Demolishing the fire-damaged back extension at Uogashi, which appears to be permanently closed

EVG regular Lola Sáenz shared this photo from Saturday ... showing workers removing the fire-damaged structure occupied by Uogashi, the Japanese restaurant at 188 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Thankfully only the back extension needed to come down in the aftermath of the six-alarm fire in the early-morning hours of Oct. 3. DOB officials said that the rest of the five-story building was structurally sound.

The Uogashi website now lists "permanently closed" under their hours of operation. The Tree Bistro next door is still temporarily out of commission as well due to damage to their rear garden.

Officials said they believe the fire, which injured 17 people, including 14 firefighters, began in the restaurant. An exact cause has not been made public just yet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A look at the fire-damaged Uogashi; plus video of when the fire started at 188 1st Ave.

Post-fire updates on 1st Avenue

Watch this drone footage of the fire at 188 1st Ave.

[Updating] Post fire, 1 lane of northbound traffic returns to 1st Avenue

[Updating] Report of injuries during major fire at 188 1st Ave.

Report: 188 1st Ave. survives fire; back extension must be demolished

[Updated] Mexican restaurant opening on 2nd Avenue called Savor Por Favor

Updated 10/26 — the restaurant is now open.

The signage is in the window at 157 Second Ave. for the new Mexican restaurant opening in this space between Ninth Street and 10th Street ... welcome Savor Por Favor...



In May, applicants from Butter Midtown — doing business as E&Y Hospitality LLC — received CB3's OK for a new liquor license at the address.

While interior renovations continue at No. 157 ... the owners have set up a Facebook account...



... and Instagram...

View this post on Instagram

#lego #eastvillagenyc #mexicanfood #cocktails #comingsoon #threeamigos @sulleylife @eco823 @chef_michael_jenkins

A post shared by Mexican American & Cocktails (@savorporfavor) on Sep 13, 2018 at 6:51am PDT

So Savor Por Favor is in the works... as for the past, Yuan shut down in July after a year in business. As noted in previous posts on No. 157, this has been a challenging space to make work for any length of time. Biang! — the sit-down Chinese restaurant via Xi'an Famous Foods owner Jason Wang — closed in March 2017 after 15 months in business. The previous tenant, Wylie Dufresne's bistro Alder, called it quits after two-and-a-half years at the end of August 2015. Other recent restaurants here (before 2013) included Plum and Cafe Brama.

Updated 10/26

Savor Por Favor is now open...


[Photo by Steven]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Yuan Noodle may be yielding to a Mexican restaurant on 2nd Avenue

Mi Tea now serving up the cheese tea on St. Mark's Place

That Mi Tea location on 19-23 St. Mark's Place that I mentioned back on Aug. 14 is now up and running... EVG Bubble Tea District Correspondent Steven shared these photos here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue yesterday...



This is the fifth U.S. branch (there's one in Flushing) for the Hangzhou, China-based chain with 1,000 locations worldwide. Their speciality: Himalayan pink salted cheese tea drinks.

And in other bubble-tea opening news, the Möge Tee outpost is now open around the corner at 69 Cooper Square.

Previously on EV Grieve:
More bubble tea for the Bubble Tea District (aka St. Mark's Place)


[The address in June 2008]

Pado in soft-open sushi mode on 2nd Avenue

Pado is now in soft-open mode (as of this past Friday) at 199 Second Ave.

The Japanese restaurant's Instagram account notes that they feature "unconventional tapas style plates. We craft every dish with luxury ingredients and attention to detail."

This space between 12th Street and 13th Street was previously Oishi Village Sushi, which closed in late December after nine months in business.

Thanks to Nick Solares for this photo and tip!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Pado bringing 'Modern Japanese Cuisine' to 2nd Avenue

Gym moves: IG-Fit replaces Synergy on 14th Street

The Synergy Fitness Club at 244 E. 14th St. near Second Avenue has closed (members — was there any warning?) ... and signage is now up for its replacement — IG-Fit.

IG-Fit looks to be offering an array of services, including infrared sauna and cryotherapy. Although they bill themselves as NYC's No. 1 health club, we can't find any web or social-media presence (not even Instagram!) for them. So no word on rates, etc.

Hopefully it will be an upgrade from Synergy. Through the years, several EVG readers noted sketchy practices and unreliable hours of operation at this Synergy branch.

And as seen outside the gym a few years back...

With temperatures hovering in the high 40s, the city takes no chances on the weather

Vinny & O spotted a snowplow on 10th Street at Avenue C earlier today...

Week in Grieview

[Haunted luggage at Cure Thrift Shop via Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

NYPD installs light tower on 2nd Avenue and 7th Street (Thursday)

New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets (Wednesday ... Friday)

Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is back on; new deal puts the pups in East River Park and on ESPN this Oct. 28 (Thursday)

St. Dymphna's closes after 24 years on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

Kingsley remains dark on Avenue B (Thursday)

Trader Joe's: No current plans for grocery at 432-438 E. 14th St. (Friday)

Check out this week's NY See strip (Thursday)

Merakia owners swap out the Wayside for Greekito on 12th Street (Monday)


[Photo yesterday from 5th and A]

Diorama time again at the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park (Tuesday)

Councilmember Rivera introducing new bill to protect bike lanes in construction zones (Wednesday)

Black Emperor slated for 2nd Avenue (Monday)

The Tompkins Square Library hosting "A Look Back on the East Village of the 1980s" (Thursday)

Today's special: Milk Money Kitchens bringing food-consulting business to Avenue A (Tuesday)

Coffee probably for St. Mark's and 2nd Avenue, and the rent is still due at the former DF Mavens (Monday)

Lumos Kitchen now appears to be closed for good (Monday)

'Mediterranean fusion' for the former Sugar Cafe on Houston and Allen (Wednesday)

The Coffee Shop closed on Union Square, and what it might mean for NYC's restaurant biz (Tuesday)

Another look at Village Square Pizza, coming soon to Avenue A (Monday)

...and New Menu Item Alert via Peter Brownscombe at Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A... the Nutella Banana Shake...





-----

Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter

Sunday Funday

The scene (above) Seventh and A this morning...

Celebrating the life of Tony today on Avenue A

Tony (aka Abdul), the longtime owner of the deli at 123 Avenue A, died earlier this month.

This afternoon at 1, friends and loved ones will gather in front of the now-closed storefront between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place to celebrate his life...



Tony, a native of Yemen, also owned the building at 123 Avenue A.



Thanks to Jen Fisher for the photos!

1st Street water-main woes

The water-main replacement work continues on First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... and, for whatever reason, the owner of this pick-up truck tried some maneuver on the block and well... you can see the result in the above photo via EVG reader Daniel Carlson...

A memorial tomorrow for Erin O'Connor and her son, Sequoia Gibson O'Connor

There is a remembrance tomorrow at the Judson Memorial Church (55 Washington Square South) for Erin O'Connor, a longtime East Village resident, who died on July 25, 2017. She was 50. Her son, Sequoia Gibson O'Connor, died this past May. He was in his early 20s.

Erin was a tireless volunteer, working at the Catholic Worker’s Mary House on Third Street, the Holy Name Center for homeless men on Bleecker Street and Judson Memorial Church.

The memorial starts at 1:30.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Remembering Erin O’Connor

At John's of 12th Street, pumpkins in the window and the ravioli

That time of year time at 302 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



... and a closer look...

View this post on Instagram

It’s Pumpkin Ravioli time! Served with a brown butter sage sauce. Delish! . #italianfood #italianrestaurant #pasta #pumpkin #nyc #newyorkeats #eeeeeats #yum

A post shared by John's of 12th Street (@johnsof12thstreet) on Oct 19, 2018 at 1:20pm PDT

Get Wild with Garland Jeffreys at the 14th Street Y on Monday

The great Garland Jeffreys is performing Monday night in a concert to benefit the 14th Street Y, where he and his family are also members.

A few details:

6:30 PM: Meet & Greet with Garland Jeffreys on the Rooftop
8:00 PM: Concert in The Theater
General Admission: $75
Concert Running Time: 60 minutes

Find ticket info at the 14th Street Y site at this link.

Jeffreys, who has a new record out in "14 Steps to Harlem," lives nearby in Stuy Town. (Town & Village spoke with him for this article published last week.)

Meanwhile, speaking of getting Wild...

Made for TV

One of the Citizens of the Anthropocene has found a good spot for channel surfing here on Ninth Street at Third Avenue...





Another one has taken up in a tree (fewer amenities but a better view) on Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.



Previously.

It takes a Village

Crews have been out the past two days/nights on Third Avenue and 11th Street and 12th Street (and elsewhere) filming a new NBC series called "The Village" ... which is set in — Brooklyn.

The above photo is from 12th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue tonight.



Per the NBC synopsis:

Welcome to The Village, an apartment building in Brooklyn that appears like any other from the outside — but is quite unique inside. The people who reside here have built a bonded family of friends and neighbors. Sarah's a nurse and single mom raising a creative teen; Gabe's a young law student, who just got a much older and unexpected roommate; Ava must secure the future of her young, U.S.-born son when ICE comes knocking; Nick's a veteran, who's just returned from war; and the heart and soul of the building, Ron and Patricia, have captivating tales all their own. These are the hopeful, heartwarming and challenging stories of life that prove family is everything, even if it's the one you make with the people around you.

Maybe these are just scenes where, say, Ron and Patricia are at a party on 12th Street and something captivating happens.

There's something about 'Mary'

Canadian glam-rocker Art d'Ecco released his debut record this past week... the above video is for a song called "Mary."

Bike lane line work continues on 12th Street

As we reported on Wednesday, crews are laying the pedalers’ paths and new parking lanes for the protected bike lanes on the north curb of 12th Street from Seventh Avenue to Avenue C, and the south curb of 13th Street from Greenwich Avenue to Avenue B.

EVG regular Lola Sáenz noted this morning that workers are creating the bike-lane outlines on 12th Street ... with crews spotted at First Avenue...





... and heading east toward Avenue C...



One worker told Lola that the green machine is on Greenwich today painting the bike lanes... and making its way toward the east...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

Trader Joe's: No current plans for grocery at 432-438 E. 14th St.

The Trader Joe's opens today down in one of the Essex Crossing buildings on Clinton and Grand.

The company first made this announcement on Oct. 4, 2016.

News of this debut has prompted questions about the TJ's reported/alleged for the new development — EVE! — in the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office at 432-438 E. 14th St. at Avenue A.

As the above photo shows, that space remains pretty much a shell. (The residential portion of the building is progressing, especially as seen from the 13th Street side. Leasing is expected this fall, per one report.)

In May 2017, The Real Deal, citing anonymous sources, reported that Trader Joe's "quietly signed a lease about two months ago with Mack Real Estate and Benenson Capital Partners ... for 8,531 square on the ground floor and 14,170 square feet on the lower level."

There hasn't been much else mentioned about this location (aside from some TJ clerk gossip that it wasn't happening). However, in a preview of EVE in August, City Realty noted: "To the delight of residents and neighbors, Trader Joe’s is the building’s retail tenant."

Aside from the ground-floor space looking pretty raw, the area outside this storefront will reportedly serve as one of the the main staging areas for repairs during the L-train shutdown. While the L-train service ends for 18 months starting this coming April, the prep work has been ongoing since the summer of 2017.

Anyway, now that I've buried the lead... I asked the Trader Joe's PR office if they are still opening an outpost at this address. Their response: "Unfortunately, we do not have any current plans for a store at that location."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: A Trader Joe's won't be coming to new development at 14th and A after all

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street

Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

The Children’s Workshop is hosting a Fall Harvest on Sunday

The Fall Harvest action takes place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. over at the The Children's Workshop School, 610 E. 12th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C. Per one parent: "It’ll be a great day of family fun and we invite all our neighbors in the East Village."

Thursday's parting shot

Who's a good boy? Photo yesterday outside the Standard East Village by Derek Berg...