Meanwhile, several applicants are no longer on tonight's docket... including two of particular interest.
One is Spiegel ... multiple tipsters told us at the start of the summer that the cafe is returning to its former home at 26 First Ave. at Second Street ...
Expect to see them another month as they apply for a new liquor license for the corner space. (They previously had a full liquor license until they closed at some point during the pandemic.)
Also no longer on tonight's agenda — Roberta's Pizza.
As previously reported, 15 Avenue A between Houston and Second Street is undergoing a vertical expansion.
The new retail tenant was expected to be a wine bar from Bushwick-based pizzeria Roberta's.
Chef-owner Carlo Mirarchi told Grub Street in September 2019 that they were going to open what he called Roberta's Wine Bar.
However, nothing more was ever mentioned about the project, and it was unknown if those plans were moving forward. Obviously so with the application for a new liquor license. (The retail space at 15 Avenue A was previously the Family Dental Center, which moved down to Essex Street in 2017.)
Roberta's got its start in Bushwick in 2008. As Eater noted, Roberta's had been on an expansion kick, with openings in several food halls, and adding two locations in Los Angeles and one in Williamsburg ... not to mention its frozen pizza business ... and burger joint.
Tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting includes an applicant vying for 197 Second Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.
According to the public documents on the CB3 website, applicant Michael Dollaway is proposing an establishment called Aces Fine Food and Spirits. The configuration for the cocktail lounge-restaurant features 12 tables for 36 guests as well as a 22-seat bar.
Dollaway's bio posted with the questionnaire shows a background in management/ownership at several now-closed upscale spots, including Provocateur in the Meatpacking District and Lily Pond in East Hampton.
CB3's SLA committee meets tonight at the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton. The festivities start at 6:30.
It's one of those kinda-seems-like-yesterday moments. I recall Goggla emailing me with the news...
The place was closing anyway to make way for the 12-story apartment building on the lot... But people thought that they had the rest of the summer of 2011 to enjoy the bar... or at least go to it.
However, a DOH visit did them in on July 18, 2011 — 54 violation points and mentions of every known type of fly. (Filth flies! Flesh flies!) And apparently, owner Hank Penza said the hell with it. And closed.
For a time, the place was the greatest, strangest, dirtiest bar around the neighborhood.
Here's what the Timeshad to say about Mars Bar once ...
[I]n its prime it was perhaps the epitome of an East Village bar: menacing, dark and covered inside and out by graffiti, stickers and impromptu spray-painted artworks. Its forbidding restroom was an urban legend in and of itself.
It wasn't always that way ... per a different feature at the Times:
When the bar opened in 1984 ... the facade was gleaming. "We thought, 'Oh no, another sushi bar; there goes the neighborhood,'" said Jim Sizelove, who was part of the rowdy art scene called the Rivington School.
We can relive the bar here for a moment... in 2016, East Village-based filmmaker Jenny Woodward released an entertaining video short titled "Last Days of the Mars Bar," featuring interviews with Penza in the days leading up to the bar's closure.
Penza shares some colorful anecdotes (and perhaps tall tales), such as how the bar got its name and how the first art appeared on the bar's walls.
And Penza doesn't seem all that broken up about the end of days here.
"Fuck the bar. What am I, crazy? There's a beginning and an end. You hear? The Mars Bar will live forever and I'll die... I feel like there's a beginning and an end, and this is the end to another chapter in my life."
Here's a rather serene slice-of-Mars-Bar life showing a few people quietly sitting while David Bowie's "China Girl" plays on the jukebox. (Thanks Alex!) The video isn't dated ... it was uploaded in April 2012. It's aptly titled in part "Sweet Memories."
The corner storefronts where Mars Bar stood were eventually demolished in late 2011/early 2012 to make way for the residential building called Jupiter 21. The corner space now houses a TD Bank and Kollectiv, "an urban retreat center" that features an herbal pharmacy and spa.
A Ferrari gets a ticket on Seventh Street at Second Avenue... and the traffic enforcement agent told EVG contributor Derek Berg that this was his first time ticketing a Ferrari...
• Pre-sale tix are available for the 50th-anniversary screening of "Willy
Wonka & Chocolate Factory" at the Regal Union Square on Aug. 15 (Official site)
Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street will be the place to be tomorrow for a community event to highlight the work of local artists.
The No_B Fest will offer up an array of live music, art, poetry and theater on the Avenue from 4 to 8 p.m.
Participating businesses including the Roost, Revision Lounge and Mona's, whose bartender (and photographer extraordinaire) Aidan Grant helped organize this event.
And some info via the EVG inbox...
From street art to photography the block will be part gallery, part stage and part dance.
A raffle and auction will allow anyone to win the artwork. All proceeds will go directly into the pockets of the participating musicians.
Overall it's a desire to once again light up the foundation these artists built careers on and inspire the power of community collaboration.
The UK-based post-punk trio Desperate Journalist released a new record earlier this month... the video here (flash warning!) is for the first single — "Fault."
The transaction was a joint negotiation among Transformco, Vornado and the new tenant, sources said. The regional grocer that will be taking over the NoHo location has not been disclosed.
However, those sources said the new tenant will be a "first-class regional grocer."
A few EVG readers already have the space fitted for a Wegmans, which opened its first NYC space in October 2019 on Flushing Avenue in Brooklyn's Admiral's Row development.
On Wednesday afternoon, I was visiting with Nancy Preston, owner of Milk Money Kitchens at 50 Avenue A. (Read more about Milk Money, which provides commercial kitchen rentals and consulting services for food businesses, right here.)
Preston was prepping her space between Third Street and Fourth Street for an HBO shoot for the "Sex and The City" revival titled "And Just Like That." (You probably noticed the production trucks along Avenue A!)
Featured in the spread for the assembled cast and crew: cupcakes named after the show's main characters. Today's scene involved cast members Kristin Davis and Mario Cantone (no Cynthia Nixon or Sarah Jessica Parker here). Executive producer Michael Patrick King was also on hand and took a moment to take a photo with Preston.
And thanks to Nancy for letting me stick around to watch the setup...
The NYPD is seeking two men they say have burglarized 10 businesses, nine in the East Village, over the past few months.
According to published reports, the suspects have taken more than $15,000 in cash and electronics between March and June from the businesses — eight restaurants and one salon.
Per The Daily Mail, "In each case, one of the crooks would burst through the front door after dark, and steal cash, electronic equipment, or both."
The Mail also published this map showing the businesses that the two men hit ...
The NYPD released this video clip of the suspects during the most recent break-in — 10 p.m. on June 24 at Sammy's Halal, 109 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...
Per media accounts: Police described both suspects as men with light complexions between 40 and 60 years of age, standing between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall, and weighing about 190 pounds.
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.
Throughout the week on Twitter, many people shared their feelings — and remembrances — about this Kmart. In fact, at one point on Monday, this became a trending topic on Twitter — in the United States.
Loved it or hated it or just here for the restrooms, the Kmart made an impact on people's lives. Here are some reactions to our tweet...
I hated this place but damn if it wasn’t there exactly when you needed it most. https://t.co/NowUTx0nbz
— Hannah Vanbiber (she/her) (@HannahVanbiber) July 14, 2021
The last time I was in here (ca. 2000), I had just left Other Music when I stepped in a pile of dog shit so massive it rendered my shoes unsalvageable. I left my shoes sitting in the pile, walked barefoot across Astor Place, into this K-Mart & bought a pair of fake Chucks for $15 https://t.co/qufptWM0dI
On hot summer days, I would stroll through this K-Mart while waiting for friends, who were running late—to not have to wait in the NYC heat/humidity. Rest In Peace to iconic relic. https://t.co/AqiddjKt1K
Don’t usually have sympathy for large chains but am deffo a bit emotional as this is where I repeatedly tried on items from the Adam Levine clothing line and cried about gender in the dressing rooms. I mean truly, THIS is where most of my gender CRISIS happened. https://t.co/YLwWg4sQKl
roaming the aisles of this kmart in 2012 with my girlies texting our rolodexes “whats the address of that st mark’s deli that doesn’t card againnnn (:” https://t.co/ERMlEflDvV
RIP I once went in here deeply drunk after doing $2 shots at The Continental thinking it would be the easiest place to find a public bathroom, couldn’t find it until I had substantially pee’d in my pants, and then bought new jeans and changed into them and threw my old ones away. https://t.co/l5omUaoYfr
Wait, I need to return the Martha Stewart sheets I got there in the '90s! https://t.co/IBJl0acTvJ
— Robert David Sullivan (@RobertDSullivan) July 12, 2021
I once had a date and decided to wear a NuBra but couldn’t figure out how to stick it on and started sweating on the 6 train and one of the boobs migrated down to my rib. The Astor Place Kmart bathroom is where I finally tore the thing off and stuffed it into my purse. RIP. https://t.co/Wgd1ewrXW0
RIP Astor Place Kmart. You outfitted generations of freshman NYU students in the span of a week and then did seemingly no business the rest of the year. https://t.co/5reqxCNqgT
As a real piece of shit 18 year old, I used to steal 10 packs of Double A batteries from here for my Walkman that I had spray painted white and written "iPod" on in magic marker. https://t.co/Jc2nR6IwXo
Through thick and thin my faith in New York was always underpinned philosophically by the existence of the Astor Place KMart. This one hurts https://t.co/qw9uJNbgi9
seeing fran lebowitz doing irritated pre-storm shopping at the astor k mart before hurricane sandy remains my favorite celeb sighting, RIP to this big box legend https://t.co/ajNnWHGPbI
Per the folks at Printed Matter on tonight's event: "We'll have tables outside from 6 to 7:15 where both Curtis and Max will be present and signing books, and then at 7:15 we'll have Max doing a poetry reading on the roof of Swiss Institute."
Printed Matter is in the lobby of the Swiss Institute on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place (38 Second Ave.).
As rather sarcastically noted yesterday, there's a new Kraft Macaroni & Cheese-flavored ice cream mashup with Van Leeuwen. (The limited-edition flavor was created in celebration of National Mac and Cheese Day.)
So EVG contributor Stacie Joy decided to try it. (For the record — no one asked her to do this!)
Here's Stacie's report:
Went to the Seventh Street Van Leeuwen to try the Kraft mac-n-cheese flavor and it's good. I was prepared to hate it but it's solid. It tastes just like the blue box mac and cheese, right down to the slippery soft noodle taste. Savory.
While there, Stacie came across someone else trying the new flavor (no word if anyone asked her to try it!)...
On Tuesday night, officials from the Department of City Planning and Department of Transportation were on hand at a joint committee meeting of Community Board 3 as part of a public review process to make permanent the Open Restaurants program. (You can find a copy of the presentation at this link.)
More than an estimated 90 people packed into a room at the Boys Club of New York on 10th Street and Avenue A... while more waited outside... (the meeting was also streaming live)...
EVG contributor Stacie Joy was in attendance. She noted that the meeting started at 6:30 with an agenda item — something to do with the M14A/M14D — that didn't draw much interest from those gathered.
And then came the main event, which lasted nearly two hours. (CB3 needed to be out of the room by 9 p.m.)
Here's a quick take from Stacie:
It was HIGHLY CONTENTIOUS. It was supposed to be an 85-person cap but the place was packed and there was still a line outside. The DOT presentation drew a lot of negative attention from the crowd, who were frustrated with their inability to speak.
The DOT speech was interrupted constantly with claims of a filibuster and frustration that the community wasn't given time to speak. When they finally were given time, each person was given one-minute. Everyone was yelling and it was a mess.
Several media outlets covered the event. Here's a selection (update — added the Curbed entry at 1 p.m.):
"This whole program is going to turn our area into an open-air alcohol zone," echoed David Crane, a longtime CB3 member. One resident said he'd been forced to listen to "'Happy Birthday' sung outside my window 20 times a day," as others shouted that "this isn't Paris!"
While local business owners were largely absent from the meeting, they too expressed anger with the DOT's handling of the program.
Moshe Schulman, a managing partner of Kindred on 6th Street, said the agency had conducted a "sweep" just prior to the meeting, handing out citations for offenses such as being too close to a tree and blocking a "no parking" sign.
He was given just 24 hours to address the violations, which he described as "ridiculous and inaccurate."
"People think we’re done with COVID and everything is all great," Shulman told Gothamist. “We’re just starting to get on our feet and try to normalize service.”
There was plenty of talk of compromise and coexistence from the crowd of 90, but many attendees went nuclear, demanding no outdoor dining at all, denouncing struggling restaurants and bars as greedy land-grabbers, and, in one case, waving signs inspired by George Orwell's classic Dystopian novel: "1984: War is Peace. 2021: Residential is commercial."
One opponent was overheard outside the meeting comparing their struggle to that of Martin Luther King Jr. One speaker declared — to a room where more than half the people were still wearing masks — that the pandemic was over, and therefore outdoor dining should be, too.
Residents bemoaned the transformation of their community into what might be dubbed "Bourbon Street with yurts."
"I love my neighborhood!" one man started yelling emotionally over and over, also mentioning his "mental health," as others applauded supportively.
One woman, in an apparent reference to the Black Death of the 14th century, a bubonic plague spread by fleas piggybacking on rats, warned that the outdoor huts could breed a repeat.
"These sheds are rat traps!" she declared. "We are feeding rats. We just went through a pandemic — we are inviting the next pandemic with these sheds."
A young guy in his 30s named Sam Zimmerman stands up and speaks in support of the program — just the second person to do so thus far. He says the meeting's attendees are not representative of what the neighborhood actually thinks about streeteries, and that most people support the program. "People who are against it are people who come out to these things," he says, and is promptly booed. "There's 165,000 people in this district," he continues. "How many of them are here? People don't want to get screamed at by their neighbors." Everyone mumbles loudly, and someone yells "Where are you from?" and he responds: "From here!"
You can watch the meeting for yourself right here... it begins at the 16-minute mark...
The Open Restaurants text amendment entered a public review on June 21. This proposal is the first of a series of changes to create the permanent Open Restaurants program launched in June 2020 to help the pandemic-stricken restaurant industry. Per the city:
In addition to the zoning amendment, the City will move administration of the sidewalk café program from the Department of Consumer Affairs and Workforce Protection to DOT, streamline the application process and create rules for a permanent roadway dining program. Altogether, restaurants will have a single agency to go to apply for outdoor dining, with a clear set of design guidelines on what is allowed.
And:
The proposed zoning text amendment would affect every community district within the City. The proposed action would remove the definitions of sidewalk cafes from the Zoning Resolution and any mentions of them in special districts, as well as other clean-up text to fully remove any zoning prohibitions related to the operation of sidewalk cafes.
As part of the public review process, the CB3 Committees will produce a resolution, which the full board will vote on in September. Comments from residents may also be emailed to mn03@cb.nyc.gov. to be considered for the September vote.
Earlier this year we reported that the storefront on the southeast corner of 10th Street and Avenue C would be home to a deli.
Anyway, the signage has arrived for Green Land Gourmet Deli.
Eden took these shots of the interior the other evening...
... and we can exclusively report that the deli will be selling Good Humor products...
If all goes well, then Green Land expects to be open next week.
This will be the first time in recent years that the space won't be a bar.
From July 2018 to the end of 2019, the address was a reincarnated East Village Tavern (in name only) and, briefly, Daytripper (same owners).
Before this, a different set of owners ran East Village Tavern, which closed in November 2016 after eight years following a reported rent dispute with landlord Steve Croman.
Here's a look at the damaged (elm?) tree in Tompkins Square Park... a large section of the tree splintered overnight Sunday here on the south end of the Park along Seventh Street... however, crews were able to spare the rest ...
Note: We changed the original headline after the NYPD made more information available.
Multiple EVG readers are reporting that First Avenue is closed to both traffic and pedestrians right now between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. [Update: Traffic is said to be closed from Fourth Street to Ninth Street.]
EVG reader MP shared the top photo and this: "No details other than 'some sort of fight.' No indication if it was inside one of the buildings or on the street."
Detectives were also spotted at the scene closer to Sixth Street.
The Citizen app says the report is coming from 396 E. Sixth St. [Update: There isn't such an address...]
Will update when more information is made available...
Updated 3:15 p.m.
According to amNY, Marvin Bellamy, 37, of Columbus Avenue, was found "face down and wounded on the pavement at the corner of First Avenue and East 6th Street at about 6 a.m."
Bellamy had suffered a puncture wound to his chest, though at this time, police do not know the nature of the injury — or whether he had been attacked.
Updated 6 p.m.
The Daily Newsreports that Bellamy was stabbed. A News photographer caught a shot of a knife in the outdoor seating area at Elsewhere Espresso.
The police were also seen at Stromboli Pizza on St. Mark's Place and First Avenue, where they believe the suspects may have been prior to the confrontation with the victim.
Updated 8:30 p.m.
CBS 2 has surveillance footage that shows Bellamy chasing two other men before collapsing in front of the McDonald's on the east side of First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
Updated 7/15
The 9th Precinct posted this low-res Wanted ("suspect only") poster on Twitter...
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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.
P.J. O'Rourke has proven to be as resilient as he is creative.
As EVG contributor Stacie Joy reported back in April, O'Rourke, an East Village-based artist and entrepreneur, had moved into a new high-profile storefront on First Avenue to sell his FlyeLyfe brand of hats, prints, T-shirts and other original designs.
Unfortunately, O'Rourke found himself locked out after one day following a dispute with his "so-called business partner." (Read that post here.)
However, as Stacie reports, he recently found a new home at 815 Broadway just south of 12th Street. The storefront is a permanent pop-up space leased by people and organizations to throw events. So, on those days, O'Rourke won't be at the address. He announces his schedule on Instagram. He also has online sales.
Stacie stopped in the other day to find O'Rourke at work with a heat press with new designs for T-shirts, hoodies and tank tops. The brand is now known as P.J. O’Rourke II ...
In 2012, O’Rourke started selling his merch on the L train via a mobile art cart. He was on a month-to-month lease on 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue for nearly 15 months before moving to First Avenue ... and now on Broadway.