Updated: East 12th Osteria closes on 1st Avenue, moving to the West Village

East 12th Osteria looks to have permanently closed. Someone removed the sign from the front door here on First Avenue at 12th Street...



EVG reader dwg said the dining room was cleared out on Friday.



Back on Dec. 12, the State seized the space for nonpayment of taxes. Eater reported that restaurant serving Northern Italian cuisine owed more than $190,000 in unpaid taxes.

However, without any notice, East 12th Osteria then resumed service several days later.

The restaurant opened in March 2013.

Updated
From restaurant's website: "East 12th Osteria will be moving to the West Village, and would henceforth change name to Osteria."

A spokesperson for the restaurant told us in an email:

We opened 2 days after NY State Department of Taxation and Finance shut us down. We've paid the principal amount months back, it is the interest and other fees that we're trying to negotiate down. 120% interest is a lot.

Having said that, earlier this month we chose to close down East 12th Osteria because we found a bigger location in the West Village, and will be opening sometime in the summer.

East 12th attracted regulars Ron Chernow... Preet Bhararra and Scott Stringer, lots of NYU faculty and gallery owners. We thank our supporters in the East Village — a warm welcome awaits them at our next Osteria, opening soon just a few avenues away.

New bakery on the way for the Whole Foods Market® Bowery

Renovations continue at the Whole Foods Market® Bowery ... where there's a temporary entrance to the store on Houston and the Bowery... the reason — the arrival in March of a bakery on the premises...



The current bakery seems rather scattered back by the salad bar region.

Unrelated, avocados are on sale five for $5.

Gramercy Cafe closes; Gramercy Kitchen coming soon

Heading a few blocks outside the East Village for a moment... multiple readers passed along word that the Gramercy Cafe on Third Avenue and 17th Street had been dark all weekend.

Signage soon arrived at the 24/7 diner... telling patrons not to worry...



The other sign thanks Elias and his team for 24 great years... and notes that the corner spot will soon be known as Gramercy Kitchen...


[Photo via Harry Weiner]

The interior looks to be in some disarray...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Valentine's Day tragedies: When you mix up Gramercy Cafe and the Gramercy Tavern

Sunday's parting shot

The view downtown at sunset via Bobby Williams...

Week in Grieview

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

At Ray's 84th birthday celebration at Ray's Candy Store (Tuesday)

Astor Plate coming to Astor Place (Friday)

Chester Kawalec, longtime grill man at the Stage, has died (Thursday)

Pourt softly opens on Cooper Square (Monday)

Office space on St. Mark's Place back on the market and still ghost free (Friday)

Last look at the old Lanza's (Thursday)

An Obama tribute on Bond (Thursday)

Developers pitching the city for 4 more floors at former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office (Monday)

A winterized Bowery Market, now down to 3 vendors (Tuesday)

Checking in on 'Urbanmythology' on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall (Thursday)

Sushi and pizza coming soon to the Bowery (Wednesday)

MTA announces public workshops to discuss the upcoming (2019!) L train shutdown (Wednesday)

Malcriada, a Latin gastropub, opens on Super Bowl Sunday (Wednesday)

114 E. 7th St. sells for $13.8 million (Wednesday)

No Malice Palace remains closed for now after the death of its owner (Monday)

I love you to gigabits: Pop the question, see your names on a LinkNYC kiosk (Tuesday)

Construction watch: 127 Avenue D (Tuesday)

For rent signage arrives at the former Sigmund Pretzel Shop space on Avenue B (Monday)

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Details on tomorrow's 'Lower East Side Rally Against Hate' in Tompkins Square Park

Via Facebook...

SAVE THE DATE! "Lower East Side Rally Against Hate" on Jan. 30 (Monday)

Tompkins Square Park — entrance on East 7th Street & Avenue A

Join Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, elected officials, faith leaders, and community organizers to stand together against the Trump Administration's Executive Orders targeting Muslims and all immigrants.

Time: 6:30pm until 7:30pm
Join together to tell Donald Trump #NoBanNoWall

Find more details here

Also today at 2 p.m. — #NoBanNoWall rally in Battery Park City. Details here.

Report of a fire last night on 6th Street

Several readers passed along word of a fire last evening on the fifth floor at 619 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The FDNY tweeted the alert at 8:31 p.m. ...

MAN ALL HANDS 417 E 6 ST,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) January 29, 2017

...with the under control message coming 15 minutes later...

MAN ALL HANDS 417 E 6 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 5TH FLR, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) January 29, 2017

I do not have any other information, such as injuries, cause or extent of the damage.

Here's a look at the building this morning... one window is boarded up on the fifth floor...

Today in photos of a Donald Trump piñata

Photos on Fourth Avenue today by Derek Berg...



No word if these are available in bulk...

Spiritual Sounds on Sunday

Via the EVG inbox... tomorrow (Sunday) at 5 p.m. ... St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery...

Reports: Brooklyn man suspected of rape arrested at Beauty Bar on 14th Street

Police arrested Brooklyn resident Brenton Maughn-Tulloch after a reported rape early Sunday morning inside a bathroom stall at Beauty Bar on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

According to Town & Village, "police said that Maughn-Tulloch was ... doing lines of cocaine with a woman when he allegedly raped her."

Here are more details via DNAinfo:

While they were in the bathroom he made a move on the woman, but when she refused he pinned her against the wall, pulled down her pants, and raped her, police said.

Afterwards, Maughn-Tulloch remained inside the bar as the woman called police, they said. Police arrested him at the bar 45 minutes later, a police spokesman said.

The 30-year-old Maughn-Tulloch was arraigned on charges of first-degree rape. He’s currently being held at Rikers. His next court date is scheduled for Friday, per DNAinfo.

The Post reported that Maughn-Tulloch was already facing charges for drug possession and credit-card fraud.

A moment at an M14 stop on Avenue A

People still read the Daily Racing Form and wait for the bus ...






Meanwhile, there is a pretty good race in the third today at Aqueduct. Can Bourbon Empire outstay Bavaro on the stretch-out?

Report: Mobile-order congestion causing problems for Starbucks

A little weekend reading... in case you didn't see the Starbucks headlines from yesterday.

Via USA Today:

The coffee chain reported disappointing sales growth on Thursday and partly blamed the “congestion” in its stores for prompting some people to leave without buying anything. Starbucks said the popularity of its mobile order-and-pay option, which was supposed to make getting a drink easier, has caused bottlenecks at the areas where people pick up their drinks.

CEO Howard Schultz, who is leaving that role in April to become executive chairman, said the issue has “created anxiety” among some customers.

No word on the number of people who just enter and exit a Starbucks to use the restrooms.

A reading from 'American Girls' tonight at Love Gang on 9th Street

Writer Nancy Jo Sales is reading from her latest book, "American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers," a look at how social media has changed the lives of girls and presented them with unprecedented challenges, tonight at 8 at Love Gang, the clothing boutique at 436 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue... via the EVG inbox...



Read our interview with Love Gang co-owners Cara Bloch and Carmen Ruiz-Davila from December here.

'Star' power

Slowdive is back with new material after a 22-year hiatus.

The reunited UK shoegazaers are touring this spring, with a stop at the forthcoming venue Brooklyn Steel on May 8. Those tickets went on sale today. The above track is the recently released "Star Roving."

EV Grieve Etc.: Nest action in Tompkins Square Park; Subway Therapy on the LES

[Photo on Astor Place by Derek Berg]

Contract to defend Mayor de Blasio and aides to cost city $11.6 million (The New York Times)

Taste testing the two new Vietnamese restaurant options in the East Village (Eater ...previously)

Christo and Dora nest action (Laura Goggin Photography)

"Subway Therapy" project at 107 Norfolk St. through Monday (amNY)

About the pronunciation of Houston Street (The New York Times)

Musician Tor Miller's favorite EV places (The Guardian)

Robert Sietsema picks his choices for best East Village Mexican restaurants (Eater)

Subway and bus fare will remain $2.75 following MTA vote (Curbed)

Jonny Detiger’s "Amplified Space" continues through Feb. 9 at Howl! Happening on First Street (Official site)

The "Universal in the '70s" film series includes Dennis Hopper's "The Last Movie" and Monte Hellman's "Two-Lane Blacktop" (Metrograph)

Debbie Harry for Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in the 1980s (Dangerous Minds)

... and unfortunately we found about this after the first show... the Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street has launched a John Zorn-curated monthly music series for 2017...

About that new cube on Astor Place (and the return of Mud Coffee)

You may have noticed the arrival of a new cube-like kiosk on Astor Place yesterday.

There were all sorts of theories about it (CorTen Steel LinkNYC kiosk, "Game of Thrones" Winds of Winter bus shelter, Amanda Burden-Christ map room, etc).

Anyway, here's the official release about what's happening here via the EVG inbox...

Coming soon, Astor Plate! A new food and beverage kiosk created by Perry Mallas serving healthy Mediterranean comfort food, coffee and beverages, all organic and locally sourced wherever possible. Astor Plate is also bringing MUD Coffee back to Astor Place.

Although the MUD Truck is now retired, MUD is delighted to once again be part of Astor Place ...

To design and create the kiosk Perry has collaborated with the same creative team at Patrick Nash Design that designed and built Flatiron Green and Benvenuto Café. Visually, the kiosk references the neighborhood’s artistic character and reflects the design profile of Tony Rosenthal’s iconic Alamo culpture, which turns 50 this year. The raw steel finishes and bold geometric forms of Astor Plate will create a natural and inviting ambiance, appropriate for this quintessentially urban environment.

Astor Plate is expected to open in March.

Up in vapor: Beyond Vape has left St. Mark's Place

Two weeks ago we repotted that Beyond Vape, the upper-level shop at 19-23 St. Mark's Place, was closing at the end of the month.

Well the vapors have already cleaned out of the space that they started leasing in 2013. At that time, this was the first East Coast location of the California-based chain. Today, there are seven NYC locations of Beyond Vape. Potential costumers here are being directed to the Union Square store.

Meanwhile, next door, the for lease signs have been removed from the windows of Grand Sichuan, which closed back in the fall. Perhaps the two spaces will be combined for a really big _______.

Office space on St. Mark's Place back on the market and still ghost free

Back in July 2014, a unique "for lease" sign arrived for the basement office space at 92 St. Mark's Place just east of First Avenue.

Among other amenities, the sign boasted that the office had "Real see-thru windows" ... "Real walls!" ... and! "No ghosts!"

Well, the sign has returned...



And there still aren't any ghosts...



As I recall, this space was off the market for a long while after the fire on the first floor in August 2014.

H/T @aureliovoltaire

Thursday's parting shot

A view from the East Village perch of Bobby Williams... looking to the southwest toward the Jenga-like, 57-story residential building currently under construction at 56 Leonard St.

An Obama tribute on Bond

You may have noticed the tribute to former President Obama this past week on a gate outside 42 Bond St. between the Bowery and Lafayette.

This installation is the creation of Scott VanderVoort, who previously created a tribute to Steve Jobs and David Bowie on the same fence.



As with Jobs and Bowie, you get a young and older version depending on the direction you're headed...





You'll get a much better idea of all this via VanderVoor's Instagram account...

#fenceinstallation #barackobama #barackobamatribute #tribute #nyc #bondst #art #streetart #mypresident #speakout #next100days btw Lafayette & Bowery

A video posted by Scott VanderVoort (@scottvandervoort) on Jan 20, 2017 at 5:34am PST

Checking in on 'Urbanmythology' on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Despite the crummy weather, the Spanish street-art duo PichiAvo (above) started work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall at the beginning of the week, as expected.

The official release about the new work — the first in NYC for the two — said it would be complete by Feb. 4... here's how it's looking this afternoon (the tape is part on the never-ever-ending East Houston reconstruction project)...



The mural, titled "Urbanmythology," will be up through May.

RIP Chester

We just heard that Chester, the longtime grill man at the Stage on Second Avenue, died yesterday.

Roman Diakun, who owned the Stage for 35 years up until its closure in March 2015, shared the news.

We don't know too much about Chester's family or background. A few health-related issues caused him to retire several years ago.

We'll update when we hear any further information.

This from the Stage Facebook page:

It is with a heavy heart that we deliver the sad news that Chester Kawalec (our grillman) has passed away yesterday. The viewing will be at Arthur's Funeral Home on Friday Jan.27th, 2017 between 6 and 9pm, located at 207 Nassau Avenue in Brooklyn. R.I.P.

H/T Sheila Rothenberg

Last look at the old Lanza's

As we noted yesterday afternoon, workers were clearing out the remains of the former Lanza's space on First Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street.

A few things were placed out on the sidewalk for free, such as some work pants...



EVG reader Lola Sáenz got a look inside the now (almost completely) empty Lanza's, which had been serving Italian cuisine here since 1904...





To date, there haven't been any permits filed with the DOB to renovate this space for incoming tenant Joe & Pat's, the pizzeria that has been serving up slices on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island since 1960.

Casey Pappalardo, one of the pizzeria's owners, told the Staten Island Advance that the family had been looking to open a location in Manhattan for a long time. "We were looking in the city for a while and then our neighbor actually approached us because he owns the building," he said.

And an opening date?

"We should open within six months," Casey prognosticates, adding with a chuckle, "That's if all goes well — there's always some setbacks."

Lanza's closed for good back in July after the state seized the restaurant.

CB3's SLA docket for February includes applicant for the former Belgian Room on St. Mark's

Community Board 3 released its slate of meetings for February. (Find the calendar here.)

The SLA committee docket has a manageable number of applicants ... and not too many north of Houston. One item of interest: There is an applicant for the long-vacant bar space at 121 St. Mark's Place ... last home to the Belgian Room, which the state seized for nonpayment of taxes in April 2015.

The calendar simply shows an LLC going by Mr. White applying for a beer-wine license for the location. CB3 hasn't uploaded the questionnaires just yet. We'll pass along more info about this venture when it becomes available.

It's not clear whether Mr. White will also take the former Ton-Up Cafe space next door. Workers removed the wall between the businesses in 2015. (Probably yes.)

The February SLA committee meeting is Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. at the Bowery.

Desolate Belgian Room photo from 2015

Sushi and pizza coming soon to the Bowery

There has been some activity in recent weeks/months in the south storefront at 342 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond.

Eater did a little sleuthing and learned that the space will apparently be called Poke Run, a restaurant operated by former Olympic athlete-turned-chef Michael Stember, who has been hosting secret sushi dinners — known as Sushi Belly Tower — in recent years. (BoweryBoogie notes that Stember is serving sushi in a new venture with Happy Ending on Broome Street.)

No. 342 was last home, in 2015, to a Subway (sandwich shop). The Subway opened here in late 2009, taking over the space after Downtown Music Gallery moved to Monroe Street.

Meanwhile! Activity continues a few doors to the south at No. 334...



DOB permits show that a pizzeria is taking the space. No other info is available at the moment. Updated: Apparently pizza-master Gino Sorbillo — the best in Naples? — will be opening shop in this space. Read more about him here.

PYT — "Home of America's Craaaziest Burgers" — imploded here after just three months in business about this time last year.

Perhaps the new operator can reverse the curse here. It was home to Forcella Bowery for nearly three years until November 2014 … only to be replaced in December 2014 by the tapas-friendly Espoleta, which closed six months later to make way for Gia Trattoria. They quickly closed. Then PYT arrived in October 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A step back in time on the Bowery

Wednesday's parting shot

One of the Cooper's Hawks that have been hanging around Tompkins Square Park of late... don't think that Christo and Dora, the red-tailed hawks, are big fans... photo by Steven.

Free stuff at the former Lanza's on 1st Avenue

Workers are cleaning out the former Lanza's space now... and placing unwanted objects out of the sidewalk for the taking. It appears the contents of the restaurant's lost and found are among the freebies. (There was an auction here on Jan. 5.)

As previously reported, Joe & Pat's, the family-owned Staten Island pizzeria, is opening a second outpost here between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The state seized Lanza's last July for nonpayment of taxes. The restaurant first opened in 1904.

Photo by Lola Sáenz

There goes 'Othello'

[Photo by Derek Berg]

The 8-week run of "Othello" starring David Oyelowo and local favorite Daniel Craig ended last week at the New York Theatre Workshop on Fourth Street.

The signage came down today... as the company prepares for its next production — "The Object Lesson."

Tickets were hard to come by for this well-regarded version of "Othello." I was curious to see it. (But not this curious.)

Rejected headlines:
There (Ia)goes Othello