Mad for Chicken is now open at 230 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks to Steven for the shot and to Nick Solares and Pinch for sending photos as well.)
MFC, which got its starts in Flushing in 2005, serves "soy garlic fried chicken and unique Korean inspired dishes," per its website. You can find a menu here.
The expanding company now has 10 NYC locations and four in Texas.
The address was previously home to the Nugget Spot, which closed after a seven-year nugs run during the pandemic.
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Meanwhile, The Tree Shop NYC recently opened at 313 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, selling vape products, smoke accessories, snacks, etc., etc., etc.
The Tree Shop takes over the storefront with ample signage opportunities from the optical shop Eyes on 14... (H/T Pinch here too)...
Flordel Floristis leaving its small retail space at 226 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C for a new, larger storefront at 78 Clinton St. ... yesterday marked the last day here... (thanks to Stacie Joy for the photos!) ...
According to an Instagram post from the florist, the new space between Rivington and Delancey is three times larger than its current outpost. The grand opening is expected early in January.
In May, ownership changed the signage out front from "Florist Flowers" to the tongue-in-cheek "Very Expensive Flowers."
An announcement from earlier this month... Melio, a "B2B payments platform for small businesses," is the first tenant for Zero Irving (formerly the Union Square Tech Training Center, 14 @ Irving and tech hub) on 14th Street.
According to various published reports and a news release, Melioleased 25,000 square feet of office space across the 15th and 16th floors for use as its global HQ. The company, said to be valued at $4 billion, is relocating here from a WeWorks property on West 18th Street.
The building, developed jointly by the city's Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as "a technology training center and incubator, co-working spaces and state-of-the-art event space ... on the seven floors beneath," per the Zero Irving website. Urbanspace will operate a food hall on the ground level.
Long contested by local preservationists and community groups, the new building sits on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son on city-owned property.
Thanks for EVG reader Tina Li for this shot of the spectacular sunrise this morning... as seen from East River Park (the sectiion that's still open to the public) ...
In an Instagram post, the Cornerstone cited the ongoing pandemic and the city's related mandates and restrictions for the closure.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy later ran into owner Rocco Opramolla. Aside from the reasons stated above, he said that the landlord raised his rent this year. He was previously paying $4,000 a month, which allowed him to offer specials such as the $4 breakfast.
Rocco said that he just couldn't pay the new rent, which he didn't disclose, with all the NYC COVID-19 restrictions.
Before owning his own restaurant, Rocco spent nearly 25 years working as a meat cutter, a profession he may revisit. He's nearing 60 and not too far from retirement age, and he plans to visit his kids in San Diego and then take "a little vacation" and relax after 10-plus years of running the restaurant.
He'll decide what to do when he gets back early next year. Rocco says he might open a new place if things are different going forward, but he couldn't do it during COVID time.
He is very thankful for the neighborhood support. Stacie asked if there was anything that could be done to assist him, and he said no; his mind was made up. He seems at peace with his decision.
Urban Wine & Spirits — going now as Urban Artisan Wine & Craft Spirits — has debuted on the SW corner of First Avenue and Third Street ... steps away from the shop's previous location... (thanks to Marjorie Ingall for the photos!)
As previously noted, a wine bar is also in the works for the storefront... ownership says that the wine bar, set to debut in the spring, will have a separate entrance on the Third Street size.
Meanwhile, the shop will be hosting tastings and events once it's safer to do so.
Jorge Arias, a partner in The Sampler in Bushwick, opened Urban Wine & Spirits here in March 2014.
Wine store hours: Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with an 11 p.m. close on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday hours: noon to 9 p.m.
Reps for the Department of Homeless Services have posted notices on that abandoned curbside dining structure on the NE corner of Sixth Street at Avenue A.
Per the notices, city crews will clean up this space beginning today...
As previously mentioned, several readers-residents have complained about the lengthy structure on the Sixth Street side. The bar-restaurant August Laura closed in the corner space here in early December. Up to 10 people were said to move into the structure the night workers cleared out the restaurant. Another reader said that it has become "a 24-hour shooting gallery."
August Laura's small structure on Avenue A has been boarded up to prevent people from entering...
Given that the building is for sale, it's likely that there won't be a retail tenant in the space for some time.
In October, Mayor de Blasio ordered the Department of Transportation to remove unused dining structures erected as part of the Open Restaurants program. City workers have reportedly taken down dozens to date, including the curbside dining structure outside the shuttered Auriga Cafe at 198 Avenue A at the time.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is working to make the Open Restaurants program permanent. Gothamist has a recap of some of the issues here. A previously undisclosed survey shows support for the program, per Streetsblog.
The Department of City Planning and DOT launched a public survey to improve the designs and rules regarding permanent outdoor dining setups. You have until the end of the year to share your thoughts on the program with the city. Find the survey at this link.
Updated 6 p.m.
It appears that city did clean out the Sixth Street structure ... photo this evening by Steven...
It's Dec. 26, and time to get on with Easter preparations.
Here's the first post-Christmas Day drop-off at the MulchFest drop-off location on Avenue A at Ninth Street, as EVG Drop-off correspondent Steven notes this morning.
The Russian & Turkish Baths have reopened their doors at 268 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
Established in 1892, the popular bathhouse has been closed since the pandemic's start in March 2020.
They reopened yesterday.
Partners and brothers (from left) Dmitry and Jack Shapiro gave me a tour of the newly remodeled and renovated space...
Here are the hours during this holiday weekend:
• Christmas Day: 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
• Sunday/Boxing Day: 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. (9 a.m. until 2 p.m. men only; 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. coed).
All patrons must be vaccinated and present proof of vaccination. Capacity, for now, is limited to 40.
Here's more info from the Russian & Turkish Baths website:
We will not be honoring prepaid admission passes or memberships at this time. We will reassess this policy in the New Year. Admission will be $50 per person.
Vaccination cards will be checked for all patrons. If you are not feeling well or are not vaccinated, you will not be allowed in the Baths.
Dmitry and Jack's father, David, a longtime owner here, passed away in the spring of 2020. Boris Tuberman remains an owner ... and will still have the Boris weeks.
We last checked in with the undisputed king of East Village Christmas, Frank “Frankie Christmas” Bianco, at this time last year.
This year Bianco, a Brooklyn native who has lived here since 1980, welcomed us back to his winter wonderland apartment on Avenue D with an update on the lighting schedule...
“This year, I shattered my previous record and was able to put up a total of 11,875 lights, about 1,500 more than last year. To finish by Dec. 1, I usually start decorating as soon as the Labor Day weekend finishes. For the last couple of months, it took me about 200 hours to complete each room in my apartment. I usually spend an hour or two each night of the week decorating and get the bulk of it done on the weekends, where I may spend up to eight hours decorating.”
What else is new?
“It’s a tradition to get at least a half dozen Christmas tattoos every year since moving down to the LES. I have 11 new snowflake tattoos and the Grinch’s hand holding an ornament. Similar to my Christmas tattoos, I always make sure to add a few new decorations to my apartment as well. I purchased a Christmas Tree from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the largest Christmas store in the world located in Frankenmuth, Mich., and my favorite new addition, a Swarovski 2021 snowflake ornament.”
...and now take a tour...
What can we look forward to next year?
“In 2022, I’m somehow putting up more lights than I did this year! It’ll be tough, but I’m confident I’ll be able to [string more than] 12,000 lights. I’ll also be returning to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland to find new additions to my collection, and most important spread the Christmas Spirit!”
Read our Q&A with Frankie from last year at this link.
Social media posts show that workers have been focusing on the amphitheater in recent days.
"I saw some photos online of the amphitheater tragically getting gutted earlier this week, and I wanted to say goodbye before it was completely gone," EVG reader Shane Fleming told me in an email.
So yesterday around sunset, Shane went in for a closer look and shared the following photos. As you can see, the trees surrounding the amphitheater have been cut down, and the seats have also been removed. Only the bandshell remains for now.
"I spent many wonderful afternoons growing up at this amphitheater, and it's crushing to see it go like this," he said.
Here's some history of the amphitheater via the Parks Department website:
In 1941, an amphitheater was built in the park, along with an adjacent limestone recreational building, as part of an urban renewal project for the Lower East Side. During the 1950s, the amphitheater was the site of frequent free Evening-in-the-Park concerts. Joseph Papp (1921-1991), founder of Shakespeare in the Park and the Public Theater, staged Julius Caesar there in 1956. Local schools held their graduation ceremonies there, and the Group of Ancient Drama staged free-of-charge performances of classic Greek plays...
