About Pumpkin Smash 2023 tomorrow (Sunday!)

Now that Halloween is over... the 2023 Pumpkin (and gourd!) Smash takes place tomorrow (Sunday!) from noon to 3 p.m. at La Plaza Cultural on the SW corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C. 

Via the EVG inbox ... 

This FREE family-friendly event demonstrates how composting is a closed-loop system — transforming our organic waste such as banana peels and apple cores, to a valuable soil amendment — all on a local level. 

Your pumpkins will be turned into finished compost which will then be used to rebuild soil in City parks and public green spaces. 

Come for the smashing, stay for the:

🎃 Worm bin exploration 

👻 Native seed ball making

🍎 Free food and drink

🆓 Giveaways

Gallery Watch: 'Group Sex' at Full Tank Moto Cafe

Text and photos by Clare Gemima 

Group Sex

Full Tank Moto Cafe, 49 Monroe St.

The New York City health guidelines — via its updated Safer Sex and Covid-19 fact sheet — discourage group sex, but provide advice for interested parties, suggesting “to find a crowd, pick larger, more open, ventilated spaces”…

This is an open-minded safety precaution endorsed by the New York City health department to take during the pandemic ... and also a genius conceptual parameter for a visual-arts exhibition. 

The East Village-based Ed. Varie is presenting Group Sex in their newest collaborative location on Monroe Street that showcases the works of artists Cavier Coleman, Colleen Herman, Esteban Ocampo-Giraldo, Giorgio Handman, Ivy Campbell, Leticia Infante, Moises Salazar, Nina Gilkshtern, Sarah Hombach, Scout Zabinski and Ted McGrath. (To learn more about each artist, please visit the gallery website here.)

The show explores group sex, sexuality and sensuality — both metaphorically and literally — in a raw, 2,000 square-foot space. This particular Ed. Varie collaboration marries gallery with the new Full Tank Moto Cafe — part cafe, motorcycle workshop and future bookshop all under the same beautiful roof. 

The building used to be a glass factory, and (thematically, if you will) hosts chains hanging from the ceiling. Ed. Varie founder Karen Shaupeter had to enlighten me that the bondage decor was not part of the show but a happy accident nonetheless. 

Through linoleum prints, gouache and acrylic paintings, soft sculpture and collage, the grit of the work in the space left an enduring impression as I walked through and witnessed exposed brick walls around the canvases and spilled dog food along the gallery floor. 

There were spirit and realness both on and off-canvas, and if you’re exhausted by the Chelsea gallery hoity-toity, then please visit Group Sex for a revitalization. Authentic work is out here in the Lower East Side, ready to challenge and capsize the whitewashed and straight status-quo of what being an artist in New York looks like. 

Thank you Ed. Varie for curating a show that, much like its title, isn’t afraid to show its roughness, its realness, its core. Among the standout work: Esteban Ocampo-Giralso’s Mañanas oil painting, depicting an illusionary, self-pleasuring scene that collides ecstasy with the mundanity of one's own bedroom confines. The forms in this piece are curvaceous and rich with highlighting and shadow play that is seductive and wildly transportive.

Another highlight was Ted McGrath’s Marat Moods/“…stop me if you heard this one…”/Haw haw haw. For me, the more disturbing looking the work is, the better. In this oil painting, we see multiple characters looking both humanly and mystically entrenched in a scene that looks so uncertain and on edge that it becomes nerve-wracking and uncomfortable to be around. There are skulls, banana peels and a sense of impending doom all captured in a sizeable canvas. Confusing and wretched, my favorite work in the show, hands down. 

And there is Spring Fever by Moises Salazar, which captured me immediately both from Ed. Varie’s social media and in person. The work depicts a female form wearing heels on a fur backdrop embellished with constructed floral arrangements. 

This to me is a kitsch daydream from the color right through to the glitter, yarn and sequins used to create the piece. The work is so polished and technically precise that it will leave you wondering how Salazar made it, let alone how the idea came into existence. Super cute, super ridiculous and super exciting to see how this artist grows. To no surprise, this piece has already sold.

If you are in need of a visual explosion, or even a new lease on your own creative practice, then I recommend visiting Ed. Varie’s amazing new space, and even striking up a conversation with its founder and staff. The experience was extremely welcoming and informative and I thank Karen for curating a potent and memorable show that represents a handful of talented and young practitioners. 

Group Sex will be showing until April 18 at 49 Monroe St. (across the street from Coleman Skatepark under the Manhattan Bridge). Full Tank Moto Cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the gallery will remain open until 6 p.m.

Ed. Varie’s sister location, 184 E. Seventh St. at Avenue B, is currently exhibiting a solo show of Cavier Coleman’s work titled Heaven & Hell, also showing through April 18. 

 

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

Things that go boom in the night: As Bush Tetras prepare for their 40th anniversary show

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

There’s another band practicing in Rivington Music Rehearsal Studios at 188 Stanton St., Room 3 on Friday night at 6, which is when NYC legends Bush Tetras are supposed to begin their own two-hour rehearsal.

The four members of Bush Tetras are prepping for their upcoming 40th anniversary show at le Poisson Rouge on Feb. 21 with 75 Dollar Bill opening.

The post-punk no-wave band, with roots in the East Village, is Dee Pop, Val Opielski, Cynthia Sley and Pat Place. While waiting for the room to open up they decide to sign a copy of their 2018 album Take the Fall.





I get a sneak peek at the big show’s potential setlist before Dee alerts the current members of Room 3 that they are officially over time.



Once inside, Cynthia sets up some percussion instruments on a shelf and tosses down a pack of cough drops while Pat tries out her new guitar strap and sets up her foot pedals. Val takes off her shoes and pads around the space barefoot setting up her much-loved bass, which she tells me she once left on the subway accidentally (it was returned!). Dee peels some tape off the drum kit to help Cynthia hold up the show flow and they all settle in to start the business of rehearsal.


[Cynthia Sley]


[Dee Pop]


[Pat Place]


[Val Opielski]

The space is tiny, and the time is limited so after snapping some shots (and one quickie video clip of “Snakes Crawl”) I head out. Room 3 isn’t soundproofed, so I get to hear the band as I walk toward the front door, stopping to take a photo of the band’s RMRS portrait, which hangs in the hallway.









You can keep up with the band at this link. And you can hear them live on WFMU's The Evan "Funk" Davies Show next Wednesday night at 9.

The Marshal seizes Palà on Allen Street

An EVG reader shares these photos... the landlord now has legal possession of Palà, the pizzeria at 198 Allen St. just south of Houston...



The Palà website is also no longer active.

Here's what New York had to say about the place a few years back:

The dough, which consists of nine organic flours, is allowed to rise naturally over three days, and the result is a marvelously light and crispy crust. Italian owner Gigio Palazzo says he set out to “change the game of pizza in New York.” And indeed he has. Delectable combos include the zucca, pumpkin purée layered with marbled pancetta. Palazzo’s savvy gamble on unlikely toppings pays off: Of the veggie options, the bufala cruda easily tops the list, heavy with misshapen hunks of mozzarella and roasted cherry tomatoes with splitting peels.

Palà opened in 2006 ... and underwent a major renovation in 2012.

Given the location and build-out with those roll-up garage doors, this promises to be a sought-after space...

RIP David Peel

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park in 2010 by Shirley Dluginski]

Musician David Peel, a longtime East Village resident and fixture at marches and demonstrations the past five decades, died today. He was 73.

Last Friday, Peel suffered a massive heart attack and was in critical condition at the VA Hospital. He was expected to have bypass surgery this week.

He is best known for his seminal counter-culture albums, such as 1968's "Have a Marijuana" on Elektra Records, with his band the Lower East Side.

His 1972 record "The Pope Smokes Dope" on Apple was produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

He was born David Rosario on Aug. 1, 1943 in Brooklyn. He served for several years in the Army.

According to an obituary at Celebstoner:

With the '60s countercultural revolution beginning to take shape, Peel moved to San Francisco, where he dove into the new hippie scene. When Peel came back to New York, he picked up a guitar and started writing songs and leading singalongs in Washington Square Park.

Peel took the name because he was prone to smoking banana peels. "It looked like grass," he told High Times in 1977. "We kept it in vials and called it banana grass."

One day in 1968, Elektra Records A&R rep Danny Fields heard Peel and his gang of protestors singing in the park. In the 2015 documentary, "Danny Says," Peel recalled:

"I met Danny Fields in 1968, He brought me to Max's Kansas City and bought me a steak dinner. How could I say no to a steak dinner when I was used to eating pizza all my life on the street?"

Fields signed David Peel & the Lower East Side to a two-record contract.

An April 2012 feature in The New York Times noted how a new generation had discovered Peel.

He was a regular last fall at the Occupy Wall Street movement’s Zuccotti Park encampment, and now shows up in Union Square to jam with the Occupy protesters there.

Peel was also a regular during the summer concerts in Tompkins Square Park. He lived on Avenue B. He was unmarried and didn't have any known family members.

His friend Steve Bloom wrote for Celebstoner:

Wherever Peel was, with his loud voice and boisterous personality, you couldn't miss him ... Peel, who answered the phone, "Yo, yo, yo" and had a characteristic stutter, will be missed.

The Times article from 2012 noted that "he planned to continue to sing on the streets and in the parks downtown 'until the day I drop dead and go to rock ’n’ roll heaven.'"

Updated: Billboard published an obituary here.

Thank you David Peel. You made a difference to this Big Apple teenager.
I was proud to be a New York City Hippie!https://t.co/9Ya2ooR2Sl

— Jody Denberg (@JodyDenberg) April 6, 2017

Very sad to hear that #DavidPeel passed away today. RIP David, and may you #HaveAMarijuana where ever you land🙏 photo taken LES pic.twitter.com/xkTb944rDx

— dina regine (@dinaregine) April 6, 2017

A part of my childhood is gone. RIP #davidpeel

— EdenBrower (@edenbrower) April 6, 2017

A 1980s 'Night Walk' in downtown NYC

[Screengrab from the "Night Watch" trailer]

The Times has a feature today on Ken Schles, who spent part of the 1980s living and taking photographs in the East Village.

He now has a follow-up to his 1988 book "Invisible City" titled "Night Walk."

Here's a description of the book:

Schles revisits his archive and fashions a narrative of lost youth: a delirious, peripatetic walk in the evening air of an irretrievable downtown New York as he saw and experienced it. Night Walk is a substantive, intimate chronicle of New York's last pre-Internet bohemian outpost, a stream of consciousness portrayal that peels back layers of petulance and squalor to find the frisson and striving of a life lived amongst the rubble.

Here's a trailer for the book...



Schles, who now lives in Fort Greene, "rejected the recent tendency to view the East Village of the 1980s as a golden age of louche glamour," according to the Times. "A lot of dysfunction has been romanticized," he said.

The book "is dedicated to the memory of those who died in the scourge of AIDS and violence that gripped the East Village during the 1980s."

Bar Primi neon arrives on the Bowery

The transformation of 325 Bowery continues … as workers turn the former Peels space into Bar Primi … aside from a paint job, the new neon Primi sign is now up here on the corner of Joey Ramone Place.

As Eater first reported, restaurateurs Andrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom are opening Bar Primi, a casual Italian restaurant.

Peels closed on Jan. 22 after three-plus years in business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A few details about Bar Primi, coming to the former Peels space on the Bowery

The Peels sign has come down at the future home of Bar Primi on the Bowery

An EVG reader asked what was going on over at Peels, where workers removed the former restaurant's sign back on Friday…



Peels closed on Jan. 22 after three-plus years in business.

As Eater first reported, restaurateurs Andrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom will open a casual Italian restaurant here called Bar Primi … with a possible summer opening date.

Paperwork filed ahead of last month's CB3/SLA meeting showed that Bar Primi will have 22 total tables, seating 94 people as well as two bars good for 41 seats. (They also plan to have an outdoor cafe, just like Peels.) CB3 ultimately OK'd the new license.

A few details about Bar Primi, coming to the former Peels space on the Bowery

Peels closed for good on the Bowery on Jan. 22.

A "casual pasta shop" called Bar Primi is on the way in the space at East Second Street from restaurateurs Andrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom, as Eater first reported.

The group goes before CB3's SLA licensing committee on Monday night for a new liquor license for the address. The paperwork (PDF!) that the applicants filed at the CB3 website ahead of that meeting provide a few scant details on what to expect… The proposed hours are 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. seven days a week. The paperwork shows 22 total tables, seating 94 people as well as two bars good for 41 seats. (They also plan to have an outdoor cafe, just like Peels.)

Hmm, what else… Bar Primi will employ between 50-60 people… and "management will be charged with the responsibility of operating a restaurant that does not disturb its neighbors."

Eater noted that if all goes well for the trio, then Bar Primi will open this summer.

Week in Grieview

[Houston and Avenue C by Michael Sean Edwards]

RIP Mike Bakaty (Friday)

NYU student jumps to his death from Third North Dorm (Monday)

Ben Shaoul's Bloom 62 may fetch upwards of $70 million (Thursday)

Happy 81st birthday Ray! (Tuesday)

So long 7A (Monday)

beQu opens on East Ninth Street (Monday)

New menu for Sidewalk (Monday)

Out and About with Alex Harsley (Wednesday)

What's next for 7A and Odessa Cafe and Bar (Thursday)

Lock your apartment door, mmmkay? (Tuesday, 39 comments)

A look at 170 E. Second St. before the renovations (Tuesday)

What's next for the Peels space (Tuesday)

Brooklyn Piggies now open on A (Friday)

A rough month for East Village restaurants (Friday)

How 7-Eleven wants to be a good neighbor (Tuesday)

100 years before 7A (Monday)

Filming "Ten Thousand Saints" in the East Village (Wednesday)

Renovations for this unique East Fourth Street tenement (Friday)

[Updated] A rough month for East Village restaurants

January is winding to a close... and the list of restaurants that closed this month is fairly lengthy ...

• Sapporo East
• Shima
• Wacky Wok
• Coyi Cafe
• 7A
• Viva Herbal Pizzeria
• Maria's Cafe
• Picnic
• Arcane

...and high-end ventures on the Bowery weren't immune from closures either... Peels is done... (Pulino's closed Dec. 29 ... Keith McNally is turning it into a French restaurant called Cherche Midi.)

Also, certainly worth noting nearby ... we had the sudden closures of Milady's on Prince Street and Gray's Papaya on Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue ...

Any closures in the neighborhood from this month that I'm missing? Which of these hurts the most for you?

Applicants for 7A, Odessa Cafe & Bar highlight February CB3/SLA docket

[The former 7A on Tuesday via Bobby Williams]

The February CB3/SLA licensing committee meeting will be split over two nights. Items of interest this month include the mystery applicants for two former Avenue A mainstays — 7A and Odessa Cafe & Bar.

Here are some of the highlights from each night.

Monday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. 4th St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. (btwn 2nd Ave & Bowery)

Renewal with Complaint
• Mama Bar LLC, 34 Ave B (op)

Applications within Saturated Areas
• ABC Beer Co (Alphabet City Beer Co LLC), 96 Ave C (wb/extend license to backyard)


[EVG file photo]

• Avenue A Project LLC, 117 Ave A (op) (Odessa)

We're curious to see what is taking the space that belonged to the Odessa Cafe & Bar, which closed for business last Aug. 31. Previous plans for the space fell through.

• Klong (Auanthai Inc), 7 St Marks Pl (op)

Sidewalk Cafe Application
• Mama Bar LLC, 32 Ave B

New Liquor License Applications
• To be Determined, 600 E 14th St (op) (Alphabet Cafe)

• Eric Thant Corporation, 57 1st Ave (wb) (Pudgie's)

Oh! A taker for the former Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's action-packed combo!

• To be Determined, 325 Bowery (op) (Peels)

Eater reported that Andrew Carmellini and business partners Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard are opening a "casual pasta shop" called Bar Primi at the now-shuttered Peels.

Corporate Change (not heard at committee)
• Euzkadi Restaurant (PYB Inc), 108 E 4th St (wb)

• New 7A Cafe LLC, 109 Ave A (op)

The 24-hour restaurant closed for business after Sunday. The rumor is that bold-face namers Serge Becker and Josh Pickard are opening some kind of Southern-themed restaurant here.

-----

Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m. -- University Settlement at Houston Street Center - 273 Bowery

New Liquor License Applications
• To be Determined, 117 2nd Ave (wb) (Picnic)

A taker for the very short-lived Picnic on Second Avenue and East Seventh Street.

----

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

Confirmation on what's next for the former Peels space

At the Post today, Steve Cuozzo reports that Andrew Carmellini and business partners Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard have taken over 325 Bowery, which housed Peels until its sudden closure last week.

Per Cuozzo:

The new eatery, likely to be an Italian trattoria in some form, reflects the Carmellini-Pickard empire’s swift growth.

The chef also operate Manhattan hits Locanda Verde, The Dutch, Joe’s Pub, The Library at the Public, and the newest, Lafayette.

Eater first reported this Peels rumor on Jan. 14.

Updated 11:45 a.m.

Oh! Eater has the scoop on exactly what's next here — a "casual pasta shop" called Bar Primi.

Week in Grieview

[A view Tuesday via EVG regular jdx]

More development plans for East 14th Street revealed (Thursday)

$1 million bail set for driver who crashed into East Village Farm and Grocery; prosecutors consider homicide charges (Tuesday)

This East Village resident helped save Jerry's Newsstand (Friday)

A break-in at 2 Bros. (Monday)

Arcane is closing on Avenue C (Friday)

Sushi Lounge finds a new home (Wednesday)

2 new wine shops coming to First Avenue (Tuesday)

Out and About with Alex Harsley (Wednesday)

Looking for a 6-bedroom "frat house"? (Thursday)

Avalon Chrystie Place is for sale (Wednesday)

First sign of Schnitz (Tuesday)

Peels has closed on the Bowery (Thursday)

Maria's Cafe leaves for West Harlem (Tuesday)

You won't have the "Girls" mural to look at anymore (Tuesday)

Check out the ultra-rare "TV-CBGB" (Monday)

Grifter alert (Tuesday)

Rabbit Season at 51 Astor Place! (Wednesday)

Look at David Schwimmer's new gate (Friday)

And here's one more from jdx from Tuesday… check out his site here.

Peels closed for good yesterday on the Bowery; casual Italian next?

Apparently those rumors about Peels closing were true. In a statement to Grub Street yesterday, owners William Tigertt and Taavo Somer said: "We've had a great run and thank all of our staff, the neighborhood and customers for the years of support and memories."

The restaurant on the Bowery at East Second Street closed yesterday morning after breakfast service.

We'd like to thank our staff and our customers for the years of support and memories. We’ll miss everyone, but we have to say goodbye.

— Peels Restaurant (@PeelsNYC) January 22, 2014

The rumors surfaced when the address also showed up on this month's CB3/SLA committee docket. (The item was scratched from the agenda ahead of the meeting.)

In a comment on Jan. 13, an EVG reader said that Serge Becker and Josh Picard, who are taking over the 7A space, will be the new operators "for ... casual Italian. Just like Gemma a block away." Eater hears that it's Picard and Andrew Carmellini planning the restaurant in the space.

The building was sold last summer for more than $9 million.

Peels opened to much fanfare in August 2010. Their early drink menu included The Joey Ramone … made with apple brandy, lime juice and concord grape juice (or concord grape wine??)


Perhaps this inclusion made some sense as the restaurant did share a corner with Joey Ramone Place.

CB3/SLA January highlights include new projects from Alex Stupak and John McDonald; plus a new applicant for 50 Avenue B

Community Board 3 has released its meeting schedule for the month… here's a look at the SLA Licensing Committee docket…

But first! The meeting is Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. … at the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery…

To date, not much is known about some of these applicants … so we'll just have to randomly speculate! (Like usual!) Anyway, to some East Village-related highlights from the agenda…


[132 St. Mark's Place]

Applications within Saturated Areas

• To be Determined, 132 St Marks Pl (op)
Empellón chef Alex Stupak plans to open his third restaurant at this location. The Sushi Lounge closed at the end of October.

• Swauto Ltd, 25 Ave A (op/alt/convert part of basement to lounge with additional bar)
Looks like 2A has some expansion plans…

• To be Determined, 511 E 6th St (op)
This is the former Identity Bar and Lounge, which closed back in October.

• Wafels & Dinges (Degeest LLC), 15 Ave B (wb)

• Love Craft, Johnny Favorite's (Sunrise Shadow LLC), 240 E 4th St (aka 50 Ave B) (op)
There appears to be a new player interested in the former Affaire space on Avenue B… some residents weren't too keen on the previous applicant who wanted to open Brownstone Bar and Grill.

Paperwork on file at the CB3 website lists the applicant as Mario Yagubi, owner of a boxing promotional group, as well as 1849 Restaurant, Bar and Parlor on Bleecker Street.

Here is a promotional flyer for 1849's weekend dance parties:



Alterations
• Everyman Espresso LLC, 136 E 13th St (wb/include alcohol service in theater)



• Brazen Fox Kitchen & Craft Beer (106 3rd Ave NYC Inc), 106 3rd Ave (aka 145 E 13th St) (op/2nd Fl outdoor deck in back)
The new bar-restaurant at East 13th Street … we recall that some neighbors had issues with the previous tenant, Friend House… we attended a CB3/SLA meeting where residents complained about late-night noise from the second-floor bar … but those were different operators, of course …

New Liquor License Applications

• 9 East First Street LLC, 9 E 1st St (upgrade to op)
The former Veselka Bowery space. Eater and Grub Street previously reported that restaurateur John McDonald signed a lease for a steakhouse/oyster place here. This was a scratch from a previous month.

• To be Determined, 325 Bowery (op)
This is the address of Peels… wonder what's going on here… the building was sold last summer for more than $9 million.

• Il Posto Accanto (And Another One Inc), 190 E 2nd St (op)

• Farfasha (Entrez Bar & Grill Inc), 162 2nd Ave (upgrade to op)

• Feast (Two Guize LLC), 102 3rd Ave (upgrade to op)

• Moonstruck (88 2nd Ave Food Corp), 88 2nd Ave (op)

• Robataya (America Ootoya Inc), 231 E 9th St (upgrade to op)

• Mei E Iron Sushi 38 Inc, 212 E 10th St (wb)

• To be Determined, 600 E 14th St (op)
Hmmm… this is AlphaBet Cafe at Avenue B, which has had problems of late with gas and the DOH… appears something new is in the works here.

• 279 E Houston Corp, 279 E Houston St (wb)
This is a vacant storefront between Suffolk and Clinton that last housed some kind of boutique, right?

---

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

February CB3-SLA highlights: I Cipressi, Sunshine Cinema and the Immigrant Tap Room

Hey now. The folks at CB3 have released the liquor license docket for February's meeting. Many of the applicants this time around are below Houston, so it's not really our fucking problem you can likely find more details on these establishments in the days/weeks ahead via BoweryBoogie and The Lo-Down.

So.

Let's take a look.

SLA & DCA Licensing Committee
Monday, February 11 at 6:30 pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 E. 5th Street at Bowery

Applications within Saturated Areas

[EVG file photo from last June]

• 1st Street Ventures Inc, 44A 1st St (wb)

This is Julius Klein's former studio-gallery space ... he left back early in the summer after being Cromanized... No word just yet what this will be... we've spotted several prospective tenants check out this space going back to the summer...

• The Cow Theater (Stephen & Tyler Productions LLC), 21A Clinton St (wb)

• 154 Ludlow Bar LLC, 154 Ludlow St (op)

• I Cipressi Restaurant (Lidoalberta LLC), 189 Ave A (wb)

Lorella Innocenti, a former owner of I Coppi, which closed in September on East Ninth Street, is starting a new Tuscan-style restaurant here at the former Vampire Freaks space.

EVG reader J-Dough recently spotted sisters Maristella Innocenti (pictured left, who owns Matilda on East 11th Street off Avenue C with her husband Esteban Molina), and Lorella outside No. 189.

Alterations

• Peels Restaurant (Radley Realty Corp), 325 Bowery (op/alt/extend bar counter "L" shape, add 5-6 seats)

Outrageous!

• Cafe Katja (Graz Restaurant LLC), 75 Orchard St (op/alt/license to adjoin current business at 77-79)

• The General/Finale/Bow (Bakers Dozen Associates LLC), 199 Bowery (op/alt/move dance space to back half of the ground floor)

Heh.

• SakaMai (SakaMai LLC), 157 Ludlow St (op/alt/add stand up bar)

New Liquor License Applications

• Sunshine Lounge (Cinema Beverages Holding Company LLC), 143 E Houston St (op)

The Sunshine wants to add food and drinks to go along with their art-house cinema. CB3 hasn't been too receptive, per The Lo-Down ... and BoweryBoogie.

• The Immigrant Tap Room, 341 E 9th St (wb)

We wrote about this yesterday.

• Barzinho Inc, 48 Hester St (wb)

I don't even know where Hester Street is. (KIDDING.)

• Guayoyo (Highseyko Corporation), 67 1st Ave (op/upgrade)

• To be Determined, 266 Broome St (op)

• Retro Bar & Grill (Delancey Diner LLC), 148-150 Delancey St (op

Hope that's just a working title for the bar & grill...

• Natori Saint Marks LLC, 58 St Marks Pl (wb)

The owners moved to Japan late last year. Despite word that the space would close, new owners took over the space. A tipster told us the new owner also runs Sushi Lounge and Noodle Cafe Zen on St. Mark's, and Zen 6 on East Sixth street.

• Long Xin Restaurant (Sunrise Restaurant 88 Inc), 50 Eldridge St (b)

• Luzzo's (Luzzo's 211 LLC), 211 1st Ave (op)

???

• Azize Cafe & Lounge (45 First Ave Corp), 45 1st Ave (wb)

• Pulperia on Essex Inc, 131 Essex St (wb)

• To be Determined, 138 Orchard St (op)

• Mediterrean Grill and Tapas (Izagara Gourmet Inc), 128 1st Ave (op/upgrade)

• 90 Third Avenue TC Restaurant LLC, 90 3rd Ave (op)

This was last Montein Thai Cuisine near 12th Street... the DOH closed them in January 2011, and they never reopened. We've lost track of the applicants here... last that we recall, a Mexican eatery had designs on the space. Will get an update.

• Bar Chevere (O & O Wine Corp), 181 Essex St (op)

• Ivrose B LLC, 137 1st Ave (wb)

This is the former Tara Thai Cuisine space

• Eastwood (Sivandrew Inc), 200 Clinton St aka 221 E B'way (wb)

From the folks who own B-Side on Avenue B. Been a challenging go here too.

• Rivington 155 Parlor Inc, 155 Rivington St (op) (St Jerome's)

-----

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

Enjoy this Avenue B apartment, just some 20 blocks from Peels

Was trolling some East Village apartment listings... found a new one for a nice apartment at 204 Avenue B between East 12th Street and East 13th Street... (2 bedrooms; $3,000 per month, etc.)

For some reason, the main photo accompanying the listing is of ... Peels, located nowhere near here on the Bowery at East Second Street...

And that Peels shot just looks so... staged. Some sort of fantasy urban retreat where everyone eats quinoa and recycles. Why not show the exteriors of the actual block? The apartment here in question is above B-Side...

And now, Florence of Florence + the Machine walking out of the Bowery Hotel

This afternoon on TMZ Grieve, Bobby Williams happened by the Bowery Hotel on the Bowery and saw the paparazzi waiting out front... for!

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine... the band is playing at Radio City tomorrow night.

... and one fan is quite please by this sighting...

Next, those photos of Joe Jonas outside Peels...

Speaking of driveways...

As we've written before... an EV Grieve reader/neighbor is convinced that workers will be putting in a garage at the Economakis Dream Mansion on East Third Street...

However, as the plywood peels away from the former apartment building, the driveway scenario is seeming less and less likely...

So enough please with the rumormongering and gossip.

Anyway, we hear that this space will be for a heliport.

Previously.