EV Grieve Etc.: LES landlord Samy Mahfar settles civil suit; MCA Day happens tomorrow

[Flashback Friday to blue skies from 3rd Street]

Weekend guide to the Lower East Side History Month (Official site)

LES history on display in open-air museum exhibit on East Houston Street (BoweryBoogie)

AG Schneiderman settles civil suit with landlord Samy Mahfar (The Lo-Down)

DA: Driver involved in deadly March crash on the Williamsburg Bridge was driving drunk and going 111 MPH (ABC 7)

Council candidates for District 2 agree to rezone Tech Hub area/East 14th Street (Town & Village)

Details on MCA Day tomorrow in Brooklyn (Gothamist)

The U.S. theatrical premiere of Wang Bing's new film, "TA’ANG," "perhaps the most revealing cinematic portrait yet of life in a refugee camp." (Anthology Film Archives)

Diversions: Early footage of the Plasmatics surfaces (Dangerous Minds)

There were 12 offers for actress Diane Kruger's EV apartment (The Post) ... while Chloe Sevigny is moving back to Manhattan (Architectural Digest)

Past lives of the bunker on the Bowery (Ephemeral New York)

10 galleries to visit on the LES (The New York Times)

Next NYCHA infill site to add more units to Two Bridges neighborhood (City Limits)

... and the gift shop Pink Olive is celebrating its 10-year anniversary tomorrow at 439 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...

Lunch break

Lunch on a steel beam wheatpaste, new on Fifth Street via SacSix ...

EV Grieve Etc.

A few items to note from the past few weeks...and yesterday...


[Photo by Steven]

CJ. Tattoo is opening soon at 103 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

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The Caracas Arepa Bar at 93 Seventh St. appears to be shaping up, at least from the outside...



The restaurant suffered extensive damage during an early-morning fire last September. No word on a possible reopening date, but there is noticeable progress. The Caracas to-go space at No. 91 continues in service.

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Across Seventh Street... Comparti New York signage has been on the door the past few weeks at No. 102...



The space, last home to XyZ Pintxos y Botanas, will be home to a tasting room via Comparti Catering, described as "a full-service catering and events resource."



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East Village Bikes has taken over the Recycle-A-Bicycle space at 75 Avenue C between Sixth Street and Fifth Street...



Good photo opps atop the store van...



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The brown paper fell down inside the storefront for rent at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street...



...offering a glimpse inside the former Empire Biscuit, which closed about 17 months ago...



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And from yesterday, sigange arrived for La Pizza Di Tramonti, the new pizzeria coming to 130 St. Mark's Place near Avenue A...



Still no word who's behind this venture...


[Photos by Steven]

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Also yesterday! Workers continued removing the extensive sidewalk bridge and scaffolding that had covered the corner storefronts on East Houston at Allen...



Sugar Cafe shut down in February... some sort of combo house of nightlife horrors is in the works for the rehabbed spaces...

'Enjoy the Royal Tenenbaum lifestyle' at the price-reduced Kate Spade house of 12th Street

[Image via Sotheby's]

Last June, we noted that this lovely single-family townhouse at 215 E. 12th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was on the market for $16 million.

The place is owned by a co-founder of the Kate Spade brand (and dubbed the "Kate Spade House" by The Real Deal) ... by October, the ask had been reduced to $12 million.

And now! As Curbed noted Wednesday, there's a new broker and price — $9.95 million. Time to pounce?



Here's the new pitch via Sotheby's:

25 feet wide and voluminous interiors set this home apart from the pack. Vast parlor floor with 13½ foot ceiling height, two fireplaces and floor to ceiling windows allows for ballroom sized entertaining space.

5,000 square feet of interior space with additional FAR that may allow for an additional 5,000 square feet.

Many options for next owner starting with garden level apartment/den. 1-2 bedrooms with 2 full bath and kitchen has separate entrance and Garden access.

Glorious double parlor floor with eat-in kitchen and staircase to the garden level.

Third floor currently has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and could be the ultimate master suite.

Fourth floor has 3 bedrooms, full laundry, full bath and large sky lighted den.

Enjoy the Royal Tenenbaum lifestyle or develop into a one-of-a-kind mansion.

The Royal Tenenbaum lifestyle????



Public records show that the home last changed hands for $4.3 million in 2007.

A look at the MTA's new @LinkNYC on wheels

Back on April 18, Gov. Cuomo announced that the first of 79 new buses equipped with Wi-Fi service and USB ports have arrived for service in Manhattan.

Per the MTA news advisory on this:

After the initial delivery of 3 buses this week, units will arrive at a rate of approximately 3 to 5 buses per week. All 79 buses will be in service by the end of this year and will be based at the MTA’s Tuskegee Depot, running on the M14, M15, M101, M102 and M103.

Anyway, I finally saw one out in the wilds ... on Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place... Go Big Blue!





Per the MTA:

The addition of Wi-Fi provides a new level of connectivity to New Yorkers, bringing ease and convenience to those working, reading emails, or checking in on their social media accounts without impacting their cellular data plans. The number of USB ports on buses will range from 35-55, depending on the make and model, and will be conveniently located throughout the bus.

As for the non-blue-and-gold buses, the MTA is retrofitting the existing fleet with the same "digital-age amenities" as the new ones.

Hopefully Cuomo and Co. will come to their senses and bring back the two-tone green ones...


[Image via the MTA]

The Second Avenue Street Fair is tomorrow (Saturday!)

As far as street fairs/festivals go around here, the annual one hosted by Middle Collegiate Church is a good one, with the community spirit absent in those just with the funnel cakes and tube socks.

Via the EVG inbox...

Join us for our annual Second Avenue Street Fair on Saturday, May 6, 12-5pm! Children and families can enjoy activities like a bounce-house, tie-dye t-shirt making, sidewalk chalk, bubble station, Japanese calligraphy, and more!

From 1-5pm, hear live music on the Middle Church stage featuring celebrated East Village musicians, including the Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir and Village Chorus for Children & Youth. Voter registration and election information will also be available on our block. It’s an all-day party with Middle Church, filled with art, justice and music — you won’t want to miss it!

And this is not the first street festival of the season... that happened on April 9 with the Astor Place Festival ... and there was the Broadway Festival on April 15 on Broadway from 14th Street down to Eighth Street...


[Photo of what you missed on April 15]

H/T EVG reader Marjorie

Tonight's Astor Blaster Silent Disco is postponed

Astor Blaster POSTPONED TO FRIDAY JUNE 9TH 6:30pm - 10:30pm. We might have the best beats, but we can't beat the rain. With rain forecast for Friday we've RESCHEDULED Astor Blaster to FRIDAY JUNE, 9th, 6:30pm-10:30pm. Join us then for warmer weather, HOT beats, DJ's and one SIZZLING summer shindig. Stay tuned for updates! #AstorBlaster #AstorPlace #astorplacecube #disco

A post shared by Astor Place NYC (@astorplacenyc) on May 3, 2017 at 1:56pm PDT

The Earth School Spring Auction is Saturday (and for a good cause)

The Earth School over on Sixth Street at Avenue B is holding its largest fundraising event of the year on Saturday evening. The Department of Education cut funding for enrichment programs like P.E., music and overnight camping trips a few years back. So the Parents Association raises funds to make up for the deficit. Here are details via the EVG inbox...

This isn't just any adult school fundraiser. This is an underground party with plenty of food & drinks to get you warmed up, live and silent auctions, one-of-a-kind art, live music and later a DJ for dancing the night away! Some of the items up for grabs during the silent and live auctions: NY Marathon Entry, Field Level Tickets to a home Yankees game, Camp Speers One-Week Summer Overnight Camp, One Cup Of Coffee for Life from Madman Espresso, and so much more! All proceeds benefit the kids at The Earth School.

Venue address: Saint Nicholas Hall, 157 Avenue A (corner of 10th Street)
Event dates and times: Saturday, May 6, 6-10pm
Event prices: Admission is $30 (pre-sale at link) and $40 at door (ticket includes food and 2 bar drinks).

Breaking: 2 Bros. Pizza unveils new sign, branding on St. Mark's Place

In today's top news story, workers replaced the 2 Bros. Pizza sign at 32 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

EVG 2 Bros. Correspondent Steven got (maybe) the first look at the new brandage for the dollarsliceria ...





Insta reaction: The shape of the logo looks a little coffin-ish. Anyone else?

One more look...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

An appreciation of shop cats and small businesses tonight on Orchard Street

Via the EVG inbox...

To honor the positive impact of local businesses on Animal Welfare, “Shop Cats of New York” author Tamar Arslanian has teamed up with vegan boutique MooShoes, 78 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand, to host a happy hour with vegan drinks and snacks tonight from 6:30-8:30. In the spirit of the evening 10 percent of all sales during the event, along with $10 from the sale of each book will benefit the local charity Positive Tails Inc.

“Shop Cats of New York,” published by HarperCollins, highlights over 30 New York City small businesses that, in addition to helping the local economy, have opened their doors to create loving homes for cats that might not otherwise have one. Sisters and Queen natives Erica and Sara Kubersk founded MooShoes, one the shops featured in the book, where they have a long history providing permanent homes to felines while also fostering animals in need. Current resident felines Marlow and Georgie will be guests of honor during the celebration.

Find more details here.

East Village tenants pay landlord Raphael Toledano a visit at his Upper West Side home

Members of the Toledano Tenants Coalition (TTC) visited the Upper West Side home of Raphael Toledano last Saturday "to bid farewell to the junior speculator landlord" whom they’ve battled for the last two years, ever since he purchased more than 20 East Village buildings, according to a statement from the group.

Tenant organizations from around the city associated with Stabilizing NYC joined the protest. Some participants wore Toledano masks and carried signs that riffed on his boastful quote last summer to The Real Deal: "I'm worth a fuckload of money, bro."

There was also some dancing.



As previously reported, Madison Realty Capital has replaced the 27-year-old landlord as the property manager of 15 East Village buildings while a deal to transfer the ownership is worked out. In late March, the LLCs that Toledano used to purchase the 15 buildings in the Madison Realty portfolio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Toledano purchased 28 buildings in two separate portfolios from the Tabak family for a total of $140 million in the fall of 2015. Since then, he has been accused of a variety of predatory practices.

In addition, 20 of his buildings were tested for toxic levels of dust. Last spring, Toledano agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged that he harassed rent-regulated residents at 444 E. 13th St. He also apparently ruined Thanksgiving last year for a few East 12th Street residents.

Here's more from a statement on Saturday's Toledano rally:

Tenants believe the time has come to make Mr. Toledano feel less comfortable at his home since, according to tenants, he has seen fit to do the same to them. Tenants report that Mr. Toledano has on at least two occasions refused to meet face to face with them and elected officials to discuss issues of importance to tenants, and so tenants say they are voicing their concerns directly to Mr. Toledano at his home.

[Saturday's] protesters assert that Mr Toledano has not met his obligations as a responsible landlord, forcing tenants to live in vermin-infested buildings without cooking gas and creating construction chaos as he haltingly renovates buildings.

[Photo by Nina d'Alessandro]


[Photo by Jim Markowich]

The Times reported this past Sunday that Toledano was selling off his other East Village properties that are not part of this 15-building portfolio in foreclosure. Per the Times:

[Toledano] said he was in contract with an investor to buy a $200 million portfolio of properties in the West Village, a neighborhood where he said tenants were less organized.

I kind of want to get out of the East Village walk-up business, to be honest," he said, without a hint of remorse. "There is so much scrutiny of the buyouts."

Responding to Toledano’s statement to the Times, the TTC vowed to help West Village tenants to resist him. One sign at the rally read "You can’t hide in the city, Raphael Toledano, We will find you!"


[JM]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Foreclosure notice arrives on Raphael Toledano-owned building on 12th Street

Claim: Landlord of 444 E. 13th St. threatened 'to drop dynamite on the building'

Cleaning up 444 E. 13th St.

Report: State investigating East Village landlord Raphael Toledano

Health Department to inspect Raphael Toledano's East Village properties for toxic levels of lead dust

Foreclosure notice arrives on Raphael Toledano-owned building on 12th Street

Report: Raphael Toledano files for Chapter 11; $145 million deal for EV portfolio is off the table

Raphael Toledano tenants take to Midtown streets to speak out against their landlord and his lenders

Veteran restaurateur Sushil Malhotra opening Old Monk in former Babu Ji space on Avenue B

Sushil Malhotra, founder of Curry in a Hurry, Akbar Dawat and Café Spice, among others, is opening Old Monk at the former Babu Ji space on Avenue B at 11th Street.

Malhotra confirmed the news in an email. He described it as an "exciting Indian concept coming up soon." In a follow-up phone call, he said that "it's definitely going to be a fun place." He said they were still working out details on decor and pricing, and wasn't quite ready to share more details.

Malhotra and his team, which includes chef Navjot Arora (a partner and executive chef at the well-regarded Chutney Masala Indian Bistro in Westchester County), are on this month's CB3 SLA committee docket for a beer-wine license for 175 Avenue B. (This item will not be heard during the committee meeting on May 15.)

The listed hours for Old Monk are 5-10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1-11 p.m. on Saturday, and noon-10 p.m. on Sunday.

Westchester Magazine had a profile on Malhotra from 2012. Per the article:

The last time you had a yen for Indian cuisine, Sushil Malhotra probably satisfied your craving, albeit indirectly. Have you ever had a fantastic meal at Chutney Masala in Irvington or taken clients to dinner at Dawat in Manhattan? Maybe you’ve picked up lunch at the Café Spice booth in Grand Central’s Dining Concourse. And if you frequent Whole Foods Market, you may have savored the Indian food from its hot bar.

You can thank Malhotra for all of those culinary delights. The Irvington resident also can be given major credit for bringing upscale Indian food to the United States. In fact, the food from Malhotra’s empire, Café Spice, is now so popular that he can hardly keep up with the demand.

Malhotra grew up in India and moved to NYC in 1966 at age 17. Per the article: "He and his father opened a small spice business that supplied South Asian spices, chutneys, and crispy breads to New York City’s curry houses. The Malhotras stored their spices in their Jackson Heights garage, and Sushil used his weekends to join his father in dropping off chutney and spices to Indian restaurants in Manhattan and Queens." In 1976, he quit engineering to become a restaurateur.

Old Monk's arrival also marks the end of Babu Ji, which went dark in early March. A sign, since removed, at the door noted that they were "taking a break."



The closure followed a report by Eater's Ryan Sutton outlining details of a second wage-theft and overtime lawsuit against owners Jessi and Jennifer Singh.

Babu Ji opened in June 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Babu Ji on Avenue B hit with another wage lawsuit