Mandolino Pizza coming soon to 13th Street

Signage is up for Mandolino Pizza here on East 13th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



We don't know a thing about the pizzeria just yet, like will it be more of a slice-to-go place ... or a sit-down-and-order-a-whole-pie establishment... (or both!)

Mandolino takes over the space from Sahara Citi, the hookah/hummus restaurant that closed this past summer after four years in business.

In any event, despite the nearby NYU dorm presence, it has to be a tough pizzeria market right in this area ... you have Joe's around the corner on 14th Street, which serves one of the city's best slices ... Gotham Pizza recently opened on 12th Street and Third Avenue (I finally tried a slice there and really liked it)... and for a sit-down meal, there's Bruno Pizza on 13th Street between Third Avenue and Second Avenue that reviewers really seem to like.

Virage is now Bar Virage, which reopened last night

The retooled Virage reopened last night at Second Avenue and East Seventh Street. As you can see the place is now called Bar Virage… to match the name, the space now has a more bar-centric feel — the 20-plus-seat bar is now in the middle of the former dining room …


[Photo from late yesterday afternoon]

And there are changes on Virage's menu as well. While several of the restaurant's Middle-Eastern options (hummus, chicken kebab, etc.) remain, there are expanded offerings … such as lamb sliders with goat cheese, arugula and tomato served alongside fries ($14) and Medi tacos with homemade laffa bread and featuring chicken shawarma, shrimp or skirt steak ($12). The new menus are not online just yet.

The 14-year-old Virage closed for renovations on March 24, as we first reported.

[Updated] East 12th Street prepped for Obama visit

As you likely know by now, President Obama is in town this evening... Among other things, he'll be holding a dinner fund-raiser thing at the Gotham Bar & Grill (we hear that the roasted cauliflower risotto is good!) on East 12th Street between University Place and Fifth Avenue...

Here are Officers Weber and Sanchez...

Meanwhile, multiple readers have noted an incredible NYPD presence in the area ... and there are reports of the NYPD randomly towing cars all along 12th Street — down to Avenue C. And a reader notes that parts of Avenue C are shut down. There's even a rumor that the fund-raiser tonight at a private residence is in the East Village (note to self: pick up some hummus).

[Thanks to Christina Holmes for the photos ... and Shawn Chittle for the tips]

Updated: A few photos from Bobby Williams...

'Artisinal cocktail bar' in the works for Avenue B

Most of the items on tonight's CB3/SLA docket are pretty straightforward ... exisiting places looking to upgrade or transfer a license... or a known entity, such as The Bean, applying for a liquor license...

One of the more curious items is:

• Pouring Ribbons (Lead to Gold Inc), 225 Ave B (op)

This is the upstairs space that has been home to White Noise and Uncle Ming's ...

According to documents (PDF) on file with CB3, the team behind Alchemy Consulting is taking over this space. If their names are on the application, then it's likely safe to assume that they are taking a more active role than just creating a drinks menu, like they have for, say, The Rusty Knot.

As you can see from the screengrabs below, the place is being described as an "artisanal cocktail bar" that will, aside from cocktails, serve "locally sourced sandwiches, crudite, hummus and desserts."

Alchemy Consulting is described its website as "a firm based on increasing the profitability of bars and restaurants around the country through innovative beverage design." New York clients include Bar Seven Five at the Andaz Wall Street and the bars at the Hotel Williamsburg.

Here's the description of Bar Seven Five:

Revolutionizing the traditional New York bar concept, Bar Seven Five combines modern accessibility and classic cocktails in the heart of Lower Manhattan. The central bar, fast becoming one of New York City’s most popular lounges, features neither front nor back, so patrons can enjoy complete ease of interaction with their designated bartender while watching their cocktails being prepared. Using artisanal ingredients, the staff at Bar Seven Five works to create classic cocktails with an emphasis on pre-prohibition design. Taking inspiration from the turn-of-the-century Pullman train car bars, each cocktail is individually prepared, served, and garnished directly in front of the guest in a miniature shaker.