On 2nd Avenue, signage arrives for Uluh Tea House (and they're hiring)

[Photo by Steven]

Back in May 2017 we heard about a Chinese restaurant opening in one of the two newly created storefronts at 152-154 Second Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. (They will join the Pure Green-PlantMade combo in the retail spaces.)

Signage arrived yesterday for the venture — Uluh Tea Shop, which is hiring. Sounds like it will be a pretty big operation. Positions wanted include managers, servers, Chinese Cuisine head chef, pastry chef, Cantonese Dim Sum Chef and kitchen staff.



152-154 Second Ave. is the former Sigmund Schwartz Gramercy Park Chapel that Icon Realty bought, gutted, added three extra floors and opened as luxury rentals a few years back.

Another dim sum place, Dim Sum Palace, is opening soon a few blocks away in another Icon-owned building at 59 Second Ave.

H/T Lola Sáenz!

Start me up: Waiting on a Friend opens on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Steven]

A new bar called Waiting on a Friend recently debuted here at 132 First Ave. at St. Mark's Place.

The corner space had been VBar St. Marks before a conversion to Colibri last September. Not sure who's behind the new venture at the moment. (You can find the bar's Instagram account here.)

We had some reader-submitted photos in mid-to-late August as the place was under renovation...



The bar is named for the song by the Rolling Stones from their 1981 album Tattoo You... one of the reader photos shows a new mural inside the bar of the album cover ...



And, as you may know, the "Waiting on a Friend" video was shot on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... where Keith and Mick eventually saunter into this corner space, when it was the St. Mark's Bar & Grill. There, the other band members are already assembled (this old EVG post has pics from the shoot) ...

Reader report: New owners for Fine Fare on Avenue C?

An EVG reader shared this photo from inside Fine Fare on Avenue C at Fourth Street.

Per the reader: "There was a bunch of work going on ... One of the employees told me they had new owners and were putting in an expanded meat and produce section."

This Fine Fare location is no longer on the tri-state grocer's website (the stores are independently owned and operated) ...



We reached out to the Fine Fare corporate office for more info on the Avenue C market. Will update if we hear back from anyone.

And back to the reader: "Glad they're fixing the place up, but hope the prices stay low!"

Tuesday's parting shot

Derek Berg took this photo of London-based hairdresser Joshua Coombes on First Avenue at Seventh Street today.

Coombes has been in the East Village in the past ... providing free haircuts (and shaves) to the homeless.

You can watch this "National Geographic" segment on Coombes, who believes small acts of kindness can make a big impact.

And you can see more of his work with the homeless on his Instagram account.

A 9/11 moment at Engine Company 5

Local firehouses throughout the city commemorated 9/11 today. James and Karla Murray shared this photo from this morning outside Engine Company 5 on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue during a moment of silence.

On Sept. 11, 2001, the Company lost Manny DelValle Jr., a 7-year FDNY veteran who grew up in the Bronx. He was 32.

As the Murrays wrote:

Manny had just finished an overnight at Engine 5 ... when the call came in around 8:47 am.. that a plane had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Engine Company 5 was assigned to team up with another company to walk up 80 floors and stretch the hose line. Manny Delvalle Jr. was carrying the rollup lines of hose and an oxygen tank. The last time Manny was seen, he had stopped on the 10th floor to give a woman oxygen. His unit had made it to the 15th floor when they were called back when the building began to rumble. They looked for Manny but could not find him and after the North Tower fell at 10:28 a.m., he was reported missing.

Here's more about him from his obituary in The New York Times:

At home in the Bronx, Mr. DelValle took advanced classes in salsa dancing. He loved Latin music but listened to everything. "Rap," said his brother Pete Moyer. "And R&B," added his sister Grace Nolly. "Old school," said his father, Manuel Del Valle, to be specific.

Mr. DelValle, who graduated from the University of Maryland, was also an accomplished moguls skier and roller skater, a traveler, a lover of war movies and, his family says, a lady's man. He also got Engine Company No. 5, where he was assigned, to participate in the Puerto Rican Day Parade. He was the one in the family who always sent a card and gift to siblings, half-siblings and cousins.

According to previous reports, 26 firefighters from the neighborhood's four stations died on 9/11.

A visit to the Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen on 7th Street

This past Friday morning, EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen, the basement cafe that helps generate income for the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church up the block on Seventh Street.

On this day, as with previous Fridays spanning nearly four decades, volunteers — parishioners from St. George's — gathered in the subterranean space at 33 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square to help prep the cafe's specialities, such as vareniki (Ukrainian dumplings).




[Volunteer Daria Rekucha]




[Rekucha and Anastazia Baran]

Dima Kovalenko, here in the orange shirt, is the chef and oversees the kitchen...






[Volunteer Anna Sinchuk]






[Volunteer Tetiona Grygorash]

Streecha, which is an old Ukrainian word for meeting, is a perfect place for doing so. The decor is, well — church basement, but the food is hearty and inexpensive...





Streecha reopened last Wednesday after the usual summer hiatus. The cafe is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a 9 a.m. start time on Saturday and Sunday. Visit Streecha's Instagram account for daily specials.

Looking at two dormant Bowery storefronts

In June 2017, there was news that The New Stand — a hipsterized convenience store — was opening a retail outlet at 306 Bowery, Patricia Field's former storefront.

Fifteen months later, the space between East Houston and Bleecker sits very empty... without any signs of activity...or any signs at all...



The New Stand didn't respond to an email query about the address. The company, with several NYC locations, is reportedly expanding elsewhere in the country.

Meanwhile at 347 Bowery at Third Street...



The ground-floor retail is still vacant. Early this year, signage arrived for Pilotworks, which was planning a "culinary incubator" for its food businesses to sell products.

The market was set to be open by now. The Pilotworks signage is gone... and the space sits empty...



A rep who gave me the information in February is no longer working with Pilotworks. The new contacts did not respond to questions on the status of the project.

Also, the COOL tag that arrived on or about Aug. 12 remains on the side of the retail-residential complex, where the penthouse fetched $17 million...



Updated...

Ah, a new tag arrived in the past 24-48 hours...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The New Stand coming to Patricia Field’s former storefront on the Bowery

More about the new venture from Pilotworks on the Bowery

'Afro-Punk' screens at MoRUS Thursday night

Via the EVG inbox... this is happening Thursday evening...

Prior to its emergence as a global brand, Afro-Punk was a grassroots community of Black musicians, artists, skaters and activists existing within the punk rock scene as captured in the eponymous documentary shot and released by James Spooner in 2003.

As part of its Political Punk Exhibit, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) will screen "Afro-Punk," the 66-minute film that inspired the AfroPunk festival, co-founded by Spooner and Matthew Morgan. Spooner will be in attendance to introduce the film and for a post-screening talk; all of which will take place on Thursday beginning at 8 p.m. Suggested donation is $5 per person.

MoRUS is located at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street. Read more about the screening and the Museum's political punk exhibition here.

Today on St. Mark's Place

A Con Ed crew here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... a bike ready for more rain...

Photo by Steven

Full reveal at 253 E7

We have a full reveal now at 253 E. Seventh St., the new 6-story condoplex — aka 253 E7 — here between Avenue C and Avenue D.



You can see how it stacks against the rendering...



Two of the units hit the market a few weeks back, as noted here.

Per the Streeteasy building description: There are "8 superbly appointed apartments with soaring 9’ ceilings, ranging in size from 709 to 1,653 square feet. Most apartments feature a private outdoor space and an allotted few have access to private keyed elevator landings. The Penthouse apartment boasts a private paved roof; the Townhouse apartment features a private grass planted garden."

The available units range in price from $1.275 million (one bedroom) to $2.795 million (three bedrooms).

Workers tore down the former four-story residence that stood here back in late 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Options for this lovely East 7th Street townhouse include demolition

New building in the works for 253 E. 7th St.

The disappearing 253 E. 7th St.

253 E. 7th St. is now a pile of bricks

Property at 253 E. 7th St. now for sale; perfect for a 'dream custom mansion townhouse'

New plans for a 6-story building at 253 E. 7th St.


[Image of No. 253 from 2014 via Massey Knakal]

Met Fresh now open on Avenue D

The Met Fresh Supermarket opened Saturday at 119 Avenue D between Eighth Street and Ninth Street.

Met Fresh is part of the Associated Supermarket Group, whose brands include Associated, Compare, Met Fresh, Met Foodmarkets, Pioneer and Gourmet a'Fare.

Anyway, here's a look at the store... the produce looks pretty solid... there's also a small deli counter...







The cereal selection is fairly limited ... most of the Kellogg's brands are represented ...





They also carry the Avenue A brand of products (exclusive to the Associated Supermarket Group) ... like the seltzer water (four for $3)...



There are grand-opening sales, like, four 10-ounce packs of Café Bustelo for $10 and two boxes of Kellogg's Raisin Bran (13.7 ounces) for $4. Oh, and these are 10 for $5...



Lastly, they don't have any beer just yet. A worker said it will be another month before it arrives. THEN maybe we can do an all-important price comparison!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Met Fresh Supermarket announces itself on Avenue D

About Joya Loves Louie, opening soon in the former Café Orlin space on St. Mark's Place

Work continues over at 39-41 St. Mark's Place just east of Second Avenue... where Joya Loves Louie is expected to open this fall in the old Café Orlin space...


[Reader-submitted photo]

New York magazine featured the new establishment, a vegetarian cafe-market combo, in its fall preview.

The chef is Joya Carlton, whose résumé includes the Orchard Grocer.

Per New York:

In tribute to its predecessor, the neighborhood standby Café Orlin, this all-day restaurant, bar, and store next door has christened a dish “The Orlin”: berbere-roasted cauliflower with rosehip harissa, olive tapenade, labne, eggs, and greens. It’s not only a nod to Orlin’s North African roots, but an example of the multicultural inspirations on chef Joya Carlton’s vegetarian menu. There’s falafel waffles with whipped maple and fruit, jackfruit osso buco with polenta and coconut gremolata, and an eggs Benedict served with the carrot “lox”...

The magazine notes that Louie "was Carlton’s Italian grandfather and culinary role model."

Aside from a café, there will be a market in the adjacent space (next to Dallas BBQ)...


[Reader-submitted photo]

According to Patch, the other people involved the project are Bob Perl, fellow Tower Brokerage executive Steve Dunaif and restaurateur Darin Rubell (Boulton & Watt, Drexler’s, among others).

Cafe Orlin closed last October after 36 years at the address.

Previously on EV Grieve:
1st sign of activity at the former Cafe Orlin space on St. Mark's Place

No trespassing (or hunting or fishing) at the former Cafe Orlin

Cafe Orlin will close after 36 years in business (34 comments)

Reader report: Avenue B Cleaners Cromanated

Several readers shared the news that the Avenue B Cleaners between Fourth Street and Fifth Street abruptly closed last week... one reader believes it shut down on Thursday evening — with a for rent sign via Steve Croman's 9300 Realty showing up on Friday.

There's still clothing inside the dry cleaner and drop-off laundry ... a sign on the door instructs customers to call Kapri Cleaners on East Houston...

Cholo Noir space now for rent on 6th Street

A for rent sign now hangs in the window at 503 E. Sixth St., which apparently brings an end to Cholo Noir's 13-month run here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The Chicano-inspired bar-restaurant had been closed since Aug. 19, with handwritten notes indicating the trusty "closed for renovations."

There's isn't any mention of a closure on Cholo Noir's website or social media properties.

As previously reported, CB3 twice denied a liquor license for the proprietors in 2016 ... among other reasons, there are 20-plus full on-premises liquor licenses within 500 feet of the address. CB3 members also didn't see much public benefit from the concept on a mostly residential block in a nightlife-saturated neighborhood.

Given the amount of work that they already put into the space, ownership went to the State Liquor Authority for a license. As DNAinfo reported in February 2017:

[T]he owners remain positive the eatery will be a good presence in the neighborhood, claiming Cholo Noir will be centered around the food, with cocktails to complement the menu.

“Most people don’t go into a Mexican restaurant and say, ‘Let’s go get wasted,’ but people do go for good Mexican food and they like to have something to complement it,” said Paul Le Mos, who plans to run the restaurant alongside Lennard Camarillo, former operator of West Village eatery Florencia 13.

The proprietors don't want to bring another noisy bar to the neighborhood, he said, but want to serve the community with great food and culture.

To the contrary, a few nearby neighbors felt as if they were, in fact, a drinks-first establishment ... offering all-you-can-drink brunch specials... and other happy hour deals ...

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers out there. Come celebrate @cholonoir with a special #brunch menu. #eastvillage

A post shared by CholoNoir (@cholonoir) on May 13, 2018 at 11:16am PDT

In 2014, the owners received $15,000 by winning the New York Public Library’s New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another no for Cholo Noir

'Low and Slow' on 6th and A

Sunday's parting shot

The Burberry bear inflatable is gone... Photo of Astor Place today by Lola Sáenz...