So why no surprise? Because in our Wealth Gap period, gentrification has become a seemingly unstoppable force.
Andrew Kirell, a Daily Beast senior editor and accomplished musician, has played there. “What makes Sidewalk so charming is that it has the feel of the type of DIY venue that Manhattan now sorely lacks,” he said. “There’s a sense of community in just being there, because it feels like a haven for underdogs, rabble-rousers, and anyone who just wants to express themselves.”
MAN ALL HANDS 647 E 11 ST, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE ON 1ST FLR RESTAURANT,
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) December 24, 2018
MAN ALL HANDS 647 E 11 ST, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE ON 1ST FLR RESTAURANT, UNDER CONTROL
— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) December 24, 2018
Something is happening on Avenue C.@evgrieve #EastVillage pic.twitter.com/MVXWEvmz3m
— Evan Kapitansky (@evan_kapitansky) December 24, 2018
"My parents’ real concern was that their tenants who have invested their livelihoods in our building would have to vacate, and that really bothered them. My father asked me if it was feasible to try and stick it out . . . I intend to honor his wishes."
A modeling agency, public relations firm and tech company rent space in the building now, along with three residential tenants.
Flavia, an art director in the film industry, said she will likely seek a new tenant for the ground level to replace the factory.
"He would say, ‘I never thought I would see the neighborhood go in this direction,’ ” Flavia said of her dad. “People were warning him, ‘What, are you crazy to buy here?’ But he really believed in the beauty of the neighborhood."
Nicoletta’s pizzas are not quite deep dish, but they are heading in that direction. The crust is as strong as epoxy, and Mr. White piles it up with an abundance of toppings that would buckle an ordinary pie. In thickness and heft, a Nicoletta pizza resembles the September issue of Vogue.
There was another reason my table never finished an entire pizza: we lost interest. The style of pizza Mr. White is pursuing emphasizes gut-stretching abundance over flavor. The pies are overburdened conglomerations of cheese, flour and fistfuls of other stuff; in the end, the elements cancel one another out.
The salad recipes might have been nabbed from that corner trattoria you stopped going to a few years ago. There is the Nicoletta, with lettuce, red endive and a sliver of focaccia smeared with goat cheese. Or the insalata mare with clams, mussels, squid and octopus, all as tender as an extension cord, all bathed in a dressing that had no effect on any of it.
