There's finally some activity to note at the southeast corner of 14th Street and Avenue A, home one day to a 7-floor retail-residential building from Extell Development.
Last week, workers erected some fencing and plywood …
Workers have put a temporary sidewalk in place on East 14th Street for pedestrian use once the construction begins...
Perhaps this is a sign that approved permits are on the way? The city has yet to OK the new building (the DOB disapproved the last round of plans back in November, according to city records). Meanwhile, the only thing happening here in previous months is the standing water on the lot freezing and thawing.
As a reminder of what the new development will look like… here's the conceptual rendering… 500 E. 14th St. will have 106 residential units.
And further to the east, 524 E. 14th St. will house 44 residential units…
The demolition of the one-level row of buildings along East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B wrapped up last August.
As previously reported, the ongoing East Houston Reconstruction Project is having a major impact on Punjabi Grocery & Deli's business.
Through the years, cab drivers made up a sizable portion of Punjabi's business. The reconstruction, however, has prevented drivers from being able to stop by for an inexpensive vegetarian meal here at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Owner Jashon Singh told BoweryBoogie a few weeks ago that his sales are down some 60 percent in the past five years during the roadwork.)
Some relief might be on the way.
Tonight, CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee will hear a proposal for a taxi relief stand on the west side of Avenue A between East Second Street and East Houston. The proposal calls for four parking spaces for cabs.
[Avenue A]
Last summer, Punjabi started an online petition asking the city to approve a taxi relief stand — seven parking spaces on East Houston and two additional spots on the bend of East First Street. (There's currently a No Standing sign on East Houston, where there used to be metered parking.)
According to BoweryBoogie, "the DOT has been unwilling to talk to, or meet with Singh, according to their lawyer/advocate Ali Najmi."
EVG reader Jim Duffy, a Punjabi fan, has been in contact with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. A rep there told him via email that the Department of Transportation "sent a team out to do a field study and determine a good location for this relief stand." The DOT proposed the west side of Avenue A, which they say is about 150 feet from Punjabi.
The meeting tonight starts at 6:30 (there are several other items ahead of this on the agenda). The meeting is at the University Settlement, Houston Street Center at 273 Bowery.
Also, “#SAVEPUNJABIDELI,” a short directed by filmmaker Adeel Ahmed, debuted online yesterday at the the Tribeca Film Festival site. Per the film notes, the short "gives a glimpse into the unique hospitality that has made Punjabi Deli a cheap and delicious food staple in the neighborhood for over two decades and why it’s not just a cabbie stand, but an appreciated NYC icon worth saving."
Updated
The CB3 committee voted to support the cab stand. But! Per The Lo-Down:
The city says a decision on an exact location must wait until the end of the summer, when a long-delayed construction project on East Houston Street is expected to be completed. In the meantime, the city’s Department of Transportation has agreed to set up a temporary taxi stand on the west side of Avenue A, just above East Houston.
Enz's at 125 Second Ave. has reopened … The rockabilly boutique between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street was badly damaged in the deadly gas explosion on March 26 that destroyed the adjacent buildings at 119-123 Second Ave.
While rebuilding her storefront, owner Mariann Marlowe was able to do business from several different pop-up locations in the neighborhood.
When she was able to get back into the storefront earlier last month, "she found extensive water damage … The basement was flooded, the floors buckled and black mold had begun growing on the walls," according to DNAinfo. "It's a raw space right now. It's down to the beams," Marlowe said in a story published on April 21.
Here's a photo of the new-look shop via Enz's Facebook page from yesterday…
The bar-restaurant at 126 First Ave. between East Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place will close as Lunasa after service tonight. But the place will remain the same, except for the name.
We have some really sad news, today is the last day of Lunasa. After almost 12 years in the East Village, Lunasa will cease to exist from closing time tonight forth. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our loyal customers, our not so loyal customers and even the irregulars that have graced our door over this time. You all mean so much to us and you are the reason we have managed to stay open for more than a decade. We feel so blessed to have met you all and we will cherish the memories (well some of them anyway).
The truth is very few of you could pronounce the bloody name so you lot are partially responsible for its demise, we never thought for a second all that time ago that 6 letters would be so difficult to say properly, it's only 3 syllables for feck sake! Now we know why so many immigrants changed their names after arriving in this beautiful new world.
Well now is the time for us to do the same (this is not all bad news), while the name Lunasa is getting buried, a new name has been carefully chosen with pronunciation as the primary element in the rebranding process. It is a 7 letter word but the key is it only has two syllables, so we are mildly confident that we won't hear similar abominations we heard with our beloved Lunasa.
Ladies and gentlemen we'd like to introduce you to The Grafton. Named after one of Dublin's most famous streets, The Grafton will be very much like Lunasa, except you just won't have to repeat yourself four times to your friends when your telling them where you are.
Tonight is Lunasa's last night and we'd love to see you, swing on by to say so long and tomorrow is the first day of a new era as The Grafton, so swing on by to say hello.
Here are more details about the new restaurant opening at 12 St. Mark's Place.
The V-Spot, with a location in Park Slope, offers Latin vegan cuisine. Here's a description via their website:
For people who eat vegan or kosher, or both, it's not always easy to enjoy tasty Latin dishes, but a one-of-it's-kind restaurant in Park Slope is changing that. The V Spot is a vegan restaurant specializing in Latin cuisine that is Kosher certified under IKC Kosher. We serve delicious meatless and dairy-free dishes that use traditional Latin seasonings, like adobo & sazon made from scratch. Instead of meat, we use our homemade seitan, which is wheat-based, full of protein but doesn't contain any carbohydrates. Our menu is full of flavor, cholesterol-free & no animals were harmed in the making of your dish.
We also offer gluten-free options such as Kale Tostadas or our Quinoa Curried Kale. If you have a sweet tooth you can try one of our soy milkshakes, fresh vegetable juice, fruit smoothies & vegan desserts. Our empanadas are famous through out New York City & also available via FreshDirect's online delivery system. Our current flavors are Colombian style, Black Bean, Jamaican Jerk, Philly Cheese Style & Breakfast Scramble.
No word on an opening date, though they are hiring now... the signs arrived yesterday...
The address here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was previously home to Hanjoo, which closed in February after nearly three years. No. 12 has also been home to a number of bars-restaurants in recent years, including Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe.
On Saturday, EVG regular Salim noted that workers removed the plentiful plywood surrounding the under-renovation storefront at the northwest corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street … to reveal the new tenant at 58 Avenue B …
Presentation is key: Tables come with little metal buckets for chicken bones, mojitos and margaritas are garnished with appetizing fresh fruit, the traditional Korean soju (which you can get in a variety of fruity flavors) comes in a special ice-filled bowl, and is bedecked with flowers and umbrella-speared garnishes. But, best of all is the beer dispenser for Killians – it bubbles and gurgles with different colors and allegedly keeps your beer from getting warm and flat.
And?
In short, this place is perfect for drunk people looking to lounge and eat Korean fried chicken.
Well, they do have pitchers of Jager bombs on the menu. (In case you were wondering, this item was on the November 2014 CB3/SLA docket, but it was not heard during the committee meeting for whatever reasons.)
The New Yorker recently had nice things to say about Turntable's fried chicken here.
The previous tenant at this address, Vella Market, lasted just six months here, closing in October 2013.
Workers have gutted the former Lugo Hair Center at 209 First Ave. between East 12th Street and East 13th Street…
Not sure exactly when they closed (with that cinderblock storefront, they never looked all that open).
But the place had fans. The Village Voice named them "Best Place to Get Hair Extensions" in 2013, noting: "The East Village's Lugo's Hair Center, which specializes in extensions and wigs, provides beautiful … manes made specifically for you. The process is long and taxing, but well worth it (they don't call themselves the 'mecca of hair' for nothing)."
The business, which apparently opened in 1976, still has a Brooklyn outpost.
The sports bar-restaurant at 16 First Ave. between East First Street and East Second Street is looking closer to opening.
Bar Akuda is the latest from the owners of Murray Hill's Mercury Bar and Tonic East, among others. No word yet on an opening date for the space, which will serve lunch, brunch and dinner.
While the office component of 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/the Death Star is now fully operational leased, the retail spaces have remained empty for nearly two years. (Well, there is the showroom for Ian Shrager's incoming hotel-condo tower at 215 Chrystie, but that's just temporary. The showroom/sales office, not 215 Chrystie.)
Listing broker Patrick Smith of SRS Real Estate Partners said that the angular building presented a “bit of a puzzle” in terms of space configuration and said that Astor Place represents an “emerging retail corridor” that is forced to fill the gap between more popular retail destinations such as Union Square and Soho.
But! According to the article, expect to see some activity in this emerging 51 Astor retail corridor soon.
Three of the five retail spaces currently have leases out and they are in active pursuit on the other two — seeking a specialty fitness and a food tenant that sells prepared meals, according to Smith. [Developer Edward] Minskoff claims that Smith’s assessment of the leasing situation is modest, and that they are in fact finalizing leases for 100 percent of the retail space, to be announced within 30 to 40 days.
Day 2 of the garden's annual plant and bake sale continues today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ... on the southwest corner of Avenue B and East Sixth Street...
As a garden rep told us, "It's our main fundraiser for the season and allows us to put on hundreds of free events throughout the season for the community."
The Cake Shop turned 10 this month... to celebrate, the cafe/live music venue at 152 Ludlow St. between Stanton and Rivington celebrates with what co-owners Nick and Andy Bodor are calling a "house show"-themed lineup of shows, featuring the return of some favorite Cake Shop bands. (Find the schedule here.)
In an anniversary feature yesterday at DNAinfo, Lisha Arino reported that the Cake Shop's most recent call for investors in January yielded one unnamed person, who "stepped in and helped Cake Shop to pay back its debts and negotiate a new lease with their landlord, which they hope to sign next month."
Meanwhile, as for the anniversary ...
“We’re just really appreciative to the people who have walked in the door in the last 10 years. Every time somebody compliments us it’s such a rewarding thing,” Nick Bodor said. “It means a lot to us.”
Today around noon, this guy came into the Tompkins Square Park dog run without a dog. Rather oddly dressed for the neighborhood. He went around talking loudly to dogs and owners alike with a dubious sounding speech impediment. “HEY, WHAT KINDA DOG IS THAT?!?!?” “HEY BUDDY, WHERE’S YOUR BALL!?!?!? WHERE’S YOUR BA-A-A-ALL!?!?!?” blah blah blah.
Harmless enough for sure, until we noticed 2 men with video cameras hidden behind bushes and trees on opposite sides of the run, both shooting him and the people he was interacting with. A few regulars informed him that he wasn’t allowed in the run without a dog and when the cameras were pointed out, they quietly stopped filming and turned away.
I asked one of them why they were filming and he replied "just for some YouTube stuff."
The Real Dealhas the scoop this morning that the theater on East Houston between Eldridge and Forsythe has quietly been put on the market. Per The Real Deal:
For more than a decade, art-house movie buffs and devotees of late-night cult flicks have lined up outside the theater’s home at 139-143 East Houston Street. The property is now being quietly marketed to developers with an asking price north of $35 million, according to sources.
And...
The cinema has a triple-net lease that runs through 2018, for which it pays an annual rent of about $200,000.
To help offset expenses, ownership sought a full liquor license in 2012. However, CB3 wasn't having it, and would only approve a license for beer and wine.
Read more about the liquor license application in 2012 at The Lo-Down.
The first of 1,876 area street festivals is tomorrow … on Second Avenue, from East 14th Street down to East Sixth Street (or, from East Sixth Street up to East 14th Street).
You'll likely find the usual packages of tube socks and paper plates with funnel cakes … host the Middle Collegiate Church will also be holding several activities during the Street Fair, including:
At 12:30 pm, the Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir will perform. At 1:30 pm, our Village Chorus for Children and Youth will perform. There will also be "East Village Strong" and "Love.Period." T-shirts for sale to benefit East Village recovery.
144-150 Ludlow St. owners double their money in two years (The Lo-Down)
Is this is the best punk band in the United States? (Dangerous Minds)
Lower East Side History Month continues… find all the events here.
...and the 21st Annual Children's Workshop School Arts and Science Fair is tomorrow at the school on East 12th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C ...there will be glop...
... and there's an interesting series at the Anthology Film Archives on Second Avenue and East Second Street this weekend titled Rain the Color of Blue With a Little Red in It, which includes screenings of "The Harder They Come," two Jean Rouch films, "Moi, Un Noir" and "Jaguar," and "Purple Rain" ...
We were very sorry to hear that East Village resident Patrick Salt Ryan died suddenly on April 22. He was 45.
Ryan, a singer-songwriter, also tended bar at Fontana's down on Eldridge Street. He and his wife, Jessica Perez-Ryan, lived on Avenue A and East Ninth Street.
St. Mark’s Comics has been in its current building, 11 St. Mark’s Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, for more than 30 years. For the first few years, it was up a small flight of stairs, later on and in its current spot, on the ground floor, down a few steps.
The shop is a go-to location for old and new comics from small and large (as well as self) publishers. Owner Mitch Cutler says the shop carries a full breadth of products, not just comics. You can find all kinds of things at the shop, and indeed, as I walked deeper into the narrow space I found rooms upon rooms of toys, collectibles, tees, cards, comics, books, graphic novels, and comic-related merchandise.
Floor to ceiling, the shop is crammed with nifty stuff. During the time I visited, Louis, a second-generation St. Mark's Comics shopper (with intentions of creating a third!), was particularly enthused to find the new Harley Quinn. Shaun dropped by for a Jack Burton vinyl action figure.
As I was leaving, Cutler said that he was humbled by the fact that people continue to support the store, a long-standing small business in a place where small-business owners are getting priced out.
The Lan Cafe space apparently won't be sitting vacant for too long.
The Vietnamese vegan restaurant at 342 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue closed for good after service on April 29. The family who ran the place these past nine years said that high rents were to blame for the closure.
According to materials on file (PDF!) at the CB3 website ahead of this month's SLA committee meeting, an omakase-style restaurant is in the works from one of the owners of Kura, the upscale sushi bar at 130 St. Mark's Place.
The configuration for the new space shows 9 tables seating 18 people, plus eight counter stools. The proposed hours are noon to midnight, Sunday-Thursday; until 2 a.m. on Friday-Saturday. The applicants are seeking a full liquor license. (Lan Cafe did not have a liquor license.)
The SLA committee meeting is May 18 at the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
An EVG reader who lives in one of the four buildings that make up 320-326 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue shared the following with us…
I arrived home from work to find the attached letter stuffed into my apartment door.... my building plus three others have been sold to 320-326 Ro Village Realty. Our buildings were previously owned by AAG Mgmt. This Ro Village Realty LLC is brand new as of January and I can't find any more details about them or about how much the buildings went for or what they plan to do with it.
Considering what is going on in the neighborhood with companies like Icon, this makes me incredibly nervous.
The sale hasn't hit public records yet… and we're not familiar with 320-326 Ro Village Realty either… and their offices at 209 E. 14th St. don't match up to any of the usual suspects…
A few more details have emerged about what's next for the former Back Forty space on Avenue B near East 12th Street.
According to materials on file (PDF!) at the CB3 website ahead of this month's SLA committee meeting, the address will house a still-unnamed restaurant serving "modern American" cuisine.
One of the applicants is Roxanne Spruance, who is also planning a new restaurant in Nolita called Kingsley. (According to her bio, she won "Chopped" on the Food Network in February 2013.)
The application shows 16-20 tables seating 48-52 people. The proposed hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday; until 2 a.m. Friday-Saturday; and midnight on Sunday.
There are also plans to use the small garden area for dining similar to Back Forty.
Co-owner Eric Baker told DNAinfo in March that "windows will be built into the back of the restaurant so customers can look at the landscaped area."
Last fall, the DOB issued a partial vacate order on the backyard space because it didn't have the proper fire exits and because it was zoned for residential use … Yaffa Cafe later decided to close for good after 32 years in the location.
