Naked Pizza bares new sign on East 14th Street

Yesterday, workers put up the sign for the incoming Naked Pizza shop on 14th Street just steps away from Third Avenue... it's the second NYC location of the New Orleans-based company... per the website:

Founded in 2006, based in New Orleans and backed by Mark Cuban and The Kraft Group, Naked Pizza's mission is to revolutionize how we think about fast food. We believe that the product, business model and ethos of the brand will prove that conscious capitalism can make a difference.

Anyway, the pizza is supposed to not make you a fat slob. Per the website (again):

NAKED = Natural: Our dough, sauce and cheese contain no additives, preservatives, colorants or weird chemicals of any kind.
Fewer Calories: We reduce the calories with our multi-grain dough mix and by not adding sugar or butter to the dough or sauce. Our cheese is a great tasting skim milk mozzarella.
Prebiotics: Called an invisible super fiber, prebiotics improve your balance of healthy probiotic bacteria for improved immunity.
Multi-Grain: Our diverse blend of ancestral grain and seeds (more than 10) and selected for maximum nutrients and taste.
Probiotics: Probiotics are health-giving bacteria that live in our guts and essential to a sense of balance. We use a heat-resistant probiotic.
More Protein: Our mixture of multi-grain flours and numerous whole grains boost the levels of important plant proteins. Increasing levels of protein help the body achieve optimal performance and help reduce hunger
Less Fat: No trans fats, no butter, and our 50/50 whole and skim milk mozzarella keeps the fat in check.
Better Taste: When you add it all up, we have created the worlds healthiest and best tasting pizza that can be part of your healthy lifestyle.

If you want to plumpen up, then you'll have to wait until the 5 Napkin Burger opens next door.

On closer inspection, IHOP NOT opening a sidewalk cafe on 14th Street

Joking. But still. Seeing the blue tarp tent out front ... which matches the IHOP brand colors ... gives you pause...

...the work continues on all this... the cooling system for the Pancake Maker. Or it's something for the L train. Either way.

Meanwhile, Lux Living has his next assignment

Despite the ongoing rumors, we deny that we are trying to kill him.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Dinner at the East Village IHOP

Kebab Garden looking rather closed

On First Avenue near St. Mark's Place. Cardboard over the windows. No "closed for renovations" note. No DOH stickers. Seems as if it was just open the other day. Anyone? Class? Anyone?

One fall day

By Bobby Williams.

Bowery balloons

By Bobby Williams.

The usual Suspects

Stiff Little Fingers with "Suspect Device" from 1979.

Breaking: Bad Burger opening Wednesday on Avenue A; location includes the Bad Girl Bakery

From the EV Grieve inbox ...

Bad Burger (Breakfast All Day), a 24 Hour Diner-Nouveau venue will launch their new, second location on Wednesday November 16th, at 171 Avenue A.

Bad Burger continues to partner with NYC ICY (No. 1 Zagat rated gelato-style ice). The new location will also include the unveiling of both a new menu, and in-house baking company Bad Girl Bakery.

Equally inspired by both American Nouveau and the Classic American Diner, Bad Burger not only hails to the beef & bun classics but also fills a niche for Vegetarian, Vegan and Wheat-Free options within a range of comfort food from Cheeseburgers to Eggs Firenze, as well as Cali-Mex style plates and an armada of home made sauces.

In follow-up to their Brooklyn location (131 Grand Street at Berry St), the Avenue A location seeks to eventually serve Craft Beer and a Sommelier-honed Wine List, also with vegan options. (License-pending.)

Fun and diverse comfort food, jukeboxes, free WiFi and 24 Hour dine-in, take-out & delivery will remain the mantra at both the Brooklyn and Manhattan locations.

Opening dates for Bad Burger, 171 Avenue A:
Our doors will open to the public on Wednesday, November 16th 2011

Relive all of the Bad Burger/171 Avenue A drama right here.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

Tanya Towers on East 13th Street getting major overhaul (The Villager)

Stuy Town residents rally against ice rink (Stuy Town Living)

An appreciate of the FAILE mural on Houston and the Bowery (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Why Union Square is lonely (Runnin' Scared)

Good news for fans of the Subway Inn (Marty After Dark)

Q-and-A with Vivienne Gucwa of NY Through the Lens (Directory B)

New coffee shop opening Monday on Lafayette (BoweryBoogie)

More great moon shots (The Gog Log)

CNN looks at the Delancey Underground project (CNN)

James Wolcott on 1970s NYC (Nonetheless)

Ludlow Street sushi joint doesn't have a Health Department permit (The Lo-Down)

Vote on NYC's best restaurant bathroom (Eater)

On this Veteran's Day: a history of the Abingdon Square Doughboy (Off the Grid)

[Updated] Time to take JoePa's Potato Combo off the menu

An EV Grieve reader wonders if area bars that cater to Penn Sate game-day viewing parties will revamp their menus in the aftermath of the alleged child sex-abuse scandal that has rocked the university this past week ... leading to the dismissal of the school president ... as well as legendary football coach Joe Paterno (affectionately known as JoePa, for you non-football fans).

Updated: A reader sent us a photo of people eating a JoePa platter...

David Schwimmer is selling his L.A. home. And this is relevant because....?

An EV Grieve reader forwards the following article from The Wall Street Journal ...

The "Friends" star ... renovated the backyard and made other improvements, including restoring the home's windows, doors and hardwood floors and installing new heating and air conditioning systems. Mr. Schwimmer is selling because he and his wife recently started a family and hope to pick out a Hancock Park home together, according to a statement from listing firm Westside Estate Agency.

No mention of the fact that Schwimmer may (or may not!) be the owner of the circa-1852 townhouse at 331 E. Sixth St. that is now a hole in the ground.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is David Schwimmer the 'Friends' star who now owns the demolished 331 E. Sixth St. townhouse?

Outrage over total demolition of historic East Sixth Street townhouse

So, what's it like to rent an apartment around here these days?

Yesterday, a reader told us about moving out of the newly purchased 86 E. Fourth St. The resident also noted the challenges of apartment hunting these days...

"Unfortunately, there is NOTHING out there right now. Most 2 bedrooms we saw are well over $3000/month ... A couple of the people that showed us places were commenting on how scarce apartments are, and how its the worst they've seen it in sometime. $3500 for a tiny place, with bedrooms that could barely fit a single bed? No thanks, you can take your 'high-end finishes' and shove them up your... well, you know.

I'll be looking for a new apartment soon enough one of these days... It has been more than 10 years since I've had to look...

The least-expensive apartment listed at Streeteasy now is $1,495 for a studio on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... In total, Streeteasy has 238 active listings — the median price is $2,900.

Here's a breakdown...

So, like the headline says... what's it like to rent an apartment around here these days? Anyone care to share his or her recent experiences of finding an apartment?

UPDATED: Curbed test drives six apartment rental websites here.

An appreciation: The Tompkins Square Branch of The New York Public Library

For no particular reason... too often we mourn instead of appreciate around here at EVG...

Talked with several people recently who had no idea the branch had a nice selection of DVDs...

I always just go in and take a chance at finding something. I always do. But you have to be a little flexible. You can also put a movie on hold via the library website and have your own little Qwikster Netflix.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation: Breakfast at Stage

Summer in the East Village, 2011

We've featured the photography of Michael Sean Edwards here several times in the past... like this batch from the neighborhood in 1978-1985 ... and this post...

Michael is still busy taking photos... and he recently shared a set via Flickr simply titled Summer in the East Village, 2011. Here are five of the 87 photos from the set...

Find the whole set here.

Taking another look at the action-packed November CB3/SLA agenda

[Created by EV Grieve via CafePress]

We looked at the CB3/SLA agenda back on Oct. 31. But there have been a few scratches on the agenda. So here's an updated docket... with the comments intact...

SLA & DCA Licensing Committee
Monday, November 14 at 6:30pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 East 5th Street at Bowery

Renewal with Complaint History

• The Porch (The Porch Inc), 115 Ave C (op)

The Porch closed up last month, as Dave on 7th pointed out. We heard that the Porch was moving and an Indian restaurant was taking over... perhaps from the same owners?

• Kelly's (Diddler Doyle Corp), 12 Ave A (op)

• Kenka (Hinomaru Inc), 25 St Marks Pl (op)

• Diablo Royale (East Village Café & Restaurant LLC), 167 Ave A (op)

Arrive early for a good seat. This will be dramatic, perhaps.

Applications within Resolution Areas

• Cafetasia (Cafetasia Inc), 85 Ave A (up/op)

Seeking 100-ounce vodka tubes too?

• Essbar (102 Ave C LLC), 102 Ave C aka 230 E 7th St (up/op)

Edi & the Wolf upgrading...

• Nublu, 151 Ave C (op)

Nublu temporarily moved to under Lucky Cheng's back in August ... as the Nublu blog said during the summer, "last week we got our liquor license taken away due to an anonymous complaint that we are too close to a House of Worship." You can read about it all here.

• Pouring Ribbons (Lead to Gold Inc), 225 Ave B (op)

Anyone know what's going on here... the White Noise space?

• To be Determined, 116 Ave C (op)

The former Lava Gina space.

• Japadog Inc, 30 St Marks Pl (wb)

As we first reported last month, Japadog, the crazy popular Vancouver-based artisanal hot dog stands, is opening its first NYC outpost here.

• Alphabet City Beer Co (Alphabet City Wine Co LLC), 96 Ave C (b)

Looks like a beer companion to Alphabet City Wine... 96 Avenue C has been a vacant storefront for some time... we'll have more on this later...

Alterations/Upgrades

• Cien Fuegos (Cien Fuegos LLC), 95 Ave A (alt/op)

• Peels Restaurant (Radley Realty Corp), 325 Bowery (alt/op/additional standup bar)

New Liquor License Applications

• Shoolbred's, 197 2nd Ave (op)

• Nevada Smiths (92 Nunz Walk Inc), 100 3rd Ave (op)

Maybe they're not closing after all!

• The Bean (54 2nd Ave Bean LLC), 54 2nd Ave (wb)
The Bean (147 1st Ave Bean LLC), 147 1st Ave (wb)

Interesting... What do you think about The Bean also serving wine and beer at its new locations?

• Nicoletta (Letta #1 LLC), 160 2nd Ave (wb)

A taker for the former Cafe Centosette space at 10th Street.

• Ichibantei LLC, 401 E 13th St (wb)

This is the the eatery that serves a range of Japanese "soul food" just east off First Avenue. A scratch from previous agendas...

• Golden Cadillac, 446-448 E 13th St (op)

The (now former?) Mug Lounge.

---

b=beer only | wb=wine & beer only | op=liquor, wine, & beer | alt=alterations |up=upgrades

Japadog opening next month on St. Mark's Place

Well, Japadog may be a scratch on the CB3/SLA agenda this month... but, according to the sign out front of the Dogsters first U.S. outlet, the place opens at 30 St. Mark's Place in December....

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cue the long lines: Japadog opening first New York City location on St. Mark's Place

New life for the Heartbreak space

In his column at The Villager this week, Scoopy has the following news about the eatery that closed here last month on Second Avenue and Second Street:

"[A]ccording to owner Christos Valtzoglou, the former German-Swiss eatery will soon be reborn as a Greek, small-plate-style eatery. “Why? Because I’m Greek, that’s one good reason. Also, I own Pylos,” Valtzoglou told us, referring to his Greek restaurant on Seventh St. between First Ave. and Avenue A."

If you stand just right on 14th Street and First Avenue, then it kind of looks as if the shadow is going up Leonardo DiCaprio's nose

Oh, sorry. Guess I was standing here a little too long...

Nothing sadder than a discarded pumpkin in a tophat

East Ninth Street. By Bobby Williams.

Former Cafe Centosette space becoming a fancy-pants pizza place

As you may have heard around the pizzasphere today... Michael White, who gives foodies boners with his fare at places like Marea and Ai Fiori, is opening a pizzeria called Nicoletta on Second Avenue at 10th ... the former Cafe Centosette, which closed in April. (Grub Street heard the rumors going back to September.)

According to Diner's Journal:

[T]he pizzas at Nicoletta ... will be baked in a gas-fired brick oven but would be "different, crisper" thanks to both his technique and a flour that is lower in protein.

There will be six or eight pizzas, with ingredients like sausage made on the premises. He plans to use a whole-milk mozzarella made to his specifications in Wisconsin. The restaurant, with about 60 seats plus 10 on the sidewalk, will have a takeout window, but will not sell slices.

As Jeremiah put it today: "Here comes yet another fucking upscale pizzeria for the East Village, where there have always been plenty of good, cheap pizza places."

Nicoletta is on the CB3/SLA docket Monday night.

'So the Shaloms have taken over your building. Now what?'

So as multiple people have noted, the (Oheb)Shalom family are the new owners of 86 E. Fourth St. EVFlip and several other readers/tipsters sent us the link to the Shalom Tenants Alliance ... per the Alliance website:

The Shalom Tenants Alliance is a coalition of residents of New York City apartment buildings owned and/or managed by the (Oheb)Shalom family, including Fred Shalom (Empire Management), Jon and Ben Shalom (Sky Management), Nader Ohebshalom (Gatsby Enterprises), David Ohebshalom (Big Apple Management, Perceptive Management), and Daniel Shalom (Keystone Properties, based in California). Operating under various corporate names, the Shaloms buy rent-stabilized buildings and then systematically dismantle required building services, forcing out legal residents through harassment, intimidation, negligence and deception.

The site includes a survival tips section titled, "So the Shaloms have taken over your building. Now what?"

Access that info here.

Cucina di Pesce closed for 'emergency repairs'

Cucina di Pesce, the solid Italian standby on East Fourth Street west of Second Avenue, has been closed this past week... sign says for emergency repairs...

Unfortunately, the DOH closed them last Thursday with 51 violation points for the usual "evidence of" stuff...

While standing there the other evening, this couple walks up for dinner. The woman is quite perturbed to find it closed. She peppers the carpenter out front with questions. Why are you closed? What happened? The carpenter explains that the place is closed for repairs. Nothing he says sinks in. Was there a fire? I don't understand why you're closed! Losing patience, the fellow finally snaps, "They're closed lady."

She harumpfs and says something about having already paid for parking...

Anyway, this reminds me that I haven't eater here in years... As New York put it: "Cucina di Pesce is the type of unpretentious, comfortably lived-in Italian restaurant that ruled New York before Mario Batali and his ilk turned the town upside-down."

Fake ad receives fake cease-and-desist letter

EV Grieve reader Jesse sends along these shots ... On First Avenue between Fourth and Fifth. It's a (wink, wink) cease-and-desist letter from MGM — representing the 1987 Mel Brooks classic "Spaceballs" — to the makers of the faux bottled air ads that are scattered around the East Village...

Signed by President Skroob, the character played by Mel Brooks in the movie...

Meanwhile, in Berlin...

The BMW Guggenheim Lab will be there May 24 to July 29, 2012. According to ArtInfo:

The BMW Guggenheim Lab Berlin will be located in the Pfefferberg Complex in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood in the northeast of the city.

Housed in the same tent-like carbon-fiber structure that it was in New York, the Lab will host a similar array of lectures, exhibitions, and activities programmed by Guggenheim curator Maria Nicanor. The events will around the theme of "Confronting Comfort," which examines the conveniences and costs of urban living.

This is what the In York Pocket city guide has to say about the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood: "The Berlin suburb that was once all punk is now mostly yuppie, but it remains where locals tend to party hard."

[Photo via]

Moon shots

Photos by Bobby Williams.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Somewhere on Lafayette by Bobby Williams]

Is NYU worth all the tuition? (The Village Voice)

Your chance tonight to say where the city's bike-sharing stations should go in the East Village (DNAinfo)

Where you can still finding actual meat in the Meatpacking District (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

The Algonquin Hotel is closing in January for extensive renovations (Crain's)

How you can learn about your apartment's history (Gothamist)

Is Chinatown's Nom Wah Tea Parlor getting overrun by hipsters? (The Lo-Down)

And tomorrow night at 6, there's a free screening of the acclaimed documentary "Gasland" at the Earth School auditorium (Avenue B and Fifth Street). Open to the public. There is also childcare for Earth School children.

If you're going to use Seventh Street as a toilet, then you might as well be civil about it

EV Grieve reader Elizabeth Frayer of New York Natives spotted this addition to Seventh Street just steps away from McSorley's ... perhaps a hint from fed-up neighbors... Or else Bloomberg's pay-public toilet idea has come to this...

More subtle, perhaps, than the no vomiting sign Jeremiah spotted in the spring.

Shenanigans begin at 86 E. Fourth St.

Last Monday, we told you about the new ownership of 86 E. Fourth St. at Second Avenue ... A resident there passes along the following:

Things shaking up after the sale ... tenants got notes under their doors saying the front door lock would be changed on [Nov. 14th] and that everyone had to come in to the realtor office to get new keys. However, when people started going in, the realtors were confused and said the lock wasn't being changed ... Beginning of resident harassment to chase us all out? Who can say. Lots of notes getting slipped under the door these days...

Have other tips or photos about the situation here? Please send them our way via the EV Grieve email ... grieve98@gmail.com

Nicky's is now Vicky's on East Second Street

The other night EV Grieve reader Steven passed along word that Nicky's on Second Street just east of Avenue A was now called Vicky's ...

Sure enough... rather subtle switch from the N to V...

Simple name switcheroo?

More than that, actually. Nicky's co-owner Quynh Dang told us that they sold the Second Street location in the late summer ... and the new owner called it Vicky's! (Which gave Quynh a chuckle.)

So, if you want your Nicky's fix, you have two choices now:

99-C Nassau St.
New York, NY 10038
Phone: 212-766-3388
Online ordering via Seamless Web available for this location

311 Atlantic Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: 718-855-8838