Veselka Bowery has beverage director; will open early next month

[Bobby Williams]

The Post had a feature yesterday on new restaurants, chefs and what not. I didn't read it. But... an EVG reader did, and noted that the Post included Veselka Bowery in its round-up, even running a photo of the new restaurant's beverage director.

Per the paper:

Count the bottles of Eastern European vodkas at Veselka Bowery (9 E. First St.; 212-387-7000), offspring of the beloved East Village Ukrainian soul-food joint. The new spot, opening in early October, will boast a full bar focused on small-producer vodkas from Poland, Ukraine and Russia, and an expanded menu. “It will be different and creative,” promises owner Tom Birchard.

Al fresco dining at Gemma — pay no mind to the diner's unattended purse on the sidewalk

On the Bowery last evening.

Tonight in Tompkins Square Park: vampire hunters, the undead — plus a movie!

OK, boo to the headline. Tonight is the second to last of the free music-movie nights in Tompkins Square Park. This evening's word picture: "Stake Land."

I don't know too much about this one. Let's head over to Wikipedia for a summary:

The United States is a lost nation. [Ed Note — duh] When an epidemic of vampirism strikes, humans find themselves on the run from vicious, feral beasts. Cities are tombs and survivors cling together in rural pockets, fearing nightfall. [Ed Note: Sounds like Third Avenue when school starts!] When his family is slaughtered, young Martin (Connor Paolo) is taken under the wing of a grizzled, wayward hunter (Nick Damici) whose new prey are the undead.
Simply known as Mister, the vampire stalker takes Martin on a journey through the locked-down towns of America's heartland, searching for a better place while taking down any bloodsuckers that cross their path. Along the way they recruit fellow travellers, including a nun (Kelly McGillis Ed Note: Woo!) who is caught in a crisis of faith when her followers turn into ravenous beasts. [Ed Note: 12 years of Catholic schools will do that to a guy!]

Sounds fun. Bring the kids!



And upcoming:
Sept. 8 — Rosemary’s Baby

[EVG flashback] Off the wall

Our post from yesterday about the the closure of the Manhattan Parking Group at 74-84 Third Ave. at 12th Street ... and of the mysterious windows in the Yummy House building... prompted me to dig up this post from February 2009...


I'm always rather surprised to see the side of the building free of ads here along this stretch of Third Avenue near 12th Street...Been empty for at least a week since "The Pink Panther Part Duh" banner came down...




This is always prime ad space too. A short history of the wall from 2008...







BONUS FOR MAKING IT THIS FAR!

From July 2009...

Ad for Julia Child movie is oddly erotic

First, though, the latest ad to grace the building on Third Avenue near 12th Street.



And, um. Really? I'll say nothing else, in fear that I will appear in a blurb for the movie...

"Julie & Julia is finger-lickin' good!"
— EV Grieve

Previously on EV Grieve:
Where are all the ads?

Two Boots introduces The Martina

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Dear Friends of Two Boots,

To commemorate the U.S. Open being in town, and to celebrate tennis great Martina Navratilova, Two Boots has created a special pie for the next two weeks, with all proceeds going to the Harvey Milk High School, an amazing New York City public school dedicated to serving the gay, lesbian and transgender communities.

Please come try "The Martina," and see Two Boots featured on U.S. Open broadcasts on the Tennis Channel!

Best,
Phil

Today in Porsches being towed near Extra Place

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Second Avenue pipe break conjures up memories of the Icicle Audi, sort of

This afternoon around 3, several readers sent along word of some gushing water on Second Avenue near St. Mark's Place... Bobby Williams was on the scene, where workers confirmed (duh) the broken pipe...

Good thing this didn't happen during the winter. ICICLE AUDI!

Downed-tree tour continues....

We'll continue our depressing downed-tree tour in Tompkins Square Park... After the storm passed, the most visible downed tree was in Tompkins Square Park inside the Ninth Street entrance...

[Dave on 7th]

... a scene that attracted onlookers throughout Sunday...

[blue glass]

Crews finished this work up yesterday...

...the loss of a tree aside ... the collateral damage seemed minimal...

Illegal work continues at former Mundial space on East 12th Street

The most recent bars to inhabit 505 E. 12th St. — Mundial and Totem — were nightmares for some nearby residents here on the block just east of Avenue A.

Recently, residents have noted that workers are busy renovating the space... which is fine, except that there aren't any work permits on file with the DOB.

Per one neighbor: "The work furiously continues on the former Mundial space ... with no sign of a work permit. They were working on the space well into the night last night."

"They got a lumber delivery a little after 8 this morning, and one of the guys who is working on the space is hustling to get it all inside."

"Why do I get the feeling that whatever this space is going to be, it isn’t going to be a good neighbor?"

People should know by now: You don't fuck with 12th Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another nightmare bar for 505 E. 12th St.?

Last night's CB3 recap: Residents 1, Bar Owners 0

Here comes the fear again: 505 E. 12th St. back on the market

The East Village will lose a parking lot and gain an apartment building

Today is the last day for the Manhattan Parking Group at 74-84 Third Ave. at 12th Street. (The number to the lot has already been disconnected.) Multiple lot workers have confirmed the closure.

A handful of cars remain on the lot this morning.

Several EVG readers who have parked their car here received phone calls a few weeks ago saying that the lot was closing. Per one reader: "I asked what was going on and they said some wealthy Cuban man bought that lot and the building next door. The guy claims he saw all the drawings for the new building that is going up and that the architect had come by with the drawings."

We've heard these rumors, too, from various sources. One of the parking lot attendees — always reliable! — said that the new building will be 20 floors. Not sure about that claim. (Read more on this here.) An NYU spokesperson already said that they were NOT the new property owners, listed as 74-84 Third Ave. Corp.

Anyway, we're waiting to hear more details from official channels, including a look at the rendering.

Meanwhile, haven't you always wondered what was behind those two single windows and grubby curtains in the floors above the old Yummy House?

About The Bean's East Village expansion

[The Bean/Facebook]

On Monday, we broke the news that Bean is expanding its East Village presence to include a storefront on First Avenue at Ninth Street... to go alongside their original location at First Avenue and Third Street, Broadway and East 12th Street and the Crazy Landlord building.

In response to the post, Guy, The Bean's general manager, left the following comment:

It's a pretty exciting time for The Bean and we wanted to let the East Village community know what's going on.

The Plan: we're opening two more cafes around the East Village. We don't really think of this as an "aggressive" business move as The Bean remains an independently owned and operated neighborhood business. We haven't "sold out" or "gone corporate" and we've had this expansion in mind for sometime. Our cafes' walls will still feature the artwork and photography of East Village artists and photographers and we're super excited to ably to service more of our friendly & loyal customers in the East Village — old and new — whether they're just stopping in for a quick cup of coffee or penning the next great American novel sitting in one of our cafes.

Ultimately we'd rather open a business to service the neighborhood than have another bank or fast food restaurant further de-characterize the East Village.

The Bean remains committed to our customers, their dogs and — as always — we're open to suggestions. Just no poetry readings. :)

Guy
General Manager, The Bean

At Fork in the Road, our friend Rebecca Marx mentions Joe the Art of Coffee, an independently owned shop with seven locations in different parts of the city. "So while it's nice to see East Village storefronts being snapped up by a local business that isn't Duane Reade, one wonders if the Bean's owners would do better to spread out the wealth a little bit," she writes.

Some readers have chimed in on the topic on the previous post. A reader left this comment last night:

"2 new shops in the neighborhood opening simultaneously is clearly aggressive, especially since one is on the same block as Mud

The amount of money it takes to pull this off is huge. Market saturation is a ruthless corporate strategy, mom & pop shops don't have the resources and are usually a bit more sensitive to their neighborhood...no way is it independent."

Less shade now in Tompkins Square Park

As you know, Hurricane Irene took out many trees in the neighborhood this part weekend... we lost a handful in Tompkins Square Park too, including my favorite right in the middle of the Park (an area some people have dubbed Crusty Meadow) ...

I took these shots in the late spring... thinking it would make for a gag post, such as "tree-bending culprit captured on film!"

And after the storm ...

Yesterday, Bobby Williams noted the workers have removed the tree...

Which means more sun and space for sunbathing here in the quad...