Construction watch: 204 Avenue A

Workers removed the plywood from outside 204 Avenue last week, providing a clear view of the new 7-floor building slowly progressing on the site of a former 4-story structure between 12th Street and 13th Street.

As previously reported, this city-owned property, along with the one at 535 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, is designated for affordable housing.

The project is an income-restricted cooperative with units available to households earning no more than 80% AMI. No. 204 features 10 units (8-1BRs & 2-2BRs). There are 11 one-bedroom rental units at the 6-story No. 535.

No. 204 and 535, part of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development's Tenant Interim Lease Program, have been vacant since 2008. "Due to deteriorating structural conditions," tenants from both buildings were relocated then.

Some more background: Both sites were city-owned since the mid-1970s and entered the Tenant Interim Lease program in 2001. 

The former tenants of each building will be able to purchase the co-op units in the newly constructed building at No. 204, which will include ground-floor retail. (The lottery for No. 535 ended in August 2022; we have not heard anything about 204.)

Shakespeare Gordon Vlado Architects is the architect of record for the project, which has taken several years to complete. 

Openings: Hearty & Healthy on 1st Avenue

Photos: Michael Tulipan/MST Creative 

Hearty & Healthy debuted at 103 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street earlier this month.

Andee Rosario (pictured below), a hospitality vet whose family operates Los Munchies in upper Manhattan, The Bronx, and Queens, started the business as a ghost kitchen in the East Village during the pandemic. 

Given the brand's delivery success, she and her team decided to open a restaurant. 

Per a rep: "Sourcing organic and locally whenever possible, Hearty & Healthy has everybody covered with a menu full of options for vegetarians, pescatarians, vegans, and gluten-free diners ... the restaurant is great for groups and aims to be a destination where guests with different dietary preferences can all enjoy a meal together."

Hours: Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are open for lunch and brunch on weekends. While there is a full bar menu, they also offer alcohol-free cocktails. 

You can find the website and menu here. And if you're on Instagram.

This space was home to Sidney's Five for three years until February.

A look at the Schmuck sign on 1st Avenue

The cube-shaped-lettered Schmuck sign arrived in early November on the NW corner of First Avenue and Sixth Street...

The under-construction cocktail lounge comes via Moe Aljaff and Juliette Laroui, alum of Two Schmucks in Barcelona. (Previously) 

Punch recently talked with the pair and called this "New York's Most Anticipated Bar." 

In recent weeks, we've heard from a few readers who said the signage reminds them of the classic Burger-Klein sign that was a familiar presence at 28 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street for decades. (Building history here.) 

We lost the Burger-Klein sign in 2014 when the gym took over the upper floors.

Here it is in all its 2013 glory...
 

Wednesday's parting shot

Saifee for the holidays on the SE corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street...

The day before it was to rain all day

There is/was a strange energy in NYC today — a buzziness before tomorrow’s all-day rain. It feels a bit like the anticipation before a snow day — like work and school will be canceled. 

And we need the rain. Per Bloomberg: 

The dry fall of 2024 was unprecedented, with only 1.59 inches of rain recorded in Central Park in September and October. October was the driest calendar month on record in Central Park, with only 0.01 inches of rain. 

And for tonight into tomorrow evening...

We are expecting a widespread significant rainfall, mainly Wed night into Thu night. Not a drought buster, but it will help, especially with ongoing fire weather issues. Our rainfall forecast is around 1" to 1.5" #NYwx #NJwx #CTwx #drought #droughtrelief pic.twitter.com/fGoatntqon

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) November 19, 2024

$400,000 revamp planned for the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Tompkins Square Park dog run has received a $400,000 investment thanks to the New York State Assembly. 

The Assembly-directed funding will go to upgrade and resurface the large dog run.

On Tuesday, Manhattan Borough Commissioner for Parks Tricia Shimamura, Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade organizer Joseph Borduin, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, and the city's first honorary Dog Mayor Sally Long Dog, were in the park to make the announcement...

"As a dog lover, I believe that improving spaces for our beloved pets is essential," Epstein said in prepared comments. "I have taken my rescue dog, Homer, here since he was a puppy. Investing in our community and the spaces that make living here special is crucial." 

Said Shimamura: "This funding will enable our agency to continue transforming and enhancing Tompkins Square Park, providing East Village residents — both humans and dogs — with a state-of-the-art dog run."

No word just yet when the upgrades might commence.

Mini Gourmet Deli is a new walk-up coffee and juice stand on 14th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Mini Gourmet Deli recently debuted at 230 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The sidewalk-facing food-and-coffee stand reminds us of the classic Mike's Coffee & Deli on 32nd Street between Park and Madison.

Here, you can grab a coffee ($2 for a small; $2.69 for a large), fresh-squeezed juice, smoothies, and fruit salads, among other items ...

They also offer empanadas, hamburgers, cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches. 

Prices are reasonable. A cheeseburger with caramelized onions, pickles, American cheese and "smack sauce" is $5.99. The big ticket item is the chicken saute (chicken, onions, jalapeños, sweet red peppers, and herbs sauteed in butter and oil over basmati rice with salad and sauces for $12.49).

There isn't any website or social media at the moment. There's always the phone: (646) 370-3418.

Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

This space has been vacant for a few years, with PJ's Grocery the last tenant.

Signage alert: Rice Thief on 2nd Avenue

Signage for Rice Thief arrived last week at 95 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. 

We first mentioned this pending arrival in April when the business received administrative approval from CB3 for a beer-wine license for the space. 

This will be the first Manhattan outpost for the restaurant, which started as a delivery service specializing in Korean crab dishes. 

Some background on Rice Thief from a January post by Eater: 

Richard Jang, alongside his mother, Jong Sook Jang, and girlfriend, Haiqi Yu, started the business in the fall of 2022, specializing in soy-marinated crab that's hard to find in New York, known as ganjang gejang, as well as seafood stews, and rice. The service — which has drawn a waitlist — started at his home, before relocating to a Sunnyside, Queens ghost kitchen. 

Their first restaurant debuted in Long Island City earlier this year. 

No. 95 was most recently Thailand Cafe, which did not reopen following the pandemic PAUSE of March 2020.

A clean start for this 5th Street storefront with the arrival of Wash & Fold

Signage for Wash & Fold recently arrived at 325 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Thanks for the tip, Eden!) 

The business directly next door to the 9th Precinct will offer dry cleaning and tailoring... always nice to see a helpful service arrive... though it is just a few storefronts to the west of the well-liked J.J. Cleaners & Laundromat on the block.

Recent past lives of the storefront include Social Tees... and the we-still-miss-it Gimme Gimme Records.

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The "No Longer in Business" sign went up today at Ludlow Garage, 151 Attorney St. between Houston and Stanton. 

As we reported last week, co-owner Jerome Vasconcellos and his brother-in-law, Mario Marques, decided to sell their auto repair mechanic shop that had been in business for five decades, first on Ludlow Street, then here since the early 1980s.

Read our feature here.

Workers reach the top of 644 E. 14th St.; future of building next door still in limbo 1 year later

Workers have reached the top at 644 14th St., the 24-story residential building on the SW corner of Avenue C. 

A newly arrived American flag now sits near the very top of the structure...

The 234-foot-tall building, going as 14+C, will include 197 residential units, "a state-of-the-art fitness room," a yoga studio, and a rooftop deck. Information about the number of "affordable" units included in 14+C, one of the stipulations for being allowed to build a more extensive (by nine floors) building, has not been made public. 

Last November, as we first reported, residents of the neighboring 5-story building at 642 E. 14th St. — many in rent-stabilized units — were abruptly vacated after foundation work next door reportedly destabilized the building.

Ahead of the first anniversary of the vacate order, The New York Times published a feature on the trauma of being abruptly told to leave their homes. In the past year, 642's tenants have been allowed back inside twice to retrieve possessions — but only smaller items that they could carry. (So, no furniture.)

There's still a pending demoliton permit to take down No. 642. 

To the Times: 

"These tenants will never be moving back into this building," said Adam Leitman Bailey, who is president of the law firm representing the landlords. "This is a building that needs to be demolished." 

He provided reports from three engineers, supporting the landlord's legal claim that the costs to make necessary repairs are more than the value of the building after the repairs are made. The tenants have engineers’ reports, too, with decidedly different findings. 

The housing judge will eventually decide which reports can be trusted. In the meantime, the Department of Buildings has a hold on the application to demolish the building. 

Second Avenue Deli owner Jeremy Lebewohl is reported to be the owner of the building. 644's developer, Madison Realty Capital, told the Times that "the landlord had neglected the property and did not support Madison's efforts to make the building structurally sound."

Openings: Vintage Store on Houston

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Vintage Store is now open at 250 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (The storefront is on the western end of the residential complex FKA as Red Square.) 

This is a sibling to the Upper East Side Thrift Shop, which has locations on First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Here's a look inside the brightly-lit space, which has a sizeable amount of clothing and shoes from the 1960s-1990s ... as well as some records, framed pictures, custom jewelry, dishes, etc.

It seems a little more thrift than vintage ... but there's some good stock, and the staff says they add new items daily. 

Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

CC Cyclery closes 13th Street shop to go mobile

Photos by Stacie Joy

CC Cyclery closed up shop late last week at 530 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...

In an Instagram post, Jeff Underwood, the founder and chief mechanic, announced that while the shop is now closed: "There will be a mobile version SOON!" 

In a way, it's a return to Underwood's roots... as he started the bike-repair business on the sidewalk along Avenue A.

Openings: Kernel on 4th Street (and long live Other Music!)

Kernel, a fast-casual lunch concept via Chipotle founder Steve Ells, has opened an outpost at 15 E. Fourth St. between Lafayette and Broadway. 

The brand got some buzz because robots make your order. (Background here... here... and here.) 

The address interests us because, until June 2016, this was home to Other Music for 20 years. 

After OM and before Kernel was a healthy food place called Broken Coconut (2017-2020). 

As the headline states, Long Live Other Music!

Sky’s the limit: Watch the Moon hang out with Jupiter and Mars

Steven took this photo early last evening from Tompkins Square Park. Jupiter is to the right of the moon. 

OK, because someone will ask...

Tonight will bring "one of the final celestial alignments of 2024 as the moon shines directly between Jupiter and Mars in the eastern sky — an event that is easy to see for stargazers of all ages," per AccuWeather. (As long as it's not cloudy — and it is not.) 

Back to AccuWeather: 

Jupiter and the moon will become visible shortly after nightfall, but the entire show won't be observable until after 10 p.m. local time, once Mars rises above the horizon. After that, the trio will be visible for the rest of the night, provided the sky remains cloud-free.

This holiday season, C&B Café serves up its first-ever pies

Photos and story by Stacie Joy 

When I heard that neighborhood fave baker Ali Sahin of C&B Café was testing holiday pie recipes, I immediately ran over to the space on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B to get a sneak peek. I love pie! 

Ali is working with baker Daniel Villalobos (below left), who created the pumpkin pie that is now available for purchase.

These whole 9-inch pies are for sale up until the weekend before Thanksgiving. (This coming weekend!)

Ali says they "generously feed eight people." The pies are $30 each, available with torched meringue or not — your call.

The best way to order is through Instagram DM, but you can also do so in person at the shop or by emailing Ali@candbnyc.com.

So... why pies, and why now? 

"We needed a little change, I felt a bit stagnant," Ali said of his C&B offerings. "I wanted a change in our pace." 

I noted that the crust appeared puffier than you'd see on a traditional pie. Daniel explained it was "not a laminated dough like puff pastry, but a flakier crust, made with all (high butterfat) butter, no lard."

He added that the pumpkin filling "had a bit of mascarpone cheese, plus spices like ginger."
 

The taste-testing went well...

After Thanksgiving, you can expect to see more pie options. Ali and Daniel are looking at an apple pie with oat crumble topping, a pecan pie, and a chocolate French silk pie with heavy cream. 

Also available soon (after the holiday rush): mini-pies with new flavor profiles, and pies by the slice.

The retail space housing NYC's first dog cafe, Boris & Horton, is for rent on Avenue A

Top photo by Stacie Joy

The retail space at 197 Avenue A on the NW corner of 12th Street is now on the rental market. 

This has been the home for the past six-plus years to Boris & Horton, the city's first dog cafe. 

Early last week, ownership (daughter-father Logan Mikhly and Coppy Holzman) posted notices that they would close at the month's end. This development comes even after a successful crowdfunding campaign and a newly enacted subscription plan earlier this year. 

From an Instagram post on Nov. 11: 

Despite these efforts, we've experienced a significant drop in our monthly subscriptions, with almost 90% churn, and our sales are slightly down compared to last year when we initially made the difficult decision to close. 

Last Wednesday, the retail listing arrived on Loopnet. (REQCE is the broker.) The asking rent for the 3,000-square-foot space (as you may recall, B&H expanded and combined storefronts in 2018) is available upon request...

In the initial Instagram post, Mikhly and Holzman said they've met with potential suitors but have yet to close a deal. 

Unless a new suitor arrives ASAP, Boris & Horton will shut down at the end of next week.

Coming attractions: House of Pasta on 12th Street

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy 

House of Pasta is set to debut at 511 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Owner Andres Dominguez is also active at several establishments, including Sofia's on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, Sofia's Bagels & Kitchen and Sofia's Gelateria in the West Village.

Dominguez will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a liquor license for the address. (You can find the questionnaire and a sample menu online here.)

He plans to open and offer his variety of pasta dishes without a liquor license at first. (Plans only call for a 3-seat bar.)

The previous tenant here, the well-liked Caffe Corretto, had little chance after a gas leak in the building ultimately forced them to close.  

On tonight's CB3 docket: New homes for B Cup Café and B-Side

Here are a few items on tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting (there are more applicants for places below Houston). 

New Liquor License Applications 

• Corp to be formed by Drew Popkin, 29 2nd Ave (op)

For starters, this makes the Bad Hombre closure official (photo above). 

The owners of Cask on East 33rd Street and Bar Bonobo on Eighth Avenue are looking to open an Italian restaurant bar called Bambino between Second Street and Third Street. 

Find the Bambino application (PDF!) here, which includes a sample menu showing their brunch and dinner offerings. 

• B Side (Flam Able LLC), 131 Ave C (op/removal from 204 Ave B) 

After a fire at 204 Avenue B in June 2023, B-Side and the building's landlord parted ways later that fall. 

B-Side's owners want to open a new bar at 131 Avenue C between Eighth Street and Ninth Street.

No. 131 has been vacant for some time. As far as we can recall, Babel Lounge & Hookah Bar was the last tenant, closing in 2017. (Babel had the storefronts at 129 and 131.) 

You can find the B-Side questionnaire at this link. B-Side debuted on B in 2003 ... with the new owners taking over in January 2021.

Items not heard at Committee

• Alison St Marks (Disfruting Two LLC), 110 St Marks Pl (wb) 

Alison St. Marks is the name of a full-service restaurant that will serve lunch, dinner, and brunch at this spot between Avenue A and First Avenue. This link has the questionnaire. 

Ownership also runs Alison on Lexington Avenue in East Harlem. 

At No. 110, David's Cafe closed without any notice to patrons over the summer after nearly nine years in service. 

Photo of No. 110 by Stacie Joy 

• G&I Food Hospitality LLC, 204 Ave B (wb) 

As previously reported, B Cup Café is moving to a renovated 204 Avenue B, located just several storefronts south of its longtime home on the SW corner of 13th Street. 

B Cup owner Guy Weizmann told us they will be expanding the café's menu and have later hours with the addition of a beer-wine license here at the former home of B-Side. 

Tonight's meeting is at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Signage alert: Bar Snack on 2nd Avenue

The first signs of the next tenant have arrived at 92 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

Bar Snack, a cocktail lounge with the slogan "Dressed-up classics for dressed-down people," is coming in the space that last housed Local 92.

Hospitality vets Ollie Cleary and Iain Griffiths are behind Bar Snack. Cleary operated Lucky Jack's on Orchard Street before launching Honore Club (Bushwick), Minnows (Greenpoint) and Common Mollies (Williamsburg).

You can check out a drinks menu here. For more details, check out the Bar Snack questionnaire on file at the CB3 website for their appearance before the SLA committee this past summer.