C&B Cafe is no longer part of Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place

[Photos by Steven]

C&B Cafe's time at Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place has come to an end.

Back in September, the C&B logo was replaced at 39 St. Mark's Place with signage for Bar Ilegal. However, C&B was still operating in the space on weekends.

Late last week, signage arrived on the door noting that Bar Ilegal — originally a temporary "mezcal den" with live music — was returning ... while the cafe business had closed...



C&B Cafe debuted here in March 2019 in this spot just east of Second Avenue, making this the second East Village outpost of the well-liked cafe that opened on Seventh Street near Avenue B in January 2015.

C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin was brought in to be the executive chef for Paper Daisy, the cocktail bar that opened last March via the owners of Boulton & Watt and Drexler’s, among other credits.

Meanwhile, C&B Cafe continued on at its original location at 178 E. Seventh St. No word at the moment if Sahin has any role with Paper Daisy now. We reached out to Paper Daisy for more information.

Paper Daisy took over the space that belonged to Cafe Orlin, which closed in October 2017 after 36 years of service.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to C&B Cafe on 7th Street

• C&B Cafe now part of new venture taking over the former Cafe Orlin space on St. Mark's Place

• C&B Cafe debuts outpost on St. Mark's Place

• C&B is weekends only at the moment at Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place

[Updated] Does anyone want the classic old A Repeat Performance sign from 1st Avenue?

[EVG photo from March 2019]

Updated 5 p.m. The sign has a new home!

A Repeat Performance closed this past July 31 on First Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street after 39 years in business.

Proprietor Sharon Jane Smith said that it was simply time to move on. (Store founder Beverly Bronson had died in May 2018.)

Amy Van Doran, who runs Modern Love Club next door, is currently in custody of that great old A Repeat Performance sign. She'd like to give it to any resident who may have an interest in this classic EV signage. She'll be at the shop (156 First Ave.) today from noon to 7 p.m. (She does warn that the sign is larger than it looks!)



Previously on EV Grieve:
• A Repeat Performance, until July 31

• A new storefront for A Repeat Performance, and word about the next tenant

• Today is the last day for A Repeat Performance

Behold the Russo's-Black Seed bagel bread bomb

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A post shared by Russo’s Mozzarella and Pasta (@russosnyc) on Jan 6, 2020 at 6:39am PST

Russo’s Mozzarella and Pasta, the neighborhood institution (circa 1908) over on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, has teamed up with Black Seed Bagels for this combo sandwich — bagel bread stuffed with prosciutto and handmade mozzarella and served with a pesto dipping sauce.

The creation is available all month at any of the Black Seed locations, including the one at 176 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

EVG Etc.: Anthrax scare at Nowhere; dessert watch at Red Gate Bakery

[Neon goodness at the Lower East Side Coffee Shop, 14th and A]

• Man accused of sending fake anthrax to Nowhere bar on 14th Street (NY1)

• The "perfect versions of classic American desserts" at the new Red Gate Bakery on First Street (Grub Street ... previously on EVG)

• The intriguing history of the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue and 12th Street (B+B)

• Evictions in NYC Continue to fall in wake of Rent Reforms (Gothamist)

• MULCHFEST HIGHLIGHTS FROM TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK (Laura Goggin Photography ... previously on EVG)

• A visit to the William Barnacle Tavern on St. Mark's Place (Untapped New York)

• Celebrating the 1980s East Village photography of Tim Greathouse (Another Man)

• The 50,000-square-foot building in the works for Delancey and Attorney (NYY)

• Ugh: The building housing Forlini's in Little Italy is for sale, and the restaurant will eventually close (Eater)

So you want to serve on your local Community Board

Application season continues for the 2020-2022 class of Manhattan Community Board members. So this is your chance to be part of your local Community Board (CB3!).

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer's office sent out a notice yesterday about the applications, which are due Jan. 21. Per the EVG inbox:

Interested in what gets built in your community and how government works to deliver services in your neighborhood? Apply to join one of Manhattan's 12 Community Boards.

Every Community Board has 50 seats which are filled for two-year terms by volunteers, who are selected by the Borough President and local City Council members. Half the seats are up for appointment or reappointment every year.

Community Boards get a seat at the table in high-stakes land use, real estate, and zoning negotiations, and they work directly with city agencies to influence how government services are delivered at the neighborhood level.

If you'd like to serve as a member of your Community Board, apply online here! Community Board applications will be open until 5 p.m. on Jan. 21.

Physical applications (downloadable here as a PDF) may also be dropped off at the Manhattan Borough President’s Office or mailed and postmarked by Jan. 21, but online submissions are strongly preferred.

Brewer's office said that CB appointments will be announced at the end of March.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The community board-State Liquor Authority drinking game

The Chippery bringing fish and chips to 1st Avenue

Signage is up for the Chippery, coming soon to 85 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. (Thanks to Goggla for these pics!)

This will be the first Manhattan outpost for the New Jersey-based chainlet, which currently has four locations in the Garden State...



The quick-serve establishment offers a variety of fried seafood platters and sandwiches. You can find their menu here.



No word on an opening date just yet.

Some recent history for this address: This storefront was home to the offbeat boutique Mod World between 1994 and 2006. Most recently, it was Shinbashi Sushi, where the chef smoked outside and gave passersby dirty looks.

Avenue C Restaurant has apparently closed on Avenue C

[Photo from Friday]

Several readers have noted that Avenue C Restaurant has been dark of late... including through this past weekend.

There isn't any word of a closure — temporary or otherwise — on the restaurant's website or social media properties. Calls to the restaurant go unanswered (the voicemail system has not been set up, per a message). Meanwhile, Open Table is reporting that this is a permanent closure...



The restaurant just debuted last July at 102 Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. One EVG regular who lived nearby said that the staff was friendly, but the place didn't do much to distinguish itself for return visits. (The website copy was stunningly generic: "Welcome to Avenue C Restaurant, the new trendiest American restaurant on the Lower East Side! From it’s industrial décor, to chic vibe we deliver the location to enjoy an amazing experience.")

Someone put a lot of money into the space, giving it a whole new look from its nine years as Edi & the Wolf, which resembled some kind of cozy Austrian garage. Executive chefs Eduard "Edi" Frauneder and Wolfgang "the Wolf" Ban decided to close up last April due to "increasing operating costs," Eater reported.

Choice Cleaners 7 coming to Avenue A

Updated 1/16 — Choice is now open!

Signage is up now at 24 Avenue A ... where Choice Cleaners 7 is coming soon to this space at Second Street.

This is a move for the current Choice Cleaners 7 at 23 Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street.

The retail space was previously home to the Art on A Gallery & Shop, which closed last summer after seven years.

There are two other empty retail spaces in this corner building, including the former FryGuys storefront on Second Street... which was recently renovated...



The Sabet Group bought 24 Avenue A (aka 150 E. Second St.) for $15.8 million early last year, per public records.

Monday's parting shot

Mascot Monday? Photo on Second Avenue via Derek Berg.

About Shaq's assist on East Houston Street today

[Screengrab via TMZ]

In news about former NBA superstars today... Shaquille O'Neal was among the good samaritans who stopped to aid a woman who had fallen in the intersection at Pitt Street and East Houston. (Shaq was a passenger in an SUV heading toward the FDR when the incident occurred.)

In footage obtained by TMZ, the current TNT NBA analyst "helped stop traffic and waited with the woman until an ambulance arrived."

The woman was said to be diabetic, and fainted while crossing Pitt Street to Avenue C.

Happy Three Kings Day from Zaragoza

EVG regular Lola Sáenz shares this photo from the indispensable Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery, 215 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street ... on this Three Kings Day, Pompeyo is selling his traditional rosca de reyes at the shop...

More details about Zum Schneider's February closing date on Avenue C

As we first reported on Dec. 23, Zum Schneider is leaving its home of 20 years on Avenue C and Seventh Street next month.

The landlord, listed as 229 East 7th Street HFDC, did not renew their lease.

Owners of the popular biergarten and restaurant offered up more details about the pending closure in an email to customers late last week. (Thanks to all the EVG readers who shared this!)

The email reads in part:

It is now very clear and final that Zum Schneider, the way you know it on Ave C and East 7th Street, is coming to an end on Feb. 29, 2020. You deserve to know what happened, so here comes a short explanation.

Exactly one year ago we wrote to our landlord, 229 East 7th Street HDFC, a letter requesting an extension of the lease for the store where Zum Schneider is located, because we were just about to enter the last year on our lease that we signed in February 2000.

After we did not hear from the co-op, we contacted them again. After the third reminder they confirmed reception of our letter but nothing more. Then, months and months of following up on our letter went by with no result or reply whatsoever. We had no other choice but to set the deadline of Aug. 31. We explained that not just the restaurant owner and management need to know where the future lies, but the crew of 25 part-time and full-time employees deserve to know whether they have a job at Zum Schneider in 2020 or not.

On Sept. 1, 2019, we received a letter from the co-op's lawyer stating that they have no intention to renew the lease, and that we are to vacate the store by Feb. 29, 2020. In the following months we tried to convince the co-op that we are in fact a good tenant that has paid his rent on time every month for 20 years. We recommended different solutions, e.g. a shorter term lease, but the co-op was simply not interested. Therefore it is now 100 percent irreversible and unchangeable that our last day on Avenue C will be Feb. 29, 2020.

Here's what will happen in the next 8 weeks:

• Our restaurant will operate business as usual until Feb. 2. We then have to close the kitchen and will operate as a bar only. On Feb. 20 we'll kick off our annual Karneval party, which will go for 6 days, and will also double as our closing party.

• Feb. 25 will then be the very last day we're open to the public.

Future of Zum Schneider:
We will take a moment to reflect, and then start the search for our new location in Spring 2020. We intend to stay in Manhattan, and we are looking forward to turn the page and start with a fresh breeze, to create an even better and funner Zum Schneider elsewhere and with a landlord who appreciates our tenancy.

Last and most important:
We cannot thank you enough for your patronage, enthusiasm and loyalty over the years. Every Zum Schneider patron is part of the big Zum Schneider family. We are very anxious to welcome you and serve you the Bier, fare and fun you became familiar with over the years, at a new location in the near future.

Zum Schneider did announce that they will once again host their Oktoberfest tent along the East River this coming fall.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Last Christmas for Zum Schneider on Avenue C: Biergarten on the move in 2020