At the opening night of 'The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic' series at the Anthology Film Archives

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

There’s a line forming when I arrive early this past Friday for the opening night of "The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic" series at Anthology Film Archives.



I’m at this East Village treasure, 32 Second Ave. at Second Street, where I meet guest curator, Genevieve HK, media preservation coordinator at the New York Public Library, Kolbe Resnick, head theater manager, and Jed Rapfogel, programmer at the Anthology.


[Genevieve HK]


[Resnick]


[Rapfogel]

Tonight, Lucien Greaves, cofounder of The Satanic Temple, as well as some members of the Satanic Temple of NYC, are leading what’s billed as a black mass ritual but may, in fact, be a destruction invocation ritual before the sold-out screening of "HÄXAN." I'm there as everyone is setting up for the screening...











There's also a slideshow by Greaves that touches on pseudoscience and the history of satanic panic and hysteria in the media. Before his arrival, Temple chair of events and rituals Stryder Crown urges the enthusiastic audience to chant “Hail Satan” as part of the call-and-response to the ritual.



The evening included an appearance by several protestors, who prayed and demonstrated on the sidewalk outside the theater...



The series runs through Feb. 20 with notable visits from filmmaker Jacqueline Castel and occult historian Mitch Horowitz, who'll provide an intro to horror classic "Rosemary's Baby" this coming Saturday night.



You can see the schedule and learn more about the series at this link.





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The Anthology Film Archives will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year. Visit this link to learn more about their expansion project.

Doma Food and Drinks debuts on 1st Avenue

[Photo by Steven]

Doma Food and Drinks, a Korean bistro, is now in soft-open mode at 120 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

As you may recall, the Tang closed here back in the fall with a notice that owner Yu Li was going to reboot the space with a new concept.

Florence Fabricant had this preview online yesterday at the Times:

[C]hef Jackie Kim weaves traditional dishes like bibimbap and Korean fried chicken into an eclectic menu. More offbeat are kimchi arancini made with kimchi rice, ceviche in a Korean mustard vinaigrette, and bossam to wrap in steamed buns instead of lettuce. (Ms. Kim is from South Korea, and has lived in Spain, which accounts for some of the influences.)

And the design?

The room, designed by Mr. Li’s partner, Minn Hur, who is also from South Korea, is done in pale tones with eye-catching pink velvet and strips of neon on the back wall.

Find the menu as well as photos of the food and interior at the Doma website.

The Tang opened here in July 2016.

Thai Direct is under renovation on Avenue A

[Photo from Saturday]

As you may have noticed, the windows at Thai Direct on Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street are now covered with paper...


[Photo by Steven]

The paper is also covering the closed-for-renovations sign that appeared last week. In an Instagram message, management confirmed the renovations, with a reopening date set for Feb. 14.

The quick-serve establishment, which bills itself as offering a healthy take on Thai street food, also has a beer-wine license in the works. CB3 gave approval back in December.

Thai Direct opened here in September 2018.

The Whale Tea beaches itself on 14th Street

The Whale Tea has set up shop at 209 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... we're told it's part of an international chain establishing its first NYC outpost.

They took over the space from another international bubble tea chain — Gong Cha.

It's a crowded bubble tea market on this stretch — PaTea and ViVi are less than a half block away.

Thanks to Shiv for the photo!

Tuesday's parting shot

Spotted today on Second Avenue... presumably an employee of Berkoff Supply, who may not have known that someone switched the B in Berkoff to a J on the back of his jacket...



Photo by Derek Berg...

North side L-train entrance opens at Avenue A on Monday

The L train's new Avenue A north entrance — for Eighth Avenue-bound commuters — will debut on Monday (Feb. 10). The Brooklyn-bound side arrived this past Nov. 4.



MTA officials note that the entrance is opening with "temporary finishes" ...



With this debut, the MTA will close the north-side entrance on First Avenue on Feb. 17 for renovations.

Here's the full schedule of what to expect from The L Project e-newsletter:

• Starting on Friday night (around 10), Feb. 15, you'll use the Avenue A north entrance to access trains in both directions on weekends and weeknights.

• On Monday, Feb. 17, the First Avenue north entrance will close for reconstruction. Like the other side, this will take about three months, so we're estimating a May 2020 completion. While this work is happening, both entrances to the First Avenue Station will be located at Avenue A.

• Once we complete the First Avenue entrances, the ones at Avenue A will close again for a bit so we can do the final finishes.

When all the construction is wrapped up, the revamped 14th Street First Avenue station will have four entrances — including the two on either side of 14th Street at Avenue A as well as two new platform-to-street ADA elevators that will be ready for use this summer. (Find more details on this MTA advisory.)

A visit to a poetry reading at Odessa

Odessa has been playing host to a literary reading series on Wednesdays in recent weeks.

Michael Graves, who started the Phoenix Reading Series in the West Village in the late 1990s, is the organizer at Odessa, the diner at 117 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by last week's event, where Amy Barone, Ron Kolm and Karen Neuberg were the featured poets.

Stacie reports that they were a very supportive bunch of readers and authors (and listeners) ...


[Michael Graves]


[Amy Barone]


[Ron Kolm]


[Karen Neuberg]

The series, which takes place in the back of the diner (near the bar) on Wednesday evenings (from 6 to 8 or 9), features several guests as well as an open-mic portion. There's a suggested donation of $5 as well as a request to order something from Odessa ...

Factory Tamal now open on 4th Street

[Photo via @factory_tamal]

The new outpost of Factory Tamal debuted yesterday at 63 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

This is the second location for Factory Tamal, which first started selling its reasonably priced (and homemade) tamales, egg sandwiches and panini from a small take-out space on the Lower East Side in January 2017. (They moved from Essex Street to 34 Ludlow St. in August 2017.)

Owner Fernando Lopez makes his own masa — "faithful to the ancient Mayan way," as the Times put it in an August 2017 feature. And the result of his hard work? "Mr. Lopez’s tamales are beautifully fluffy, clingy and crumbly at once, a texture that calls to mind the airiest of poundcakes."

An EVG reader snapped these photos of the menu...





Their hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Factory Tamal bringing its freshly made tamales to 4th Street

Melt Shop closes on 4th Avenue

The Melt Shop at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street has closed — less than a year after its arrival. (Thanks to @jcooper911 for the photos!)

A sign on the door directs patrons to the other NYC locations of the quick-serve restaurant that specializes in grilled-cheese sandwiches and tater tots...



Melt Shop took over from Make Sandwich, which was an extension of their brand.

This closure comes on the heels of Liquiteria's departure right next door.

The southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street has also been a challenge for businesses since the longtime deli was rent-hiked out of here in November 2012. The space has been home to Fresh & Co., Pie Face and Sandwicherie in fairly quick succession. Dig has the space now.

Monday's parting shot

A walk past the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Baby Yoda has left, but we have Princess Leia

The Baby Yoda mural's time has come to an end here at the Second Avenue F stop.

However, there is a Princess Leia wheatpaste courtesy of the Postman Collective as a consolation.



As for the new work here, Will Power, who created the Baby Yoda on Jan. 11-12, teamed up with Albertus Joseph for the mural, titled "Gritty City Style."

Reminders: This workshop will offer free legal resources for East Village small business owners

Reposted from Jan. 30

Several local organizations are joining forces to provide small business owners in the East Village with free legal resources during a workshop this week at Book Club on Third Street.

Via the EVG inbox...

Many small businesses and commercial tenants have concerns about non-rent charges and how they impact the bottom line.

Cooper Square Committee, East Village Independent Merchants Association (EVIMA) and Brooklyn Legal Services will bring free legal resources to neighborhood businesses and commercial tenants.

Join us for one or both of our upcoming sessions on non-rent charges. Lawyers will be available after each session to do one-on-one consultations.

Bring your commercial lease and your questions!

Morning and evening session available:

Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 9 a.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Book Club
197 E. Third St. near Avenue B

First sign of the tech hub — aka Zero Irving — above ground on 14th Street

Foundation work started last August here on 14th Street at Irving Place ... at the future home of the recently rebranded tech hub.

As you can see, the structure — now known as Zero Irving — is rising above the street level ...



The building, developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will top out at 21 floors... featuring Civic Hall, which will offer digital skills for low-income residents, as well as market-rate retail, office space and a food hall.

RAL announced the rebranding back in October. In the news release, the developers describe this as being "in the epicenter of Midtown South."

"This is exactly what we said about this plan, and what we feared — it’s intended to transform our neighborhoods into Midtown South," Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, told Curbed in a statement back in October. "The zero in 'ZERO IRVING' represents what neighbors and the public got out of this deal, while those who donated generously to the Mayor reap 100 percent of the benefits."



In recent weeks, several EVG readers have noted that the active work site — which sees a steady stream of concrete trucks running in and out of the site — has encroached further onto 14th Street...





In July 2018, during a televised hearing, the reps for the developer promised that all demolition and construction work would be done within the bounds of the property.

The project, championed by Mayor de Blasio and initially announced in early 2017, passed through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Process earlier in 2018, capped off by a unanimous City Council vote — led by local Councilmember Carlina Rivera — in August 2018. A rezoning was required to build the the structure, which is larger than what current commercial zoning allows.

The approval came despite the pleas of some residents, activists, small-business owners and community groups who had long expressed concern that the rezoning necessary for the project would spur out-of-scale development on surrounding blocks.

These concerns have not abated.

Back in the fall, the city released its plan to add a requirement that new hotels in Greenwich Village and the East Village south of Union Square must receive a special permit from the City Planning Commission and City Council in order to be built. Critics of the plan reportedly contend that this may instead speed up the development of office buildings in the neighborhood. The City Planning Commission is expected to sign off on the plan in the weeks ahead before it moves to City Council.

The new building, on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son, has a completion date for the spring of 2021, per the renderings onsite.

Last two days to enjoy a Farmwich at Ben's Deli

[Photo yesterday by Daniel]

Farmwich wraps up its weeks-long pop-up residency at Ben's Deli today and tomorrow.

The sandwich makers arrived here at 32 Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street on Jan. 12.

From Sunday through Tuesday, they prepare a unique sandwich sourced from New York-based "regenerative agriculture farms."

View this post on Instagram

Today’s Farmwich description: “Reuben Studdard” Roasted Windfall Carrots Lani’s Mixed Baby Greens Reuben Nostalgia Spread (heirloom cranberry bean, sauerkraut, mustard) Wild Hive Multigrain Granola (hard red and soft white wheats, oats, rye, barley, millet, flax, etc) Creamy Dill Dressing Lunch of champions. If we have not mentioned it before, we make literally everything from scratch, the granola, mustard, kraut, to infinity and beyond!

A post shared by Farmwich (@farmwichnyc) on Jan 28, 2020 at 9:22am PST

Farmwich is open from noon to 2:30 p.m. today and tomorrow. All sandwiches are $9, which includes tax and tip.

Given their popularity, look for Farmwich to pop up again elsewhere — perhaps even permanently.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Farmwich pops up with speciality sandwiches at Ben's Deli on Avenue B

Live above the iconic Block Drugs

Back on Friday evening, a tipster noted the arrival of an apartment for rent sign on Second Avenue and Sixth Street — above Block Drugs...



As the sign shows, it's a five-bedroom, two-bathroom unit (perfect for a family?) .. that has a "tasteful renovation" in what is officially 240 E. Sixth St. (aka 101 Second Ave.).

While the for rent sign may be new, the apartment has been on the market for nearly two months, according to Streeteasy.

And NOT listed among the many amenities: the warm glow from the Block Drugs neon...


[Photo by Jeremiah Moss]

As for the monthly rent: $9,995.

The building dates to 1880. Block Drugs was said to open in 1885. Public records show that Adeline Residences Inc. has been the longtime owner of the building, dating to 1970.

You HAD your chance to buy the 7-Eleven retail space on the Bowery

[Same photo as last time]

Back on Nov. 26, we noted an investment opportunity for you involving the retail condo at 351 and 353 Bowery between Third Street and Fourth Street... home of the 7-Eleven.

The single-tenant retail condominium was going for $6,915,032. (I had the .032!)

Anyway, YOU ARE TOO LATE. Commercial Property Executive reported last week that the 2,156-square-foot retail space sold for $6.9 million to a "private investor."

Public records show that the building last traded in 2019, when the seller acquired it from HK Organization for $4.6 million.

This 7-Eleven opened in December 2011. The 7-Eleven recently extended their lease through December 2034, with contract terms featuring a 10 percent rent increase every five years.

Becky's Bites moves on 7th Street

The Becky's Bites storefront has closed at 122 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. Proprietor Becky Rosenthal cleared out the space on Friday ahead of a short move across the street.

The online and catering portion of the business that specializes in cream cheese-based desserts is now sharing space with Butter Lane Bakery.

View this post on Instagram

We are excited to announce that Becky’s Bites NYC catering has moved to @butterlane 🧁🍭🍰🍫🍪 just across the way of our home on 7th street! All #NYC #catering + 📞 preorders will be available for delivery & pick up from 123 East 7th street M-F 9am to 5pm 🤩🤩🤩 Be on the lookout for exciting product collaborations + amazing Butter Lane cupcake products available on our catering menus later this month! #smallbusiness #supportingsmallbusinesses ✊🏻

A post shared by Becky's Dips (@beckysdips) on Feb 1, 2020 at 9:58am PST

Coincidentally (or not), the other business at 122 E. Seventh St., Desnuda, the 18-seat ceviche bar, closed on Jan. 15. Owners did not provide a reason for this closure. Their Brooklyn location remains open.

Public records show that 122 East 7th Street Associates has owned the building since 1985.

The 300-square-foot retail space that Becky's leased — starting in the summer of 2017 — has been on the rental market in recent weeks. No word on the asking rent.

Week in Grieview

[The return of Sherlock Holmes via Derek Berg]

Posts this past week included...

• Get well soon, Ray! (Monday)

• A reading series at Odessa (Tuesday)

• Police looking for trio in vicious Jan. 1 attack on 9th Street and Avenue A (Thursday)

• Behind the build: Amelia and Christo's dream nests 2020 (Wednesday)

• Are you missing your pet parrot? (Thursday)

• Recognizing Debi the Gardener for her years of service in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

• Factory Tamal bringing its freshly made tamales to 4th Street (Monday)

• Demolition prep for the former home of Barrier Free Living on 2nd Street (Tuesday)

• Deadline extended to apply to serve on a Community Board (Wednesday)

• Workshop next week will offer free legal resources for East Village small business owners (Thursday)

• At the Tribal Soundz reunion (Friday)

• Partial reveal of the explosion site condoplex (Friday)

• Now hear this: About the new book of East Village bar quotes from Billy the Artist (Thursday) ... An afternoon with Billy the Artist (Saturday)

• Avenue A storefront watch (Monday)

• The Izakaya opening a 2nd East Village location (Friday)

• Spätzle alert: Zum Schneider's kitchen will be open for a few weeks longer (Friday)

• Pinks Cantina bringing the tacos to Webster Hall (Thursday)

• That unique pop-up gallery space on 7th and C is now home to a palm reader (Thursday)

• Prince Tea House expanding to the East Village with an outpost on 10th Street (Tuesday)

• A new tree nest for El Jardin del Paraiso (Tuesday)

• Addiction NYC space for rent on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

• Kissaki debuts on the Bowery this week (Monday)

And Stacie Joy shared this photo of a Corona promotion at Key Food Thursday night... (the thing was gone by Sunday)...



Which reminded me of a piece I saw online at USA Today the other day:

As new coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, some people seem to think that the deadly outbreak is somehow related to Corona beer. It's not.

The alcoholic beverage from Mexico showed a surge in Google searches in the past week, along with the term “corona beer virus” and “beer virus.”

In the United States, Google Trends calculated that 57% of the people that searched one of those terms searched for “beer virus,” and the remaining 43% searched for “corona beer virus.”

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Corners

The northwest corner of Second Street at First Avenue, as seen yesterday...

Wooden sword and sorcery at Community Grocery & Candy

A New York City bodega worker fended off a would-be robber with a wooden sword.

The worker struck the robber on the head, sending him to the hospital with minor head injuries when he started demanding money and fighting him.https://t.co/vAvQ3kxLIa

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 1, 2020

Early yesterday morning, an employee at Community Grocery & Candy on 14th Street near First Avenue reportedly protected his store from a robbery attempt with a wooden sword stashed behind the counter.

Per the Daily News, the suspect, identified as Zachariah Vasquez, demanded money from the register.

Instead of handing over the money, Alomari Saleh produced the sword and struck Vazquez in the head.

The report does not mention if Vasquez had any weapon.


[Photo this morning by Vinny & O]