Another pizza-random-food-item place has apparently closed at 35 1st Ave.

Looks as if that's it for Stars, the latest operation to try making a go of 35 First Ave. following Empire Pizza II, IL Gusto Italiano and Farid's Middle Eastern Grill Food & Pizza, among others.

EVG regular Spike notes that the Marshal recently paid a visit to the establishment between East Second Street and East Third Street...



Aside from pizza, Stars offered gyros, kebab platters, Philly cheesesteaks, grilled chicken, hamburgers, turkey burgers, etc.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another pizza concept, awning for 35 First Ave.

Today

Photo via Rob & Mike

London calling

Map of the London Underground in the trash on Second Avenue and East 11th Street...



Photos by Vinny and O.

Here's a look at the new condos coming to East 1st Street

Work has commenced at 64 E. First St., where a 6-story residential building will rise from the ruins of the former La Vie club here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Last April, New York Yimby reported that there will be six residential units (likely condos) — "two duplexes, one spanning the cellar and first floor, and another located on the sixth and penthouse levels; each of the other four residences will be full-floor."

The units will average a roomy 2,250 square feet.

And now, the plywood sports the rendering of the building…



… a closer look … (the building doesn't lean to the right — apparently we were when we snapped the photo)…



DOB permits show that Ekstein Development is behind the project. The architect of record is GF55, whose other neighborhood contributions include Jupiter 21 at the site of the former Mars Bar.

Previously on EV Grieve:
La Vie has closed; neighbors rejoice

Former La Vie space on East First Street will be demolished

Getting rid of the rats at the former LaVie ahead of a new 6-floor residential building

Here lies the remains of La Vie

Destination Bar has closed on Avenue A, will reopen as Destination Bar

The bar on the northwest corner of A and 13th Street closed for good after service yesterday.

But this closure won't be for long — at last as far as the name goes.

Back in October, CB3 OK'd the sale of assets to the current owners of Local 138 and Iggy's Keltic Lounge on Ludlow Street.

According to minutes (PDF!) from the October CB3 full-board meeting, the new owners are retaining the Destination Bar name.

No word yet on a Grand Reopening.

Destination Bar opened in the summer of 2009 in the former Boysroom space.

H/T ‏@nyev_eliza

[Updated] Little Joe's Pizza is now Little Gio's on 1st Avenue

[EVG photo from November]

Little Joe's Pizza opened back in November at 26 First Ave. just south of East Second Street.

Upon visiting the pizzeria, the nice folks there said that they previously worked for the venerable Joe's Pizza.

It turned out that Little Joe's owner's husband Sergio worked at Joe's for 13 years … and there wasn't any official connection to Joe's.

So perhaps to clear up any confusion between the two...

On Saturday, an EVG reader received a Facebook notification that Little Joe's had changed its name to Little Gio's …



The change had been made on the pizzeria's website as well…



… and the new sign/awning is in progress…



Little Joe's or Gio's, we like their slices…

Updated 5:44 p.m.

Apparently there was much more to the name change.

Eater reports:

According to Joe's Pizza owner Joe Pozzuoli, Jr. he sent several cease and desist letters to Little Joe's, but all were ignored. "To protect our brand and to limit confusion, we took legal action," Pozzuoli tells Eater, "and the court granted us a preliminary injunction" against Little Joe's. The latter is banned from using the word Joe in "any manner" as it relates to operating a pizzeria, under the threat of having to pony up a $5,000 security bond, in addition to any settlement.

H/T EVG reader Matt!

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Little Joe's Pizza now serving up slices on 1st Avenue

Unidentified Flying Chickens isn't apparently long for this East Village world

[EVG file photo]

The East Village outpost of the Jackson Heights-based Korean fried chicken restaurant opened this past July at 60 Third Ave. near East 11th Street.

Apparently the place is not much longer for this world. There's a new applicant seeking a liquor license for the address, according to materials (PDF!) on file ahead of this month's CB3/SLA committee meeting next Monday night.

There's not much information just yet. The applicant's name happens to be an owner of Taproom 307 on Third Avenue near East 23rd Street.

UFC did make it longer than the previous tenant. Last spring, Apiary, the nearly 6-year-old restaurant, closed here for a revamp. After a splashy, well-publicized makeover, the new place, Après, closed after just three weeks.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Après closes 3 weeks after debut; Unidentified Flying Chickens on the way in

Astoria Bier & Cheese closer to bringing craft beer and grilled cheese to Broadway

Help wanted signs are up on Broadway near East Ninth Street... where a new cafe called Milk and Hops has been in the works since last summer...





We don't know too much about the concept. Paperwork (PDF!) filed ahead of the August 2014 CB3/SLA committee meeting revealed that Milk and Hops would serve grilled cheese sandwiches (among other items) and craft beer. The owners are behind Astoria Bier and Cheese, which has two locations out in Astoria.

Mi Garba signage arrives on 4th Avenue

As noted a few weeks back, the first U.S. outpost of Mi Garba ("I like it" in Italian) is opening at 129 Fourth Ave. just south of East 13th Street.

As the Post reported:

The flagship 1,000 square-foot space ... will include a restaurant with 10 tables. There will also be Tuscan food and wine for sale along with a boutique offering fashion items, including custom-made shirts and jackets.

Anyway, coming soon announcements for Mi Garba, which sounds like a good concept for an airport, are up in the windows.

This storefront has been (mostly) empty since Dryden Gallery moved out two and a half years ago.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tuscan food specialist opening 1st U.S. outpost on 4th Avenue for some reason

Week in Grieview

[Photo on East 5th Street via Derek Berg]

Rumors: Duane Reade expansion will take over adjacent storefronts, including East Village Cheese (Wednesday, 73 comments)

How to help The Bowery Mission this winter (Friday)

Beer Pong, Blizzard Edition (Tuesday)

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks moves to East Second Street (Thursday)

Open Pantry closes after 45 years on Second Avenue (Friday)

The buildings at 128-130 First Avenue are for sale (Monday)

The latest in the Wind Chimes Saga (Monday)

Happy No. 82 Ray! (Wednesday)

FroYo fizzles out on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Before it snowed, Whole Foods Market® Bowery ran out of shopping carts (Monday)

Wannabe Penistrator sticks it to the Man during the snow (Monday)

Ahead of possibly historic blizzard, Key Food shoppers pretty much making a mess (Sunday)

Villacemita, serving authentic Puebla Mexican cuisine, announces itself on Avenue A (Monday)

An Imperial AT-AT Walker in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

C & B Cafe now open on East Seventh Street (Wednesday)

Japanese dining taking over the Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor space on East 13th Street (Monday)

The Bourgeois Pig closes on East Seventh Street with move to the West Village (Thursday)

The new-look men's room at d.b.a. (Wednesday)

A look at the recently revealed 536 E. 13th St. (Thursday)

A cloud over A

Photo the other day on Avenue A by Grant Shaffer

Report: Police say man destroyed $100k of artifacts at the Church of the Immaculate Conception

[Photo via the Daily News]

Last Wednesday night, police say a man broke into the Church of the Immaculate Conception on East 14th Street near First Avenue and smashed the stations of the cross and other religious artifacts worth an estimated $100,000.

According to the Daily News today, police caught Michael Torres, 20, inside the church around 10 p.m. Torres, described by the NYPD as "emotionally disturbed," had been at Immaculate Conception earlier in the evening for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He reportedly returned and broke into the church.

Bedford + Bowery has more photos and a report here.

Hey it's winter, so there's snow in the forecast

An excuse, really, to post this photo that I liked from last Monday along Second Avenue by Derek Berg…

Also! WINTER STORM WARNING!

Winter Storm Warning in effect from 7 pm this evening to 6 pm EST Monday.

The National Weather Service in New York has issued a Winter Storm Warning for snow, sleet and freezing rain, which is in effect from 7 pm this evening to 6 pm EST Monday.

Locations: The New York City and New Jersey metropolitan areas, northern Nassau and Northwest Suffolk Counties, and southeastern coastal Connecticut.
Hazard types: snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Accumulations: snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches, along with around one quarter of an inch of ice.
Winds: northeast 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
Temperatures: in the upper 20s.
Visibilities: one quarter mile or less at times.
Timing: tonight through Monday.
Impacts: hazardous travel due to reduced visibilities and significant snow, sleet and ice accumulations.

Scenes of the 7-alarm fire in Williamsburg from East River Park

The FDNY continues to battle a massive warehouse fire at 5 N. 11th St. (at Kent Avenue), home of CitiStorage, a record storage facility, in Williamsburg.

EVG reader Daniel Root shared several photos from how the fire looks from East River Park…



… and via Dave on 7th…





… and the aerial view that's making the rounds on Twitter…

Just landed at LaGuardia. Here's the Brooklyn fire from the air. Smoke trails forever pic.twitter.com/NOjGjOWkZn

— Gary He (@garyhe) January 31, 2015

Updated

Here are photos of the fireboat via EV Resident Rob…