Here, there's a cool aluminum foil Godzilla(ish) creature. It looks like someone hand-twisted a bunch of pieces and put them all together...
It’s a little neighborhood surprise best seen firsthand.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Godzilla: King of the (aluminum foil) monsters on 4th Street
Openings: Bite & Sip on 1st Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Bite & Sip debuted this past Friday at 114 E. First St., between Avenue A and First Avenue.
The restaurant, with a handful of tables, offers dine-in and takeout options. (No delivery just yet.)
Hours are Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Thursday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
So far, best sellers include the pan-fried or steamed pork and chive dumplings, along with the chicken, mushroom and cabbage dumplings.
Pictured: steamed pork and chive dumplings (top) and pork and shrimp siu mai (bottom).
As of now, there's just canned soda and bottles of water for your sips.
This retail space was previously Hollywood Nail & Spa, which closed earlier this year.
Signage alert: Conspiracy Café, City Roots Market
Google lists the business as a chocolate café.
The previous tenant, Sweet Cake, an outpost of the Flushing-based bakery and café that serves coffee, matcha drinks, and Asian-style desserts, closed last fall.
Meanwhile, on the NW corner of Avenue B and 12th Street, City Roots Market is the new tenant...
... taking over for the Santa Barbara Deli.
Monday, August 18, 2025
Monday's parting shots
Photos by Stacie Joy
Eagle-eyed shoppers at Key Food on Avenue A may have noticed what can only be described as a seismic signage upgrade.
Back around Memorial Day, when the city carried a careless hum, the skies stretched impossibly wide, and hope hung heavy in the air like something we could almost touch, we reported that management had inexplicably decided to retire the store's iconic "CAKES FOR ALL OCCASIONS" sign. No explanation was ever offered.
The disappearance coincided with a dessert shakeup: the once cake-heavy section was quietly restructured with the arrival of plastic cups of parfaits and boxes of mini éclairs — desserts seemingly designed for people afraid of commitment. Cakes, it seemed, were no longer for any occasion.
Now, in the latest twist, a bold, multi-font proclamation has been unveiled, "Desserts for All Occasions," showing éclairs that are NOT mini and a parfait with fruit that only exists on an influencer's Instagram.
It's progress of a sort. Broader. Less committal. Where cake once held the line, now a thousand desserts may step forward.
Reports: Carlina Rivera will be stepping down from her City Council seat 4 months early
Photo from April by Stacie Joy
Local City Council Member Carlina Rivera is leaving her seat four months early, according to published reports.
Politico first reported the news of her resignation on Thursday.
She confirmed the report during an interview on NY1's "Inside City Hall" on Friday evening.
Rivera, who was term-limited after serving the neighborhood for the past eight years, will be leading the New York State Association for Affordable Housing. This trade association represents affordable housing developers.
"It's such a bittersweet moment for me," she told NY1's Bobby Cuza. "I have really loved the job and it's become a part of my identity in the best way possible."
She has not officially released a statement about her resignation.
There's no word about who (if anyone?) takes over her District 2 seat for the remainder of 2025.
In November, Harvey Epstein will face Republican nominee Jason Murillo in the District 2 Council race.
We talked with the owner of Corner Bistro about what to expect from the East Village outpost
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The East Village location of the West Village standby Corner Bistro is expected to open on Sixth Street and Avenue A sometime in September. (First reported here.)
On Saturday, we met with owner Elizabeth McGrath, who has been busy preparing the space — inside and out.
She cleared up one mystery. Out front, she's the one maintaining and redoing the tree bed (noted here and here), planting a curly willow she raised from a sprout along with evergreens, and building a wooden planter.
She also reached out to artist Ian Dave Knife about the crocodile tree trunk. With his permission, she plans to add a plaque and care for the piece going forward.
McGrath, who is also a sculptor, has been hands-on with the renovation — polishing acid-etched windows, scrubbing away graffiti, and painting the temporary "Corner Bistro coming soon" signage herself.
Her husband, artist and muralist Donald "Don" McGrath, is painting a cherry blossom mural outside. (Don is a former SNL artist who worked on Robert Smigel's "TV Funhouse" and "The Dana Carvey Show.")
Corner Bistro opened in 1961 on West Fourth Street in the West Village. Elizabeth — daughter of Corner Bistro's original owners, Bill and Lorraine O'Donnell — took over the business in 2015.
The space
The restaurant will have two entrances: the Avenue A side will lead into the bar, and a new Sixth Street door will open into the dining area.
There is also a small, separate space, officially 501 E. Sixth St., that is for lease.
Inside, there's a new white oak bar, black-and-white tiled floors in the bar area, sanded wood planks in the dining room, and copper, tin, and mirror accents. (The interior isn't quite ready for more photos.)
Seating will include a banquette in the back, a large round table up front, smaller rounds, and two-tops. Downstairs will be used for storage. Bathrooms and the bar are ADA-compliant.
"The new bistro will pay attention to history, but it cannot replicate the original Bistro," she said, mentioning that Yoko Ono once waited tables there.
The menu
Like the West Village original, the East Village Corner Bistro will serve its well-known burger. This location has a kitchen, allowing McGrath to add menu items like meatloaf, chopped steak with onions, a mushroom burger, and a brunch service.
Coffee will come from Aldo's Coffee on Long Island, which will also be sold by the pound.
Other details
The bar-restaurant has a full liquor license until 4 a.m. daily (a temporary license will be in place until the permanent one arrives).
Elizabeth McGrath said she wants the restaurant to honor the building's history and preserve the East Village character.
The retail space was once home to Sidewalk, the restaurant, bar, and live music venue — and host of the Antifolk Festival — that closed in February 2019 after a 34-year run.
"The East Village has a great vibe, and lots of dogs. We're dog people," she said. "We loved getting to know our neighbors at Boris & Horton [the dog cafe at 195 Avenue A] and are interested in maybe having an adoption event."
Openings: A Bay Area-inspired taqueria debuts on Avenue A
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Maya Taqueria debuted in soft-open mode on Saturday at 115 Avenue A (next to Ray's) between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
Maya has outposts in Park Slope and Prospect Heights.
Owner Daniel Nasser (pictured below) said his father first launched the family business after moving from the Bay Area here in the early 2000s, aiming to bring Mission District–style Mexican food to NYC.
The shop also features vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, including a special shiitake al pastor.
The quick-serve shop offers a variety of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. (Find the menu here.)
Two days in, the early standout has been the Cali burrito, made with French fries.
Orders come with a gratis side of housemade tortilla chips and access to a salsa bar ("no bottled sauces here — everything is made from scratch," Nasser said).
Desserts include paletas...
"We're excited to be here in the East Village," Nasser said. "I just want to serve good food."
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday, with a 2 a.m. close on Thursday, and 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
They are on all the usual delivery apps, though they maintain their own deliveristas "to control the speed, care and quality of the delivery."
Sunday, August 17, 2025
'Caught' celebrating: Why Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz and Darren Aronofsky were at the Double Down Saloon last night
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Early this morning, there was a little "Caught Stealing" reunion at the Double Down Saloon on Avenue A.
Last fall, the place was transformed into Paul's Bar while crews filmed scenes for Darren Aronofsky's upcoming crime thriller. In the film, the lead character Hank — played by Austin Butler — works as a bartender there.
There had already been some buzz among Double Down regulars that a special guest might show, so I stopped by to check it out.
Anyway, fittingly, the Double Down was the setting for Butler's 34th birthday celebration, where, around 12:30 a.m., he arrived with Aronofsky, co-star Zoë Kravitz, and a handful of friends and family.
Filmmaker Ari Aster was among the bday wishers...
Despite those in attendance, the cake was the star.
Empire Cake crafted a frighteningly realistic cat cake of "Caught Stealing" co-star Tonic, who plays Bud — the feline who inadvertently immerses Hank into the criminal underworld. (BTW, you may recall Tonic's excellent turn in the 2019 version of "Pet Sematary.")
The "Caught Stealing" crew didn't linger too long at Double Down — more stops were waiting on their night/early morning out.
The movie, filmed in part in the East Village, opens on Aug. 29.
This is why you should not feed the pigeons
Week in Grieview
• The entire northern section of East River Park, including the running track, closes on Sept. 8 (Wednesday, Aug. 14)
• Michael Lydon, a longtime East Village resident, musician, author and rock journalist, died on July 30. He was 82. (Monday, Aug. 11)
• The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns to Tompkins Square Park this Aug. 24 (Tuesday, Aug. 12)
• Video: Fight spills onto the tracks at 1st Avenue L stop (Monday, Aug. 11)
• Summer road trips: Genre Is Death and Lydia Lunch at TV Eye (Saturday, Aug. 16)
• A look at the coming-soon Corner Bistro (Monday, Aug. 11)
• A rare look inside the Basilio Scientific School Association on Avenue B (Thursday, Aug. 14)
• This week in Dodging film crews (Monday, Aug. 11)
• Openings: Baos & Bowls on 13th Street (Monday, Aug. 11) … Gelatin Labs on 1st Street (Wednesday, Aug. 13)
• Where gallery meets shop: A look at 'Art Bodega' on 3rd Street (Wednesday, Aug. 13)
• Owners of C as in Charlie and Kisa ink lease at former Ferns space on 1st Avenue (Wednesday, Aug. 13)
• This might be the First great deli name we've seen in a while (Wednesday, Aug. 13)
... and we received an explanation about the tagging at the two for-lease storefronts at 106 Avenue B near Seventh Street ...
Per a reader: "This wasn't just tagging, there was a full-ass art gallery show happening the night of Aug 8th with photographs, shirts with art drawn on them, etchings, and zines all on the wall."
H/T CS on B
Here is the trailer for 'Peter Hujar's Day'
Here's more about the film by Ira Sachs (which we mentioned previously here):
Ben Wishaw and Rebecca Hall in a richly cinematic rendering of a conversation recorded in 1974 between photographer Peter Hujar and writer Linda Rosenkrantz. Their talk that day focused on a single 24 hours in the life of Hujar, the brilliant and famously uncompromising artist who was one of the most important figures in downtown New York's legendary cultural scene of the 70s and 80s.Set entirely in Linda’s Manhattan apartment, the film freely and imaginatively recreates that long-ago afternoon and the wonderfully discursive exchange between these two singular individuals.
"Peter Hujar's Day" will play the New York Film Festival this fall before a Nov. 7 release.
Hujar lived and worked above the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (today, the Village East by Angelika) on Second Avenue at 12th Street. Read more about the space where Jackie Curtis and David Wojnarowicz lived before and after Hujar right here.
And I highly recommend the book, "Peter Hujar's Day." Bought a copy at Mast on Fifth Street and Avenue A several years back.
Hujar died from AIDS-related pneumonia on Nov. 26, 1987. He was 53.
Saturday, August 16, 2025
Saturday's parting shot
The unheralded 1980 release starring James Brolin was lost for years, never getting a proper video-DVD-cable release.
Now's your chance, for at least this coming week at the IFC Center, to see what the Times says is "among the great Gotham movies of its era" in a piece titled "The Great Gritty New York Movie You've Never Seen."
It would be perfect for a drive-in too...
Summer road trips: Genre Is Death and Lydia Lunch at TV Eye
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
On Aug. 3, the EVG team went to TV Eye in Ridgewood to see one of our favorite newer bands, Genre Is Death, along with the No Wave legend Lydia Lunch.
A highly recommended space if you've never been, complete with an outdoor patio...
... where we ran into some familiar faces, including Skeleton Boy ...
...Carmen, the bass player for EVG fave Pop Music Fever Dream...
... and Tom Person, a drummer with several local bands who also fronts Dr. Now ...
Over the past year or more, we've experienced Genre Is Death eight to 10 times, and Taylor and Ty always deliver a powerful wall of sound. (Read our Q&A with them here.)
The two are currently recording a new record with Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Swans), with an East Coast/Midwest tour kicking off right from TV Eye on Nov. 2.
As always, the two — fresh off a West Coast date opening for Gogol Bordello— once again left it all on stage.
This backstage shot was taken after their longest set yet.
Backstage, we also talked with the legend, Lydia Lunch, who was playing with Big Sexy Noise alongside Tim Dahl, Kevin Shea and Timo Ellis.
Lunch was at the forefront of the No Wave movement in the Lower East Side of the early 1980s, unleashing the jagged noise of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. (Read our 2013 Q&A with her here.)
This show proved she hasn't strayed too far from that lacerating assault.
We watched her go over the set list, then went out and simply enjoyed the vibrant, in-your-face performance...
Check out TV Eye's schedule here. Highly recommended if you want to get out of the neighborhood for some live music. (And Genre Is Death is here again on Aug. 20.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)