A visit to Anyway Cafe

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

The faint strains of music reach me as I cross over Second Avenue at Second Street to visit Anyway Cafe, 34 E. Second St., the subterranean Russian restaurant known for its infused house-made vodkas and cozy artist-friendly atmosphere that offers free live background music for diners.

The cafe, which opened in late July after the COVID-19 PAUSE, has been in this location for more than 25 years, a time that has seen music lovers gather here to eat Russian-French fusion small plates and sample the creative vodka-based cocktails.



At Anyway, I talk with its audio engineer, Charlie Martin, who previously worked as chief audio and booking agent at CBGB as well as producing and engineering content for Queen Latifah, the Clash and others, to view some of his archival Anyway Stories. He’s been recording and filming the various musical acts showcased at Anyway Cafe over the years and is eager to share samples, which we view on his phone.





We listen to tonight’s Latin music and classics by Yael & Gabriel (Yael Dray-Barel and Gabriel Hermida) as more patrons arrive on this Friday evening to the new (covered) curbside seating, painted by Charlie Hudson, and spacious by social distancing standards. Meanwhile, plates of pelmeni, caviar and crepes arrive for diners as well as their signature martinis. Manager Natasha Stolichnayana even brings out some of her famed horseradish vodka.






[Natasha with a bottle of horseradish-infused vodka]



--

You can keep up with Anyway Cafe on Facebook. Anyway Cafe is at 34 E. Second St. at Second Avenue. (212) 533-3412.

Sales launch for condos at site of deadly 2nd Avenue explosion

Sales are now underway at 45 E. Seventh St., the 7-story, 21-unit condoplex on the northwest corner of Second Avenue — the site of the deadly gas explosion on March 26, 2015 that leveled three buildings, 119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.

Here are details about the Morris Adjmi-designed building — dubbed No45e7 — and units via Real Estate Weekly, who first reported on the sales:

Each unit has oversized windows, high-efficiency central VRF heating and cooling and is pre-wired for smart home features including shades, lighting, sound and intercom.

The building offers a common roof terrace, fitness center, landscaped garden terrace, residents’ laundry room, private storage rooms and bicycle storage. Carson, a virtual doorman, tracks deliveries, service requests, intercom calls, and visitors while providing live HD video of each entry and a payment system to compliment the staffed doorman, all through an app.

Prices will range from approximately $1.35 million for one-bedroom, $1.995 million to $4 million for two- and three-bedrooms, going up to $8.3 million for the penthouse.

There will also be ground-floor retail.

And a few images...





In response to launching sales during the pandemic, in which apartment sales in Manhattan have hit their lowest point in nearly 20 years, a spokesperson for the developer, Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group, told Real Estate Weekly: "While many developers may be hesitant to launch during the current pandemic, Nexus Development is confident of the market recovery and that their product offers the exact level of safety, space and comfort to give buyers confidence in a post-COVID world."

As for some history here: In the spring of 2017, Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and No. 121 that landlord Maria Hrynenko owned.

In a previously recorded transaction, Ezra Wibowo paid $6 million for the adjacent property at 123 Second Ave. that was owned by a different landlord who had no role in the explosion. There isn't any development planned there for now, according to previous reports.

In January, Hrynenko, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis were found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and related offenses for their role in the blast. They were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko is out on bail as she awaits an appeal of the case.

Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband Michael died in 2004, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to cut corners, according to prosecutors.

The property will include a commemorative plaque that honors the two men who died here on March 26, 2015: Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón. In October 2017, city officials unveiled new street blades that co-name the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street after the two men.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• [Updating] Explosion on 2nd Avenue and East 7th Street

• How displaced residents are faring after the 2nd Avenue gas explosion

• Moving on — and feeling lucky — after the 2nd Avenue explosion

• Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'

• RIP Nicholas Figueroa

• RIP Moises Locón

• Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner

(Re)openings: Borrachito on A; Lost City Oyster House on C

Borrachito, the speakeasy-style taqueria in the back of the Garret East, is now the main event here at 206 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The taco bar switched places with the bar and is now serving from a to-go window (there's curbside dining too from 2-11 p.m.).

Time Out has a preview of the remodeled space, which opened yesterday, right here.

H/T Vinny & O!

→→→



The Lost Lady, a nautica-themed bar, was said to close earlier this summer after nearly three years at 171 Avenue C between 10th Street and 11th Street.

However, the space has been reimagined as Lost City Oyster House — described as an "oyster house & beer garden." You can find the menu here.

Lost City comes from Robert Ceraso and Jason Mendenhall, the co-owners of Good Night Sonny and the Wild Son on First Avenue. Their other Avenue C venture, the Wayland, is temporarily closed after running afoul of the SLA.

A return visit

It has been a few weeks since we've seen any of the juvenile red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park... until tonight, when Steven spotted one of Amelia and Christo's 2020 offspring making a return visit...



... doing a load of laundry and looking for the cans of beer stashed in the bushes...



Goggla recently noted that the juveniles are still in the area, but mostly spending time outside the Park.

"The young hawks have stuck around the park much longer this season than I expected, so seeing them throughout the summer has been a welcome gift."

Check out her site for more August photos of the juveniles.

Noted

A piece of cardboard with a message spotted along the Bowery near First Street:

New York City: The Home of the Nosiest People Worldwide!

And some detail, courtesy of EV Arrow (who is still here!)...

Longtime counterman ponders life after B&H

[Photo from 2016 by Grant Shaffer]

In an Instagram post last week, B&H Dairy on Second Avenue outlined the hardships of running a small business during the COVID-19 crisis.

The lunch counter's post also noted that they had to lay off Mahmoud "Mike" Tarabih, the popular cook who was a familiar presence here for years behind the counter. "Though he had been with B&H for 14 years, he was one of our most junior employees," per the B&H Instagram post. "Many of our remaining staff are the sole breadwinner for their families."

In a widely circulated story published yesterday at Grub Street, Rachel Handler spoke with Mike about the layoff, the challenges of finding restaurant work during the pandemic and what might be next for him and his family, including two children.

"I don’t know what I am gonna do now. Who’s going to take care of the kids? I worked out a schedule with their principal [that matched] my schedule," he said. "If I start a new job, who will take care of them?"

Here are a few excerpts from the piece titled "He Fed the East Village for 14 Years. Now He's Wondering What’s Next."

It is essentially impossible to think of the East Village without thinking of Mahmoud "Mike" Tarabih, the self-described "grill man" at neighborhood mainstay B&H Dairy. Tarabih has been crafting tuna melts and greasy omelettes while also serving as B&H’s de facto, wildly charming host for the last 14 years, remembering the names and orders of every single person who's ever visited the kosher diner.

On how he got the job:

We know each other from back home, from Egypt. [Co-owner Fawzy Abdelwahed] is my friend from back home, same city. When I came to New York, he invited me to see the place. I liked the place, and when I started, I loved the place 100 percent. It was not like customers, it was like family. Everyone asks each other what’s going on in their lives. Nobody was like, "I'm the boss,” you know? That's why I loved my place. I did my best. I worked from my heart. When I cook, I cook from my soul.

On remembering everyone's name and order:

When you love what you’re doing, it’s like a child. I have two children at home, this [job] is my third child. I love it. I just love it. Every part. I come in the morning, I smell the food fresh, and I finish my day, I say, “Thank God, everybody went home happy. Everybody is happy.”

On finding a new job:

I’m looking. I talk to my friends. But nothing is happening. I'll take any job. I don't care. I've already called a lot of people, but a lot of places are still closed. We’ll see. Thank God, I have a lot of friends to help me. I'm happy. The only problem is I lost my job during a bad time. I have two families to support.

---

One of his longtime customers, Morrigan Burke-Martin, helped Tarabih set up his own GoFundMe to offset the costs of raising two children and supporting his extended family in Egypt. The crowdfunding campaign is at this link.

Free groceries this afternoon at Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless

In addition to their normal pantry service, Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) on Ninth Street at Avenue B is providing an additional free food distribution this afternoon.



From 3 to 5 p.m., SAFH will have groceries for 300 families. No registration required.

Trinity's SAFH — at the Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish — has been serving meals to those in need for more than 30 years.

Clearing out Third Rail Coffee

Workers were spotted clearing out Third Rail Coffee yesterday on 10th Street ... presumably bringing an end to the cafe here just west of Second Avenue.

There hasn't been any official notice about a closure. Third Rail Coffee had shut down at the start of the NY PAUSE in March.

Earlier this summer, we spotted a Termination of Lease notice on the door that stated rent was due for April, May and June on the storefront. (This despite the state’s eviction moratorium.)

Third Rail, an outpost of the original on Sullivan Street, opened here in the summer of 2013. It was a nice spot that offered views of the historic St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery across the street.

Thanks to Dan Scheffey for the photo!

The Other Music Documentary is now available on streaming services

The Other Music documentary makes its digital-platform debut today, streaming now on iTunes and Prime Video.

The film chronicles the 20-year history and legacy of Other Music, the shop on Fourth Street between Lafayette and Broadway, its influence on music in New York City and its closure in June 2016.

It was originally scheduled to have its theatrical debut in April at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue.



Other Music's owners cited rising rents and the growing hardship of selling music out of a physical store as reasons behind the closure.

Turntable Lab closes its 10th Street storefront

Turntable Lab will not be reopening its storefront at 84 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

A for rent sign now hangs in the front window of the shop, which closed in March at the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

TTL partner Pete Hahn, an East Village resident, said that they "couldn’t come up with a viable deal with [the] landlord." He said the landlord came back to them recently with a more flexible offer, but their decision to close the brick-and-mortar part of the business was already made at that point.

The shop that sold vinyl, turntables, speakers, headphones and more for the DJ community as well as the casual music aficionado had its start while Hahn was still at NYU. Their first storefront was in a cramped space on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. They moved to the larger spot in early 2017.

While several local high-profile record stores have shut down in recent years (Other Music and Kim's among them), it's possible the TTL closure could be more short-term.

"We’re not ruling out a physical presence in the future," Hahn said. "We’re open to coming back when things return to somewhat normal, and hopefully rents are lower."

TTL, which celebrated its 20th year in business last year, will continue with retail sales online.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to Turntable Lab on 10th Street

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space reopens today on Avenue C

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) opens today for the first time since mid-March with two new mixed-media exhibits highlighting social movements with downtown roots.

Here's info via MoRUS, which archives urban activism, about the exhibits debuting today:

"How Green Is My City?," curated by Green Map System's founder and director Wendy Brawer, traces the history of this locally led, globally linked sustainability mapping movement.

The exhibit explores the movement’s impacts via print maps and other artifacts that highlight local nature, culture, green living and social justice sites. Special events, including walking tours, online demonstrations of Green Map's new mapping platform, and an opportunity to put your favorite sites on the map will be announced by MoRUS.

And...

"Plywood Windows of SoHo: Black Lives Matter" captures images from June when shopping returned following the protests against George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police. The opportunistic, collateral looting that followed the peaceful protests prompted many high-end retailers to board up their glass facades with plywood.

Using these barriers as canvases, artists created murals and messages calling for racial and social justice. A wide selection of these images, which were captured by the lenses of James Hong and George Hirose and curated by Hong, are displayed on the museum’s lower level among actual portions of painted plywood discarded by building owners.

Both exhibits will be on display through the fall.

Located at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street, MoRUS is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free with a suggested $5 donation. Per New York State guidelines, facial coverings are required and social distancing will be enforced.

After a five-month shutdown, museums and cultural institutions in NYC were allowed to reopen yesterday with attendance restrictions.

Yuba has closed on 9th Street

Yuba shut down on Ninth Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. A reader shared the news of the closure for the restaurant that offered up well-reviewed Japanese cuisine. Aug. 12 marked their last day in business.

Workers have removed the Yuba sign and menu from outside...



The restaurant opened in early 2011 and drew praise from the Times:

How spoiled we are in New York. Elsewhere a place like Yuba would be swooned over, with its intelligent takes on Japanese cuisine and its impeccably fresh sushi. On recent evenings, it was undeservedly empty.

It is not helped by a no-man’s-land address. Prices are too steep for the N.Y.U. students nearby, the setting too modest for the high fliers at Masa to defect downtown. This despite the fact that Yuba’s chefs and owners, George Ruan and Jack Wei, did serious time at Masa and Bar Masa, respectively.

Yuba had been open of late for takeout and delivery, but it wasn't enough to keep it in business during the pandemic.

Monday's parting shot

Carrying the Uck Rump couch today on Sixth Street ... photo by Derek Berg...

Local elected officials wants answers on the status of officer accused of police brutality on Avenue D

[Screengrab from video taken by Daquan Owens]

Local community leaders and elected officials gathered on Thursday afternoon to demand action against Officer Francisco Garcia for the violent arrest of an East Village resident on May 2.

During the press conference at Ninth Street and Avenue D, the group called on NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and Mayor de Blasio to stop delaying their investigation and fire Garcia ... and for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance to file criminal charges.

Garcia, who's stationed at PS4 on Avenue C, was put on a desk assignment following the ugly confrontation when an attempt to enforce social distancing rules escalated on a spring Saturday afternoon.

Garcia and his partners originally approached a man and a woman outside the corner deli on Ninth and D over a lack of social distancing, police officials previously said. This encounter reportedly led to an arrest on marijuana and weapons charges.

As seen in a widely circulated video shot by a witness, Garcia, who was not in uniform, then walked toward several bystanders, including Donni Wright, a nearby resident who works for the NYCHA. Police officials originally said that Wright took a "fighting stance," which led Garcia to shout the n-word and brandish a taser before wrestling Wright to the ground and kneeling on his head. (See top image.)

Social justice activists and local elected officials have pointed out the similar tactics in this arrest with that of now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on the neck of George Floyd for more than eight minutes before he died on May 25.

Wright was arrested and was initially charged with assaulting an officer, menacing, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct. The charges were later deferred by the DA's office. Wright has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the city.



In late May, The New York Times reported that the officers involved would face disciplinary charges.

Per the Times on May 29:

Investigators with the New York Police Department have recommended misconduct charges against three police officers, including one who sat and knelt on the neck and upper torso of a man he was arresting, a maneuver similar to the one used in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, two people familiar with the matter said.

It is unclear what charges the officers, including Francisco X. Garcia, will face in connection with the investigation of the May 2 incident ... one of several police encounters that led to accusations of racial bias in the enforcement of social distancing, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an internal police investigation.

While Garcia has been investigated by Internal Affairs, with a recommendation that departmental charges be filed, police officials haven't provided any updates or offered clarity on why further actions are taking so long. (A police spokesperson told amNew York Metro that "the disciplinary process is ongoing.")

"We shouldn't have to stand here almost four months later demanding justice from a system that's supposed to protect our community," said local City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera on Thursday. "When we ask for the firing and criminal charges for Officer Garcia, we're asking them to make it clear that police abuse is unacceptable in any form. It’s a disgrace that six years after the death of Eric Garner and his denied justice, the de Blasio administration continues to deny justice for Black and brown communities. This must end."

It’s been nearly 4 months since Donni Wright was brutally assaulted by NYPD Officer Francisco Garcia. Yet Garcia remains on the force w/ no explanation.

Today our LES community is gathering to demand justice - Tune In! https://t.co/w4VbtRzbhf

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) August 20, 2020

And from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer: "Policing only works when police have the public's trust. Officer Garcia violated that trust when he knelt on Donni Wright's neck while attempting to arrest him for social distancing violations. The NYPD also violated that trust when they continued to have Garcia on the force even after multiple instances of prior misconduct. Officer Garcia must be held accountable: He must be fired from the police department and should face charges."

The city has paid out nearly $200,000 to settle lawsuits involving Garcia, an eight-year veteran, Gothamist reported.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• In aftermath of Avenue D arrests, pols want answers from city on how social distancing is being enforced

• Investigation for excessive force demanded after social-distancing arrests on Avenue D

• Caravan protest on Avenue C addresses racial bias and police violence in social-distancing arrests

Speculating about the future of John Varvatos in the former home of CBGB on the Bowery

The gate remains down at the John Varvatos outpost at 315 Bowery. The shop between First Street and Second Street has been locked up for the past few weeks.

Bowery watchers are speculating about what might be happening with the address, considered hallowed ground by some for being the home of CBGB from 1973 to 2006.

First, some background on what has been happening with JV, the menswear designer. According to the retailer's website, all of the brand's locations are currently closed. (The Bowery shop returned on July 2, and stayed opened for several weeks.)

As The Wall Street Journal reported on July 24, John Varvatos was in financial trouble long before the COVID-19 pandemic. The business filed for bankruptcy protection on May 6, with a buyout offer from an affiliate of Lion Capital of London and Los Angeles.

(The Journal article also outlines an Equal Pay Act class-action lawsuit that began in 2017 by female sales associates at the retailer. Earlier this year, the sales associates won a jury verdict in an Equal Pay Act class-action lawsuit. "Varvatos denied discrimination. The jury ruled against the retailer, awarding $1.7 million in legal fees, as well as the $3.5 million in damages.")

In late July, WWD reported that a Lion Capital subsidiary was expected to acquire the bankrupt brand and merge it into the AllSaints portfolio. (AllSaints the British fashion retailer, sells menswear, womenswear apparel, footwear and accessories in more than 230 stores.) Varvatos was also rumored to be leaving the company.

John Varvatos opened here in April 2008... the first tenant since the storied music club shut down on Oct. 15, 2006, after a losing a deal to renew the lease with their landlord, the Bowery Residents' Committee.

JV preserved part of the former CBGB space, keeping parts of the wall with sticker and flyers intact and preserved behind glass inside the shop.


[lisaamulvey/flickr]

At the time, there was debate about all this. Some were in the "it's-better-than-a-bank-or-a Fuddruckers camp." Others preferred that the old space was gutted rather than turned into a museum alongside $300 Cheap Trick t-shirts. (In 2008, Arturo Vega, creative director for the Ramones, told the Post: "I like it. I'm relieved. We were expecting a drug store in the space. So when I found out it was Varvatos moving in, it was a relief.")

For now, the speculation is on whether JV will ever reopen, and if not, will a AllSaints outpost open in the space, perhaps keeping the CBGB memory alive on the walls?

Kitchen Sink removes part of its roof to accommodate more outdoor dining

Back on Friday, workers removed the glass-enclosed front section of Kitchen Sink, the diner on Second Avenue at Fifth Street ... opening up space for a few more outdoor tables...



...to go with the curbside seats on the Fifth Street side...



Local restaurants are doing what they can to safely increase the number of patrons as there aren't plans for indoor dining in the city anytime soon.

Kitchen Sink is at 88 Second Ave. at Fifth St. (212) 420-8050.

P.S.

The old-look Kitchen Sink with a helpful arrow showing what workers took out...

A look at the larger Amor y Amargo on A; plus Soda Club signage arrives on B

As previously reported, East Village restaurateur Ravi DeRossi is turning 95 Avenue A into an expanded Amor y Amargo... the gates were up the other day here on Sixth Street, offering a look at the new signage in progress...





No. 95 previously housed three of DeRossi's establishments: Honey Bee's, Amor y Amargo and Mother of Pearl. Honey Bee's and Mother of Pearl closed to accommodate the larger Amor y Amargo, which will now also include a full food menu.

Amor y Amargo debuted in 2011 with just a handful of seats, and quickly became celebrated as the country's first bitters-based bar.

In other DeRossi developments, signage recently arrived for Soda Club here at 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street...



Soda Club will feature fresh-made pasta and "over 100 natural and inexpensive wines." No word on an opening date.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Mother of Pearl and Honey Bee's close to make way for a larger Amor y Amargo on Avenue A

• Ravi Derossi has Soda Club in the works for Avenue B

American Dream Gourmet Deli coming to 14th Street

Signage is up for the new business opening soon at 247 E. 14th St. — American Dream Gourmet Deli.

The deli, just west of Second Avenue, will be open 24/7, and selling deli-like items such as sandwiches. They'll also be going head to head with 7-Eleven, which is several storefronts away along IHOP Way.

The deli takes over the space from the 5-year-old T-swirl Crêpe, which didn't reopen after the COVID-19 PAUSE.

Thanks to Pinch for the tip!

What's going on with the local OddFellows spaces?

Several readers have asked about the status of OddFellows at 75 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery... the ice cream shop, which has been closed since the COVID-19 PAUSE in March, has been emptied out... the phone number is not in service...


[Photos by Vinny & O]

The branch on East Houston at Mott is also vacant ...



Both locations are no longer on the OddFellows website. Other outposts of the Brooklyn-based small-batch ice cream company, which launched in 2013, are open, including a new spot at Gotham West Market.

We reached out several times to OddFellows, but have yet to hear back about the status of the local shops.

OddFellows opened on Fourth Street in the spring of 2014. The East Houston location opened in 2018.

Report: Judge denies temporary restraining order for Cloister Cafe

[Photo by Steven]

A judge denied a temporary restraining order that would have reinstated the liquor license at Cloister Cafe after it was suspended for alleged social-distancing infractions earlier this month by the State Liquor Authority.

As Page Six first reported over the weekend:

Applying for the order, the bar, run by Nick Drobenko and Provocateur’s Mike Satsky and Brian Gefter, argued that, "Our business will not survive another closure." But the judge said they'd "provided little hard information" to support that.

"I do not doubt that the statement is made in good faith and may prove accurate," Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote Thursday. "But the plaintiff's owners apparently own the building in which the restaurant is located and thus may be far better able to survive than many other restaurateurs."

According to the SLA report that led to the suspension:

Investigators found the restaurant operating as a nightclub and hookah lounge with a live DJ, documenting numerous patrons ignoring social distancing with lines of customers congregating in front of the premises without facial coverings, at least twenty patrons consuming alcohol indoors under a fixed roof, and no receipts for food purchases.

For their part, Cloister Cafe claimed that the SLA didn't properly investigate the alleged violations — and just copied the claims from a Gothamist article.

Meanwhile, on Avenue B, the owners of Hairy Lemon posted a letter to patrons about their recent SLA suspension...


[Photo by Stacie Joy]

According to the SLA:

On August 8th, investigators with the state's multi-agency task force observed patrons standing and drinking without facial coverings outside the premises and confirmed that the location was operating a bar-type service, selling drinks to multiple patrons without substantial food.

The letter on the front door at the Hairy Lemon states in part that they "intend to fight our case and slightly remodel in order to comply with the strict new guidelines."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Cloister Cafe owner sues state over suspended liquor license