Printed Matter will have a bookstore inside the Swiss Institute's new 2nd Avenue home

[Photo from April 29]

Printed Matter, the Chelsea-based nonprofit art bookstore founded in 1976, is opening an outpost at the Swiss Institute's new home on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Per artnews:

The venue will be dubbed Printed Matter/St. Mark’s and will carry artist’s books, prints, posters, and the like, as well as offerings from the Swiss Institute’s publishing imprint. Max Schumann, Print Matter’s executive director, said in a statement that the new partnership “presents an amazing opportunity to bring the creative, experimental, and critical work being done in the field of artists’ publications to a broader audience, which is at the heart of Printed Matter’s mission.”

At its Chelsea location, Printed Matter has long offered a rich array of talks, workshops, and so forth, and the organization said in a news release that a “robust program of public events” will be on offer in the Swiss Institute building...

The East Village location of Printed Matter will also open with the Swiss Institute on June 21.

Read more about Printed Matter's history here.

Meanwhile, here's a photo from the Swiss Institute's rooftop from Sunday...


[Photo by Grant Shaffer]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Swiss Institute moving into the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Pink Bear Ice Cream and Steam Rice Roll has apparently closed on 14th Street

It appears that the quick-serve Pink Bear shop has closed on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Several readers (H/T Shiv and Gojira) noted the gate has been down of late during announced business hours. Both Google and Yelp report that Pink Bear has permanently closed. The phone is also disconnected.

Pink Bear opened back in the spring of 2016, and served a variety of rolled ice cream, not to mention traditional rice and noodle dishes.

Report: Ravi DeRossi bringing Fire & Water to 7th Street

[EVG file photo]

East Village-based restaurateur Ravi DeRossi is adding to his vegan empire later this year with the opening of Fire & Water at 111 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue — next door to his tapas cafe Ladybird.

Eater reported yesterday that DeRossi will "veganize two cuisines at once — sushi and dim sum" with Fire & Water.

A Japanese sushi counter with 16 seats and minimalist design will occupy one part of the space, offering a vegan omakase menu and a sake list. The price for the omakase has not been set yet.

On the other side of a dividing glass wall, there will be Chinese dim sum cart service in a 36-seat, flashier space with neon lights and red decor. Vegan small plates are on the menu in the dim sum portion. There will also be beer, wine, and no-abv cocktails.

DeRossi's executive chef, Tony Mongeluzzi, who oversees the kitchens at Ladybird, Mother of Pearl, Cienfuegos and Avant Garden, will reportedly have similar duties at Fire & Water.

The new home for Fire & Water was previously a showroom for furniture designer Todd Hase. That venture lasted one year. Village Style Vintage Shop, the previous tenant here, moved out to Brooklyn in October 2016.

Monday's parting shot

Photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg...

An injured opossum on Avenue B

Photos and report by Mark Cyr...

Last night, the NYPD found an opossum lying on Avenue B, near Seventh Street along Tompkins Square Park, where a car had been parked. The opossum was alive and looking around at onlookers, but making no effort to move. In the words of the NYPD officer holding back the crowd of onlookers, "He is playing possum. We don't know what he might do."



An NYPD Emergency Services Unit (ESU) was called to deal with the opossum.

An NYPD officer explained that the NYPD's job was to remove any wildlife found at ground level. The ESU officers waited for an animal crate to be brought and then they dropped a loop over the opossum's head and moved him into the crate. The ESU officers said the opossum did not resist.







The ESU officers said that the opossum appeared to have a broken leg. They thought he had probably fallen asleep under a parked car and gotten hurt when the car drove away. They said the opossum would be taken to animal rescue for evaluation. The crowd applauded as the opossum crate was carried away.

This opossum was gray, not white. This does not seem to be the same opossum I photographed in Tompkins Square Park, in December.

FLASHBACK... to December


[Photo by Mark Cyr]

So to recap, the opossum the NYPD took away last evening is NOT Nicodemus Punch Sugarpop aka Parachute ChingChing Yanoonoo aka Opie...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The opossum has pretty much made Tompkins Square Park her/his home now

The opossum of Tompkins Square Park — now on video

Opossum where art thou?

Opossum drama in Tompkins Square Park

Funny business: Comedy club replacing comedy club on 4th Street

The coming soon signage is up on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery for New York Comedy Club.

They are taking over the former home of EastVille Comedy Club, who moved out to Brooklyn last month.

This will be the second location for the New York Comedy Club, which opened in 1989 on 24th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

"We're very excited about being part of such a vibrant neighborhood full of all kinds of other arts and performance venues," Amy Hawthorne, the club's director of operations, told me via email.

As of now, the club is looking at a mid-July debut (though they may have a soft opening before then).

"We'll be renovating the space to be more in keeping with the look and character of our original Gramercy location — darker room, brick wall background for the stage, and an audio system custom designed for the space by our co-owner, Scott Lindner, who is also a professional audio engineer," she said.

Lindner and Emilio Savone bought the New York Comedy Club in 2014 after years of working in entertainment marketing and live comedy production.

You can find more background on New York Comedy Club here.

Moxy East Village arrives at the lobby level

Right there... (bonus Jim Joe underlined)...



And a look through the blogger portal on the plywood...



Anyway, it's the 13-story, 285-key Moxy hotel going up at 112-120 E. 11th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

According to the Moxy website, the hotel opens at the end of this year...

Hot Box looking ready to debut on 2nd Avenue

The coming soon signs are up in the windows at 77 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street... the home of Hot Box.

Here's the About via the restaurant's Facebook page:

Blending together a mix of East Asian broth, noodles and topped with the freshest ingredients, Hot Box serves deeply flavorful combinations on a signature burner system for a longer-lasting "fresh off the stove" taste.

And here's their menu from the recent soft opening...



And via Instagram...

A post shared by Hot Box Restaurants (@hotboxnyc) on Apr 26, 2018 at 9:19am PDT

A post shared by Hot Box Restaurants (@hotboxnyc) on Apr 11, 2018 at 7:17pm PDT

The restaurant's owners are on tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting agenda for a new beer-wine license. However, this item will not be heard at the meeting.

Ciala, which briefly served Georgian cuisine before switching to French food, had an inauspicious five-month tenure at the address. Before Ciala, Ballaro had a seven-year run, closing in February 2016.

16 Handles returns all glown up

16 Handles recently returned from its closed-for-renovations state on Second Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street with new signage that no longer looks like 16 Hindles.

Here's more on the new look via the EVG inbox from Friday...

In celebration of the brand’s 10th birthday, 16 Handles East Village has a fresh new look, complete with custom neon signs, the brand’s signature bold colors, and exposed brick, giving the East Village store the ultimate glow up. The brand will also be working with local artists to paint murals to amplify the space.

The store has also incorporated an entirely new element — #TreatsBy16 counter-serve Fro-Yo, ice cream, and desserts — by bringing a soft-serve machine behind the counter. The very first product to launch with this new concept is the #GalaxyCone ... a deliciously sweet combination of Cotton Candy and Sweet Taro Pie frozen yogurt, served in a cotton candy cloud cone with stars and galaxy-themed hues of blue, pink, and purple.

Don't be surprised to see a human take your order (and cash) at the Astor Place Shake Shack

The Shack Shack at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star debuted this past October on Third Avenue and Ninth Street.

Let's quickly revisit the press release about this opening of Danny Meyer's growing burger empire:

A reflection of Shake Shack’s relentless focus on excellence, experience and hospitality through innovation, the Astor Place Shack will introduce a new guest flow at the restaurant ... the Shack is designed to enhance operations and guest experience and will feature kiosk-only ordering, a cashless environment, and an optimized kitchen for greater throughput.

Custom-designed by Shake Shack, the Shack kiosk was developed to allow Shake Shack to serve more guests at peak times – whether in-Shack, for pickup via the Shack App, or even delivery – resulting in fewer lines, less wait time and quicker speed of service at every channel. Several kiosks will line the Shack and team members known as Hospitality Champs will be stationed around the kiosks to assist guests with their orders and answer any questions.

Apparently this kiosk service didn't reflect so well with patrons. During an earnings call with analysts this past Thursday, Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti reported that humans will be put to work taking orders here moving forward.

Business Insider had the story on Friday:

[A]fter receiving complaints from furious customers who wanted to pay with their hard-earned legal tender, the burger chain is reversing course and adding cashiers to cashless locations going forward, its chief executive officer told analysts.

"Some of the things we've clearly seen is that our guests do often want to pay with cash,” CEO Randy Garutti said in response to an analyst’s question. "In the first rollout at Astor Place, we did not accept cash at all, and there are people who have told us very clearly 'we want to pay with cash.'"

"So in this next phase, we're going to go ahead and have cashiers as well as kiosks," he continued.

Otherwise business is quite good for the chain here and elsewhere. Shake Shack posted first-quarter earnings that topped analyst expectations.

Meanwhile, to help re-acclimate anyone on how to interact with a human in this situation, here are some tips on what to say:

• Hi (or hello or, perhaps, hey)
• How are you?
• Is Danny here?
• Thank you!

H/T Eater and Edmund John Dunn!

Sunday's parting shot

Photo at the Tompkins Square Park dog run by Derek Berg...

Informational meeting Tuesday for HDFC homeowners

HDFC homeowners in the neighborhood are holding an informational session on Tuesday night from 7-9 at the Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. The above flyer has all the details.

Here's a recap from an EVG reader and co-op resident about what's happening from an earlier post:

This new proposed Regulatory Agreement is overreaching and would result in a loss of autonomy and decision-making abilities that benefit HDFC buildings, as well as costing individual shareholders hard-earned equity.

The new rules include a 30 percent flip tax on all units when they sell; the requirement of hiring outside managers and monitors at our expense; a ban on owning other residential property within a 100-mile radius of New York City; and more draconian clauses. Community meetings to discuss the agreement have been contentious and hostile, and so far not one HDFC in the entire city has publicly supported the plan. Very few HDFCs in the city need financial help and we strongly oppose a "one size fits all" regulatory agreement that will cost us money, resources, and most important, value in our home equity.

For more background, you may visit the HDFC Coalition website here ... and the East Village/Lower East Side HDFC Coalition website here.

Week in Grieview

[Photo on 9th Street by Steven]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

City Council investigating claims of tenant retaliation at NYCHA properties (Tuesday)

Here's what the new condoplex at 118 E. 1st St. will look like (Friday)

Joe & Pat's now open on 1st Avenue (Monday)

Empty corner storefronts on Avenue A (Tuesday)

Films on the Green to play in Tompkins Square Park on 2 Friday nights in July (Friday)

Neighbors at First Street Green Art Park (Sunday)

5 big events in May that you may or may not already know about (Tuesday)

L.A.-based ramen shop opening outpost on 1st Avenue (Monday)

Meryl Meisler's Lower East Side of the 1970s and 1980s (Wednesday)

Sales office vacated as Ben Shaoul reportedly sells Liberty Toye; building to return to rentals (Thursday)

Moving day for Bareburger (Monday)


[Wisteria in bloom on 10th Street by Sarah Greenwood]

VVN’s Tea bringing art and tea to the former Neptune space on 1st Avenue (Tuesday)

Plant-based chef Matthew Kenney's Arata opens today on 2nd Avenue and 4th Street (Friday)

Film Forum now closed for renovation, expansion (Thursday)

Unwrapping the future Swiss Institute on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Monday)

A return of the East Village Tavern? (Thursday)

Pile driving phase over (for good?) at 11 Avenue C (Wednesday)

Mochii is a new rice flour dessert shop on 7th Street (Wednesday)

Former New York Central Art Supply store serving as a temp home for the Brunch Theatre (Wednesday)

EastVille Comedy Club has left 4th Street for Brooklyn (Monday)

The boozy Taco Bell on Broadway doesn't appear to be happening (Thursday)



And Derek Berg took this photo of Debbie the gardener in Tompkins Square Park earlier this week ... as she was planting two new (cherry blossom?) trees in the section called No Elm Island...



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At the NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally 2018

Several hundred participants took part in the annual Cannabis Parade & Rally today ... starting in Herald Square and wrapping up in Union Square, where EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos...

























The rally aims to "end cannabis prohibition, stop racially motivated arrests and expand and improve the state’s medical marijuana program."

Today's parade participants included gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, who issued a statement saying, "I believe it’s time for New York to follow the lead of eight other states and DC and legalize recreational marijuana."

Updated 5/6

The Daily News has a recap here ... including a photo of Nixon speaking with Aron "Pie Man" Kay.

A 2nd Avenue Street fair tomorrow

In case you didn't see the posted No Parking signs, um, posted along Second Avenue this week... tomorrow (Saturday!) marks one of the better street festivals around... sponsored by the Middle Collegiate Church.

Per their website:

Join us for our annual Second Avenue Street Fair from 12-5pm! Children and families can enjoy activities like a bounce-house, tie-dye t-shirt making, sidewalk chalk, bubble station, art projects, 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!

Shadow play

The video is for "Disarray," a track from the most recent (March 23) record by Preoccupations, a Canadian post-punk band from Calgary.

EVG Etc.: Dedicated bike lanes for Delancey Street; films about or involving Basquiat

[Photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg]

Report from NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer says that Airbnb has cost renters in New York City $616 million (The Real Deal)

Dedicated bus and bike lanes coming to Delancey (The Lo-Down)

Check out the schedule for Lower East Side History Month (Official site)

This series brings together a selection of films about or involving Basquiat (Anthology Film Archives) Also: Basquiat’s New York (Vulture) Also: Art collector sues Sotheby’s to stop sale of $30 million Basquiat painting (Daily News)

La MaMa to receive Tony Award for regional theater (Variety)

Should we be worried about the new ownership for Eisenberg's? (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Bruno Pizza on 13th Street serving pizza ice cream (New York Post)

Info on expanded ferry service along the East River (Town & Village)

Remembering the Ritz (pre-Webster Hall) on 11th Street (Off the Grid)

Back issues of Tribe magazine now available (A Gathering of Tribes)

Producer claims he was swindled out of millions by Jeff Koons and Larry Gagosian (New York Post)

Q&A with Danny Fields on "My Ramones" (Mother Jones)

Photo essay: Exploring the last dry docks in Brooklyn (Curbed)

The 10th annual Lower East Side Health and Wellness Fair & Walk-A-Thon is tomorrow... more details here.



...and returning yesterday for the fifth season...

@evgrieve COME ON pic.twitter.com/XtnQV8m0S8

— EdenBrower (@edenbrower) May 3, 2018

Here's what the new condoplex at 118 E. 1st St. will look like

Back on Monday, we noted that construction had started in the empty lot at 118 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

At that point, there hadn't been any sign of renderings for the 9-story condoplex with ground-floor retail.

However, workers affixed the rendering on the plywood yesterday. And here ya go...



As previously noted, the 9-story residential building will include seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space — most likely condos. And from the look of the rendering, everyone will have a terrace to take in the sights and sounds of the tranquil East Houston Street and Essex intersection.

Warren Freyer's Freyer Architects is designing the building. The developers have been previously ID'd as Acacia 118, LLC, based in Nolita, and fronted by Cynthia Wu and Robert Marty.

Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

Construction starts at 118 E. 1st St., future home of a 9-floor residential building

Films on the Green to play in Tompkins Square Park on 2 Friday nights in July

Films on the Green, the free outdoor French film festival produced annually by the French Embassy, FACE Foundation and NYC Parks, announced its slate of summer movies yesterday.

First, here's this year's theme:

From Parisian bistros to the vineyards of southern France, the 2018 Films on the Green lineup through a selection of 12 classic and contemporary French films explores the profound relationship between French culture and gastronomy, an integral part of France's social fabric.

Tompkins Square Park will once again play host to the series on the following Friday nights:

• July 6 — "Le Boucher." IMBD describes the 1970 thriller this way: "An unlikely friendship between a dour, working class butcher and a repressed schoolteacher coincides with a grisly series of Ripper-type murders in a provincial French town." (FWIW, this is on Roger Ebert's Great Movies list.)

• July 13 — "Romantics Anonymous" (or if you want, "Les émotifs anonymes"). Per IMDB: "Romantics Anonymous is a 2010 French-Belgian romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Améris and starring Benoît Poelvoorde and Isabelle Carré."

In keep with the culinary theme of this year's festival, maybe hit up Ray's Candy Store beforehand for some beignets.

Plant-based chef Matthew Kenney's Arata opens today on 2nd Avenue and 4th Street

[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Plant-based chef Matthew Kenney's latest Second Avenue venture debuts today with Arata.

Florence Fabricant at The New York Times has a preview of the restaurant on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and Fourth Street that "highlights the diverse and abundant plant-based ingredients of Asia":

Arata, which has sleek, minimalist décor, will serve kimchi pancakes; several salads; rice cakes with long beans and sugar snap peas; tempura mushroom hand rolls; and steamed buns with mushrooms, eggplant and other fillings tucked inside. Assorted ramen and udon bowls will brim with ingredients like chickpeas, smoked tofu, Sichuan tempeh “sausage” and baby bok choy. A cacao matcha tart is one of the desserts.

Kenney is also involved with 00 + Co. and Bar Verde right next door on Second Avenue. And in March, Kenney teamed up with Pure Green to launch PlantMade, a cafe on Second Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

This corner space on Second Avenue and Fourth Street has been four restaurants since 2012 — La Contrada ... Contrada (not to be confused with La Contrada) ... Calliope and Belcourt.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Matthew Kenney bringing yet another plant-based restaurant to 2nd Avenue