Veggie friendly Avant Garden in the works for former Gingersnap's space on East 7th Street

[EVG file photo]

Here's more information about what's being proposed for the former Gingersnap's Organic space at 130 E. Seventh St. just west of Avenue A.

According to materials on file (PDF!) at the CB3 website ahead of this month's SLA committee meeting, the space will house Avant Garden (an homage to Courtney Barnett's "Avant Gardener"?), a restaurant serving vegan cuisine.

Avant Garden is seeking to serve vegan wine and beer to "accompany the seasonal cuisine selections carefully selected by our in house sommelier." 

The proposed hours are 5 p.m. to midnight daily.

If approved, then this will be the latest East Village entry from Ravi DeRossi (the paperwork lists him as Ravi Lalchandani), who owns Death & Co., Cienfuegos and Proletariat, among several other bars/restaurants.

Here are the sample menus included with the CB3 materials…





CB3 watchers are curious about this application. Back in October 2012, "DeRossi and his surrogates got a civic lashing ... for converting the shuttered Jane's Sweet Buns pastry shop into the beer bar Proletariat without providing a 30-day notice to the board," according to Grub Street.

In the fall of 2011, CB3 OK'd a wine-beer license for Jane's Sweet Buns on St. Mark's Place. At the time, DeRossi assured the skeptics about the concept of a bakery serving alcohol. All just to pair wine with the buns and desserts.

"It was never intended to be a bar," he said of Jane's, according to coverage in The Local. "It's completely innocuous and an asset to the community."

Gingersnap's left this space back in January for a new West Village location.

The SLA committee meeting is May 18 at the CB3 office (BYOB), 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

The $24 million renovation of the Nuyorican Poets Café is officially underway

ICYMI: Last week, officials announced the start of the three-year, city-funded $24.1 million renovation project for the Nuyorican Poets Café on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

The Nuyorican Poets Café, a space steeped in history and cultural significance, closed its doors this past fall after its 50th-anniversary celebration. The NYC Department of Design and Construction is now overseeing the project for the Department of Cultural Affairs that will not only renovate but also expand this iconic space, ensuring its legacy continues to thrive. 

About the work being done:

This project will renovate and expand the Café, with a new main lobby and performance space on the first floor, an additional dedicated performance space on the fourth floor, and a “flex” space on the second floor, which can be used as a classroom or rehearsal space. 

The project will also add a new elevator to the four-story building and office space for staff. These improvements will allow the organization to reach a wider audience by hosting multiple performances concurrently and providing local students with masterclasses and workshop opportunities. 

The project will also entail exterior work, including a new roof, extensive building envelope rehabilitation and waterproofing, a new ADA ramp for public access from the sidewalk level into the facility, new fire exit stairs as well as renovations to the plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems. 

Here's a look at two renderings (Rice+Lipka Architects is designing the project)...

The expected completion date is spring 2026.

Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín founded Nuyorican in 1973 as a living-room salon on Sixth Street along with Lucky CienFuegos, Bimbo Rivas, Pedro Pietri and Miguel Piñero. Algarín died in December 2020 at age 79.

The programming here has included poetry slams, open mics, Latin and contemporary jazz and hip-hop shows, theatrical performances, educational programs, and visual art exhibits.

During the renovation, the Nuyorican staff is staging pop-ups and collaborating with other New York institutions. For updates, check Instagram or the Café website.

A little pink and green with your rum punch

Over at Off the Presses, Robert Simonson has more information about the new rum bar opening on Sixth Street and Avenue A...

But first, let's look at the colorful photos of the renovated space that are courtesy of Urban Daddy:






Urban Daddy, as only they can do, described the place this way:

Upon arrival, you'll find you've shifted back in time and a few degrees closer to the equator — the long room is decked in light green and antique pink, none of the chairs match, there are candle stains on the walls, and all the tables show faint reminders of drinks past.

It's a place that makes the most sense on breezy, sunny afternoons where you'll sit in front of open second-floor windows, sip exotic rum cocktails (like the El Cobre), nosh on Cuban small plates and listen to vintage Cuban tunes while making eyes with raven-haired neighborhood rum enthusiasts.

As Simonson reports, the bar, called Cocteleria!, had a soft opening last night with a Friday night official opening set. (This is all courtesy of cocktail mogul Ravi DeRossi of Death & Co.) Carteles, the Cuban sandwich shop section of the two-floor complex, opened earlier this year with a Sixth Street entrance.

The rum punch bar is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Per OTP: "All the punches can be ordered in a variety of sizes — single serving, two servings, and for large groups. You don't have to order a bowl. All the drinks start at $13, with prices go up in increments depending on the number of people who order. $100 buys punch for 'the whole family,'" as manager Miguel Calvo told OTP.

Off The Presses is here. Urban Daddy's story is here. And hat tip to Eater for the whole shebang.

Previously on EV Grieve:
More on 95 Avenue A: Private chef's lounge and a rum punch bar

Coming soon: Work starts on Cienfuegos at long-dormant (and soon-to-be-expanded) 95 Avenue A

The 'Postmodern Polynesian' of Mother of Pearl replacing Gin Palace on Avenue A

Structural repairs are ongoing at 95 Avenue A at East Sixth Street.

During the rehab, Gin Palace, one of the three bars (along with Cienfuegos and Amor y Amargo) that make up the retail component of the building, closed for service last November.

Now, as the Times reports, the bar is getting an overhaul too.

Ravi Derossi, an owner, said construction on the building so completely gutted the interior of the bar that he decided to start over with a “tiki-influenced” bar called Mother of Pearl.

Hmm. And!

Mr. Derossi and [co-beverage director Thomas] Chadwick said they didn’t want Mother of Pearl to be pigeonholed as a tiki bar. “Postmodern Polynesian,” they called it.

Per Derossi, "The idea for this was like sitting in a fancy hotel in Hawaii or somewhere."

Mother of Pearl is expected to open in late May or early June.

Guest bartenders for Sidewalk starting tomorrow night

Via the EV Grieve in box...

Some of New York’s most well-known and innovative cocktail specialists are temporarily stepping away from their spices and strainers to serve up shots and drafts as guest bartenders at the East Village’s Sidewalk Cafe, at 94 Avenue A (at East 6th Street). Starting March 28, such master mixologists as Scott James Teague (veteran of Pegu Club); Michael Klein and Nick Brown (PDT); and Frank Cisneros (Dram, Bourgeois Pig, Cienfuegos) and Jane Danger, formerly of PDT; are taking a break from the stylish concoctions they create elsewhere to lend their hand serving more typical bar fare — beer, shots, and a handful of popular mixed drinks, at Sidewalk Cafe. Guest bartenders will be on hand at Sidewalk the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 8 p.m. to midnight.

RIP Miguel Algarín

Miguel Algarín, who founded the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in his Sixth Street apartment in 1973, died on Sunday. He was 79. A cause of  death was not revealed.

The Nuyorican website has more on the the poet, activist and educator:

In his Lower East Side apartment, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was born as an outspoken and passionate collective of poets, musicians, theater artists and activists.

Miguel was a brilliant poet, an influential professor and leader, and a supportive mentor who inspired and guided generations of artists.

He edited popular anthologies of poetry and theater, including "Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe" and "Action"; he helped launch the Nuyorican Literary movement; and he played an instrumental role in popularizing spoken word and performance poetry across the United States and around the world.

Miguel and the Cafe's co-founders amplified the voices and championed the work of Latinx, Black, LGBTQ+ and immigrant artists who were not accepted by the academic, entertainment or publishing industries.

Thanks to their pioneering work, and thanks to our community of friends and supporters, the Cafe has remained a vibrant home for creative expression since 1973.

The literary world owes Miguel a debt of gratitude. He will be greatly missed.

In a December 2018 feature, the Times provided some history of the Cafe, which is now temporarily closed during the pandemic on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C:

In the early 1970s, Algarín ... began inviting other Nuyorican poets to his apartment on East Sixth Street for readings and performances. Algarín and his contemporaries, including Miguel Piñero, Pedro Pietri and Lucky CienFuegos, were part of a growing artistic scene in what was then a primarily Puerto Rican neighborhood, drawing on their identities and daily struggles for their work. 

The salon quickly outgrew Algarín’s living room, so he and a few other artists began renting an Irish bar down the street to fit more people. In 1981, they bought their current building on East Third Street and, after a lengthy renovation process, formally opened it to the public in 1990 as a space for Nuyorican poets to experiment and hone their craft.

Algarín was born in Puerto Rico in 1941. His family moved to the Lower East Side in 1950.

According to his official bio, he was Professor Emeritus for his more than 30 years of service to Rutgers University. He also received three American Book Awards.

There were many tributes yesterday on Twitter, including...

Miguel Algarin has died and I’m heartbroken. Long live The Nuyorican Poets. QEPD. 😢😢😢😢

— Maria Hinojosa (@Maria_Hinojosa) December 1, 2020

We offer our deepest love, thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Miguel Algarin. Founder of Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his work continues to influence and inspire poets, and artists alike, across the diaspora. pic.twitter.com/xsifZXj9eX

— CantoMundo (@CantoMundo) December 1, 2020

Since the start, our monthly poetry slam has been inspired by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Miguel Algarín imbued the Nuyorican Poets Cafe with joy, soul and a deep sense of community that reverberated for generations. May our work be a small honoring of his legacy.

— The Philly Pigeon (@ThePhillyPigeon) December 1, 2020

Holding up 95 Avenue A

Just looking at the structural repairs underway at 95 Avenue A at East Sixth Street.

Ravi DeRossi told Eater last month that the building housing his bars Cienfuegos, Amor y Amargo and Gin Palace is sinking into the ground.

Gin Palace closed on Nov. 6 and is expected to be out of commission for at least two months. (The other two bars remain open.)

Looks like a pretty serious operation...



The repair costs are estimated at $100,000.

Week in Grieview

[Thanksgiving on 9th Street]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

RIP Jimi Zhivago (Tuesday)

Report: NYCHA tenants on Avenue C have been without heat and hot water since Nov. 15 (Wednesday)

Report of a fire at 204 E. 13th St. (Friday)

RIP Chile (Saturday)

A concept revamp for the Cienfuegos space on Avenue A (Monday)

This week's NY See (Friday)

Scenes from a (re)marriage: Comedy classics at the Anthology Film Archives (Tuesday)

Take a Stand at this holiday market on 7th and C (Friday)

Green paint arrives on the new 12th Street bike lane (Friday)

Space Mabi closes 1 year in on 1st Avenue (Monday)

Ichibantei vying for 20 St. Mark's Place, and an update on the former Grassroots Tavern space (Monday)

New building permits pre-filed for the (slightly larger) tech hub on Union Square (Monday)

At Leah Tinari's book signing for 'Limitless' at an.mé on 9th Street (Sunday)

Dua Kafe, serving Albanian-American cuisine, now open on 14th Street (Tuesday)


[Photo from Tompkins Square Park this morning]

Ummburger has closed on 1st Avenue (Monday)

What lies beneath 9th Street and 3rd Avenue? (Monday)

Biga NYC debuts on Clinton and Houston (Monday)

Despite its mediocre food, Panna II is a line-waiting smash thanks to Instagram and those twinkling lights (Tuesday)

Three Seat Espresso increases the seats for espresso on Avenue A (Monday)

... and a new mural arrived earlier in the week on Houston at the Bowery via Brazilian artist Tito Ferrara...



... which joins the recently arrived "Imagination of Alice" by @aluckyrabbit ...



Thanks to East Village Walls...

---

Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter

The future of 95 Avenue A

Just confirming one thing from Monday night's CB3/SLA meeting. Our reader in attendance thought that the people behind Cien Fueguos -- coming to 95 Avenue A at Sixth Street -- also had something to do with Death & Co. and Bourgeois Pig.

Indeed, that's the case, as Eater's Gabe Ulla reported:

Cienfuegos restaurant (95 Ave. A) was the rare case of a new app within a resolution area receiving unanimous approval from the board. The restaurant’s team, which consists of Luis Gonzalez (ex-Mercer Kitchen) and Death & Co. and Bourgeois Pig operatives, knew exactly what they had to do to sway the board: they presented petitions with over 1,000 signatures, demonstrated the public benefit from having a straight-up Cuban restaurant in a city that doesn't have many of them, and stressed their nearly immaculate records.

I'm all for "a straight-up Cuban restaurant," but, given the pedigree of the owners here, is the neighborhood in for, say, $26 mojitos?

There are 21 empty storefronts along Avenue A

The ongoing discussion with the rent woes for Ray at Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A prompted me to take an inventory of empty storefronts along Avenue A...Chris Flash noted the following in his Ray's article at The Shadow:

As Ray is already paying a peak rent for his small store, and as the neighborhood is already full of empty storefronts, it is doubtful whether a new tenant would be able or willing to pay as much or more for Ray's store.

I counted 21 empty storefronts on Avenue A. However, at least five of the storefronts are being renovated in preparation for new tenants. (But they are still technically vacant now...)

Starting on Houston and walking north along Avenue A...up to 14th Street...







The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is coming to the former Two Boots space...




At 85 Avenue A, the Arrow is very much open in the lower level...and upstairs there's work being done on the opening-soon Cafetasia...




95 Avenue A will one day be home to Cienfuegos, a Cuban eatery...





And there's work being done on this storefront next to Horus on 10th Street...


167 Avenue A is reportedly becoming an EV outpost of Diablo Royale...









Previously on EV Grieve:
There are more than 20 empty storefronts along Avenue B

Jane's Sweet Buns opens today at 2 on St. Mark's Place; features 'pastries inspired by cocktails'

As we first reported two weeks ago, a bakery is opening on St. Mark's Place in the former De La Vega Museum space.

In what seems fitting for a neighborhood overrun with bars, the bakery — Jane's Sweet Buns — will feature alcohol-laden desserts.

Jenny Miller at Grub Street had the details in a post yesterday. The buns, cakes and pies are courtesy of Cienfuegos mixologist Jane Danger and owner Ravi DeRossi. Per Grub Street: "Swashbuckling types might enjoy the Rum Runner (a bun glazed in aged rum, Galliano liqueur, cinnamon, and other good stuff), while manly sorts can try the savory Southern Special (Bourbon, bacon, brown sugar, nectarine, white cheddar)."

Grub Street notes they will also sell non-alcohol desserts. Grub Street also has the menu. Sorry, no bread.

The sign on the door states they'll open today at 2.

East Village cultural landmark Nuyorican Poets Café now closed for a 3-year renovation

Photos by Stacie Joy

After celebrating its 50th anniversary this past month, the Nuyorican Poets Café has closed for a long-awaited $24 million, three-year renovation project. 

This so-called "Nuyoricanstruction" phase will usher the organization into into the next 50 years, leadership says.

Here's more about the extensive renovation at the iconic space on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C, as reported by The City:

There will be new elevators, a new first-floor performance space, a green room and changing area in the basement, and more offices and performance spaces on the second, third, and fourth floors, according to a spokesperson for the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, which is partially funding the renovation along with the City Council and borough president's office. The electrical and mechanical systems will also be completely overhauled. 

And...

The space at 236 East 3rd Street was an abandoned tenement building, built more than 100 years ago, when it was purchased in 1971 by the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. The Poets Café founders bought it in 1981 after starting off in an East Village living room eight years earlier. 

The Café owns the building, but has had a restrictive covenant on its deed since 2013, which is a requirement for all city-funded capital projects on private property.

Through the years, the Café has been a venue for for underrepresented artists through weekly Latin jazz, slam poetry, theatrical performances and open mic events.

The staff is planning on staging pop-ups and collaborating with other New York institutions during the three-year renovation. You can check Instagram or the Café website for updates.

Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín founded Nuyorican in 1973 as a living room salon on Sixth Street along with Lucky CienFuegos, Bimbo Rivas, Pedro Pietri and Miguel Piñero. Algarín died in December 2020 at age 79.

Avant Garden is now open on East 7th Street

[EVG file photo]

Team Ravi DeRossi (Death & Co., Cienfuegos, Proletariat, etc.) opened Avant Garden, their vegan restaurant/wine bar at 130 E. Seventh St., last night, per Eater.

The chef is Andrew D'Ambrosi, who ran the kitchen at DeRossi's Carroll Gardens seafood restaurant Bergen Hill.

As DeRossi told Eater back in the spring:

D'Ambrosi put a hen of the woods mushroom dish on the menu that DeRossi, who "always hated mushrooms," loved. That dish turned out to be vegan, and so from there DeRossi had the chef begin experimenting with other vegan dishes, offering them as specials at Bergen Hill. Two years later, they've pulled together a list of about 20 that will make up Avant Garden's vegan menu. Those include things like charred onion with chimichurri and seasoned breadcrumbs, and roasted carrots with orange, honey, pumpkin seeds and quinoa, as well as that hen of the woods dish.

Here's a look at their menu…





The opening of Avant Garden coincides with DeRossi's new nonprofit, BEAST (Benefits to End Animal Suffering Today), which will host regular fundraisers for animal rights organizations.

Avant Garden takes over the storefront here just west of Avenue A from Gingersnap's Organic, who decamped to the West Village in January.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Veggie friendly Avant Garden in the works for former Gingersnap's space on East 7th Street

Dueling sandwich shops on Sixth Street?

Bahn Mi Zon, a Vietnamese sandwich shop on Sixth Street near Avenue A, opened last month.



Meanwhile, as we mentioned yesterday, a new Cuban eatery is opening on Avenue A and Sixth Street. And it looks as if the place — Cienfuegos — will use the storefront behind the restaurant as well...



EV Grieve reader Creature has a good idea of what that space will be used for...as he said yesterday in the comments:

If I'm right that back end will be the sandwich shop. I live upstairs and it will be interesting to watch the Cuban sandwich battle the Vietnamese sandwich on either side of my front door.

Well, at least these places don't/won't have mascots...