EV Grieve

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

An afternoon scene from Tompkins Square Park

Word out of Tompkins Square Park this afternoon was that the NYPD was searching for a piece of stolen jewelry … and there was also a rumor of an arrest in the matter…

Photos by Bobby Williams

Watch the NYPD arrest a man for being too loud on a bicycle

During the last monthly Critical Mass ride, the NYPD scooter patrol arrested cyclist Mellow Yellow on East 14th Street at Union Square... he spent the next 24 hours in jail. The NYPD apparently asked him to turn down the music on his bike... and you can watch what transpires in this video that just arrived on YouTube...

This comes at a time when activists have been calling for safer streets throughout the city ... to date this year, eight children under 8 years old have been killed by automobiles in New York City. (Watch a video about this here.)

Report: Twitter showing some tweet, tweet love toward 51 Astor Place

Big story this afternoon via Crain's: Twitter is in talks to take a big (more than 140 characters!) chunk of 51 Astor Place.

The company is in talks to take as much as 100,000 square feet at 51 Astor Place, an office building that was begun in 2011 on a bet that the city's tech boom would produce deep-pocketed tenants willing and able to pay the building's high-priced rents despite its off-beat location on the edge of the East Village. That gamble by the building's developer, Edward Minskoff, now appears to be paying off.

Last month, 1stdibs, ~~an online auctioneer that specializes in the sale of high-end vintage goods,~~ a showcase for a large (1,800) group of antique and design and art dealers, agreed to a deal to take the 12-story building's entire third floor.

Worth noting, maybe: Facebook is moving into space across the street at 770 Broadway. Rumble on Astor Place!

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place

51 Astor Place demolition begins July 1; 17 months to build new black-glass tower

East Village — the new Midtown?

Facebook is moving into the neighborhood; Midtown South expands its boundaries, apparently

Today's sunrise in review

On St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue. We'll see what people say about it on Yelp.

Dirt Candy will be moving to Allen Street; will hold on to E. 9th St. space

Last night, CB3's SLA subcommittee OK'd a liquor license application for a Dirt Candy outpost at 86 Allen St. (BoweryBoogie has more on the meeting here.)

Chef Amanda Cohen has also signed the lease for No. 86, which will provide her team with much more space for their well-regarded vegetarian fare. We asked Cohen for a few details on what's next.

"We are hoping to open late next fall. We are planning on serving the same food that we served at the 9th Street location — it will be a vegetable restaurant," she said via email.

And what will become of the East Ninth Street location?

"We aren't sure what we are going to do with the old space. We are definitely going to keep it, but for now all we know is that it won't be a full-service restaurant."

Meanwhile, brokers for the nearby 119 Orchard St. were apparently quite excited about the new Dirty Candy. We spotted this listing back on Oct. 22 that names Dirt Candy as a (coming soon) neighbor even though Cohen hadn't signed at lease yet at Allen Street or secured liquor-license approval...

Chico's 9/11 tribute mural reappears on Avenue A

[Image via Google Street View]

We can't really recall the last time that we saw Chico's 9/11 mural on Avenue A at East 14th Street … it has been covered with ads for years now. (The above screen grab via Google Street View is from the summer of 2011.)

However, the billboard was recently removed, bringing what's left of the tribute back into view, as these photos from an East Village resident and EVG reader show…

The proprietor of Dion Cleaners on the corner was unaware of what the building's landlord has in store for the wall.

Here's a video via Michael Paul showing a new billboard going up on Feb. 17, 2012...

Chico created this mural on the night of Sept. 11, 2001. As one Times reader said of the work: "It filled me with hope and sadness and some kind of love for all of the other New Yorkers living through the hours and days yet to come."

And this was the second 9/11 mural to disappear in place of revenue-generating ads in the East Village. Back in 2003, Cooper Union had the "Forever Tall" mural painted over at 35 Cooper Square to make way for ads. (The whole building was eventually demolished anyway.)

More alterations for the Pride and Joy space

We've been watching work continue at the once-dormant Pride and Joy BBQ on First Avenue… workers filled up the dumpster Saturday from the East Second Street entrance.

As you may know, celebrity BBQ chef Myron Mixon was going to open a restaurant/saloon in the former Lucky Cheng's space. (Read that post here.) But a subsequent lawsuit between Mixon and his partners threw the opening in doubt.

Turns out that his remaining partners are moving forward with a 220-seat "draft house" and "honky tonk" featuring three bars and about 20 TV screens, as DNAinfo reported. (Last month, the SLA approved a liquor license for the space with a 4 a.m. closing time.)

Meanwhile, the city OK'd a permit on Nov. 1 for "structural alteration work," which "includes new openings through masonry walls and floors for existing eating and drinking establishment." The work permit shows an estimated total cost of $82,000. What we saw through the open door looked to be on the gutted side.

The space was seemingly ready for BBQ action, after crews previously gut-renovated away the former Bento Burger and Lucky Cheng's. There was even a preview event here with Mixon back in May… which prompted the one Yelp review, a four-star affair in which the author stated: "The pork belly mac and cheese was equally exquisite. I can imaging filling a large, clean tub with this delightful concoction and then diving in and eating my way out."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Myron Mixon's Pride & Joy BBQ now in the works for the former Lucky Cheng's space

Fire reported at incoming Pride and Joy BBQ on East Second Street

Myron Mixon lawsuit puts opening of Pride and Joy BBQ in question at former Lucky Cheng's space

Free screening of 'American Meat' tonight at the 6th Street Community Center

From the EVG inbox...

Here's a little more about the documentary via the film's website:

American Meat is a pro-farmer look at chicken, hog and cattle production in America.

Beginning with a history of our current industrial system, the feedlots and confinement operations are unveiled, not through hidden cameras, but through the eyes of the farmers who live and work there. From there, the story shifts to Polyface Farms, where the Salatin family has developed an alternative agricultural model based on rotational grazing and local distribution. Nationwide, a local-food movement of farmers, chefs, and everyday people has taken root... But could it ever feed us all?

The 6th Street Community Center is between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Signs of the upcoming holiday at the end of December, Part 19

At Veselka.

And here's one food blogger's description of the soup:

Impossibly clear, the deepest ruby red, redolent of spices and earthy mushrooms, Veselka’s Christmas Borscht appears for maybe 45 days a year sometime around Thanksgiving and disappears with the New Year. Born out of the meatless Christmas eve dinner customary in Eastern European countries, the broth is made of beets, laced with vinegar and savory spices and is served with a few tiny mushroom pierogis and a delicate dusting of dill. I could eat this soup every day for the rest of my life and when it’s around I do my best.

(And don't worry if you missed the first 18 parts of this series. They're available on demand.)

Monday, November 18, 2013

Empire Biscuit is now open around the clock on Avenue A

Hey everyone....we're 24 hours today! #lardlove
— Empire Biscuit (@empirebiscuit) November 18, 2013

No way to treat a Lady (Gaga)

Avenue B and East 12th Street.

[Updated] Behold the cooktop sidewalk garden on St. Mark's Place

The other day, we noticed some discarded cooktops lying on the sidewalk along St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... and this morning, we noticed that someone (that one guy who you always see on the block) used them to help created a little sidewalk garden where this tree once lived ...

Updated 11-19

The garden didn't fare so well overnight...

Updated 11-20

Updated 11/21

Updated 11/22

Updated 11/23

Your opinion wanted about the current state of chain stores in the East Village

From the EVG inbox… via the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC)...

Formula Retail Community Workshop
The Neighborhood Preservation Center
Tuesday, November 19, 6-8pm
232 East 11th Street
Limited space, rsvp required to melanie@evccnyc.org or 212.979.2344

And more details via the EVCC website:

EVCC is working to protect independent, small businesses within the neighborhood in order to maintain the diverse, unique community that has existed for so long. Over the past four years, increases in chain businesses can be see in both 10009 and 10003 zip codes that make up the East Village.

Currently there are roughly 115 chain stores located within the square half mile the makes up the neighborhood. Several New York city and regional plans site unique neighborhoods and independent stores as extremely important for New York’s future. Yet, according to the Center for Urban Future, 2012 marked the fifth consecutive year there was a net increase in national chain stores throughout the five boroughs.

Other places have already started taking action in defense of their communities. Examples of formula retail regulation can be seen in both New York City’s own Upper West Side and the city of San Francisco. In 2012, after having issues with store frontages being largely occupied by banks and apartment lobbies three corridors on the NYC’s Upper West Side were rezoned as “Special Districts”.

The new zoning limits the store frontage sizes and certain store conversions or changes in use. San Francisco is the largest urban area in the US to have strict formula retail business restrictions. The city zoning only allows formula retail in certain neighborhoods, requires neighborhood notifications before any chain retail is allowed to be built, and can limit the size and type of formula retail allowed in a given area.

You can buy a CBGB T-shirt to help the family of the Stromboli Pizza worker killed cycling home

Cesar, a long time employee of Stromboli Pizza on First Avenue and St. Mark's Place, died from injuries he suffered bicycling home from work on Oct. 21. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

Tim Hayes, who owns the CBGB brand and is the founder of the CBGB Festival, was recently in Stromboli and heard the news of Cesar's death. Hayes returned later with several hundred CBGB shirts that he donated to Stromboli.

The pizzeria is now selling the T-shirts for $10. All proceed's go to Cesar's family to help with any expenses.

"I also have 3 small kids of my own. I feel so badly for his family. I hope that it helps," Hayes told us. He said that he'd bring back more T-shirts, if necessary, to raise more funds.

Previously, a resident who has lived near Stromboli since 1985 set up a crowd-funding campaign. With less than two weeks left in the campaign, $2,405 has been raised. Find the GiveForward link here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Updated: Stromboli Pizza worker killed cycling home from work

A good sign on First Avenue

The plywood is off the under-renovation storefront at 223 First Ave. … showing a teaser for Mee Noodle Shop, which is returning to the East Village after a seven-year absence.

Mee was previously on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 13th Street. No word on an opening date just yet.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Starbucks confirmed for 219 First Ave., former home to Allen Ginsberg's favorite Chinese restaurant

Mee Noodle Shop returning to First Avenue (28 comments)

A scene outside Solas early Saturday morning

[Early Saturday morning]

Back in January, some fed-up residents on East Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue took to Vimeo to document the unruly behavior that they witnessed outside the bar/club Solas.

We hadn't heard much from the residents… until this past weekend.

Early Saturday morning around 3:30 there was another fight outside of Solas. I was awoken by the sounds of a few women screaming and the bouncers' voices, of which I know by heart at this point. I looked out my window and there was a small crowd gathered around someone flat on the sidewalk. The police and an ambulance showed up.

I didn't see the police take anyone into custody but they did tell various parties to leave the scene and go home. Too much alcohol and testosterone. Same shit different weekend. The guy on the sidewalk was eventually helped to the ambulance and was treated.

This altercation aside, the residents note some improvement here… since the videos, the residents can only recall 5-6 fights these past 10 or so months...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Woman on a stretcher outside Solas early Saturday morning

Reader report: Solas patrons turn sidewalk shed into after-hours hot spot

Fed-up residents launch 'Solas Gone Wild' (84 comments)

Banjara has left First Avenue

Oh, just a quick follow-up to note that, as previously reported, Banjara has moved away from First Avenue and East Sixth Street … and is now sharing space with its sister restaurant Haveli on Second Avenue.

As one Banjara staffer explained, "business down, rent up."