Taco Bell premiering its Nacho Fries on the Bowery; reservations available

Taco Bell recently announced that it was adding Nacho Fries to the $1 menu.

Today and tomorrow, you can head to 212 Bowery near Rivington for a sneak preview — or premiere.

Here's more info via OpenTable, where you can get a reservation for the fry seating:

Live Más Productions presents Nacho Fries, debuting in Taco Bell restaurants nationwide on January 25 for just $1. The most-anticipated menu item release of the year will be available crisped to perfection with bold Mexican seasoning and served with a dippable side of warm Nacho Cheese. Ahead of their nationwide release, Taco Bell will host fans in New York City for a complimentary, advance screening of Nacho Fries and the trailer “Web of Fries” that will leave fans hungry for more – more Nacho Fries that is. A five-star menu item like Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries is worthy of its own red carpet, and that’s exactly the treatment Taco Bell is rolling out with its first “big screen” debut.

The pop-up is open today from 4-8 p.m. and tomorrow from noon to 4 p.m. and again 5-9 p.m.

$10 million minimum opening bid today at auction of former building that housed Lucky Cheng's

[Photo from Dec. 31]

As I reported on Jan. 2, the potential development sites at 24 First Ave. (the onetime home of Lucky Cheng's) and 99-101 E. Second St. are headed to the auction block.

The bidding action begins today at 1 p.m. at the Hotel on Rivington. The minimum opening bid is $10 million. (Find more details at the auction site here.)

Landlord Carmar Development, LLC, had put the two-building parcel up for sale in February 2017. (We wrote about that here.) The L-shaped properties were seeking $26 million then.

Uri Marrache, a principal at Carmar Development, was reportedly at risk of defaulting on his $11 million loan against the vacant buildings.

As Crain's reported, while the bidding will start at $10 million, a winning offer must at least exceed the $11 million owed to the lender.

Per Crain's:

“The owner was behind with the lender on payments,” said Richard Maltz, chief executive of Maltz Auctions. “Going through an auction process like this allows a property owner that needs a quick exit to execute on a sale.”

As for what a new landlord might be able to do here, we'll go back to the auction site:

Currently Improved with a 7,748 Sq Ft Mixed-Use Building & 4,648 Sq Ft Retail Building
Substantial Unused Air Rights
• 28,540 Sq Ft Buildable Site (3,418 Sq Ft Cellar) – Per Architect Plans, with Inclusionary Housing
• 26,483 Sq Ft Buildable Site (5,297 Sq Ft Cellar) – Per Architect Plans, without Inclusionary Housing & with Full Lot Merge
• 24,610 Sq Ft Buildable Site (5,298 Sq Ft Cellar) – Per Architect Plans, without Inclusionary Housing

Annual Real Estate Taxes: $141,977
Currently Vacant

Hayne Suthon, who owned and and operated Lucky Cheng's, the cross-dressing cabaret, also lived in the building. She died of cancer at age 57 in June 2014.

Suthon had owned the properties since 1986, paying $800,000, city documents show. According to public records, the address changed hands to Carmar Development in February 2015 for a little more than $9.6 million.

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

More alterations for the Pride and Joy space

Report: Pride and Joy BBQ partners suing landlord Hayne Suthon for $22 million

Report: New owners of building that housed Lucky Cheng's looking to attract restaurant group

Onetime home of Lucky Cheng's and adjacent property on the development market for $26 million
Building that housed Lucky Cheng's on 1st Avenue now on the auction block

Champion Coffee taking over the Madman Espresso space on 14th Street

Madman Espresso has closed its location on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (H/T to EVG regular Pinch for the tip!)

There's now a sign hanging on the door titled Good Bye & Good Luck:

Madman Espresso adventure in the East Village/Gramercy area comes to an end. A nice lady bought our shop. They will renovate and reopen in a couple of weeks.

If you really can't live without us, please come see us at University Place and 10th Street or in one of our Midtown locations.

That "nice lady" is apparently Talitha Whidbee, who founded Champion Coffee in 2006 in Greenpoint.

Champion announced their new location(s) on Instagram back in December...

✖️EXCITING NEWS✖️ • Our Christmas gift to you this year comes in the form of a big announcement: We are kicking off 2018 with the opening of - not just one - but TWO new @championcoffee locations in Manhattan! • 210 E 67th | *Coming January 2018* 319 E 14th | *Coming February 2018* • Can’t wait to see you all there and share our yummy coffee with friends, both new and old ☕️

A post shared by Champion Coffee (@championcoffee) on Dec 23, 2017 at 6:48am PST

Madman Espresso opened on 14th Street, its first location, in January 2013. The University Place outpost arrived in 2015.

Champion Coffee was one of the first vendors at the Bowery Market, the year-round open-air food market at 348 Bowery and Great Jones, but they eventually pulled out for undisclosed reasons.

Some Tasty Taiwan for the former TK Kitchen on St. Mark's Place

TK Kitchen, which served bubble tea and various Taiwanese street food, closed in December here on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The goodbye noted posted to the TK Facebook page left the door open for a return: "[W]e have a new idea [that we are] planning at the moment, we will be back soon!"

There is now a Community Board notice up in the window (the February meeting hasn't been announced yet) ... noting that Tasty Taiwan LLC plans to open a restaurant ... and they will be applying for a beer-wine license...

I.Q. Decor closing on 14th Street

[Photos via EVG reader Shiv]

Several EVG readers have pointed out the IQ Decor is closing on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...



Closing signs arrived last week at the store that sells discounted toys, housewares, rubber boots, cleaning products, NYC gifts, luggage, etc., etc. (Last day for now is Feb. 28.)

The Saving$ Paradise shop at 250 E. 14th St. merged with I.Q. Decor in the spring of 2016.

This closure, I believe, brings an end to any discounted shops on 14th Street between Avenue B and Third Avenue.

H/T EVG reader Jen!

Tuesday's parting shot

This mural arrived over the weekend here on St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue... Interstellar work by @dirtcobain and @outersource ...

And another angle via @dirtcobain ...

Noted

Multiple media outlets (like ABC 7 and the Post) are reporting on a jacket or bag fire that happened on a northbound F train as it pulled into Second Avenue early Saturday morning.

This social media user captured the fire...

Ahh, New York ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/d6kG7A7AIf

— Stephen (@Stibbanski) January 21, 2018

The incident snarled subway traffic for an hour, as the F trains were rerouted first to the A line, then over to the E line. Service resumed within an hour.

Per ABC 7: "Authorities have not confirmed how the fire started or who caused it."

Cinnamon Garden, a new Indian restaurant coming soon to 6th Street

Signage is up for a Indian restaurant called Cinnamon Garden on Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... promising "authentic Indian cuisine."

The restaurant has a website (here!) with a menu — and prices. There isn't much info on the site about who will be operating Cinnamon Garden, other than this line: "From an outstanding chef with amazing taste."

This will be the fifth restaurant to serve Indian food on this block, joining Apna Masala, Raj Mahal, Malai Marke and Taj.

For further reading ... this piece from 2016 by Robert Sietsema at Eater has some history on the Indian-Bangladeshi restaurants that have populated this block and adjacent Avenues through the years.

Chelsea Thai closes ahead of move to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue

As noted back in the fall, Chelsea Thai, which has operated a stall in the Chelsea Market for 19 years, signed a 10-year-lease at 192-194 First Ave.

Turns out that Chelsea Thai isn't opening a second location, rather closing their space on Ninth Avenue ahead of a move to the East Village. EVG regular Bayou shared the top photo, noting that the quick-serve Thai restaurant's last day was Friday.

Meanwhile, on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street, renovations continue at the former Nepture diner space...



Chelsea Thai (not sure if they are keeping that name with the move east) is only taking half of the Neptune storefront. The other half is on the market for $7,500, per Eastern Consolidated.

No word on an opening date.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chelsea Thai coming to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue; Filipino fare for Avenue A

Ciala has apparently closed

Several EVG readers have noted that Ciala at 77 Second Ave. has been dark in recent weeks.

Google says that the restaurant between Fourth Street and Fifth Street is permanently closed. Their social media hasn’t posted since December and their phone just rings without an answer.

The restaurant serving Georgian cuisine opened last July. Two months later, they closed, with a sign noting that they would reopen with an "all new and exciting menu." They made a pivot to French cuisine — specifically crepes. (The Ciala Facebook page said that they are "a new bistro and wine bar serving Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian fare.")

Here's what one EVG commenter had to say in September:

It's been sad to walk by and see this empty restaurant. With the doors wide open, there was always a view of the long faces of the staff waiting for customers to cross their threshold.

Unfortunately, their menu was mostly heavy meat dishes, unappealing in the heat of summer. I would certainly have considered that menu on a cold winter night, but not in June, July and August (and this hot September).

I hope their new menu is more appropriate to the season and wish them great success. This stretch of 2nd Ave is becoming desolate with so many empty storefronts.

In denying their liquor license last March, CB3 wrote (per the meeting minutes): "the applicant has no experience operating a licensed premises and has no experience working in a similar type of business."

1st sign of Target on 14th Street

An EVG reader said yesterday that a sign for the incoming Target had arrived on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue A.

I guess I was expecting something like this...



But it's more like this for now... just a sign for workers...



Right there...



In any event, as noted before, the Target small-format store will cover two levels here. Per the Target newsroom:

Merchandise includes men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, home, food (with grab-and-go selection spanning sandwiches, salads, beverages and more), health and beauty and electronics assortment.
Services offered: Target Mobile and Order Pickup.

The East Village Target has an expected July opening date.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Last day for Unleashed by Petco on 2nd Avenue

The Unleashed by Petco on Second Avenue between First Street and Second Street is looking pretty cleaned out ...

A worker said earlier this month that the last day is Jan. 23 (aka today).



There's no word why Petco decided to shutter this location, which opened in August 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Unleashed by Petco is unloading its pet supplies as store is closing on 2nd Avenue