Ummburger vying for the Mancora space on 1st Avenue

A group of applicants is looking to bring Ummburger to 99 First Ave. at Sixth Street, the current home of the Peruvian restaurant Mancora.

According to the public documents (PDF here) on file ahead of this month's CB3-SLA agenda for a new liquor license, this is a sale of assets.

Ummburger is described as a "fast casual restaurant in the style of a gourmet burger bar." The application shows proposed daily hours of 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. The configuration shows 16 tables seating 66 guests with one, six-seat bar.

The 31-page questionnaire also includes a sample menu as well as professionally produced materials that include "Concept inspiration and mood board."

Well, if you're in the mood for burgers... here's a look at the sample menu on file...





... there are a variety of burgers, including a vegetarian option ... and a fried chicken sandwich called the Southern Ummfort...



The enclosed materials state that the restaurant plans to open on May 15.

Mancora opened here in March 2003. Here's how the Times described it in a 2004 feature:

Mancora caters to East Villagers, and a raucous subset of them at that. Its jaunty room, an explosion of seashell chandeliers, octopus murals and fish nets, is buoyant with sangria-sipping crowds and South American soundtracks, especially on weekends.

The April SLA committee meeting is April 13 at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. at the Bowery.

Up to 4 floors at the all-new 34 E. 13th St.

You can see the progress at the corner of 13th Street and University Place...



As previously reported, an Adjmi Architects-designed seven-story condoplex is going up. Plans call for one unit per floor on top of 3,200 square feet of ground-floor retail.


[EVG file photo]

The corner previously housed University Place Gourmet as well as several adjacent storefronts, including Bennie Louie Chinese Laundry.

Developer Ranger Properties paid $22 million for the lot, and sent everyone on their way.

Meanwhile, there isn't any sign just yet next door of the 23 floors of condos — 21E12 — set for the former home of Bowlmor Lanes and several other businesses.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Building that houses Bowlmor Lanes will convert to condos, like everywhere else around here

76-year-old Bowlmor Lanes closes for good today

Bowlmor says goodbye

Bowlmor Lanes replacement: 23-floor residential building

Major changes coming to University Place and East 13th Street

How about some more condos for University Place

Here's what's left of the block of University Place that once housed Bowlmor Lanes


[13th and University in June 2015]

LinkNYC arrives on 7th Street

Kidding!

Rusty fridge pic today by Derek Berg

Catch of the day

Spotted on First Avenue at Ninth Street this morning by EVG reader Steph...

On 2nd Avenue, the Local 92 and Mermaid Inn are closed for renovations

On Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street, two neighboring restaurants are currently closed for renovations.

First, there's the Mermaid Inn...



The sign points to a spring cleaning in anticipation of their 14th birthday. They are expected back open next Monday. (They closed for renovations in October 2011 as well.)

And next door, Local 92 has closed for a few days ...



...with a return date on Thursday.



Thank you to Vinny & O for the photos!

A report of 7 burglaries in the past month in these 6 East Village buildings

An EVG reader shared this flyer that's posted in a building that was recently burglarized.

According to the flyer, "seven burglaries have taken place" in the past month in the following buildings:
• 247 E. Second St.
• 185 E. Third St.
• 215 E. Fourth St.
• 322 E. Fourth St.
• 328 E. Fourth St.
• 539 E. Sixth St.

"The perpetrator has entered units while tenants have been home, simulated carrying a gun and entered morning, noon & night."

There will be a multi-block association meeting with the 9th Precinct on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. Location TBD. We will post more information about the meeting when it becomes available.

Lanza's has returned — on 23rd Street

[Photo on 1st Avenue from last summer]

Last July 14, the state's fluorescent SEIZED sticker (for "nonpayment of taxes") arrived at Lanza's between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The old-world Italian restaurant, reportedly first opened in 1904, sat untouched until workers cleaned out the space in January.

Anyway, over the weekend, EVG regular OlympiasEpiriot noticed this storefront on 23rd Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...





Apparently, in the past few months (no reviews yet at Yelp), the people who had been running Lanza's started offering some of those menu items to go or for delivery in space that also houses Marina Gourmet Deli.


[Image via Yelp]

As for the former Lanza's space on First Avenue, Joe & Pat's, the pizzeria that has been serving up slices on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island since 1960, is taking over.

Village Pourhouse makes closing official

As we reported last week, Village Pourhouse, the pub-crawling hosting hotspot on 11th Street and Third Avenue, was to close after service last night. Management informed the staff last Wednesday night.

And yesterday afternoon, the Pourhouse started spreading word of their closure...

Come say goodbye to the iconic Village Pourhouse TONIGHT! After an incredible 10 years, Village Pourhouse will be closing its doors to make way for our newest concept. Come drink us dry with drink specials all night and reminisce about all the good times you had but probably don't remember. $3 Draft Beers + $3 Bottled Beers + $5 Shots + $5 Mixed Drinks

A post shared by Village Pourhouse (@villagepourhouse) on Apr 3, 2017 at 9:18am PDT

The sports bar opened in the summer of 2006. No word on the fate of their phone number — (212) 979-BEER.



A rock club called E.Vil is expected to open in the space this spring.

Report: Webster Hall has a new owner

Here's news about the venue on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue via Billboard:

After 27 years of operating Webster Hall, the Ballinger family is selling the 131-year-old Manhattan concert hall to AEG Presents and Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment. The two firms will assume operating rights, assets and the long-term lease from building owner Unity Gallega while Bowery Presents will take over booking and talent buying.

According to the Post, the new owners have promised that any updates to the facility "won’t spoil its musty, lived-in charm."

Brett Yormark, chief executive of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, told The Post: “We’re going to preserve what Webster Hall means to the consumers and artists, but we will contemporize it.” Expect food and beverage upgrades, with possible bathroom enhancements.

Bathroom enhancements!

The Webster Hall deal was valued at some $35 million.

Webster Hall, built in 1886, was landmarked in 2008. Here's more history via Off the Grid a few years back:

Webster Hall has hosted a wide range of parties and meeting over its 129-year-old history. In its early years it “acquired a reputation as a center of leftist, socialist, anarchist, and union political activity”, according to a January 1888 Brooklyn Daily Eagle article.

In 2006, Webster Hall played host to K-Fed first (and last?) NYC show.

Slim dining options at the Hyatt Union Square for the time being

The Fourth and Singl Lounge, the two dining options at the Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street, are currently closed ...brown paper has been up in the windows for the past 10-plus days...



There isn't any note about a temporary closure on the public-facing doors or windows... and the Hyatt Union Square website still lists both properties as the hotel's two dining options...



A hotel rep said that the two spaces were closed for renovations... and both would reopen later this month. (Guests apparently have a dining option in the lower level of the hotel.)

This was an expected move. Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitzky, the restaurateurs behind these two as well as a third Hyatt space, Botequim, parted ways with the hotel last May, as Eater reported. New operators were expected to take over The Fourth and Singl last summer. Apparently that's just happening now.

Back in 2014, there was some concern about the size of the sidewalk cafe at the Fourth, which was named for the right bank neighborhood in Paris. The matter eventually went to City Council, who OK'd a smaller, 12-seat cafe.

The hotel opened in April 2013.

Spring fling

Some of the first travelers of the season were spotted in Tompkins Square Park today. One relieved himself on the holiday tree.

Photo by Steven

See '1984' tomorrow night at the Anthology Film Archives

See Michael Radford's 1984 tomorrow! Join Anthology, and nearly 200 theaters worldwide, in this special screening event. We're presenting the film on 35mm and donating a portion of the proceeds to the @aclu_nationwide! Tickets are just $11 / $7 for Anthology members.

A post shared by Anthology Film Archives (@anthologyfilmarchives) on Apr 3, 2017 at 2:14pm PDT

The screening is at 7:30 p.m. The Anthology is on Second Avenue at Second Street. Find more info here.

Christo and Dora have more company in the city

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg]

The Wall Street Journal checks in today with a feature on the city's booming red-tailed hawk population... Christo and Dora, the red-tailed hawk couple of Tompkins Square Park, get a shout out, though not by name.

The article is available via subscription only... here are a few excerpts...

The hawk population in Manhattan has grown from only three known pairs in 2006 to 14 or 15 today, said Rob Mastrianni, a New York City Urban Park Ranger.

It is unclear why raptors are becoming more common in Manhattan, said Debra Kriensky, a conservation biologist at New York City Audubon. Possible explanations include the abundance of food—rats, squirrels and pigeons—and city efforts to limit the use of rat poison, which can kill hawks.

Whatever the reason, the presence of more hawks heralds changes in the relationship between New Yorkers and nature. Combined with sightings of coyotes, deer, and even eagles prowling city neighborhoods, hawk spottings are a reminder that urban areas can include a surprising amount of wildlife.

And!

Research shows hawks need about two square miles of exclusive territory, but New York City’s hawks are living as close as five blocks from each other, said Bobby Horvath, a city firefighter who rehabilitates injured hawks from New York City in his home in South Massapequa on Long Island. “I guess the red-tailed hawks haven’t read that part of the textbook.”

With hawks already defying density predictions, it is unclear how long the urban population boom will continue.

The main danger hawks face in New York is eating rats that have been poisoned by rodenticide. But since the city has curtailed rat poison use in parks near known hawk nests, New Yorkers may continue to be startled by urban wildlife sightings.

As always, for more on Christo and Dora as well as other NYC wildlife, head on over to Goggla's photo site here.

For the time being, Zoltar is unable to see the future

Uh-oh. Fortune trouble outside Gem Spa on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. Zoltar is currently out of commission.

Hopefully the gold head wrap softened the blow when the front pane of tempered glass fell back and cracked Zoltar in the skull ...

Red Hook Lobster Pound closed for now in Extra Place

Every restaurant with an outdoor cafe seemed to be doing brisk business yesterday ... then we looked in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue.

Red Hook Lobster Pound, which opened at 16 Extra Place in April 2014, didn't appear to be open. And they have outdoor seating.

Sure enough... a sign on the door says that are closed until further notice...



It appears to be a more permanent closure. The Extra Place address has been scrubbed from the Red Hook website.



It could be a seasonal closing... however, Red Hook's Montauk location has a "closed for the season" message next to its address.



As previously reported, nothing has really worked in the former alley that ran behind CBGB...



A handful of restaurants and businesses have come and gone in recent years. Only David Chang's Momofuku Ko remains.

Ten years have passed since we first heard about Avalon Bowery Place's plan to make Extra Place "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A city inspector want to see if the Vektor Galley is 'being illegally used for religious assembly'

The last time we checked in with the Vektor Gallery, aka the Official Gallery of Satan, they were hosting an event/performance described as "a Vectorian Mass dedicated to the 'Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.'"

That performance drew a heavy response from the FDNY here on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. There was a report of a fire inside the small space, according to a witness.

On Saturday, a city inspector came calling ... to "ensure compliance with the New York Building Code," etc., etc.



Here is the complaint on file with the DOB (in their all-cap style) dated March 31: FDNY HAVE FILED A NORMAL PRIORITY REFERRAL REPORTING THAT STORE AT RIGHT HAND CORNER IS BEING ILLEGALLY USED FOR RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLY.

Also this past weekend, someone left this message on the gallery's front window...



"Yuppie scum paying $3,900 to create unoriginal shit."

The gallery opened last August.

H/T Aaron Wilson!

A quick look at the revamped Whole Foods Market® Bowery and its higher-profile bakery

Back in January, we noted some renovations underway at the Whole Foods Market® Bowery.

Phase 1 of these changes were unveiled last week. For starters, the bakery is now inside the main entrance on East Houston and the Bowery... it looks pretty much like the same stuff that they previously sold in a different location of the store (if any regulars of this place would want to chime in...)



The revamped space includes some seating ... providing for action views of the ongoing East Houston Reconstruction project...



Meanwhile! Back where the bakery stuff used to be ... there's some construction...



The prepared foods section has been revamped... and Whole Foods downsized the salad bar region.



The salad bar stations are down from three to two. During this leisurely morning visit, one had the breakfast food out ... while the other station had the standard salad bar fixings. Missing were the specialty items like cauliflower drowned in tahini and the kale salad surprise. (Surprise! There's feta and Craisins® in here.)

It feels a lot more cramped back here. Can't imagine what it is like during prime lunch/dinner salad bar hours.

A look at Jared Kushner's financial disclosure report

[EVG file photo]

Details of Jared Kushner's real-estate empire were made public in documents released late Friday night, according to published reports. As Bloomberg reported, Kushner, the son-in-law and senior adviser to President Donald Trump, "held personal lines of credit of as much as $90 million to 10 financial institutions as of his Jan. 22 appointment to the White House."

The New York Times reports that Kushner resigned from more than 200 positions in the partnerships and limited liability companies that make up the family real-estate business, which has acquired $7 billion worth of commercial and residential property over the last decade.

The 54-page financial disclosure report shows, however, that "Kushner will remain a beneficiary of most of those same entities," worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Times on Saturday examined the "perilous legal and ethical ground" that Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, are on now.

Unlike Mr. Trump, who is exempt from conflict of interest laws, both Mr. Kushner and Ms. Trump — who took a formal White House position this past week — are forbidden under federal criminal and civic law to take any action that might benefit their particular financial holdings.

In 2013, the Kushner Companies started buying up some 40-plus buildings in the East Village. According to the Cooper Square Committee, only Steve Croman owns more residential buildings in the East Village than Kushner does. The properties are managed by Westminster Management, a division of Kushner Companies.

Meanwhile, Kushner will be keeping very busy. Last week, the President appointed him to lead the newly created White House Office of American Innovation. (Read the official White House memo on this here.)

Per The Washington Post:

Kushner’s ambitions for what the new office can achieve are grand. At least to start, the team plans to focus its attention on reimagining Veterans Affairs; modernizing the technology and data infrastructure of every federal department and agency; remodeling workforce-training programs; and developing “transformative projects” under the banner of Trump’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan, such as providing broadband Internet service to every American.

Already on Kushner's to-do list: brokering a peace pact between Israel and the Palestinians.

One last note... Elizabeth Spiers has a piece in The Washington Post about her time working as editor-in-chief of The New York Observer under Kushner's ownership.

I inherited an office and a desktop computer, both in fine but used condition. The computer was a recent-model Mac, but when I turned it on, it was inexplicably running Windows. I summoned our beleaguered IT guy to explain, and he informed me that it had belonged to Kushner, who liked the design of Apple products but preferred the Windows OS.

“So he was basically using a $2,500 desktop as a monitor?” I asked. The IT guy shrugged.

In retrospect, this tiny moment seems like a metaphor. Frankensteining two products you appreciate into one product you appreciate even more isn’t irrational; it’s even creative, in a way. On the other hand, why did the newspaper’s owner need a $2,500 monitor? How was it anything but a vanity object?

About the for rent sign outside Somtum Der on Avenue A

A for rent sign arrived outside 85 Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street this past week.

An EVG reader asked if this meant that Somtum Der, the Thai restaurant, was going to be closing.

The sign is for the subterranean space, not Somtum Der. As previously noted in January, the storefront below the restaurant that previously housed Elvis Guesthouse is on the rental market.

There's a new broker now... and a new price. (Was $11,500 in January; $9,000 now.)

Here's the latest listing:

An East Village iconic location which housed Arrow Bar and most recently Elvis Guesthouse is back on the market. Approximately 1000 square feet of unique space. Surrounded by DROM, a Thai Restaurant, Sushi Restaurant and several established small commercial rentals. The asking price is approximate $9,000/mo. The best use of this space is a restaurant/bar.

Space is offered as-is and any prospective tenants will have to do a walk-through. It is advisable you bring professionals (engineer/architect/plumber, etc) to determine build-out costs. Landlord will grant concessions relative to build-out work.

Please note: There shall be NO cabaret, NO live performances allowed and NO dancing. The landlord is VERY STRICT on this.

During its two-year run, Elvis Guesthouse drew some noise complaints about the bands and DJs who performed in the subterranean space from residents who live building.

Elvis Guesthouse closed after service on New Year's Eve.

Week in Grieview

[3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place Thursday morning]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Developer withdraws zoning variance request for former 14th Street post office site (Tuesday)

Raphael Toledano files for Chapter 11; $145 million deal for EV portfolio is off the table (Thursday)

Maria Hrynenko looking to sell Second Avenue properties destroyed in deadly gas explosion (Sunday)

Get well soon, David Peel (Saturday)

D.L. Cerney returning to the East Village (Wednesday)

Manhole explosions reported near Union Square (Friday)

Macaron Parlour leaves St. Mark's Place for larger space on the LES (Friday)

Those Starbucks rumors continue to percolate on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place (Friday)

Greecologies-Pure Green combo opens on Second Avenue (Wednesday)

Ghost signage and (eventually) gelato at Ninth Street and Avenue A (Wednesday)

A collection of East Village photos from the early 1990s (Friday)

Village Pourhouse is closing on 3rd Avenue; E.Vil is coming soon (Thursday)

Avenue A — milled! (Wednesday)

Spiky structures complete outside Cooper Union (Wednesday)

Addiction NYC heads across St. Mark's Place (Friday)

About Big Lee's legal battles (Monday)

New retail space available on St. Mark's Place (Wednesday)

LoveThyBeast coming to Fifth Street (Monday)

"Broad City" wants to film in an apartment like this (Thursday)

Little Tong Noodle Shop opens (Monday)

The changing downtown skyline as seen from Avenue B (Tuesday)

Cadet is closing on Ninth Street (Monday)

Former Citibank branch on Avenue A hits the market (Monday)

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