Deck the halls with the Third Street Music School Settlement today

The Third Street Music School Settlement is hosting its annual Neighborhood Caroling this afternoon.

Per the school's website:

Please arrive between 3:45 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Con Edison Building, 4 Irving Place (Irving Place and East 14th Street). The merrymaking will commence at 4 p.m. and make its way through Union Square and the East Village, ending at Third Street Music School. RSVPs (do that here) will receive our route map and timing so you can join in the fun along the way!

The caroling action takes place between 4-6 p.m. today (Dec. 19!).

Details on the 9th Precinct's last 2 Build the Block public meetings for 2019

The 9th Precinct is hosting the last two Build the Block Sector meetings for the year tonight and tomorrow night for East Village residents and business owners.

The Sector D meeting is tonight (Thursday) at 6 at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Sector D encompasses the north side of Seventh Street to 14th Street, from the west side of First Avenue to Broadway...)



The Sector C meeting is tomorrow (Friday!) evening at 5:30 at Middle Collegiate Church, 50 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Sector C encompasses the south side of Seventh Street to East Houston, from the west side of First Avenue to Broadway...)



Use this link to find out what Sector you're in for sure, and what meeting you should attend. Find the sectors and the responsible officers here.

The Sector meetings are an opportunity for residents and business owners to voice grievances or concerns with issues in and around the neighborhood. This is part of the NYPD's initiative called the Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCO) program. The 9th Precinct is split up into four sectors, with two officers assigned to each sector.

Santa fires up Christmas on 2nd Street

On Sunday, the firefighters assigned to Engine Company 28, Ladder 11 held their annual Christmas celebration at the firehouse on Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there for the festivities...

A few scenes from the snow squall

Late this afternoon, courtesy of Vinny & O... from Astor Place...





... to Tompkins Square Park...

Hit sandwich connoisseurs Foxface opening a new venture in the former Harry & Ida's space on Avenue A

Foxface, the tiny shop for adventurous sandwich seekers at 80 St. Mark's Place in Theatre 80, is opening a new venture on Avenue A near 12th Street.

East Village residents Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat made the announcement on Instagram this morning... offering details on what they have planned for the former Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co., where owners Julie and Will Horowitz closed on Nov. 25 after four-and-a-half years of business.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Friends, Sometimes things just fall into place. Ever since we opened Foxface we've been daydreaming of a space nearby where we could smoke, ferment, dry, cure and otherwise transform ingredients in ways that do not fit in our tiny kitchen. Our dream "nearby" was probably in industrial Brooklyn, but then, out of the blue, @willhorowitz stopped by for a sandwich and casually mentioned he and @shweetums might be looking to pass on their smokehouse a few blocks away... You can imagine that we were doing all sorts of happy dances inside while trying to keep our cool fox faces. 🦊 💃🕺... This felt like it won't just be great for us and our sandwiches (and @sivantokyo's sanity whenever @orikushnir comes up with yet another loopy idea), but also like it would be a way to keep the cultural asset that Will & Julie have given the neighborhood from being replaced, in all likelihood, by a bro bar. (not that we have anything against bro bars - we have everything against them) We ramble, but to TLDR: We're happy to announce that in spring 2020 (we hope), @Foxface_Provisions will be opening as a smokehouse, tasting room, and preservation commissary in the space that once housed @harryandidas on Avenue A. See you there soon, and at Foxface in the meantime!

A post shared by Foxface (@foxface_nyc) on Dec 18, 2019 at 8:23am PST

So look for Foxface Provisions — a smokehouse, tasting room and preservation commissary — later in the spring of 2020. They will keep the small current space at 80 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue, which they opened late last year. Pete Wells is among the fans of Foxface.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Longtime East Village residents open Foxface, now serving sandwiches at Theater 80

Acclaimed pastrami purveyors Harry & Ida's will close this month on Avenue A

-------

Updated the original post from today...


From time to time we'll take a look at some recently available retail space... such as 189 Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The 950-square-foot (plus basement) storefront, which previously housed Harry & Ida's, has a monthly ask of $9,500, per the listing... which notes this is a "Heavily Trafficked East Village Location" with a "Close Proximity to Tompkins Square Park."

The Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co. closed on Nov. 25 after four-and-a-half years of business.

A holiday night to remember a loved one at Dress Shoppe II on 2nd Avenue

Last Wednesday evening, friends gathered at Dress Shoppe II during a holiday sale to support the nearly 20-year-old Indian boutique on Second Avenue between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

The event was organized by Jenny Goldberg and Naza Crea, two Dress Shoppe II supporters...


[Goldberg and Crea]

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by and spoke with owner Saroj Goyal and her son Prashant.

The event also marked the three-month anniversary of the death of the family patriarch — Purushottam Goyal. They miss him terribly. (The Goyals had been married for nearly 50 years.)


[Prashant Goyal with Saroj Goyal]

Saroj intends to keep the store up and running.

Here are a few scenes from Wednesday night...











There's also a book on the front counter for people to leave remembrances of Mr. Goyal (read more about his life here) ...



--

Dress Shoppe II is located at 83 Second Ave. Find them on Instagram here.

Fat Cat Kitchen closes on 14th Street

[EVG photo from September 2018]

Fat Cat Kitchen, a quick-serve cafe serving quality sandwiches, salads and baked goods at 223 E. 14th St., shut down yesterday after more than 2.5 years in business.

In an Instagram post, married chefs C.J. and Björn Holm put the blame on the landlord...

View this post on Instagram

Sad day. . . . #nyc #landlord #shittylandlord #horriblepeople #nyclandlord #slumlord #nycrestaurant #tiredoffighting #niceguysfinishlast #vanishingnewyork #momandpopshop #smallbusinesssaturday #smallbusiness

A post shared by Fat Cat Kitchen (@fatcatkitchen) on Dec 17, 2019 at 11:51am PST

In September 2018, the DOH shut down Fat Cat here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue following an inspection. The issue stemmed from a broken pipe in the basement that the owners said they didn't have access to...


[EVG photo from September 2018]

According to public records, 223 E. 14 ST. LLC is the landlord, having purchased the building in 2009. The LLC shares an address with the Metropolitan Property Group.

Earlier this year, Fat Cat ran afoul of the Department of Health again — this time for selling food with CBD, the legal compound derived from cannabis. During a routine visit on Feb. 1, a DOH official gathered up a reported $1,000 worth of CBD edibles, putting them in a zip-lock bag and marking them as "embargoed."

The DOH had a murky policy that their own personnel apparently couldn't even explain.

As Eater reported at the time:

DOH visited at least two other times in the recent past and did not mention the CBD products, even though Fat Cat Kitchen advertises the treats with a sign outside the restaurant...

“I mean, this is crazy,” [C.J.] Holm says, alleging that at least two city staffers did not know what CBD was when she called for more information. “They couldn’t even intelligently explain to me exactly what the problem was when I spoke to them on the phone.”

Fat Cat Kitchen opened in May 2017. It was a nice spot with a friendly staff and owners who liked being part of the neighborhood. It's the kind of place that we need more of around here...

The Pure Green space is for rent on 2nd Avenue

[Photo Friday by Steven]

Apparently, Pure Green's time is coming to an end at 152 Second Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Landlord Icon Realty has hung a large for-rent sign — complete with arrow — above the storefront.

According to the Icon website, the space, which is available immediately, has an asking rent of $18,000 per month.

Pure Green, which sells cold-pressed juices, smoothies and açaí bowls, has had several roommates — Wattle Cafe, Greecologies, PlantMade and the I.V. Doc — since opening in March 2017.

The retail space is in the ground floor of the former Sigmund Schwartz Gramercy Park Chapel, which Icon Realty bought, adding three extra floors and opening as luxury rentals.

Tuesday's parting shot

Last night, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein presented longtime resident Chino Garcia with a proclamation. As Epstein said, Garcia's "decades of arts-centered activism is and always will be an integral part of the Lower East Side."

The ceremony was held at the new West Village location of Two Boots Pizza.

28 years of Unsilent Night and making 'beautiful music in the street'

This past Sunday evening, composer Phil Kline hosted the 28th annual holiday presentation of Unsilent Night, in which Boombox-toting participants travel from Washington Square Park to Tompkins Square Park to pre-selected musical accompaniment.

Residents from more than 40 cities — in the United States and Europe — now take part in their own harmonious holiday stroll during the month of December, culminating with the event in Manhattan.

EVG regular Dan Efram, who shared these photos, asked Kline about the the legacy of Unsilent Night.


[Kline in Tompkins Square Park]

"It was always meant to be a party, and I think for me, writing it was like giving a gift to friends. Like, here's something we can do together for free in this city that might help us escape the madness for a little while," Kline said. "I think it's kept going because many people feel that way, and need that gift too. The way it has spread around the world, largely by word-of-mouth and internet, is something of a shock, but here we are. The madness isn't going away anytime soon and we need to get together and make beautiful music in the street."

You've got that Lovenburg feeling

Lovenburg, a fast-food burger joint based in Antalya, Turkey, is coming to the United States, opening its first outpost at 328 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Lovenburg promises a variety of "homemade natural burgers" ...

View this post on Instagram

HAMBURGER TARİHCESİ Hamburger adı Almanya’nın ikinci büyük şehri olan Hamburg’tan gelir. Kelime anlamı Hamburglu veya Hamburg’a ait olan, yiyecekler için ise Hamburg tarzında pişirilendir. Benzer yiyecek kökenleri ile ilgili çok farklı iddialar söz konusudur. Bugün bildiğimiz şekli ile ilk kullanımları 1800′lerin sonu 1900′lerin başında olmakla birlikte kökeni Cengiz Han’ın ordusuna dayandırılmaktadır. Moğol askerler sefere giderken eğerlerinin altına koydukları etleri atın sırtıyla eğer arasında dövülürmüş. Mola verdiklerinde de içine soğan doğrayarak yerlermiş. 1200′lü yıllarda Cengiz Han’ın oğlu Kubilay Han Moskova’yı fethettiğinde Ruslar Moğallar’dan öğrendikleri bu yemeğe Tatar bifteği (Ruslar Moğollar’a Tartar dediği için Steak Tartar) adını vermişlerdir. Tabi orjinali at etiyle yapılıyordu. Ruslar’la ticaret yapan Almanlar 1600′lü yıllarda bunu ülkelerine götürmüş, sonrasında da Amerika’ya göç eden Almanlar 1800′lü yıllarda bunu Amerika’ya taşımışlardır. Hamburger yuvarlak şekilli bir köftenin iki dilim yuvarlak sandviç ekmeğinin arasında sunulan sıcak bir sandviç çeşididir. Burger diye de anılır. Köftenin üzerine bir dilim peynirle sunulanına çizburger (cheeseburger) denir. Ketçap, mayonez, turşu, soğan, domates ve benzeri bir çok farklı malzemeyle de sunulur. Genellikle dana etinden yapılır. Tavuk, hindi gibi farklı etlerin de kullanıldığı çeşitleri mevcuttur. Bunlar genellikle et türü ile isimlendirilir. Tavuk burger, Hindi burger gibi. Günümüzde maliyetleri düşürmek için ete ek olarak malesef %70′lere varan oranlarda katkı maddeleri de kullanılabilmektedir. LOVENBURGER hamburger köftesi %100 doğal kıyma, baharat karışımı ve sarmısak’la hazırlanarak, salça, su ve baharat karışımı ile hazırlanan özel karışım LOVENBURG sosu ile sunulur. Ayrıca peynir eklenerek hazırlanan Cheese Burger, Lüks Burger, iki hamburger köftesinden daha büyük olan Süper Burger, tavuk etiyle hazırlanan Tavuk Burger LOVENBURGER ailesinin diğer üyeleridir.

A post shared by Lovenburg (@lovenburger) on Nov 13, 2019 at 2:18am PST

The incoming East Village location also has an Instagram account, which notes this location will open soon.

Lovenburg will be peddling burgers between two excellent vegetarian/vegan restaurants — Spicy Moon and Souen ...

Twas 8 days before Christmas: MulchFest signage arrives in Tompkins Square Park

[Photo Sunday by Steven]

In case you were wondering, eight days before Christmas, when you might be able to mulch your tree after the holidays (did you even buy one yet?) ... the city is getting an early start with the MulchFesting promotion. Signage arrived in the center of Tompkins Square Park over the weekend.

According to the Parks Department website, you may drop off your tree at any Mulchfest location between Dec. 26 and Jan. 11. Chipping Saturdays will then take place on Jan. 4 and Jan. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Back to the Parks Dept. website:

Bring your tree to a chipping site on Chipping Saturdays to take home a tree-mento! We'll chip your tree and give you your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree.

Stay tuned for a few dozen more MulchFest posts and mulch-related puns (I know this mulch is true!) between now and Jan. 11.

Land of Buddha, a Himalayan gift shop, taking over the former St. Mark's Comics

[Photo by Steven]

Signage for Little Buddha, a Himalayan gift shop, arrived yesterday at 11 St. Mark's Place.

No word yet on an opening date. Workers had been spotted renovating the space in recent months.

St. Mark's Comics closed its doors here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue after 36 years in business back in February.

Owner Mitch Cutler cited a variety of factors behind the closure. "I have been working 90 hours a week for 36 years, and I no longer have the wherewithal to fight them — all of these various reasons," he told me in late January.

The shop is still selling merchandise online, however...

View this post on Instagram

We’re restocking on some of your favorites, so now’s a great time to place your order! https://www.stmarkscomics.com/shop

A post shared by St. Mark's Comics (@stmarkscomics) on Nov 24, 2019 at 4:58pm PST

Previously on EV Grieve:
St. Mark's is deader: St. Mark's Comics is closing after 36 years

Reactions to St. Mark's Comics closing

Le Sia remains closed for renovations on 7th Street

[Photos by Steven]

Le Sia remains dark on Seventh Street near Cooper Square.

The well-liked restaurant, which serves a Chinese crawfish boil, has been closed since before Thanksgiving.



A notice on Instagram states that Le Sia is "closed for maintenance."

Le Sia debuted in January 2018.

Monday's parting shots

The city has dumped a lot of salt on the streets ahead of the mixed precipitation (aka sleet) that we're expecting overnight... Vinny & O noted the salt mines on Avenue A and Avenue B this evening...



Our radar imagery is currently showing more steady precipitation, which will become widespread across the East Village late this evening into overnight.

Christmas spirit at the 9th Precinct

The 9th Precinct's annual holiday party took place this past Saturday morning on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

EVG contributor Derek Berg shared these photos from the event, which included a toy giveaway to the children in attendance...