Plywood comes down at 131 Avenue A to reveal new cafe Baci e Vendetta

[Photo via EVG reader JG]

The plywood came down yesterday to reveal Baci e Vendetta, the new wine bar-cafe at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

This prime space across from Tompkins Square Park was the 10 Degrees Bistro until the fall of 2015 ... and the Flea Market Cafe before that.

Back in December, CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for the owners of Shoolbred's and Kingston Hall (and formerly Ninth Ward) on Second Avenue. The CB3 meeting notes refer to the new establishment as "a New Orleans Cajun restaurant."

Baci e Vendetta, Italian for Kisses and Revenge, doesn't have much of a Cajun ring to it. Anyway, we're not sure at the moment who's behind this venture that debuted last night.

The space looks nice...

Be transported to another era. Our bar features 6 varieties of wines on tap including prosecco. #nyc #bar pic.twitter.com/ZiQdzHx0s2

— BacieVendetta (@BacieVendetta) December 15, 2016

Here's a look at the food and beverage menu... (click on images to go big)




According to the Baci website, these are the hours:

Sunday – Thursday: 9 am – midnight
Friday – Saturday: 9 am – 2 am
Brunch — Sat – Sun: 9 am – 4pm

Previously on EV Grieve:
New-look Flea Market Cafe shows itself on Avenue A; reopens March 11

Flea Market Cafe reopens today, and here's the menu

Was the fire at Flea Market yesterday suspicious?

On Avenue A, Flea Market Cafe is now Ten Degrees Bistro

The Marshal seizes 10 Degrees Bistro on Avenue A

10 Degrees Bistro won't be reopening on Avenue A

Team behind Shoolbred's and Ninth Ward vying for 10 Degrees Bistro space on Avenue A

Pastry chef Sebastian Brecht bringing chocolate to 4th Street

Signage is up at 63 E. Fourth St. noting "Obsessive Chocolate Disorder" in this storefront between Second Avenue and the Bowery. The name on the door notes the name of Sebastian Brecht, Chocolatier.

A 2007 feature in the Times on Brecht, a well-regarded pastry chef, reports that he "built a reputation by supplying Dean & DeLuca with cakes during its glory years and by working with fancy party caterers who fed his confections to the likes of Mick Jagger, Bon Jovi and Hillary Clinton." (His father was Greenwich Village historian, poet and author Stefan Brecht.)

We don't have any further details on the business at the moment. The space was previously home to Bond Street Chocolate for seven years.

Otherwise, how was your night?

From DNAinfo:

A doorman for The Ludlow Hotel became so incensed Friday evening when a taxi driver refused to accept passengers that he punched the driver repeatedly in the face, trashed his phone, then unceremoniously quit his job by fleeing the scene.

Previously on EV Grieve:
People behind fabulous hotels opening another likely fabulous hotel on Ludlow Street

Actual work being done at the long-stalled Hotel Ludlow site

Image via @ludlowhotelnyc

The fast and the flurrious

A quick weather break...

A before (above) and after of this morning's (unexpected?) flurry action...



Thanks to EVG reader John Iz for the photos from Seventh Street.

Tim Ho Wan debuts tomorrow on 10th Street and 4th Avenue

The first U.S. location for Hong Kong-based chef Mak Kwai Pui's Michelin-starred dim sum parlor Tim Ho Wan has its soft opening tomorrow.

And the official grand opening will be Jan. 18 here on the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 10th Street.

Here are more details from the media advisory via the EVG inbox...

• The dim sum menu features the world-famous BBQ Pork Buns along with other Tim Ho Wan specialties such as the Steamed Rice Roll stuffed with BBQ Pork, Pan Fried Turnip Cake and Steamed Egg Cake. The Deep Fried Vegetable Spring Roll and French Toast with Custard Filling, a Tim Ho Wan spin on the classic French toast, are the two dishes that will be exclusive to the New York restaurant. All items are priced $5.50 or lower and the full menu will be available during the soft opening phase.

• Tim Ho Wan’s Grand Opening will be on January 18th from 3 – 10 pm. Both the date and time were carefully selected based on the Chinese lunar calendar, to bring good luck to the restaurant. To celebrate and kick-off the official opening, there will be a dragon dance performance in front of the restaurant at 3:00pm EST. After the grand opening, Tim Ho Wan will open for normal business hours from Sunday – Thursday 10 am to 10 pm and Friday – Saturday from 10 am – 11 pm.

• During the soft opening phase from Dec. 16 through Jan. 17, Tim Ho Wan will open with limited hours. Lunch service will be from 10 am - 3 pm and dinner service will be from 5 pm – 10 pm. Fridays and Saturdays starting Dec. 23, dinner service will be available until 11.

In 2009, the original 24-seat dim sum eatery in Mongkok, Hong Kong's Kowloon, was reportedly branded the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world. This location marks the 45th Tim Ho Wan worldwide.

The address was last home to Spice, which closed in December 2014.

Previously

Image via Facebook

McSorley's back on the A list

As we first noted on Nov. 10, the Department of Health temporarily closed McSorley's on Seventh Street near Cooper Square after an inspection "revealed several critical health hazards, including evidence of rat activity, food held at the wrong temperature, and conditions conducive to vermin and pest activity."

The bar passed a follow-up inspection and reopened on Nov. 14.

On Monday, the bar received its new health inspection grade – an A...



"I think it should be A-plus-plus," bartender Teresa Maher de la Haba told the Daily News.

According to DOH inspection reports, the bar has had A grades from the DOH in previous years. Owner Matthew Maher blamed the Cooper Square reconstruction for the presence of the rats after work was done in the building's basement, per DNAinfo.

Odd Eye brings vintage and design collectibles to 5th Street

A photo posted by O D D E Y E N Y C (@oddeyenyc) on Dec 8, 2016 at 2:53pm PST

Odd Eye NYC is now open at 524 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Odd Eye describes itself as a "design store offering an eclectic array of objects and furniture."

And there's a grand opening/holiday party tonight from 6-9 for you the "potential dissatisfied customer," per the invite.

Otherwise, Odd Eye is open Wednesday-Thursday from noon to 8; Friday and Saturday until 9 p.m.; and 6 p.m. until Sunday.

A photo posted by O D D E Y E N Y C (@oddeyenyc) on Dec 8, 2016 at 11:39am PST

The previous tenant here, the designers Heights + Kenchi, moved to Ninth Street.

October surprise on the Bowery as Drake opens shop

The lines formed early on the Bowery at Bond Street Saturday for the opening of October's Very Own, Drake's line of clothing/lifestyle brand.

The store is at 330 Bowery (aka 54 Bond St.), the historic circa-1874 building, the former Bouwerie Lane Theater...







There are other OVO locations in Los Angeles and Toronto, the Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer's hometown.

Drake drew crowds to a pop-up shop at 208 Bowery this past August.

News of this OVO outlet first started circulating on Dec. 5...

#NYWELCOMEOVO pic.twitter.com/8NPT48DB2O

— October's Very Own (@welcomeOVO) December 5, 2016

Last fall, a John Barrett luxury hair salon, which also sold vintage Rolex watches priced to $30,000, opened here. The salon closed after just a few months in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
330 Bowery wrapped and ready

A look at 330 Bowery, now free of its sidewalk bridge

The storefronts for rent on the Bowery

Retail space at historic 330 Bowery is for rent

Out and About in the East Village

In this ongoing feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Cara Bloch (left), Carmen Ruiz-Davila and Luella
Occupation: Owners, Love Gang
Location: East Ninth Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A
Time: Thursday, Dec. 8 at noon

Carmen: I was born in Barcelona. I was an artist, a sculptor, and 11 years ago I came to New York. I moved to the East Village in 2011 and now I live in Greenpoint. I used to live in the Bronx in the 1980s. In an article [about the store] The Village Voice wrote, ‘Carmen from the Bronx.’ I was like alright, I guess that gives me street cred. Don’t tell them that I went to school in Ohio.

When I opened up the store, I had this crazy idea that I was going to make sculptures, have a store, and have a child, and that didn’t work out. I opened up a store here in 2012, and it was called Deverado, a designer vintage clothing store. It was open for about 3-and-a-half years, and then I had a baby and took a year off. Then I proposed to Cara to have a store here that was a little bit of vintage but more independent designers. She was like, "Yeah, cool. Let’s do it." And we came up with Love Gang. That was in 2015.

Cara: I’m from Miami. I got into art school at the International Center for Photography (ICP). Since I was a child, I was always a music nerd, and after ICP one of my first assistant jobs was with a music video director, Matt Mahurin, and that just escalated everything into rock photography. At the time, going to art school was very competitive, and I’m sitting there like Mrs. Friendly. I needed to make friends outside of ICP, and I became very good friends with a girl named Abby who sang in bands, and we would just go and hang out in Three of Cups, downstairs. I was a big 1980s cheesy rock fan. I love Slayer and Anthrax. I loved all that stuff.

As these bands I photographed were getting bigger, they would start opening for bands like Circle Jerks and Iggy Pop, so they would give me photo passes. One of my first rock jobs was with Punk Planet, and that propelled me to begin a body of rock work, and then I started to drop my book off at various magazines. I was just getting rejected all over the place.

I did my second documentary, photographing rock fans at concerts in front of cars. Then I started to do sports fans, and I submitted that to American Photography — that was my first 2004 American Photography award. I showed this body of work along with my music work, and I got a message that I was going to Boston. My first job was Bright Eyes, and I was like “Oh my god.” I was on a plane for the next 10 years. I did portraiture and live photography. My boss always said to me, once you get in one magazine it’s a snowball effect. Then Spin contacted me; then record labels contacted me. I couldn’t believe it was happening. I was 24 or 25, and I wanted to take every job and go everywhere and do everything. I also started to work non-profit for Rock the Vote, and that was a great experience.

Then at 30 years old I got sick. I was sick for five years with something called vestibular migraines. There were a lot of misdiagnoses. Doctors would tell me I was depressed. I said, "How can I be depressed? This is my dream come true." I had this ignorant idea that you’d go to the doctor and you’d be fine. And it just took one doctor, who took a blood test. I was severely deficient in vitamin D. It sounds like a very glamorous job, but when you fly to LA, it’s a red-nighter, you’re exhausted, you’re put in a van pumping yourself with Coca-Cola, and then you’re dealing with an entitled celebrity who doesn’t want you around, and you have to be on. Then you have to turn your deadlines in. I think it just had a big effect, and I was no angel either. I think it just took its toll on my immune system. When you get sick, life changes.

At that time, I met Carmen. I thought, "This girl’s so cool." She was so stylish and friendly, and she collected vintage. I always had a passion for that but nowhere near her knowledge.

Carmen: I’m a vintage nerd. I like the history of it. I like the concept of it.

Cara: I was fascinated. I didn’t know the history and I didn’t know the designers, and she invited me to her house. I said, “I’m going to be friends with this girl.” Sometimes I would work in her designer vintage store. And at the time, I started to work again, but with the iPod coming out, with the music industry, everything changed. I wasn’t making the same money anymore. I also thought it would be really nice to not travel and stay in one place.

Carmen: We had to come up with a concept that we were both amenable to. I had some ideas. I wanted the store to be more about the East Village, whereas the other store was a destination. It was high-end vintage and it was very niche. I sold to a lot of designers and stylists. This store was about creating a fun environment with a lower price point We have pop-ups with local designers as well. We’re the first store that some designers show in.

Cara: We love the history. We have reoccurring customers and it’s great. They hang out and have cocktails and they come to our pop-ups. That’s lovely. What I loved about Carmen’s concept was that it was all about emerging and independent designers — things that are special and unique, that you can’t find – the anti-Zara. We also came out with our own line. Carmen designed a whole beautiful clothing line. To open this store, to come out with our own line, and now she’s working on these amazing candles… She’s turning into a chemist.

Luella is like our therapy dog. We’re all working late and hard and long hours, and she’s great to have around. She’s a good salesperson.



Carmen: On Dec. 16 we’re doing a silent auction for Planned Parenthood [details here], and they’re going to come and speak. We have about 40 donations — almost everyone from the neighborhood and some artists. We just want to raise as much money as we can, and 100 percent of the profits go toward the New York chapter. I was never an activist. I went to my first protest not that long ago, so I think one good thing about all this happening is that it’s really turning non-protestors into protestors and activists.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

[Updated] East 12th Osteria has closed on 1st Avenue

Here's the sign that greets patrons at East 12th Osteria on First Avenue at 12th Street... the restaurant is relocating...



Chef/owner Roberto Deiaco served "elegant Northern Italian [fare] with a casual East Village vibe," per its social media description.

The relocation notice coincides with a posted Warning Seizure flyer via the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance...



The sign notes that the business has been seized for nonpayment of New York State Taxes.

The restaurant opened in March 2013. The space was previously held by the Fuji Apple deli, which closed in April 2011.

Thanks to dwg for the photos!

Updated 11:30 a.m.

Eater reports that the state seized it for more than $190,000 in unpaid taxes. "The restaurant ... had 14 open warrants from the government, mostly for unpaid sales tax."

Checking in on the future home of Viking Waffles on Avenue C

The recently renovated storefront at 137 Avenue C near Ninth Street will be the new home of Viking Waffles... the space will serve as both a wholesale manufacturing business and a retail outlet for the protein-rich waffles that are sold at several health-food stores and gyms, including Barry's Bootcamp.

The Commercial Observer first reported on this on Nov. 29. The article stated that the space was "slated to open this Sunday" (Dec. 4.).

Last we looked, the space was still raw. But you never know. So we checked it out again... Maybe it was a quick build out...



Well, hopefully the wholesale operation will feature more than one waffle maker.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Sunburnt Cow space on Avenue C is the new home of Viking Waffles

A scene on Avenue A last night

Several EVG readers relayed this story from last night around 9:45 ... on Avenue A under the sidewalk bridge of the incoming Steiner East Village condos between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Here's one account from a nearby resident:

We heard someone yelling "Jesus" and "thank you, Jesus" over and over again ... It went on so long we couldn't believe the person, who we initially thought was a man, didn't lose his voice.

I finally went outside to see where it was coming from, and there was a woman on all fours on the sidewalk yelling at the top of her lungs. The police and an ambulance responded, and they let her yell it out for a bit, then they put her on a gurney and put her in the ambulance.

She continued to yell "Jesus" and "thank you, Jesus" the whole time.

The latest issue of The Shadow is now available

Via the EVG inbox...

The new SHADOW includes detailed reports from investigative journalist Greg Palast on how the presidential election was stolen and by whom.

The new SHADOW also reveals the names and assassins of civil rights leader Martin Luther King and how they killed him, as reported by activist attorney William Peppe

Look for it at the following locations:

• The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS): 155 Avenue C
• Gem Spa: St. Mark's Place/Second Avenue
• East Village Books: 99 St. Mark's Place (Avenue A-First Avenue)
• Bluestockings: 172 Allen St. (Stanton Street)
• Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books: 34 Carmine St.
• McNally Jackson: 52 Prince St.
• The Source: 331 East Ninth St. (First Avenue-Second Avenue)

This week at MoRUS: Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Before the Flood'; 4th anniversary celebration

A few upcoming events to note at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS), 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street... via the EVG inbox...

• Screening of "Before the Flood" and "Time's Up's Greatest Hits" ** Thursday, Dec. 15th, 7 pm
In "Before the Flood" we Join Leonardo DiCaprio as he explores the topic of climate change, and discovers what must be done today to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet.



Before the screening we will have a short video of Time's Up Environmental Group's campaigns that have helped make New York City and beyond more sustainable.

Following the screening will be a discussion of how we continue the growth of our green achievements and deal with the new climate change denying administration. This event is free and open to the public. A $5 donation is always appreciated. More details here.

• MoRUS 4th Anniversary ** Sunday, Dec. 18, 7-10 pm
MORUS is turning 4 years old! Come celebrate with us! :: Stories : Slide Shows : Music : History : Free Pizza : Performing/presenting : Seth Tobocman, Maggie Wrigley, Peter Spagnuolo, Barbara Lee
Hosted by FLY. More details here

Developing: Large NYPD presence reported at the Hells Angels HQ

Several readers have reported police activity outside the Hells Angels clubhouse on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. The street is currently blocked off...

whoa big standoff in front of hells angels pic.twitter.com/o9c93ZnFpe

— Abe Stanway (@abestanway) December 13, 2016

A 25-year-old man was reportedly shot in the stomach early Sunday morning during a fight that involved moving an orange traffic cone outside the HQ.

Will update when more information becomes available.

Updated 1:50

NYPD raiding the Hells Angels clubhouse. Looks like they're taking some bikes away and chainsawing into the basement @evgrieve @mattlehrer pic.twitter.com/31L43u14cY

— Idan Cohen (@idancohen) December 13, 2016

Updated 3 p.m.

Event Photos NYC shared these images from the scene...



The NYPD removed the two HA planters that were outside the HQ on the street...









5:23 p.m.

The Daily News noted that police also removed a bench and a ramp from outside the HQ.

It appears that the NYPD did not enter the building: "Cops armed with an Environmental Control Board Summons carried out a visual inspection outside of the property."

A suspect has not been named. The Daily News notes that the members have not been cooperating with the investigation.

Noted

Crews will be around several streets tomorrow filming scenes for the CBS political drama "Madam Secretary" with Téa Leoni...

Among other places, they'll be filming on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, a block that has received a lot of attention already this week... and where EVG correspondent Steven spotted this filming notice...



EVG reader Mr. Baggs noted that the film crew has placed their own cones along the block today. Hopefully there won't be any cone confusion.

Report: SantaConners 'plunder' One and One, causing $5,000 in damages, owner says

SEE IT: SantaCon participants plunder neighborhood pub during afternoon rampage https://t.co/JPDmHhgxal pic.twitter.com/Yjp8xJ2Edt

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) December 13, 2016

We heard about this incident taking place Saturday afternoon during the height of SantaCon at Nexus Lounge, the downstairs space at One and One on First Avenue and First Street.

The Daily News has more here. To their report:

One and One pub owner Paul O’Sullivan says unruly Santas stormed into the unopened lower-level lounge area beneath his corner watering-hole, smashing, drinking and stealing everything they could find shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

“(The Santas) managed to storm in, rob all the booze, smash up all the glassware and steal all the Christmas decorations,” says O’Sullivan...

O’Sullivan estimated that the Santas did $5,000 in damage.

The NYPD confirmed to the Daily News that cops responded to the bar (we saw three cruisers), but no charges were filed.

More details emerge about reported shooting outside the Hells Angels HQ

[ABC 7 and the NYPD on East 3rd Street yesterday. Photo by Steven]

A few more details are emerging about the shooting that took place outside the Hells Angels HQ on Third Street early Sunday morning.

Per previous reports, a 25-year-old man was shot in the gut after moving an orange traffic cone outside the HQ between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The victim, identified as David Martinez of Spring Valley, and his friends were in a Mercedes Benz on the block. Earlier reports stated that they tried to move a cone to park. However, published reports now say that they were stuck behind a livery cab, and tried to move the cone to pass. Someone from the clubhouse reportedly told Martinez not to touch the cone. A fight ensued, and Martinez sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his stomach.

According to a follow-up report in the Daily News, Martinez kicked the man who shot him, and investigators hope that DNA on his boot might help find the suspect, called a prospect of the club.

The fracas ... started when Martinez and four friends pulled up in a black Mercedes-Benz at about 1:20 a.m. and moved an orange cone in front of the building, sources said.

Martinez's friend, Joseph Gray, 25, was driving ... He didn't realize what the building was.

The prospect confronted Martinez and threw the first punch, sources said.

Martinez's male friends — Gray, Edmond Peters, 27, and Cecil Peters, also 27 — got out of the car, and more of the club's members spilled out of the building, sources said.

The two groups squared off and, at one point, Gray took a chain out of his trunk and started swinging, police sources said.

Martinez got the better of the prospect, punching and kicking him, and knocked him to the ground.

When Martinez moved in for another kick, the prospect sat up, gun in hand, and fired once.

According to the News, police are looking for a suspect who wore a hat with the word "dad" on it.

Meanwhile, the Post is all over the cone story. Yesterday morning, officers sitting in a police cruiser by the HQ noticed another orange cone outside the building.

And then!

[A]ll hell broke loose when a cop removed the orange cone and tossed it into a cruiser, prompting a roughneck lady Angel to burst into tears.

“I don’t know what to do! Why are they doing this?! I’m just trying to do the right thing!” the motorcycle mama sobbed.

The crybaby biker then hopped in a Chevy and nearly plowed into a Post photographer. Cops slapped her with three summonses, including failure to signal, failure to wear a seat belt and reckless driving, a police source said.

According to the Post, the members of the Hells Angels have not been cooperating with the NYPD's investigation.

New at Ray's for the holidays — apple fritters

Over at Ray's Candy Candy Store, 113 Avenue A near Seventh Street, Ray has introduced a new menu item for the holiday season — apple fritters ...



As EVG regular Peter Brownscombe reports, Ray produced the first offering (above) on Sunday. They were well-received. Pricing has yet to be determined.

-----

As previously noted, photographer Whitney Browne, who works a few shifts at Ray's, is selling prints this month — all the proceeds are going directly to Ray. A set of four prints is $100 or $25 each (plus shipping). Per Whitney: "One print purchase = 2 hours Ray can pay someone to work in the store while he gets some rest." See a gallery of available shots here.

Lucky 7s: Extell's 7-story developments look to be topping out on 14th Street

Construction appears to be 7 stories above street level on the 7-story, mixed-used building under development at 500 E. 14th St. at Avenue A...





...and ditto for its sister building to the east at No. 524...



Extell is developing the two, seven-story buildings that together will offer 150 residential units (of those, 32 will reportedly be below-market rate) as well as 56,610-square feet of retail space.

As previously reported, Target is leasing 27,306 square feet in No. 500's corner space for a small-format store expected to open in the summer of 2018.


[Fast-forward to the summer of 2018, maybe!]

The excavating started on the property in June 2015.

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

Target offers details about its flexible-format store opening summer 2018 on 14th and A