Flea Market Cafe reopens today, and here's the menu

[March 2]

The new-look Flea Market Cafe was unveiled at the beginning of March, as we noted here. A few readers and regulars of the bistro grumbled about the cleaned-up interior — someone even thought that it looked like a "Pier 1 showroom" now.

But how about the menu? It's now online. (Click on images to enlarge.)











The Flea Market opens tonight... the new owners are from 10 Degrees around the corner on St. Mark's Place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New-look Flea Market Cafe shows itself on Avenue A; reopens March 11

Last remaining plywood removed from the Economakis him, revealing NO GARAGE

A tipster sent along the above photo, noting that the last piece of plywood outside 47 E. Third St. — the former tenement that Alistair Economakis renovated for his family — was recently removed. The address was the site of a bitter landlord-tenant fight dating back to 2003.

Several neighbors were convinced that the former 15-unit tenement would include a garage. There was an application for a curb cut, but the city never approved the request.

Last May, City Councilmember Rosie Mendez told The Villager that the Economakises are leasing part of the ground-floor space to a medical facility ... and the garage would serve that facility.

Anyway, the tipster said that he or she couldn't quite tell what was behind the plywood all that time. "It just looks like a black wall." No hidden doors?

[November 2011]

Previously on EV Grieve:
And Economakis gets the whole building for his dream mansion

More coverage here.

There goes the Lucky Cheng's sign

On Saturday, workers took down the Lucky Cheng's sign here on First Avenue...


[Photo by EVG reader Evan OHara]

Lucky Cheng's moved to a new home on West 52nd Street in the fall. We asked owner Hayne Suthon what she plans on doing with the sign. "I'll fix it and move it uptown."

Workers are currently renovating the space on First Avenue and East Second Street to make way for Pride and Joy BBQ.

Lucky Cheng's opened in 1993. Jeremiah Moss had an informative post on the building's history here.

These 4 new East Village restaurants are now open

As you may recall, Tribeca burlesque club Duane Park merged with the Bowery Poetry Club to create Bowery Poetry at 308 Bowery... the Duane Park part of the club opened this past weekend...





Bowery Poetry Club founder Bob Holman will operate Bowery Poetry Saturday afternoons, Sunday and Monday. Per DNAinfo, that is expected to start on March 18.

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On East Third Street at Avenue B, Heart N' Soul opened Friday at the site of the former Mama's Food Shop...

These photos are by @ThePeterHa ...



The menu features the "Coastal Southern cuisine" of chef Dave Conn, who spend a good part of his life in the South.



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Last Wednesday, East 12th Osteria, which serves Northern Italian fare via Roberto Deiaco, former executive chef at Armani Ristorante in the Armani flagship store on Fifth Avenue, opened its doors on East 12th Street and First Avenue...



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Finally... Back in January, Candela Candela abruptly closed at 92 Second Ave, ... at the time, a resident of the building heard that Mermaid Inn would be expanding into this space. That was NOT the case... In any event, the Candela owners have unveiled a new concept ... a vegetarian restaurant called Local 92 ...

And it's now open...



Per the menu: "The words LOw and CALories merge together in traditional middle-eastern dishes..."



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Anyone try any of these places? Any early reports to share in the comments?

The Feast bake shop opens today

Feast opened last Tuesday on Third Avenue near East 12th Street ... among other things, the place offers two large-format dinner options. (The Farmer's Market Feast and the "Nose to Tail Feast.")

Today, the bakery portion of the place opens. Feast proprietor Brian Ghaw also owns Savoy Bakery in East Harlem. The bakery will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Makeshift flea market returns to sidewalk outside the former Mary Help of Christians lot

Nice to see an impromptu flea market of sorts happen on Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street... the Mary Help of Christians flea market ended its run in the fall ... it now happens every Saturday at the Immaculate Conception Church on East 14th Street and First Avenue ...

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Week in Grieview

[Waiting for Prune's brunch, via James Maher]

Our interview with Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls (Friday)

Revisiting Fetus Squat (Thursday)

TR Crandall Guitars opening on East Third St. (Monday)

Ada Calhoun is writing a history of St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Video revisits the winter storm of Feb. 8 in the East Village (Wednesday)

A little more time for 9th Street Bakery (Tuesday)

We love Ink on A (Monday)

The Smith eyes basement expansion (Thursday)

Nobu alum heading to open Japanese restaurant on East Ninth Street? (Monday)

Your LES view of the Domino Sugar Factory might look like this (Monday)

THE EAST VILLAGE IS NOISY (Wednesday)

It snowed, some (Friday)

Another condo! (Thursday)

Live Fast closing on Clinton Street (Tuesday)

Caffe Buon Gusto closed on Avenue B (Monday)

At the Coney Island USA Spring Gala 2013

Coney Island USA held its annual Spring Gala last night at Webster Hall. The Gala's theme: The Burlesque Manifesto, which honored the role Coney Island USA played in beginning the neo-burlesque movement.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there and shared a few photos (maybe a little NSFW)...

















Find out more about Coney Island USA here. See Stacie's photos from the 2012 Gala here.

Richard Hell's New York (Mystery Lot shout-out!)

Richard Hell continues to do some press in advance of the release of his memoir, "I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp," on Tuesday.

Today, the Post features the longtime East Village resident in its weekly My New York feature... You can read it here.

And he was a Mystery Lot fan!

10. Vacant lot, north side of 13th Street, between Second and Third avenues (now a construction site)

“Whenever I would have to walk across town, I’d try to wrap myself down 13th Street. The lot was all overgrown. And when you were walking down 13th, the buildings that were still standing on 14th Street gave it this kind of broken-toothy kind of edge to it. A friend of mine wanted to make a movie with me — and my first idea was to do something in that lot. I put on a bunch of wounded-person makeup and staggered out from behind one of the 14th Street buildings. I have the footage, somewhere.”

Aside from the interviews that we've already mentioned (The New York Times last Sunday, the Observer), there have also been Hell Q-and-As in New York magazine... Esquire ... Spin has some book excerpts here.

Previously.

There's something about Marty

Here's the completed work at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall, which was unveiled yesterday at noon ... a surprise to honor legendary graffiti photographer Martha Cooper's 70th birthday.

A growing number of graffiti artists started the tribute yesterday morning at 7. Cooper arrived with her cousin at noon, thinking that she was going to be seeing a new mural — something other than her nickname on the wall.

Brooklyn Street Art has a lot more about the event... with photos and names of everyone who collaborated on the work.

Per BSA:

The brand new “Marty” mural is up for an incredibly short time, possibly only days, so if you have an opportunity or inclination, catch this personal and public display of affection for a lady who helped us all appreciate art in the streets.

Animal NY has more from yesterday here.

Morning tweet

Best breakfast deal in the #EastVillage? B&H on 2nd Ave. twitter.com/evgrieve/statu…

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) March 10, 2013

Yes, aside from making breakfast at home, because someone always says that. At 127 Second Ave.

On a clear (leafless) day, you can see...

From Tompkins Square Park today... always liked the view... via Bobby Williams...

A false alarm on St. Mark's Place

The FDNY responded to a report of a fire this afternoon on St. Mark's Place near Avenue A... according to reports, it, thankfully, turned out to be a false alarm... here are a few photos via Bobby Williams showing the firefighters in action...

If you were looking at this tomorrow, it would be 4:45

Spring forward tonight. So if you were looking at that clock outside the Upper Rust on East Ninth Street tomorrow, as the headline suggests, if would be 4:45 and not 3:45.

So. What do you plan on doing with the extra hour that you lose?

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

Happy birthday Martha Cooper!

Legendary photographer Martha Cooper, who chronicled the city's graffiti scene in the 1970s-1980s, celebrates a birthday today. (No. 70.)

To honor (and surprise!) her, new art is going up on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall...

Happy Birthday Martha Cooper:-) twitter.com/BKStreetArt/st…

— Brooklyn Street Art (@BKStreetArt) March 9, 2013

Brooklyn Street Art has a photo of Martha's reaction to seeing the mural right at noon.

h/t @LunaPark

The am New York Doll?

EVG Facebook friend Edward Arrocha spotted this last night on Avenue A...

The NYPD says this woman stole someone's wallet at Key Food on Avenue A

The NYPD is looking for the woman in the photo above ... via the Post:

A cute 20-something snatched a woman’s wallet at the Key Food supermarket on Avenue A in the East Village on Jan. 31, police said.

The perp — wearing a white blouse, glasses with rectangular frames and her long dark hair tied back — then used the victim’s ATM card to make withdrawals at a Bank of America, police said.

Aside from "cute," the Post describes her as 5-3 and 120 pounds.

The City Room at the Times has more info here. The woman also allegedly stole a wallet in Brooklyn in November, and withdrew $2,000 in cash from the victim's account.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call an agent, freelance journalist or, probably better, Crime Stoppers.

Newsflash! It is very nice out today

But that comes with a 80 percent chance of Woo.

Up top, Tompkins Square Park this morning.

Birds and rat squirrel fight over slice of pizza in Tompkins Square Park

So some birds were enjoying a slice today near Tompkins Square Park, as this photo from Bobby Williams shows...



Then! Lurking! A rat! Steals the slice...[Updated: Err, maybe it's a squirrel. Sorry. Still.]



Sort of slo-mo via the Grievestrator...



And guess what? The birds got it back...



Safety in numbers. And don't fuck with the Park's birds.

'Monkey' shines

In honor of Richard Hell week... Perhaps the only existing live footage of the Dim Stars, the super group featuring Hell, Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley and Don Fleming. (With Robert Quine in the studio?) They released one record in 1992. Here, with "Monkey."

Man who held Bar Veloce hostage sentenced to 240 years in prison; tells judge to suck his dick

In June 2002, a heavily armed Steven Johnson held patrons at Bar Veloce on Second Avenue hostage. He fired shots inside the bar, doused patrons with kerosene and shouted, "White people are going to burn tonight!" (In total, three people suffered bullet wounds.)

He was found guilty on Feb. 4. Today, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Daniel FitzGerald sentenced Johnson to 240 years in prison, the Daily News reported.

And last words from Johnson? "In closing, I'd just like to say, fuck you and suck my dick," he reportedly told FitzGerald.

Here's more from the Post. And DNAinfo.

Updated:
Important info to add via the AP:

"It was Johnson's third trial. The first trial deadlocked in 2004. The second trial resulted in a conviction and a 240-year prison sentence but was overturned on appeal."

[Image via the Daily News]

It snowed today, somewhat; plus, naming the new Astor Place artwork

OK, so it was probably more than somewhat, per the headline. (Not my fault — a robot wrote it.) Yes, it didn't seem like somewhat when you discovered that the L wasn't running... or the 14A appeared to be arriving every 180 minutes... or when you got doinked by a snowball going into the 7-Eleven on St. Mark's Place. (Joking!)

A few photos from readers... via Sarah...



...and John...



Now, I shall hog up the rest of the post with these...









...and the new art at Astor Place survived the night...



...and apparently there is a new name for it...

@evgrieve I just saw someone on instagram refer to it as a "cheese doodle igloo" 😏

— Bomarr Blog (@bomarrblog) March 8, 2013

Will Bleecker Bob's sell records inside the FroYo shop that's taking its place?

Possibly! DNAinfo reports today.

After a huge rent hike, the nearly 45-year-old shop is closing. And Forever Yogurt is taking over the space.

Per Andrea Swalec's article:

The self-serve dessert seller Forever Yogurt is in talks with Bleecker Bob's management for the fro-yo and music combo, Forever Yogurt franchise CEO Mandy Calara said Thursday.

"We're talking with them about a counter with their inventory," he said. "And we're decorating the place so it carries on the design of Bleecker Bob's."

Maybe Forever Yogurt can name flavors after classic bands... The Vanilla Fudge ... the Grand Funk Railroad Twist... Vanilla Cream... so many possibilities...

Previously on EV Grieve:
[UPDATED] Let's help Bleecker Bob's find space in the East Village

Bleecker Bob's is for rent