Openings: Seasoned Vegan Real Quick on 2nd Avenue

Seasoned Vegan Real Quick opens today at 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. (First mentioned here.) 

The spot is a new vegan concept from mother and son restaurateurs Brenda "Chef B" Beener and Aaron Beener, who closed their Harlem restaurant Seasoned Vegan this spring after nine years in service.

According to a restaurant rep, they decided to relaunch as quick service takeout and delivery with a few of their most popular dishes offered as sandwiches.

Per the rep: 

The offerings draw on the family's New Orleans roots and feature three sandwiches, including two made with their unique signature grilled burdock root "crawfish" — Craw Pretzel Boy with remoulade sauce, a vegan take on the crawfish po-boy on a pretzel bun, and BBQ Craw Sandwich in bayou BBQ sauce. 

SV Nugget Sandwich and Lemon Crusted Nuggets (soy protein) will be available as well, along with fries tossed with Cajun seasoning and housemade organic desserts: Raw Cheesecake made from cashews, walnuts and dates; Salted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies and cupcakes. Beverages include fair trade Maine Root organic sodas. 

You can find the menu and more info here. Hours are daily from 11 a.m. to midnight. You can follow them on Instagram here. 

Photo courtesy of  Seasoned Vegan Real Quick

Updated: 

Several readers noted that the previous business signage for Tony's Pizza remains up temporarily ... with an important addition — the NOT ... (thanks to Steven for the photo!)

Snack Stop shutters on St. Mark's Place

Photo by Steven

Word is circulating that Snack Stop has closed in the eastern storefront at 58 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Vegan Grill is in the western space.)

As the name implied, the shop sold a variety of snacks... opening late last year.

The space had been vacant since Clay Pot didn't reopen after the PAUSE of March 2020.

And once upon a recent time, Natori, a longtime favorite, closed here in late 2012. 

Tuesday's parting shot

Unfortunately, the cornfield on Avenue A between Sixth Street and Fifth Street is starting to smell a little ripe. There was a dead rat sighting, but it smells worse than that TBH. And worse than moldy, soggy bread cubes.

Here's how you can contribute to the East Village Community Cookbook

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

During the pandemic, three East Village residents became friends while spending time with their pups at the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run. 

The men (from left above), Will Kroeze, pastor at Trinity Lower East Side, Dan Hyatt, a middle school teacher, and Will Horowitz, a chef and author who co-founded Ducks Eatery and Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co., bonded over a mutual interest in the intersection of food, spirituality, and community. 

They have put the conversations into action, creating an old-school cookbook that will benefit Trinity Lower East Side Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) and community fridge on Ninth Street and Avenue B.

This past week they started casting a wide net requesting recipes and are interested in everything from favorite family dishes that your grandparents created to unique ways to prepare favorite meals.

To date, they've already secured commitments from C&B Café, Katz's, Nom Wah Tea Parlor, Russ & Daughters, SMØR, Superiority Burger, Veselka and Zaragoza's ... as well as Hearth Chef Marco Canora, Susan Sarandon, and the owner of SOS Chefs on Avenue B. 

"Nothing can build a community like food. Whether it’s showing love by preparing our favorite recipes, sharing a meal with friends and strangers alike, or serving our neighbors in need, food has an unparalleled ability to bring people together,"  Pastor Will said. "Our hope is that our cookbook will weave together the many food stories of our neighborhood in a way that’s never been done before to create a symbol of what makes the Lower East Side such a very special place: our rich diversity."

The self-published book will be available in time for the end-of-year holiday season...

They're accepting submissions until Sept. 15 via email. You can also follow @eastvillage_cookbook on Instagram.

Report: City temporarily halts demolition of 6-building parcel on 3rd Avenue

The demoliton of six walk-up buildings on the west side of Third Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street is on hold for now. 

As previously reported, Kinsmen Property Group bought the buildings over the past two years through the entity 62-64 Third Ave., paying more than $60 million for the parcel. 

According to Straus News, which publishes several local weekly newspapers and associated websites, including Our Town — Eastsider, a spokesperson for the Department of Buildings said "that outstanding objections" have interrupted the developer's plans. 

Further study of the objections indicates issues with the "phased demolition sequence," specified as "a clear and detailed demolition sequence in narrative and illustrated on the plans. All phases shall be designated by a number or letter to clearly depict the required sequence of the work." Other requirements such as pedestrian protections, debris removal plans, and the "context" of the demolition vis-à-vis adjoining buildings are also seemingly being objected to as inadequate. 

Inadequate, in this case, reportedly means nowhere to be found. Essentially, as the DOB spokesperson put it, Kinsmen was "missing a lot of the required drawings for the proposed demolitions."

It is not publicly known what Kinsmen has planned for this west side of the block, a development that will not include 48 Third Ave., the 4-story building owned by Isfahany Realty Corp. on the northwest corner at 10th Street with Healthy Greens Gourmet in the retail space.

Meanwhile, Village Preservation continues campaigning for landmark designation for their proposed South of Union Square Historic District. Find more details at this link. 

Listing for 7th Street triplex reimagined 'with Barbie’s (and Ken’s) signature style in mind'

A triplex unit at 242 E. Seventh St. has rolled out the pink carpet to woo a new owner. (Thanks to EVG reader Seth who spotted this listing online.)

The residence in a former synagogue between Avenue C and Avenue D has been on the market for nearly 70 days. Now the listing at NYLON Real Estate and Streeteasy for the $2.4 million home was reimagined with Barbie in mind. (Per the listing: "the photos have been virtually staged to help visualize the space with 'Barbiecore' inspired interior paint and furnishings.")

Here's more about the space: 

Welcome to Barbie's New York City dream home in the heart of downtown. This triplex apartment is a stunning 1-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom loft with a private rooftop terrace and a seamless blend of modern glam and old-world charm. Completely reimagined with Barbie's (and Ken's) signature style in mind, this rarely available home offers a quintessential city lifestyle in a landmarked building steeped in history. 

The lower level of the home greets residents with a sprawling open-plan living room, dining room, and kitchen with soaring ceilings and an abundance of natural light. Stained glass windows reminiscent of Barbie's 1990s dream houses date back to the early 1900s!

Built in 1908, the building was a synagogue before being converted to a residential property in 1985 with five units. 

Per the listing: 

The historical significance of the building is perfectly fitting for Barbie. Ruth Handler, the inventor of Barbie, was a Jewish American businesswoman. She created the doll, named after her daughter, Barbara, which debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. 

And as an extra incentive: The unnamed seller is offering a $100,000 credit at closing for you to make all of your dream home dreams come true. With that, you could put in your Barbie-friendly pool with a slide.

HBD Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer was born on this day in 1951.

And here's some sort of EVG photo project from several years back outside Niagara on Avenue A and Seventh Street... where Dr. Revolt and Zephyr created the original mural back in 2003... after Strummer's untimely death in December 2002.

9th Street parking garage being offered for redevelopment

The Little Man Parking garage (aka LaSalle Parking) on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is for sale.

The garage has been closed since late April after the Department of Buildings issued a vacate order on the property following the deadly collapse on April 18 at the Little Man garage on Ann Street in the Financial District.

According to the listing (no price), this space is being offered as a "redevelopment project" ... that encompasses more than 22,000 square feet.

Per the DOB vacate order: "The occupied parking structure with concrete framing observed to be in a state of disrepair at several locations in cellar level... crushed column base observed at several locations in cellar level ... vertical cracks observed inside elevator shaft and on masonry walls."

Those cracks are visible throughout the garage (from our May 2 post via Stacie Joy)...

There are approved permits dated June for repairs, though ownership apparently decided to go in a different direction... as this space will likely fetch a hefty price for housing (or some other development).

Its website shows Little Man Parking operates more than 40 New York and New Jersey garages. In late April, the manager at LaSalle said they relocated all the vehicles to other Little Man garages.

The pending sale also means the Budget Car Rental that shared the space (closed since the spring) won't return. 

The LES Shake Shack opens on Friday

Updated 2 p.m. This outpost will not be serving breakfast.  (Grand Central Terminal is the only Shake Shack in Manhattan currently serving breakfast.) The hours on the LES are 11 a.m. to midnight.

-----

Shake Shack's first Lower East Side outpost is set to open this Friday at 131 Rivington St.

There's now an opening sign here on the SE corner at Norfolk. (Thanks to EVG reader Rhys L. for the photos!)

News of this arrival dates to July 2022. (Signage arrived in November.) 

There was some doubt that the Shack would ever open here... in late June, the landlord's reps affixed a legal notice on the gate seeking $194,974.79 "for rent for the Subject Premises."

The SS website lists the Rivington Street hours as 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.  ... which is either a mistake or means this outpost will be serving breakfast, usually only found at the brand's airport locations.

The last tenant here, Schiller’s Liquor Bar, closed after 14 years in 2017.

This shop may not be long for this (Bong) world

Your whole Bong World just may be turned upside down. 

The gate remains down at Bong World, 226 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue (though BWWers — Bong World Watchers — have told us they keep offbeat hours). 

Now, there's trouble in the form of an eviction notice on the gate... dated this past Tuesday with an order to vacate the Bong HQ by Aug. 30...

Bong World debuted here to some fanfare in March 2022. 

If this turns out to be a permanent closure, we don't know where people will go now for smoking accessories in the neighborhood.

The former Raíz Modern Mexican space is for rent on 1st Avenue

Photo by Steven

A for-lease sign arrived Friday at 120 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

The arrival comes nearly three weeks after a "closed for renovations" sign went up on the gate for Raíz Modern Mexican. There wasn't any mention of the closure on Raíz's website or Instagram account. (In contrast to the well-documented closed-for-renovations happening at The Wren on the Bowery.)

The retail space had been posted on LoopNet since April. (The listing wasn't on the Meridian Retail Leasing site as of this morning.)

The plant-based, fast-casual restaurant — featuring burritos, tacos, salads and bowls. — debuted in early 2022.

No. 120's previous tenant, Chef Hans Asian Kitchen, closed after just a few weeks in business in 2021.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a summery Midtown view)... 

• East Village man dies after jumping from 4th Street building (Tuesday) 

• These 6 East Village buildings will be demolished for a new development on 3rd Avenue (Monday) 

• Despite being surrounded by plywood, this East Village Japanese restaurant is very much open (Wednesday) 

• CM Rivera takes steps to address quality-of-life concerns along 14th Street (Monday) 

• The city can now fine landlords for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops (Tuesday) 

• Luna turns 4 (Sunday) 

• Back on the street with Mscady1965 (Friday) 

• Another look at the SW corner of 7th Street and Avenue B (Tuesday)

• First section of the new office building at 360 Bowery glassed up (Monday) 

• Report: How 1 East Village landlord stopped a mega-development from rising next door (Thursday) 

• On 7th Street, neighboring businesses 75 Degrees Cafe & Bakery and Baonanas have closed (Friday) 

• When Loves Save[d] the Day (Wednesday) 

• Mochinut is looking closed (Wednesday) 

• Confirming that Buffalo Wild Wings for 1st Avenue (Tuesday)

... and from last Sunday afternoon, Tits Dick Ass were among the bands to play in Tompkins Square Park ... they've become an EVG favorite... they're on a bill this coming Thursday night at Knitting Factory at Baker Falls on Avenue A... (photos by Stacie Joy) 

-----

Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Porta potties on the go in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Also from this past week... a move that a surprising number of people mentioned: On Monday, workers relocated the porta potties in Tompkins Square Park after three-plus months.

The toilet triplex is now located near Ninth Street and Avenue A outside the ballfield/skate area. No word on why they were brought to this spot. 

As previously reported, the restrooms in the Tompkins Square Park field house are now closed as part of an 18-month renovation underway.

... and the former home of the porta-potties near the ping-pong table ...

Please leave your favorite memories of them at this location in the comments...

Unlicensed East Village cannabis shops raided again

A story that made headlines this past week: As of Monday, a new city law is now in effect that holds commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops. 

Introduction 1001-B, known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits owners of commercial spaces from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations. 

The legislation followed a Council oversight hearing on the growing problem of unlicensed smoke shops across the city. 

Meanwhile, there were more multi-agency raids on Friday... local targets included, again, LA Convenience (formerly LES Convenience) at 105 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street... (photos by Stacie Joy)...

... and the Saint Marks Convenience & Smoke Shop, 103 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... (photos by Steven)...

Both shops have been targeted in the past, and they both are always able to reopen... not sure how any business can continue to sustain the raids, confiscations, legal fees, etc. 

Sunday's opening shot

Keeping with the sunflower theme this weekend... First Avenue at Seventh Street...

Night falls on 'Manhattan'

 

A Saturday night Friday-at-5 special edition... former East Village resident Cat Power (aka Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshal) released this track, "Manhattan," on her 2012 record Sun ... an instantly great song that some saw as "a celebration and elegy at once." 

Cat Power is the special guest on the Modest Mouse-Pixies bill this summer ... which includes two sold-out nights this Monday and Tuesday at the Rooftop at Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport.

Noted

Updated 9/2: The shop is back open.

A few readers have noted that the J.Crew Men's Shop is currently — and temporarily! — closed for unspecified reasons on the Bowery at Bleecker...

This comes about 11 months after the brand made its debut in this long-vacant retail space.

Saturday's opening shot

The sunflowers of Cooper Square...

Burning the 'Midnight' oil

 

The B-52s, the new wave icons out of Athens, Ga., are wrapping up a farewell tour.

Meanwhile, the group's singer and co-founder, Cindy Wilson, is releasing her second solo album, Realms, on Aug 25 via Kill Rock Stars. 

All early tracks sound solid, like this dance-floor groove "Midnight."

Back on the street with Mscady1965

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The most recognizable car in the East Village is back on the streets.

The 1965 Cadillac Eldorado convertible can usually be spotted around Il Posto Accanto, the rustic, 28-year-old Italian restaurant at 190 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

It belongs to husband-wife owners Beatrice Tosti di Valminuta and Julio Pena. (Julio bought the Caddy in 1992, around the time the two met and fell in love.)

The car was in the shop for a new paint job and some work on a sticky window earlier this summer.

The other day, Bea and Julio met me for a quick ride around the neighborhood. The show-stopping vehicle always draws a happy response from passersby (and without the aid of any Phil Collins!). 

Julio has set up an Instagram account for the car — @mscady1965 along with a hashtag, #mscady.

You can also contact him to rent the car for photoshoots.