The return (again) of indoor dining

Indoor dining resumed on Friday in NYC at 25-percent capacity. 

Gov. Cuomo originally ended indoor dining in the city in December after two-plus months ahead of an expected holiday-related spike in COVID-19 positivity rates. 

Now, with a decline in the positivity rate and with hospitalizations, Cuomo eased restrictions, including pushing back the curfew by one hour from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

A take on all this via Eater: 

Not surprisingly, differing opinions abound on how to handle the latest return to indoor dining. Some owners are grateful for any loosening of operating restrictions and look forward to offering a handful of seats for customers, others are opting to take a wait-and-see approach before reopening their own establishments, and still others are planning not to reopen until COVID-19 vaccinations have been more widely distributed.

This past holiday weekend, EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by a handful of East Village establishments that were welcoming back diners inside ... starting with Il Posto Accanto on Second Street (above).

What follows are some snapshots of the first weekend of indoor dining in 2021 ...

... Book Club on Third Street...

... Subject on Suffolk Street near Houston...

... Remedy Diner on East Houston...

... Bin 141 on Avenue A at Third Street...

... Takahachi on Avenue A...

... Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar on First Avenue ...

... Panna II on First Avenue (which is also open in the former Milon space) ...

... Royal Bangladesh on First Avenue...

... Nón Lá Vietnamese Kitchen on Fourth Street...

... Popeyes on First Avenue ...

... Divya’s Kitchen on First Avenue ...

... Bibi Wine Bar on Fourth Street...

... 5C Cultural Center & Cafe on Avenue C at Fifth Street ...

... San Loco on Avenue C...

... and Lavagna on Fifth Street near Avenue B...

Happy Presidents Day

From the shelves at the Essex Card Shop on Avenue A... with Abraham Lincoln (right) and ... there was some debate over who the JFK looked more like. Someone suggested Seth Meyers.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo today by Derek Berg...

Head over heels: Happy Valentine's Day

As seen today on Third Avenue just steps past St. Mark's Place...

If you read this post, then you know what this is about. 

Photos by William Klayer... 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• About that rolled-up carpet in the crosswalk

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included ... (with a photo of the basketball courts in Tompkins Square Park earlier in the week by Vinny & O) ...

• Local elected officials, NYCHA reps get firsthand look at the problems at Mariana Bracetti Plaza (Tuesday) 

• City's first plant-based community fridge is up and running outside Overthrow on Bleecker Street (Monday) 

• Essex Market regulars Davidovich Bakery opening an outpost on Avenue A (Friday) 

• A labor of love: 3rd and B'zaar's latest seasonal pop up open through February on 3rd Street (Wednesday) 

• Our dwindling number of diners (Monday) 

• Gallery Watch heads to Half Gallery (Wednesday) 

• So much face-touching in this week's NY See panel (Thursday) 

• Police searching for suspect in 1st Avenue assault on Wednesday afternoon (Friday) 

• New photos of suspects wanted for brazen attack last month on 3rd Street and 1st Avenue (Wednesday) 

• Black Seed Bagels and chef Bobby Hellen launch Black Seed Pizza (Thursday) 

• A Valentine’s Day pop-up: Never Ending Taste coming to Yellow Rose (Friday) 

• Construction watch: 302 E. 2nd St. (Wednesday) 

• Construction watch: 298 E. Houston St. (Thursday) 

• Kyuramen debuts on 14th Street (Monday) 

• Mi Salsa Kitchen, serving Cuban cuisine, announces itself on Houston and Allen (Thursday) 

• Superiority Burger reopens on March 12 (Wednesday) 

• Reader report: A mini return of the former Stuyvesant Market on 14th Street and Avenue A? (Tuesday) 

• Casse-Cou Chocolate bringing vegan treats to 4th Street (Monday) 

• A new tenant for the former JAM Paper & Envelope space on 3rd Avenue (Wednesday)

• Succession to the throne on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Village Dream Tattoo & Piercing shop has apparently closed (Tuesday) 

• How about some more bubble tea for St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

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Gov. Cuomo extends closing time for bars and restaurants by 1 hour

On Friday, Gov. Cuomo announced that closing times for restaurants and bars will be extended from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. statewide beginning today. 

Cuomo set the 10 p.m. curfew in mid-November as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to rise in New York. 

The rollback of the curfew was due, he said, to the decline in hospitalization and infection rates throughout the city and state. 

Per his announcemnt:

"Our decisions are based on science and data and we adjust as the virus adjusts. The infection rate and hospitalizations have continued to significantly decline. Accordingly, we have adjusted with arena and catering hall openings with rigorous testing and limited capacity indoor dining openings in New York City. We will also move the restaurant and bar closing hour from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. statewide on Sunday. We will continue to follow the science and react accordingly. If we keep the infections down and vaccinations up, we will continue to stay ahead in the footrace against this invisible enemy."

On Friday, Cuomo said that the NYC daily positivity rate was 3.91 percent — the lowest percent since Dec. 19. 

As Eater noted, some in the restaurant industy were hoping for a midnight curfew. (Some are also hoping for a return of overnight subway service — especially for restaurant workers.)

News of the curfew rollback came on the same day as indoor dining — at 25 percent — returned to the city.

Image by WindAwake

Sunday's opening shot

As seen today (Valentine's Day!) at the Ninth Street Community Garden and Park on Avenue C...

Saturday's parting shots

New work by Manco Studio in Tompkins Square Park today... photos by Derek Berg...

EVG Etc.: Making it work at Theater 80; Celebrating the Lunar New Year

• Local chefs from 886, Málà Project, Fish Cheeks and Nowon have teamed up to raise awareness about the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans (Eater)

• Police say a few protestors from the Black Trans Liberation NYC rally on Thursday night vandalized Jackdaw on Second Avenue and 13th Street (Daily News) 

• Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village resident Janice Rosario, a choreographer and teacher, launched a nonprofit to help those in need in public housing (Dance Magazine) 

• Study shows that the Second Avenue F stop has some of the highest levels of air pollution in subway system (The Guardian) 

• Restaurants left vulnerable after NY's commercial eviction moratorium lapses (Eater) 

• A feature on the College Student Pantry at Trinity Lower East Side on Avenue B and Ninth Street (B+B ... previously on EVG)

• Theater 80 on surviving during the pandemic (NY1)

• Katz's made it through the 1918 pandemic. Here's how the deli managing COVID-19 (CNBC)

• Where to eat and celebrate the Lunar New Year (Gothamist) 

Photo from last night at the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street

Some love for the late Sylvain Sylvain on Valentine’s Day

An array of artists and musicians are taking part in a tribute to the late Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls tomorrow evening. 

The virtual show will feature a mix of stories, performances and videos from David Johansen, Debbie Harry, Thurston Moore, Henry Rollins, Clem Burke, Lenny Kaye, Bob Gruen and many more. 

"A Celebration of the Musical Life Of New York Dolls' Sylvain Sylvain" is being presented by Rolling Live Studios and the Bowery Electric. Tickets for the show, which starts at 7 p.m., are $15. (Find the link here.) 

Sylvain, co-founder and guitarist of the New York Dolls, died on Jan. 13 of cancer. He was 69.

Previously on EV Grieve:

On the phone with Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls 

A Valentine's weekend pop-up market at Ace Bar

Ace Bar is playing host to a group of local vendors-artists this Valentine's weekend... items for sale will include homemade jewelry, silk flowers... and love spells! 

The Valentine's pop-up is today from 2-7 p.m.  ... and 1-6 p.m. tomorrow.

Ace Bar is at 531 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

In other Ace Bar news... someone stole one of the outdoor heaters in the bar's curbside space...

An employee said the man first checked out the heater at 10:30 Thursday night, then came back yesterday morning at 8:30 with the tools to remove it.

Saturday's opening shot

City crews were out this morning salting roadways for the anticipated winter weather expected this afternoon... to the National Weather Service for some ALL-CAPS forecasting...

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM EST SUNDAY... 

WHAT...Mixed precipitation including freezing rain expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch. 

WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey and southeast New York. 

WHEN...From 1 PM this afternoon to 10 AM EST Sunday. 

IMPACTS...Difficult travel conditions are possible due to icy roadways, especially this afternoon through tonight

Friday's parting shot

Fetch! A scene in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Removing a curbside living space on 9th Street and Avenue C

An EVG reader shared the following photos... someone had moved into the curbside dining structure on Ninth Street at Avenue C outside the temporarly closed Esperanto... 

The man, and the various items that he has collected, had been in the Ninth Street space since this past Saturday. We're told that nearby residents had called 311 and other city agencies about the encampment... 

By this afternoon, some workers — unsure who sent them — arrived to remove the roof from the curbside space...

... and eventually the man's items had been moved to the sidewalk...

In recent weeks, several curbside spaces at currently closed bars-restaurants have temporarily been turned into encampments... including outside Lucy's on Avenue A...

Come out to 'Play'

 

Missed this single when it came out back in the fall — the UK-based duo Nova Twins with "Play Fair."

The band recently announced "Nova Twins Presents Voices For The Unheard," a new compilation album they'vee curated to spotlight underrepresented POC artists from the rock and alternative scene. 

Police searching for suspect in 1st Avenue assault on Wednesday afternoon

Police are searching for a suspect they say critically injured a 59-year-old man after punching him Wednesday afternoon on First Avenue near 12th Street. (Update: Readers say it was actually 11th Street near the Islamic Council of America.)

CBS 2 has a few more details:

Police say the suspect got into a dispute with the 59-year-old victim. Things escalated, and the suspect punched the victim in his left eye. 

The victim fell to the street and knocked his head on the concrete. That left the victim semi-conscious, police said. He suffered a fractured skull and swelling of the brain, according to authorities. 

The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition.

Accounts of the assault did not include a description of the suspect (he appears to be wearing checkerboard slip-ons by Vans) ... the NYPD did release this footage last evening...

🚨WANTED for an ASSAULT: On 2/10/21 at approx. 2:51 PM, at 1st Avenue and East 12 Street. The suspect punched a 59 year old male victim in his left eye, knocking him down causing him to be semi-conscious. Any info call or DM NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS. Reward up to $2,500. pic.twitter.com/4GTu3d9w5r

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) February 12, 2021

Essex Market regulars Davidovich Bakery opening an outpost on Avenue A

Signage has arrived for the new tenant at 36 Avenue A — Davidovich Bakery. 

The Essex Market regular looks to be opening another standalone shop offering bagels, pastries, sandwiches and coffee. 

The 23-year-old business opened its first non-Market space at 77 Clinton St. late last fall. 

No word on an opening date or hours at this time for Avenue A.

Until this past September, this storefront was home to Native Bean. The cafe was here since January 2015, having moved the one block from 50 Avenue A. 

We had heard that another coffee-bagel shop was opening here, but didn't know the brand. 

A Valentine’s Day pop-up: Never Ending Taste coming to Yellow Rose on Sunday

Text by Kate Woodruff

Acclaimed pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz is popping up at Yellow Rose this Valentine's Day.

And it's a case of paying it forward, pop-up style.

Described as "genuine cosmic Texas cookin'," Yellow Rose opened this past fall at 102 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. Owners Dave and Krystiana Rizo were on the pop-up circuit before opening their own place, and are now hosting Pickowicz's highly regarded Never Ending Taste bake sale, which helps raise money for local nonprofits working with issues of food insecurity and in food justice.

"I'm really excited to be in the kitchen with them," says Pickowicz, whose Valentine's menu (serving from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) will feature sticky buns, layer cakes and cookies alongside Yellow Rose's homestyle tacos and heralded vegan queso.

Pickowicz, a James Beard nominee, is best known for her work at Café Altro Paradiso in Soho, where she worked as the head pastry chef until March 2020 when she found herself out of work at the start of the PAUSE. 

It was after this that Superiority Burger's Brooks Headley reached out to see if she would be interested in using his space on Ninth Street for a residency on Sunday nights, and the Never Ending Taste was born.

As for this Sunday, Pickowicz instructs: "No indoor dining. Wear a mask. Bring your Sweetie."

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Kate Woodruff is a food writer and chef. Both working and residing in the East Village, she spends her time cooking, eating and writing about the two. For inquiries: katejeanwoodruff@gmail.com.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC ... 

Construction watch: 298 E. Houston St.

Yesterday, we looked at the incoming 14-story affordable housing complex at 302 E. Second St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

One building to the west is a very different type of new residence — the luxury Houston House, now fully revealed.

Here's a refresh on the 8-story condplex — "inspired by environmentally friendly passive house standards" — via the HH website:

Interiors were designed to maximize space and natural light, and many of the units have dramatic, unobstructed views of One WTC and Lower Manhattan. Amenities include breathtaking views, part-time doorman, a state-of-the-art Butterfly Mx virtual doorman system, bicycle storage, and a package room.

Each apartment boasts private outdoor space and an array of high-end fixtures and finishes. Specific features include private keyed elevator access, gorgeous wide plank hardwood floors, triple glazed floor-to-ceiling windows with northern and southern exposure, high ceilings, Energy Recovery Ventilator Systems, Miele washers/dryers with heat-pump technology, and stunning kitchens equipped with eat-in peninsulas, statuary quartz countertops, a matching backsplash, custom Italian cabinetry, pantry space by ALTA, and a suite of fully-integrated Miele appliances.

A new East Houston landmark, Houston House is just steps from numerous parks and public gardens and a continually evolving collection of restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops. It is close to the brand new Essex Crossing development, and is a short walk to the East River Promenade...

HH features several floor-through units with either two or three bedrooms. There are four available units, per the HH website, ranging in price from $2.8 to $3 million. There's also a unit for rent at $11,000 a month.

This property was previously the Houston Street Beer Distributors (see below!). The parcel fetched a little more than $7 million in the fall of 2015, per public records.

Previously on EV Grieve:
298 E. 2nd St. latest development site up for grabs

East Village now minus 2 beverage distributors

Something brewing (demolition) for former beer distributor on East 2nd Street


[Photo from August 2016]

Black Seed Bagels and chef Bobby Hellen launch Black Seed Pizza

The Black Seed Bagels team today launches a new venture — Black Seed Pizza, a collaboration with Bobby Hellen, who ran GG's on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B for three years until December 2017.

Hellen will be working from Black Seed's East Village location on First Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

The opening menu features five pizzas, including standards such as Cheese, Tomato and White as well as several specialties like Bob's Pizza (seen below), which features sopressata, mozzarella blend, grana padano, pecorino, tomato sauce, castelvetrano olive, banana pepper, oregano and homemade chimichurri ...

The pizzas are available in two sizes — square (12" x 12", feeds 2-3 people) and round (9" diameter, feeds 1 person). Find the menu here.

Some details via the opening announcement:

Black Seed Pizza's dough is fermented for 36 hours and made from certified organic, stone ground flour from Wild Hive Farm in the Hudson Valley, non-GMO all-purpose flour from King Arthur Flour in Vermont, and a 100-year old sourdough starter. 

The sauce is made using certified organic Bianco DiNapoli San Marzano-style tomatoes from California. All pies are baked in Sicilian-style pans, in a wood-fired oven. Gluten-free dough options are available for the square pizzas, and a plant-based cheese (Numu) is available to substitute for mozzarella

The pizza will be available for pickup at 176 First Ave. and delivery through Black Seed Pizza's own site and also via the usual third-party delivery platforms. 

Hours: Sunday to Thursday from 4-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m.
 
The Black Seed founding partners (Noah Bernamoff, Matt Kliegman and Dianna Daoheung) have been friends with Hellen for years and say that this is more than a pop-up concept, but rather "a full-fledged, standalone business alongside the bagel operation, poised to grow and potentially operate out of more Black Seed locations with wood-fired ovens."

Storefront photo by Steven; pizza pic by Shay Harrington

How about some more bubble tea for St. Mark's Place

Gong Cha, which describes itself as "one of the most recognized bubble tea brands around the world," is opening an outpost at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

This location is now on the Gong Cha website (H/T Upper West Sider!) ... marking the ninth outpost in Manhattan for the global franchise founded in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

This block of St. Mark's has seen a variety of bubble tea come and go through the recent years... some still in business (Kung Fu Tea right across the street).... and some not (Mi Tea). 

This storefront (the one on the left) has been vacant since Lab -320° closed in late 2016 after six months of selling ice cream. The previous longtime tenant here, The Sock Man, closed in January 2016 after a reported rent hike via (now former) landlord Raphael Toledano. Sock Man owner Marty Rosen later opened a new location at 99 1/2 St. Mark's Place ... where he remains today.

Photo by Steven

Mi Salsa Kitchen, serving Cuban cuisine, announces itself on Houston and Allen

A worker yesterday unveiled signage for the new restaurant coming to the southwest corner of Houston at Allen... welcome Mi Salsa Kitchen...

The restaurant, which will serve Cuban cuisine, looks to have a modestly priced menu... with meat and chicken dishes, served with two sides and a salad, starting at $11. 

This venture takes the place of the 8-year-old Mezetto, which never reopened after the PAUSE last March, per BoweryBoogie, who also first reported on Mi Salsa Kitchen's pending arrival.

New photos of suspects wanted for brazen attack last month on 3rd Street and 1st Avenue

WANTED for ROBBERY On 1/13/21 @ 12:42 AM, in the vicinity of 1st Ave. & E.3rd St., in the confines of the @NYPD9Pct subjects approached victim and punched him multiple times and forcibly removed property. Any info call us @ 800-577-TIPS or DM NYPDTips Reward up to $2500 pic.twitter.com/ADEeEY1Sb3

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) February 10, 2021

Police have released new photos of the suspects who brazenly attacked a man at 12:40 p.m. on Jan. 13 on Third Street just west of First Avenue. 

According to published reports, the 29-year-old victim, who suffered a broken jaw, was a delivery man. 

Per CBS2: "Police sources [said] he was riding his bike when he stopped to take a picture of a car that apparently hit him. That’s when several men got out, started punching him and stole his phone." 

Aside from distributing new photos of the suspects, the NYPD upped the reward money to $2,500...

The victim's wife set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover medical expenses. There isn't any word where he works making deliveries. 

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

The remains of Milon

If you're looking for a souvenir from the now-closed Milon, then you're in luck! 

Someone emptied contents from the Indian-Bangladeshi restaurant a little south of the space on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Fifth Street...

Goggla, who alerted us to this stash, nabbed a Milon menu...

As first reported, Milon, which opened here in 1982, quietly went out of business during the pandemic. Upstairs neighbor Panna II is expected to take over the space at 93 First Ave. in the months ahead.