggla's photos here.

Late morning upright bass photo break

Second Avenue and East Seventh Street photo via Derek Berg.

[Updated] NYPD searching for missing East Village resident

Per the Daily News:

Brianne Dougherty, 21, was last seen at her apartment at 530 E. 13th St. near Avenue B about 7 p.m. on Friday.

"It's an unexplained absence. We're not ruling anything in or out," NYPD Lt. Tom Antonetti told the Daily News.

She was reported missing yesterday.

Dougherty, a Long Island native, is 5-5, 120 pounds and has hazel eyes. She was wearing a black shirt with black jeans at the time of her disappearance. She has tattoos of a skull and cross bones on her triceps.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

Updated 8-5

Brianne Dougherty was found safe at Queens Hospital in stable condition, where she is being treated for a possible drug overdose, New York City Police Lt. Thomas Antonetti told the Daily News.

This block of East 14th Street is about half of what it used to be (for now)

[Click image to enlarge]

The demolition of the one-level row of buildings along East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is complete.


[From Friday]

From east to west, workers took out the former ABC Animal Hospital, Petland, Bargain Express, Rite Aid, Blarney Cove, Rainbow, the beauty shop, Jackson Hewitt, Pete's-a-Place and Stuyvesant Grocery.



No. 520 is all that remains between the pits. (The Dunkin Donuts is moving down the street, though.)



Speaking of the pits…


[From Friday]





Anyway, you can go take a look yourself through a blogger portal. Don't cost nothing.



Many of the businesses here either relocated or closed to make way for two, 7-floor retail-residential buildings. Gary Barnett of Extell Development grabbed up eight parcels in a 99-year lease worth $35.14 million.

The building plans are still awaiting the city's approval.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

Unless marked, the photos are from Saturday

Prepping for the arrival of DF Mavens on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

[Saturday morning]

On Friday, workers plywooded part of the storefront on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place… where a retail outpost of DF Mavens has been in the works, as we reported back in October.

This was from the official news release on the opening:

“We’re very excited to open our first dedicated storefront and plant our flag in the vibrant East Village food scene,” states Malcolm Stogo, a world-renowned ice cream consultant and founder of DF Mavens. “Our new retail outpost will allow us to bring delicious, dairy-free ice cream to a greater segment of New Yorkers who want vegan-friendly dessert options … ”

And here are renderings of the space via Edelman Sultan Knox Wood / Architects LLP:

Working closely with fixture suppliers and lighting designers, we created a unified presentation of DF Mavens’ offerings that are visible and engaging from the street. Storefront elements form a social buffer between the street and the sales counters. A wood canopy projects out to provide shade, and continues into the store to define intimate seating areas against both facades. Passers-by will notice the bright and energetic sales area through the minimalist wood and glass storefront, where custom light fixtures and displays create a sculptural product presentation. The store experience combines classic, natural materials with a modernist sensibility, complimenting DF Mavens’ approach to quality and craft in their forward-thinking desserts.

No word on an official opening date yet. (They originally said Spring 2014.)

Eastside Bakery (.net?) closed down here in April 2013. And once upon a time, the space was home to the Gap in the late 1980s into the early 1990s.

Report: 20 Avenue A sells for $26.5 million

The 62-unit, rent-regulated building at the southeast corner of Second Street recently changed hands for the first time in three decades, The Real Deal reported.

Said broker Joseph Koicim:

“Given the fact the building was fully-rent regulated, many prospective purchasers had a rough time wrapping their arms around this asset, but we were able to procure a buyer who paid within ten percent of our asking price and plans to hold this long-term.”

The buyer was identified only as a Manhattan-based investor, per The Real Deal.

One building resident said that the new management company has been pretty responsive so far. And there's new laundry room coming soon.

"We will see how the honeymoon period goes," the resident said.

Meanwhile, we wonder if the new landlord plans to hold the Tats Cru wall long-term as well…





As far as we can remember, this wall has seen at least two marriage proposals. Here and here.

East 10th Street building new to the market; triplex unit in the future?

This listing arrived late last week at Massey Knakal:

A 5 story, walk up apartment building located on the south side of East Tenth Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. The building consists of 7 residential units of which 6 are free market and 1 is rent stabilized. The average in-place rent is $65/SF while rents in the area have achieved more than $80/SF.

The ground floor can be converted to retail as-of right in order to take advantage of a block that has seen retail rents reach over $130/SF. The property also benefits from approximately 3,724 square feet of air rights.

This represents an excellent opportunity for an investor who is looking for stable cash flow and tremendous future upside in the highly sought after East Village neighborhood. Alternatively, it could serve as an ideal user opportunity to create a triplex unit.

Price: $6.3 million