First look at the new Puebla Mexican Food in Essex Street Market

Photos and text by Stacie Joy

When we last saw Irma Marin in March, she was shuttering her much-loved, 25-year-old restaurant on First Avenue due to rent/landlord issues.


[EVG photo from March]

As we first reported at the time, Marin was looking into possibly opening a Puebla Mexican Food stall at the Essex Street Market.

Here's some good news for those who love her burritos, tacos and tortas, not to mention her guacamole, mole, and salsa — she’s
back.



Marin and her family were able to secure a new spot at the Essex Street Market ... and we got a chance to see her last week right after she received approval for the space.





Marin says she’ll have a similar menu to her restaurant at 47 First Ave. between East Second Street and East Third Street. She'll also be offering delivery via the usual sources — Seamless, Grub Hub, Delivery.com, etc.

The current space, which will have several stools for diners, is a place-holder where she can vend until sometime in 2018, when the new Essex Street Market is slated to open. Marin and her family have been promised a spot at the new location.

As of now, she is several weeks out from opening her new Puebla Mexican Food. She said that she can’t wait to see her old customers again — and to meet some new faces.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Puebla Mexican Food is closing after 25 years on 1st Avenue

You'll now have until March 23 to visit Puebla Mexican Food on 1st Avenue

Puebla Mexican Food closes on 1st Avenue; Villacemita opens on Avenue A

About Puebla Mexican Food's abrupt closure, and future at the Essex Street Market

More about Edwin and Neal's Fish Bar, coming soon to East 6th Street

[Photo from Aug. 25 by Michael Hirsch]

Gandhi, the 31-year-old East Sixth Street mainstay, closed for good at the end of July.

As we pointed out on Aug. 5, Shane Covey, co-owner of Upstate around the corner, and Adam Elzer, operating partner at Sauce Restaurant, Supper, Lil Frankie's and Frank, are opening a new restaurant here on East Sixth Street just west of First Avenue.

Covey shared a few more details about his plans.

For starters, he's not closing or moving Upstate, the small seafood-centric restaurant with a rotating list of craft beer at 95 First Ave.

"I built that place with my Dad and my chef and I spend just about every waking moment in there and couldn't fathom moving it," Covey said via email. "I put Upstate in the East Village with the sole purpose of being a part of the community. It's a neighborhood place, and it's function is to be part of the community."

And why the new space?

"The problem is we turn so many area people away that it is driving me nuts." So he had been looking for someplace nearby to open what he describes as a neighborhood fish place.

And then the Gandhi space became available. He decided to team up with his friend Adam Elzer on the new venture.

"He asked what I was going to call it. I wasn't sure, so I paused. Adam said, 'let's name it after our fathers.' So Edwin and Neal's Fish Bar it is," Covey said.

He said that Edwin and Neal's will be "a mirror image of Upstate."

"I am just going to emphasize the raw bar aspect. At Upstate I have a full liquor license, but I don't serve booze. I like the craft beer aspect," he said. "So that is what we will be doing at the former Ghandi space. I want to source the freshest seafood and beer and make sure people can afford it. Makes no sense being a local joint if the locals can't afford it."

Ramen Zundo-ya opening first U.S. outpost on East 10th Street

The exterior is shaping up at 84 E. 10th St., where Ramen Zundo-ya is opening its first U.S. restaurant here between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Tatsuya Hashimoto launched Ramen Zundo-ya in 2002… there are now 15 locations throughout Japan.

There are also global plans, as he lays out on the Ramen Zundo-ya website:

For the first step to share our ramen with the world, our first international shop is to be opened in New York in 2015. We also plan to open 1000 international franchised shops. I strongly believe that ramen is not only for Japanese but for the world. A strong willpower, a good fortune and confidence, have always been my saving grace. It is also on this journey that I came to realize how lucky I am – to be surrounded with most precious people such as my family, my staff and mostly the customers of Ramen Zundo-ya.

Also from the website… this chart Ramen Zundo-ya's ramen…

Images from Summer 2015

June

At the NYC Drag March in Tompkins Square Park ...


[Photo by editrrix]

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East Village Radio returns ...


[Photo by James Maher]

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Closing time at the Odessa for the night ...


[Photo by Michael Sean Edwards]

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Santa hijinks ...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

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Not even Manhattanhenge on St. Mark's Place ...


[Photo by @Knickerbock4Lif]

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July

Ray returns after heart valve replacement surgery ...


[Photo by Peter Brownscombe]

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Christo and Dora's new offspring ...


[Photo by Fenton Lawless]

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An Avenue A purse snatching ...



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A patrol tower arrives in Tompkins Square Park ...


[Photo by ‏@urbanmyths]

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Noted ...


[Photo by William Klayer]

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August

A penthouse fire on Third Avenue ...



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At the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park ...


[Photo of Ron Miles by Stacie Joy]

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A new mural by Os Gêmeos on Second Avenue



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A grand reopening at B&H Dairy


[Photo by Derek Berg]

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Those Taylor Swift fans...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

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At Camp Out New York Post ...


[Photo by John Penley]

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A late afternoon thriller on East Houston and Avenue C ...


[Photo by Naomi Paulin]

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At the Tompkins Square Riot Anniversary concert ...


[Photo by John Penley]

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Another summer ...


[Photo by Bobby Williams]

Zoltar's true identity revealed

EVG reader MA makes the discovery outside Gem Spa this evening...

The Between the Seas Festival returns to the East Village

[Image via Facebook]

Via the EVG inbox…

Between the Seas, the only festival in New York celebrating Mediterranean performance, returns to the Wild Project for its fifth year.

This year, the festival presents some of the most acclaimed and innovative performers from the Mediterranean region. Program highlights include: the English language premiere of "The Dictator" by Lebanese playwright Issam Mahfouz, an absurdist exploration on the nature of tyranny; Catalan artist Borja Gonzales on a performance piece based on puppetry and sand drawing; Italian dance company Esperimenti in a sparkling performance inspired by Italian songs of the 1960s and 1990s; and the fiery flamenco dancer Rebecca Tomas.

Between the Seas runs from Tuesday, Sept. 8 through Sunday, Sept. 13. Performances are at The Wild Project (195 E. 3rd St. between Avenue A and Avenue B). Tickets are $20 unless otherwise noted (students/seniors $15 with valid ID). Tickets can be purchased by calling OvationTix at 212.352.3101 or online here. You can find the full lineup at the Between the Seas website here.

Read our interview last year with Aktina Stathaki, the artistic and producing director of Between the Seas, right here.

What went wrong at Cooper Union

Catching up to a long look at the recent turmoil at Cooper Union … via a piece by Felix Salmon at Fusion titled "How one of America’s last free colleges screwed its students and betrayed its legacy."

There's a lot going on to try to summarize for a post here … so here's a quickie overview:

Cooper Union’s finances are dreadful, and the fact that it charges tuition is a dereliction of everything Peter Cooper stood for. George Campbell, Jamshed Bharucha, and Mark Epstein should be shamed for what they did. It will take something approaching a miracle, or at least a couple of hundred million dollars, to get Cooper Union back to where it was.

Salmon also points out that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's 55-page report into what went wrong at Cooper Union "should be required, and sobering, reading for anybody who cares about higher education in America." (You can download a copy of the report via the Fusion article. Some good Labor Day reading.)

Organic Grill reopens Wednesday

Back on Aug. 17, Organic Grill closed for what was expected to be two weeks while the landlord made some sidewalk repairs.

We noticed that the veganish restaurant remained closed here at 123 First Ave. between East Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place… These jobs always seem to take longer to complete… now the reopening word — Wednesday at noon.

We will be reopening 9/9 at 12pm! Come join us for complementary drinks to welcome us back! #organicgrill #reopen #og #nyc #eastvillage #xo

— Organic Grill (@TheOrganicGrill) September 5, 2015

Anwar Grocery remains closed on Avenue B

On Wednesday night, we're told that the NYPD shut down Anwar Grocery at 106 Avenue B just south of East Seventh Street…


[Reader submitted photo from Wednesday night]

At this point, we don't know what the closure is for… the store hasn't been open since the bust. And someone has removed the NYPD sticker from the gate.

Anwar was cited and briefly shut down for underage alcohol sales in March 2012.

According to the State Liquor Authority, their liquor license is inactive.

Preparing for the papal visit

So you probably know that Pope Francis is visiting NYC on Sept. 25.

Did you sign up for your chance to attend his Central Park procession? (Maybe Q104 will be giving away tix to the 10th caller next weekend?)

Meanwhile, folks around here are prepping for his arrival.

Spotted on East Fourth Street near Avenue B …



East East Fifth Street near Avenue D …

Robert Ryan at Anthology Film Archives

Anthology Film Archives is in the midst of a Robert Ryan retrospective… Here are some details via the Wesleyan University Press (publishers of the new Robert Ryan biography) …

The series collects six of the most arresting screen performances by this gifted artist and activist, whom Martin Scorsese called “one of the greatest actors in the history of American film.” Select screenings will feature discussions with author J.R. Jones, film editor for the Chicago Reader, and Robert Ryan’s son, Cheyney Ryan, professor of law and philosophy at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict at Oxford University.

Robert Ryan became a star after World War II on the strength of his menacing performance as an anti-Semitic murderer in the film noir Crossfire. Over the next quarter century he created a gallery of brooding, neurotic, and violent characters in such movies as "Bad Day at Black Rock," "Billy Budd," "The Dirty Dozen," and "The Wild Bunch." His riveting performances expose the darkest impulses of the American psyche during the Cold War.

Here's the lineup:

• ACT OF VIOLENCE (Fred Zinnemann, 1948)
Sept. 6, 4:15 PM; Sept. 8, 9 PM

• ON DANGEROUS GROUND (Nicholas Ray, 1952)
Sept. 7, 7 PM; Sept. 10, 7 PM

• THE NAKED SPUR (Anthony Mann, 1953)
Sept. 7, 9:00 PM; Sept. 9, 7 PM

• ABOUT MRS. LESLIE (Daniel Mann, 1954)
Sept. 10, 9 PM

• BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (John Sturges, 1955)
Sept. 6, 9 PM; Sept. 8, 7 PM

• GOD’S LITTLE ACRE (Anthony Mann, 1958)
Sept. 6, 6:15 PM; Sept. 9, 9 PM

I saw "The Naked Spur" yesterday and it was quite entertaining…



Here's more on Ryan in Artforum this past week.

Anthology Film Archives is on Second Avenue at East Second Street.

2nd Avenue, 8:23 a.m., Sept. 6

Morning!

It's really a nice morning out. Mostly. A reader shared this...

Here on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and B, we opened our doors to quite a spectacle of nature this morning. Pigeons feasting on a large pool of food waste right in the middle of the street... Can't wait until the rats show up!

Really glad someone seems to have thought it would be funny to throw a garbage bag in the middle of the street for cars to crush. Such a refreshing change from the overturned trash cans on the corner of 6th and A.

Apparently a resident will grab a shovel to remove this, but…

I really want to see the meathead who did this clean it up. With his or her bare hands, ideally.

Candy you were so fine

A little weekend entertainment via this clip from "The Arsenio Hall Show" from January 1991... when former Avenue B resident Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson of The B-52's were guests...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Go on a tour of Iggy Pop's East Village in 1993

Someone puts penis cake pan up for grabs on East 6th Street

Why not, we live among the land of the original penistrator ... and so many knockoffs...



Photos on East Sixth Street via Shawn Chittle

Some great reward

Thee Oh Sees (John Dwyer and a rotating cast of musicians) are out on tour in support of their latest release, Mutilator Defeated At Last.

They'll be playing at the Bowery Ballroom Tuesday (sold out!) then Thursday and Friday at the Warsaw.

From that new album, here's "Lupine Ossuary" (marked here as "Lupine Dominus" and with the band's previous lineup).

And how was your Thursday Happy Hour?

From an EVG reader:

This gentleman greeted people on Avenue A yesterday with a special happy hour show. He was fairly pleased with himself. The show ended with a grand finale where the naked gentleman spread his gluteal muscles for those interested in a closer inspection.

Death Star inflatable rat attack!

The inflatable union rat is currently perched outside 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star ...

EVG correspondent Steven reports that occupant St. John's University is the target... via the District Council No. 9 Painters and Allied trades, who are protesting claims of the school hiring workers and not giving them the wages and benefits that were established in the area by said District Council.



The crew is handing out flyers...



Maybe later the rat and rabbit can mix it up.

Developing: Uni K Wax Center sign is on its way up; lime green and violet never looked so good

Anyone who things the Friday before Labor Day is a slow news day, well — you're wrong.

This morning, crews are carefully putting into place the Uni K Wax Center signage here at 120 Second Ave. near East Seventh Street... behold the pleasing lime green-violet color combo...



The waxing center has also nailed the three most important qualities when it comes to waxing — all natural, safe AND affordable, at least in the opinion of this blogger.



As previously noted, the address here is returing to its spa roots. After a short-lived time as the froyo spot Twister, the storefront housed a Spa Belles.

Updated 12:03 p.m.

And ta-da!


[Photo by EVG waxing correspondent Steven]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former froyo spot will become body waxing center on 2nd Avenue, just because

A step back in time on the Bowery

The Subway (sandwich shop) closed on the Bowery at the end of June. The storefront at 342 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond is currently for rent.

While recently researching 342 Bowery, Jeff Klepper, who was born and raised in Manhattan and now lives in Boston, came across our Subway closing post.

He shared the following photo with us... of his great-grandfather, Aaron Klepper, in front of his diamonds and jewelry shop at 342 Bowery just about 100 years ago ...


[Photo courtesy of Jeff Klepper]

We asked Jeff for a few more details, such as if his great-grandfather and family lived in the apartment above the shop.

Aaron's daughter, my great-aunt Sue, talked about living "behind the store" in one large room, in which her father had built some partitions. There was no heat, except for a kerosene stove, and the toilet was outside in back. But I think she was referring to their tenement on Allen Street.

I'm guessing they moved to the Bowery around 1905, and probably lived in an apartment above the store, because she said that her father would "go upstairs" to sleep when he was ill.

Jeff said that this photo had been hanging in his house for years, but he never knew the street until one of his cousins figured it out based on the 1920 census records.