Guayoyo and Tuome remain closed after fires

Guayoyo, the excellent Venezuelan restaurant, has been closed since a basement fire in its building at First Avenue and East Fourth Street on Jan. 13.

The temporarily closed sign remains up on the window for patrons. No word yet on a reopening date.



The dining room is still in a bit of disarray.



Meanwhile, at 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, Tuome remained closed this past weekend. A small kitchen fire on March 29 temporarily put them out of commission.

There was a sign up last week noting the restaurant would be closed on Thursday and Friday. The folks at Tuome haven't mentioned the fire or a possible reopening date on its website or social media properties. And no one is answering the phone. As of yesterday morning, what appears to be kitchen equipment sat stacked up in the dining area…

Commercial space at 171 Avenue A is now on the market

The for rent signs are up now at 171 Avenue A, most recently home to B.A.D. Burger…



We didn't spot the listing online just yet for the space, which apparently includes a back garden, here just south of 11th Street.

B.A.D. Burger closed in early February after nearly three years in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] State seizes B.A.D. Burger on Avenue A for nonpayment of taxes

State of New York auctioning off the remains of B.A.D. Burger on Avenue A

Standings in exile

Standings, the serious sports bar at 43 E. Seventh St., remains temporarily closed (along with neighbors Burp Castle and Jimmy's No. 43) after the deadly explosion on March 26.

However, today sports fans, there's a Standings in Exile event at Finnerty's at 221 Second Ave. between East 13th Street and East 14th Street … which includes viewing of the Mets season opener at 4 …

We'll be having a "Standings in Exile" Opening Day Party from 1-7pm tomorrow in the backroom @Finnertys on 2nd Ave #Mets w/SOUND 4pm!!

— Standings (@StandingsNYC) April 5, 2015

As of today, the Mets remain in playoff contention.

Lord Hamm's, now serving very large sandwiches on East 3rd Street

The takeout shop opened for business yesterday… an EVG reader happened by here at 226 E. Third St., between Avenue B and Avenue C and tried the smaller meatball sandwich ($8; the bigger one is $11) and couldn't finish it. (Said in a positive way, like the portion is quite large).

Lord Hamm's doesn't have a website yet, though there is a Twitter account. (Updated: Fixed the link.) Aside from four different types of sandwiches (for now), they are serving a spicy tomato soup.

New York magazine had a preview a few weeks back with sandwich porn here.

Image via Twitter

Easter greetings from Sir Gus Bear

On East Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... a well-known bearial ground...

Previously on EV Grieve:
A brief history of humiliating Teddy bears in the East Village

Blockbusters: ('Alleged') 'Bearial Shroud' discovered on East Second Street

Report: Reopened businesses on 2nd Avenue continue to struggle after the explosion

The NYPD yesterday removed some of the barriers surrounding the southwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place… making it a little easier to access the businesses on Second Avenue that have been able to reopen after the explosion that killed two people and destroyed three buildings on March 26.



In this week's issue, Crain's New York Business looks at how the local merchants are struggling since reopening.

Paul's Da Burger Joint was able to starting serving again on Monday at 131 Second Ave. Here's owner Matt Wardrop:

His problems are compounded by a lack of business-interruption insurance, which would have covered losses for the days the restaurant was closed. Insufficient coverage is a frequent problem for small-business owners, who are always looking to cut what can seem like nonessential costs.

"If you're on a mom-and-pop scale, a business-interruption policy is so expensive, if you never need it, you lost a lot of money paying for it, so you take your chances," Mr. Wardrop.

Also:

But even on streets that aren't barricaded, and where stores didn't have to close for four days, the disruption of the neighborhood's foot-traffic patterns is continuing. The maze of barricades and fire trucks has cut business by 50% at New Yorkers Foodmarket, on Second Avenue between East Sixth and East Seventh streets, according to owner Michael Schumacher. That's added up to a $50,000 loss of sales during the past week.

Unlike Paul's Da Burger's insurance policy, Foodmarket's does include business-interruption coverage. But Mr. Schumacher said it doesn't extend to a slowdown in business caused by disruptions somewhere else.

The last time his store was in this much trouble was after Superstorm Sandy. But the supermarket owner says this disaster is worse.

"With Sandy, there were no businesses open, and afterwards everybody opened up at the same time," Mr. Schumacher said. "Business came right back. I don't know if business is going to come back, because people are finding other stores to go to."

Taqueria Diana, Ramen Misoya and Himalayan Visions also reopened along here last week. Meanwhile, … B&H Dairy remains closed. In a Facebook message yesterday, B&H said "we will reopen by next week." Apparently the health department gave them the go-ahead, now they are just waiting for gas service.

As for when the entire block will be open, let's go back to Crain's:

A spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management said that full access to [the] block — the west side of Second Avenue between St. Marks Place and East Seventh Street — will be restored once debris removal and the investigation of what is being treated as a crime scene are concluded. She could not provide a date.

2nd Avenue update (April 4)

The latest headlines

Gas lines removed from destroyed building (Fox 5)

East Village gas explosion reveals problems in city’s inspection system (The New York Times)

Sting donates $36K to East Village explosion fundraiser, organizer says (DNAinfo)

Pommes Frites calls for donations to help reopen after explosion (Eater)

Behind the scenes of the relief effort (American Red Cross)

The resource center will be open on Fri from 9 to 5, Sat 9 to 3 and Mon & Tues 12 - 9. 59 E. 4th St CB3 will be the new center

— LESReady (@LESReadyNYC) April 3, 2015

Missing Pets

The Washington Square Park Blog continues to keep tabs on the missing pets… if we have this correct: four cats have been found safe; and four cats and perhaps one dog are still missing… among the missing cats — Sylvie…



Find the latest info here … and here is her article at HuffPost

A corner view

Here's a look at what's left of the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street as of yesterday … via photos by EVG reader Roman Bromblin...



… and here is a look from Thursday…



According to the city, workers have removed (as of Thursday) 85 trailer loads of debris …

Noted

Spotted at 8-12 Avenue B

Tonight's photogenic moon

Somewhere over East Fifth Street via Derek Berg...

The #NoNewNYPD rally on Avenue A

[Photo via @KeeganNYC]

The #NoNewNYPD citywide rally mades its way up Avenue A this evening around 9:30 ... among other things, the various groups involved were voicing their opposition to a plan to hire 1,000 police officers... read more about the campaign here

New York state of mind

Here's "Addicted," the first single off Jesse Malin's new record "New York Before The War" ... out this week. And look for him at the Bowery Ballroom on April 11.

Good Friday

Members of the Church of the Nativity (and others?) recite the Stations of the Cross throughout the neighborhood today on this Good Friday...



Photos by Derek Berg

April 3

Speaking of resurrections ... spotted this on St. Mark's Place today. Plenty of green left in this one. Why someone is throwing it out now is baffling. This year's winner receives a bottle of Dom Pérignon rosé (1962 vintage).

Spring where we can get it

Photo on East Fifth Street by peter radley

EV Grieve Etc.: Jesse Malin's new record; Nevada Smiths' debt

[Avenue A aerialists via Grant Shaffer]

Reaching out and helping the homeless (The Bowery Mission)

Egg watch at Ageloff Towers (Gog in NYC)

Jesse Malin on his new record, "New York Before the War" (Rolling Stone)

A look at Noreetuh, the new Hawaiian restaurant on First Avenue (Eater)

Nevada Smiths owes NJ bank $146,789.21 (DNAinfo)

Rent hike KOs longtime Clinton Street bridal shop (The Lo-Down)

R Bar replacement Rebelle making progress on the Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

A "Gremlins" screening and cast reunion tomorrow night (Anthology Film Archives)

Inside Mace, the new bar at the former Louie 649 on East Ninth Street (Gothamist)

Revisiting some rare New York Dolls footage (Flaming Pablum)

A Velvet Underground reunion on French TV in 1972 (Dangerous Minds)

Remembering a heroic Titanic victim at Grace Church on Broadway and East 10th Street (Ephemeral New York)

... and at the Dorian Grey Gallery on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...



... and tonight via the EVG inbox...

It's The Annual Easter Vs. Passover Smackdown:
Full Moon Festa Edition

Celebrate & skewer Easter/Passover w/the Gorgeous Ladies & Lads of Bloodwrestling, on GLOB Friday! Under a fabled Full Red Moon, on the eve of Passover, the bloodwrestling underground is alive! And lurks just behind the the shadows of the encroaching NYU empire...

Our Lady of Perpetual PMS & Referee Mike SOS present seasonal characters paired in ferocious & hilarious matches! Also starring: live music from Lady Bizness & Maps to Atlantis. In the Front DJ Booth of Doom: DJ Oscar, Pat Pervert & Sam Harris. This is a MIXED event in the spirit of true fun & sports satire! Anyone disrespectful or disruptive will be removed, possibly dismembered. Men are strongly suggested to come to this event with a woman. Latecomers suffer obstructed views & ridicule. :) NO A-HOLES, NO D-BAGS!

Otto's Shrunken Head
538 E. 14th St. (btwn Ave. A & B), Manhattan
9p, 10pm showtime, $5 Cover

2nd Avenue update (April 3)

[Photo yesterday by PandaCat via Facebook]

The latest headlines

Manhattan District Attorney seeks to quiz Maria Hrynenko, landlord of East Village building leveled in gas explosion (Daily News)

Landlord of building that caused East Village blast was sued in 2013 (DNAInfo)

Investigators find gas plumbing in two leveled East Village buildings mostly intact (Newsday)

Everything we know so far about the East Village gas explosion (The Observer)

Con Ed flooded with reports of gas leaks since East Village blast (New York Post)

Week after explosion, nearby businesses feel economic impact (NY1)

2 women reunite with their beloved cats after building explosion (HuffPost)

Here is information gleaned from the most recent (dated yesterday) Inter-Agency Update:

• Currently located at 331 E. 10th St., the Red Cross Reception Center for displaced residents will move to the Community Board 3 Office, located at 59 E. Fourth St., on Friday April 3. Hours of operation at the new location will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 4/3, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, 4/4. The center will be closed on Sunday, 4/5. Hours of operation will be from noon to 9 p.m. on Monday, 4/6, and Tuesday, 4/7
• To allow for FDNY marshals and NYPD Arson and Explosives Unit investigation to continue, debris removal will continue intermittently
• Approximately 4,400 cubic yards of debris searched and removed as of [yesterday] morning. Estimated to be more than half of the debris on site. This represents 85 trailer loads of debris removed. Each cubic yard weighs approximately one ton.

Donations, Services and Events

• Sting and Trudy Styler have donated $36,000 to a relief benefit for victims of the East Village explosion and fire to be held at Theater 80, 80 St. Mark's Place, on Sunday, April 12 at 8 p.m. The money will go to GOLES. Details on the Facebook invite here

• Next Wednesday at Parkside Lounge...



• Collections for the Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC continue...



Missing Pets

This cat was found near the explosion site on Wednesday night... now at The Animal Medical Center ... she is not microchipped...



Email the Center here

Blockheads bringing their San Francisco-style burritos to the East Village

[EVG file photo]

The city's seventh Blockheads is in the works to take over the Unidentified Flying Chickens space at 60 Third Ave. near East 11th Street. Aside from a full-service dining room, this location will also offer take out and delivery.

Brothers Ken and Don Sofer opened the first of the casual, San Francisco-style Mexican restaurants on Third Avenue and East 34th Street in 1993. They also own the Benny's Burritos in the West Village. (Ken Sofer helped open the East Village Benny's, but sold his stake 10 years later.)

Blockheads is on this month's CB3/SLA committee agenda for a new liquor license.

In February, the owners of Taproom 307 went before CB3 for the space, but were met with resistance.

As for UFO, they never seemed to catch on, though, as we've pointed out, the Korean fried chicken specialists made it longer than the previous tenant — the 3-week-old Après.

Spina's Italian fare exits Avenue B; Indian food on the way

Spina had a nice little run at 175 Avenue B at East 11th Street… However, after nearly six years, the pasta place/trattoria has closed for good. It hasn't been open for at least a week.

The space had quietly been on the market. (The listing tells potential suitors to "exercise discretion and do not engage in conversation about the space with anyone at the restaurant.")

Meanwhile, there's an applicant on this month's CB3/SLA committee agenda for a new beer-wine license for the space. The principals are a husband-and-wife team who plan on opening an Indian restaurant called Babu Ji. The proposed hours are 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday; until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The questionnaire (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website has more info as well as a sample menu.

Tuome remains closed on East 5th Street

[Photo from Tuesday evening]

Back on Sunday morning, a small fire broke out in the kitchen of Tuome, the well-regarded new restaurant at 536 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B… a resident who lives in the building said Tuome would be closed at least a week… we walked by on Tuesday night, and found the place closed up… no sign about a temporary closure, and no message on Tuome's social media properties…

There is a sign up now, though… perhaps this means they plan on being back in action tomorrow…