Bands we like — Jade Tourniquet

Photos by Stacie Joy

We saw Jade Tourniquet play live several times this summer... short, high-intensity sets in Tompkins Square Park... a handful of songs with a heavy metal-cum-gutter-punk sound. (Their Instagram describes them as "haze gaze punk rock-n-rollers," which also works.) 

The band members are vocalist-bassist Sasha...

... guitarist Mitch ...

... and drummer Frankie...

The three live in other parts of the city, but they always end up in the East Village. (Mitch has been seen busking outside Search & Destroy on St. Mark's Place.) The three also work shifts at Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy recently spent some time with the band before a recent show in Tompkins Square Park...

For now, Jade Tourniquet is on a local hiatus, as the members are returning to school in the northeast, so you could catch them in Boston or Providence or somewhere else in the months ahead ...

The band recently spent time recording songs, so there's a new EP in the works (a follow-up to the spring EP Bile Study). There's also a promise of some merch. 

Keep tabs on the band's Instagram account for updates on upcoming shows and all other things Jade Tourniquet. And we look forward to seeing them back here someday soon.

The 6-day-long Key Food grand reopening begins TODAY

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The flags are flying. The bunting is in place. Today is Day 1 of the six-day, two-weekend-long grand reopening ("RE-GRAND Opening" on some signage) at Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street. 

The six dates: Sept. 2-4 and Sept. 9-11.

As previously reported, the grocery has completed a near-year-long interior renovation, which included new lighting, flooring and freezer(ing). There is also the expanded produce department, which looks sharp ... all alongside Key faves, like the "cakes for any occasion" cakes. 

(And not to dampen the celebratory mood, but Key was never actually closed during the renovations.)

Anyway! There will be raffles, giveaways, and some savings if you spend a certain amount (Loyalty Club Card required!)

... and a closer look...

It may be best to buy the six-day pass for the whole Keychella experience. The pass allows access to the venue, day parking lots, and VIP areas, which offer specialty food & drink vendors, air-conditioned restrooms, shaded seating areas and full cash bars*.

If you attend the fall event of the fall, be sure to tag us in your social posts #Keyapalooza.

*Oops. This is actually info for Coachella 2023.

[Updated] 26-year-old man shot and killed this afternoon outside 3 Haven Plaza

Photos by Garrett Rosso

Police are investigating the shooting death of a 26-year-old man this afternoon outside 3 Haven Plaza between Avenue C and Avenue D. 

According to witnesses, the victim was on a Citi Bike at the time of the shooting around 1:30 p.m. in the area near 12th Street and 13th Street.  (Updated: New info states that the Citi Bike was found at the scene, but it's unclear if anyone was riding it at the time of the shooting.)

NY1 reported that the man, whose identity has not been revealed, was pronounced dead at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. 

Police at the scene recovered three shell casings...

Police and published reports stated that the suspect is a man in his 20s who was wearing all black and a face mask. Police officials told ABC 7 that the victim had been targeted by the gunman.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting in unknown at the moment.

In an unrelated shooting early this morning, a 25-year-old woman was shot and killed on 14th Street at Irving Place. That shooting remains under investigation.

Updated 9/2

The Post reports that the victim was an alleged Money Boy Gang member.

The gunman blasted him four times in the head as he walked out of an apartment building, according to cops and the sources. 

Video reviewed by investigators shows that the gunman walked back and forth after he shot the victim, then kicked him multiple times in the head, sources said. 

 

[Updated] Reports: 25-year-old woman shot and killed on 14th Street and Irving Place

Post updated below. Photo from 9/3 at the scene of the shooting.

Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old woman early this morning on 14th Street at Irving Place. 

According to published reports and police sources, the shooting occurred just after 5 a.m. on the NW corner of 14th Street and Irving Place — near Chipotle. 

Per PIX11: 

The suspected shooter, who remained at large Thursday morning, was described by police as a heavyset man who wore all black clothing and a mask. Investigators said that they were also seeking a woman, though a description of her, as well as her alleged connection to the slaying, were not immediately specified.

We will update the post when more information becomes available. 

Updated 5 p.m.

NY1 reports that the victim worked at the IHOP on 14th Street.

Updated 9/2

According to the Post, the victim is Imani Armstrong, who worked beyond her usual shift at IHOP because the restaurant was busy. She was headed to the subway when a masked man approached her from behind and shot her in the back of the head.

 "The individual was targeted," Chief of Department Kenneth Corey said Thursday. "We have a number of suspects that we’re looking at, but nothing we want to commit to right now. But I'm very comfortable saying it was not a random attack."

The Post reported that Armstrong, who also worked as an exotic dancer named "Red," had just been served divorce papers by her wife and moved out of the apartment they shared.

Her kids have been in foster care on Staten Island and she was attending anger management classes in hopes of getting them back, coworkers told the Post. But prior to the murder, she didn't seem "like anything was on her mind," one coworker said.

Updated 9/3

Police have made an arrest in the shooting — Clarkson Wilson, a former boyfriend, CBS 2 reports. 

Tenant concern as longtime family-owned residential buildings sell for $58 million

News arrived last week that Meadow Partners is the new owner of 305 E. 11th St. and 310 E. 12th St. (above), adjacent multifamily residential buildings between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The deal for the 89-unit buildings, owned by the Chissick family since the late 1960s, was $58 million. 

Here are some details via the news release: 

[T]he elevatored buildings are connected by an 11,000 square foot courtyard. Constructed in 1940, the buildings' studios, and one- and two-bedroom units include distinct architectural features with arched doorways and moldings. 

Jeffrey Kaplan, managing partner of Meadow Partners, said, "This off-market transaction is a testament to Meadow’s strong relationships with leading owners and developers throughout New York City and the deep experience we bring to investing in the East Village for the past 13 years. We look forward to modernizing and enhancing the value of these properties in one of Manhattan’s most exciting neighborhoods." 

According to published reports, about a third of the 89 units are rent-stabilized. Kaplan told Crain's, "the market-rate units are renting below market value, but high rents and demand in the city should mean room for growth." 

We've already heard from several residents here. One said, "they are already trying to push people out" with lease non-renewals. 

Per another resident: 

Hearing rumors of 30-50% rent increases and plans to add a 6th floor — therefore letting all 5th-floor leases lapse. There are many long-term, older people and rent-stabilized/rent-controlled tenants, who are naturally concerned." 

With this purchase, Meadow now owns 430 units in the East Village.

Essex Card Shop reopens on TUESDAY

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Signage went up early last evening... announcing the grand reopening of Essex Card Shop at 47 Avenue A this Tuesday, Sept. 6.

The store opens at 10 a.m. ...

... for the first time since a fire destroyed the business this past Jan. 10. 

You can check out our previous posts on Essex Card Shop, located in the retail space of the Ageloff Towers between Third Street and Fourth Street, for more background on what has transpired to date.

The pits: Workers digging in for the future office building at 1 St. Mark's Place

If you've walked by the NE corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place recently, then you've likely noticed that construction has restarted on the future 9-story office building (with retail!) for the lot. 

Workers are digging into the pit ... there's an excavator and Davey drill on site now.

Work had been stopped for nearly 10 months until the developer, Real Estate Equities Corp. (REEC), received a $70-million loan to kickstart the project. REEC plans on 53,000 square feet of office space and some 7,700 square feet for retail.

The building, officially 1 St. Mark's Place, is slated for a summer 2024 completion. Our previous post has more details about what has transpired here to date. 

REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the corner properties for nearly $150 million in November 2017. The previous assemblage, which included retail tenants such as Korilla BBQ, the Continental and McDonald's, was demolished in 2019.

Thanks to Steven for the top photo!

East Village Exotics announces itself on Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Signage went up yesterday for East Village Exotics on the SE corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street. 

The owners also run East Village Finest Deli right across B... (and they plan to keep both businesses). 

Aside from the usual smoke-shoppy stuff, there will be some corner-market offerings when EVE opens in the next 1-2 weeks...

The previous tenant here, Your Desire For Food, quietly closed in early 2021 after six months in operation ... in the storefront in one of the most colorful buildings around...

Why Panda Express isn't open yet on 14th and 1st

Photos by Stacie Joy

The incoming Panda Express (first mentioned in January) has seemingly been in a holding pattern here on the SW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street in recent weeks. 

It looks ready to go (mostly!), with workers milling about inside (though not in the photo below) ...

One of those workers told EVG correspondent Stacie Joy yesterday that the quick-serve restaurant was waiting for a license from the city to open. (The worker didn't specify what kind of permit.)

The Chinese restaurant chain launched in California in 1983 ... with more than 2,000 locations today (with a handful around NYC). 

6 posts from August

A mini month in review (with a photo of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on Aug. 28 by Dan Scheffey)... 

• The next iteration of the Knitting Factory coming to the East Village (Aug. 24) 

• Another day, another car drives into Tompkins Square Park (Aug. 16) 

• Watch the Nissan Sentra drive through Tompkins Square Park (Aug. 16)

• Here's the midnight email that employees of the Trader Joe's Wine Shop received about the closing on Union Square (Aug. 12) 

• A visit to Aliens of Brooklyn on 9th Street (Aug. 11) 

• A visit with East Village singer-songwriter Jim Andralis (Aug. 4)

EVG Etc.: 10th Congressional District post-mortem; homespun Serbian cuisine on Avenue C

Photo from 5th Street 

 • Remembering East Village-based art writer Charlie Finch (Artnet) ... Police say Finch jumped from his East 12th Street apartment (The Post) 

• The leaders of Yoga to the People, once housed on St. Mark's Place, arrested for tax fraud (The Cut ... "Downward dogged by feds," per TMZ...  previously on EV Grieve) 

• Carlina Rivera and the untold history of how East River Park was destroyed (The Indypendent) 

• Breaking down the numbers from the 10th Congressional District primary (Gothamist) ... Yuh-Line Niou eyes 'Hail Mary third-party run' (City & State) 

• Pete Wells likes the traditional Serbian dishes and unusual wines at Kafana on Avenue C (The New York Times) 

• Big Ash on Delancey is "vintage fashion's best-kept secret" (The Face ... previously on EVG) 

• How Blondie shattered the conventions of punk and pop (NPR)

Madame Vo team opening Monsieur Vo on 2nd Avenue

Jimmy Ly and Yen Vo, the owners of 10th Street hit Madame Vo, are opening Monsieur Vo at 104 Second Ave. at Sixth Street on Sept. 14. 

In an Instagram post, they describe Monsieur Vo as "a new Vietnamese restaurant that spotlights modern, creative takes on meat and seafood, street food and comfort food." 

And: 

Monsieur Vo is a love letter to our fathers, brothers, uncles and the elemental Vietnamese tradition of ăn nhậu — communal dining, typically outdoors, always with plentiful drinks.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Madame Vo (@madamevonyc)

The Second Avenue space, which was hosting a preview event last night, was previously their spinoff Madame Vo BBQ, which debuted in 2018 ... though it didn't reopen after the PAUSE of March 2020.

Madame Vo opened in early 2017 at 212 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

A name change for Yoli Restaurant on 3rd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

A new-name era is underway at Yoli Restaurant ... which is now going by Leon's Cafe over at 274 E. Third St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

However, not much else is different at the inexpensive quick-serve restaurant specializing in homestyle Dominican cuisine. EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the other day to learn that pretty much everything is the same: kitchen staff, phone number, hours of operation (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and menu items ...  

A worker explained that longtime manager Yolanda Garcia is spending more time at home these days. (We're not sure where Leon came from.)

Also the same: no website, third-party delivery apps or Instagram account. 

You can call (212) 420-1075 for delivery...

Tuesday's parting shots

Crews were out today on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... setting up some establishing shots and one doorway-entering scene for season five of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (MMM5 on film notices) ... photos by Derek Berg...

Claim: City cuts down tree on 5th Street after block association receives permission for pruning

A stump is all that's left of a 50-plus-year-old flowering Callery pear tree outside 339 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

According to a member of the East Fifth St. Block Association Tree Committee, the group hired (at a cost of $500) an arborist who pruned the tree — with the approval of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation... "cutting off worrisome branches to maintain safety." 

Several weeks later this past Thursday, "a crew from the Parks Department arrived early in the morning and chopped the tree down before anyone was up to notice," a tree committee rep told us. 

"As it is, the Parks Department has turned the previously lush old trees on Fifth Street — watered, fertilized and tended to by our tree committee — between Cooper Square and First Avenue into grotesque Edward Gorey-like silhouettes by their over pruning. We are devastated," the committee member said. "Our arborist told us that weakens the trees and will shorten their life span." 

The city hasn't shown much passion or sympathy for local trees in recent months.

Photo courtesy of the East Fifth St. Block Association Tree Committee

New at Ray's Candy Store: The corn dog

Photo by Peter Brownscombe 

There's a new menu item at Ray's Candy Store — the corn dog, priced at $3, as the paper-plate signage shows! 

113 Avenue A at Seventh Street

In the mood for autumn: Fall Into the City debuts at 3rd & B'zaar

While the heat and humidity remain in summer mode... a fall-friendly market opens tomorrow (Aug. 31) at 3rd & B'Zaar, 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Some new and familiar designers, vintage vendors and artists will be featured in the market and event space through Nov. 20.

3rd & B’Zaar debuted in late 2020 and has hosted several months-long markets, most recently A Repeat Performance. 

Hours here are 1-7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Check out the 3rd and B'Zaar Instagram account for updates and features on the participating vendors. 

Sanshi Noodle House looks closed

Another high-profile East Village corner looks to have a vacant storefront. 

Workers emptied out Sanshi Noodle House last week on the NE corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street (thanks to Steven for the photos)...

There aren't any posted signs about a closure ... or a "closed for renovations." The website is still active, though the phone goes unanswered. Google lists this as "temporarily closed." Unfortunately, it looks more like a "permanently closed." 

The restaurant opened in May 2021 after a lengthy build-out.

This corner space had been vacant since Bar Virage closed in December 2018 after 20-plus years in business. The Bar Virage awning remains on Seventh Street...

Foxface closing Friday ahead of a move to new Avenue A space

Photo from 2019 by Stacie Joy 

Foxface, the specialty sandwich shop inside the William Barnacle Tavern at Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place, is closing this Friday ahead of a move to Avenue A.

As previously reported, Foxface has been working on a new outpost at 189 Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street. This location will be open in a few weeks, per an email sent yesterday to Foxface customers. 

The owners, East Village residents Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat, said the new spot "will be a bit of everything (but perhaps not a sandwich shop). We hope to see you there very soon." 

The original Foxface opened in late 2018, drawing a positive review from Pete Wells at The New York Times.

The move also comes as Theatre 80, the historic East Village property that houses a performance space, the William Barnacle Tavern and Museum of the American Gangster, will be forced to close in the weeks ahead for a bankruptcy auction. This article in the Post from last month has more about what has transpired at the iconic space. (More background here.)

Owner Lorcan Otway's father bought the adjoining properties, 78 and 80 St. Mark's Place, in 1964.

Monday's parting shot

As seen on Seventh Street today by Derek Berg... wonder what they are talking about...