After nearly 20 months in business, Beloved Cafe has shut down at 196 Allen St. between Houston and Stanton.
The health-focused cafe has been dark in recent weeks. A rep at the San Francisco outpost confirmed the closure, stating, "Everything is so expensive there." The rep said, "At the beginning, it was so crowded, but then not busy enough."
Beloved Cafe opened in September 2021, offering organic juices, teas, smoothies, salads and plant-based bowls — not to mention fresh-baked sourdough doughnuts.
Owners Amy Vito and her husband, Kambiz Fahim, opened the original Beloved Cafe in San Francisco's Mission District in 2017.
Gotham, the latest legal cannabis shop in the neighborhood, opens this morning at 3 E. Third St., just east of the Bowery.
Gotham founder Joanne Wilson called the shop's concept "the next wave of cannabis retail."
"Gotham is a reflection of New York's rich history and influence. We're proud to be one of the pioneers reimagining what the legalized cannabis market can become in the state," she said in a press announcement about the opening.
And the two-level space features more than cannabis, focusing on art and music.
Per the opening announcement:
Gotham will feature a curated selection of retail, exhibits, and happenings that reflect New York's cultural zeitgeist. The 2,800-square-foot open-concept venue features an exhibition space that will display seasonally rotating shows featuring New York artists. For its inaugural show, Gotham will partner with Bright Moments to present an NFT gallery. The store will also feature a permanent installation by NYC-based multimedia artist Molly Lowe.
Gotham is open for in-person shopping and pick-up daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with delivery coming soon.
Back in January, this location reportedly drew opposition from management at Project Renewal, which operates a men's shelter and an in-patient substance abuse treatment on the block.
Gotham is committed to creating systemic change through the power of jobs, education and opportunity for those that were formerly incarcerated for cannabis. STRIVE is a nonprofit which provides a pathway to life-changing careers for those who face societal barriers to economic empowerment and upward mobility — including those impacted by the justice system. As a beneficiary, the nonprofit will receive a portion of the proceeds to fund its programs.
A few new trees arrived today on Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street (on the east side)... thanks to EVG reader Newman for sharing these photos...
Nintendo Switch gamers may be excited to see this promo bus for "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom," the highly anticipated sequel to 2017's "Breath of the Wild" parked on First Avenue by 12th Street... (thanks to EVG reader Tony BonJovi for the pics!).
Nintendo is releasing the title on midnight Friday (on the East Coast).
... and no word on what kind of dungeons may be inside...
Bush Tetras, the influential post-punk/no-wave band that got its start on the Lower East Side in the late 1970s, have announced a new full-length release, They Live in My Head, due out on July 28.
The band also released the first single, "Things I Put Together," last Thursday ... which Jon Pareles at the Times wrote, "reclaims Bush Tetras' muscle, dissonance and die-hard contrarianism."
Meanwhile, the band recently added bassist (and EV resident) Cait "Rocky" O'Riordan (top right). She joins founding members Cynthia Sley (top left) and Pat Place ... and Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley, who stepped in on drums in early 2022 after the death of Dee Pop in October 2021.
Earlier last week, EVG contributor Stacie Joy met the foursome at Rivington Music Rehearsal Studios as they were preparing for a sold-out show at Union Pool on May 3.
Afterward, the group walked over to Mughlai Grill Indian Restaurant at 6 Clinton St., running into downtown writer-performance artist Penny Arcade on the way...
The latest iteration of the band has been playing together for several months now.
They plan to work on new material together over the summer ahead of a European tour later in the fall.
"It sounds like when we first started," Sley said, "We're having a lot of fun."
And for the newest member? "It's been exhilarating — the basslines are so much fun," O'Riordan said. "And Steve 'Fucking' Shelley is on drums! We're all levitating all the time, and it's a beautiful thing."
EVG regular Lola Sáenz notes that Abdul the fruit vendor has returned to the sidewalk outside 51 Astor Place (and across from Cooper Union) for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020...
Ravi DeRossi's vegetable-centric Overthrow Hospitality has introduced a new concept on Seventh Street... last week saw the debut of &Beer at 21 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.
The 14-seat counter space will host a rotation of pop-ups throughout the year — beginning with Mushrooms & Beer, led by Avant Garden chef Juan Pajarito.
Per Overthrow:
&Beer will, naturally, offer a diverse selection of beers on-tap alongside bottles and cans curated by Proletariat's cicerone Ramon Manrique Hung, plus a selection of natural wines, paired alongside a mushroom-focused menu consisting of 12 offerings, all featuring mushrooms in various forms. The team has worked with local purveyors like Smallhold and Mushroom Queens to devise the focused menu.
The new spot is adjacent to Proletariat, which moved here last summer from St. Mark's Place.
In February, a Parks official explained that temporary toilets were not part of the contract "and cannot be supplied during construction." The alternative for public use during this period: The restrooms at the McKinley Playground on Fourth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue adjacent to P.S. 63/the Neighborhood School.
As previously reported (first by THE CITY), the 1,800-pound cube is off to Bethany, Conn., for restoration by Versteeg Art Fabricators — a firm that also restored the cube in 2005.
The cube had been out of commission with structural damage since late 2021. The barricades first arrived around the cube in December 2021, before the city removed them in late April 2022. At the time, we were told that the spinning mechanism for the cube, which manually rotates around a pole hidden in its center, was not working.
Tony Rosenthal's sculpture first arrived here in November 1967.
And Rosenthal's estate is picking up the estimated repair bill of $100,000.
From the Times:
Dave Petrie, the director of Rosenthal’s estate, said he was "concerned about the state of disrepair" the cube had fallen into...
"The thesis was, we want to do this," he said. "The cost wasn't the issue. We want Tony's legacy to live on."
And a reader shared this photo from last night after workers packed up the cube...
Workers put up signage yesterday for the new establishment coming to the NW corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue — The Laurels. (Thanks to the reader for the photo!)
We haven't heard anything just yet about the business. The classified ad for kitchen help states that Dan Fleming ("as seen on Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Dishmantled") is the culinary director. "This is a fast-growing company that is looking to expand. We welcome all candidates to be part of something new and revolutionary happening in the East Village."
The Laurels takes over for Bait & Hook, which went dark at the start of the year after nearly 11 years in service, and without any notice to patrons.
Workers last week also removed the 6,000-pound smoker that the BBQ joint had installed when it opened more than 10 years ago...
This was the very first restaurant for the brand, which now has multiple corporate locations in the NYC metro area ... and ownership has been franchising, with outposts in New Jersey, Maryland and Florida... and in Dubai.
Ownership didn't provide a specific reason for the closure (April 10 was the last day), stating, "While we wish to have been able to just keep our first restaurant in the system forever, many realities have made that path impractical."
Workers this morning were removing the curbside dining structure on the Ninth Street side of East Village Pizza on the SW corner of First Avenue... the crew was hired by the pizzeria (this was not a city removal)...
Meanwhile, the status of outdoor dining is now in flux.
New York City is expected to set a limit on fees for restaurants seeking to participate in its yet-to-be-unveiled outdoor dining program, marking a significant victory for the restaurant industry.
The plan would place a cap on licensing fees as well as a structure for annual "consent fees," the amount that restaurant owners would need to pay to rent city streets, according to multiple people privy to the discussions. They asked not to be named because they are not authorized to discuss private negotiations.
Mayor Eric Adams has pledged to establish a permanent outdoor dining program, promising to address complaints about unsightly and noisy sheds that sprouted when the city allowed free use of the streets and sidewalks as an emergency measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Negotiations continue between the city and City Council. Per Gothamist: "Deciding whether roadway dining should run year-round as opposed to seasonally has been another closely watched debate."
Updated:
And after the structure was removed... like it was never there...
Updated 3:30 p.m.
Workers also removed the curbside dining structure at Beron Beron on the NE corner of 10th Street and First Avenue (thanks for Steven for this photo)...
The days are numbered for one of the neighborhood's great signs featuring an unnecessary apostrophe.
On the NE corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street, the decades-spanning Nizga Liquors is under new ownership.
You may have noticed that workers spruced up the previously cluttered front window and interior — even removing that awkward turnstile at the entrance.
We're told that the new owners will start hosting wine tastings and other related events. (It looks like they will continue on with the sale of lottery tickets and more mini bottles than an airline.)
Nizga was always convenient, though, despite the "Discount" on the sign, the last-minute items we picked up on the way somewhere always seemed to be about $5 more than other local shops.
Then there is Fine Wine & Champagne's portion of the sign... which, through the years, perplexed copywriters and grammarians for the misuse of the apostrophe to indicate a plural...
Unfortunately, that sign will be coming down in the days ahead... and we understand that the tentative new name is LES Liquors.
We're also told that the sale of the shop, which saw the departure of the longtime manager, is also unrelated to the new landlords who bought the block-long residential building last fall for a reported $64 million.
There's a new era here at Ray's Candy Store ... customers can now use Venmo to pay for purchases at the 49-year-old shop at 113 Avenue A near Seventh Street...
As we first reported on April 27, NYC classic Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse is looking to reopen in a new location.
Next Monday, ownership will appear before CB3's SLA committee for a new liquor license for 191 Orchard St. between Houston and Stanton — space that has been vacant for nine years.
The questionnaire (PDF here) is now online at the CB3 website before that meeting.
According to the public document, Sammy's 2.0 would feature 58 tables for 118 guests. They're also looking for seating in the outdoor garden behind the restaurant.
The paperwork notes that there will be two seatings per evening .... and that an estimated 90% of the seating will be by reservation only. Other highlights: The sale of Sammy's merch (T-shirts are mentioned) and the entertainment will feature "a lounge singer on keyboard." (The application says they'll hire a sound engineer "for comprehensive sound mitigation.")
The proposed hours are Monday-Wednesday from 4-11 p.m., with a midnight close on Thursday and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The outdoor space would shut down at 10 p.m. all days.
Sammy's closed in early January 2021 after 45-plus years of serving up ice-encased vodka, smeared pitchers of schmaltz and enormous platters of meat from the lower level at 151 Chrystie St.
The restaurant had been shuttered since the PAUSE of March 2020, and this wasn't a business ready-made for delivery or outdoor dining.
In an Instagram post at the time, owner David Zimmerman left the door open for a return.
