Construction watch: 799 Broadway

Here's the latest look at the southwest corner of Broadway and 11th Street where the 12-story zig-zagging office complex is getting its glassy façade...

According to a news release about the address: "799 Broadway will feature floor-to-ceiling glass, private terraces, and 15 foot high ceilings. This combination of highly desirable location and state-of-the-art design will appeal to New York’s most progressive and creative companies."

No. 799 was the former home of the historic St. Denis building, which opened as a hotel in 1853. Normandy Real Estate Partners bought the property for somewhere in the $100 million ballpark back in 2016... and tore it all down.

James Nazz shared this time-lapse video showing the demolition of the building...

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Report: Former St. Denis Hotel selling for $100 million

90 E. 10th St. is for rent, bringing an official end to the stand-up steakhouse phase

A for rent sign now hangs — as of this past week — in the front window at 90 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue... this marks the official end of Ikinari Steak, which debuted here to great curiosity (and hype!) in February 2017.

As previously noted, this was the first U.S. location (there are more than 100 worldwide) for the popular Tokyo-based restaurant. The concept: Diners, particularly in-a-rush office workers, stand and basically eat quickly.

However, the craze didn't quite catch on here. By early 2019, the fast-expanding company — Pepper Food Service Co. — continued to struggle to find an audience and shut down seven of the 11 Ikinari Steak outlets in NYC and converted two of them to another type of restaurant. 

The original 10th Street location remained open... until the PAUSE went into effect back in March. By the summer, financial difficulties — due mainly to rent payments — caused the chain to face closing all its NYC locations.

In 2018, the company became the first Japanese restaurant chain to go public on the Nasdaq stock market. It was delisted from Nasdaq last year.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• 1st sign of Ikinari Steak, the quick-serve, no-seat steakhouse coming to 10th Street 

• On 10th Street, Prime & Beyond has closed; popular Japanese steakhouse coming

SLA suspends Fat Buddha's liquor license

Back on Friday afternoon, Gov. Cuomo announced that 21 bars and restaurants in the state had their liquor licenses suspended for "egregious violations of coronavirus-related regulations."

On that list: Fat Buddha, 212 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street.

Per the state's press release on the suspensions:

On October 9th, investigators with the state's multi-agency task force and officers with the NYPD observed over twenty patrons standing, congregating and drinking directly in front of the business without facial coverings well past the 11 p.m. NYC curfew for outside dining. Investigators noted the kitchen was closed and there was no evidence of food being served, in addition to numerous patrons entering and exiting the premises with open containers. NYPD officers dispersed the crowd and issued a summons for Executive Order violations. 

Fat Buddha is currently open, though just not with any alcohol sales. 

Other East Village bars-restaurants that ran afoul of the SLA back in the summer have all reopened, including the Wayland, Maiden Lane, Lucky, Hairy Lemon and St. Dymphna's. 

This week at the Tompkins Square Library branch

Two events to note this week happening at the Tompkins Square Library, currently open for limited Grab and Go service on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... via the EVG inbox...

• Tuesday Oct. 27 at 1 p.m.: Virtual Walking Tour: Macabre East Village 

Join library manager Corinne Neary and local photographer Michael Paul to explore some dark history of Tompkins Square Park and surrounding neighborhood. Murder, kidnapping, the living dead, rituals, cannibals, insanity, spirits and ghosts!

• Thursday Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.: Online discussion with Frederic Tuten 

Celebrated author Frederic Tuten will be discussing his memoir "My Young Life," inspirations, dreams and plans. Frederic is a long-time East Villager and will tell us how the neighborhood influenced his works. Also, we will listen about his years spent in Europe and South America, and his passion for art.

At the 30th annual (and 1st virtual) Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

Another year, another challenge to overcome for the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. 

In 2018, there was the issue with paying for the insurance and liability policy that the Parks Department suddenly required. In the end there was a sponsor and new location at the East River Park amphitheater.

With the pandemic this year, the city wasn't going to allow such a large gathering like this. So organizer Jennifer-Jo Moyer (top left) brought it online for the 30th annual (and 1st virtual) Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade on Saturday afternoon. 

The livestream event included photo and video entries from participants around the country as well as a Zoom portion for people to show off their dogs' costumes. 

Moyer, along with NY1 reporter Stephanie Simon (top right) serving as emcee, were live from a previously undisclosed location, which turned out the be the backyard at Lucky at 168 Avenue B. Several people brought their dogs here for a mini on-location portion of the event.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos from Avenue B ... which include local winners Ziggy as Falkor from "The NeverEnding Story" ...

... and Breezy and Starlet as the Rainbow and Stars...

Moyer hopes to do the event live next fall with the 31st annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. There's an archived video of the virtual dog parade on Facebook.

A Visit to the East Village Community Fridge and Food Pantry

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

I arrive at S’MAC just in time to catch East Village Neighbors volunteer-group organizer Diane Hatz and S’MAC owner Sarita Ekya stock up the community fridge and food pantry, located outside S’MAC restaurant at the corner of 12th Street and First Avenue.

The fridge is a group effort, and began when Sarita and her husband Caesar Ekya (co-owners of S’MAC), saw a post in East Village Neighbors Facebook group about setting up a fresh-foods community fridge. 

Their first attempt was knocked over and KO’d after only three days, but Sarita and Caesar bought and donated a previously owned model (along with the cabinets that now hold the dry goods) on Craigslist, and hired a local contractor to bolt them down to prevent further shenanigans.

In additional to lots of fruits and veggies, Diane brought healthy food options (dairy products, grains, heat-and-eat meals) from Trader Joe’s, and Sarita restocks the freezer with both four-cheese and cheeseburger premade S’MAC mac-n-cheese casseroles. You can heat them up at home, but if you have no access to an oven, the S’MAC team will bake your meal for you on-site. (Each casserole feeds one to two people.)

East Village Neighbors is looking for reliable volunteers to help manage, stock and clean the fridge, and purveyors, supermarkets, and local restaurants that may be able to help with weekly food and goods drop-offs. If you can help, please contact the group via email, here: EastVillageNeighbors@gmail.com. 

The fridge is also in need of cash donations, which can be made here.

The group is also hoping to help spread the word to people in need, the fridge and food pantry for dry goods is open 24 hours a day and is restocked as needed. 

When I asked how fast the food goes, Sarita tells me it’s gone in less than 24 hours, and sometimes she needs to restock multiple times a day. The demand for healthy food for those in need in the community is high.

The community fridge motto is “take what you need, leave what you can,” and is made possible by S’MAC, Change Food, East Village Neighbors, and Local Roots NYC. If you’d like to donate homemade food, they ask that it be clearly labeled, dated, and individually wrapped. Diane reminds me with a smile, “No half-eaten cookies.”

Report: 15 year old charged in October shooting death on Avenue A

A 15-year-old boy was reportedly charged with murder in the late-night shooting death of Tyrell Williams on Avenue A on Oct. 11. 

According to the Daily News, the teen, accompanied by his father [updated: story changed to sister], turned himself in at the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street.

Police say that the teen, who was with two friends, walked up to Williams and allegedly shot him four times in the chest on A between 12th Street and 13th Street. Williams, a 26-year-old father of two, died later at Mount Sinai Beth Israel.

Police have not released a motive in the shooting, though sources have said it was likely gang-related.

Photo from Oct. 11 by Michael Paul 

Nón Lá bringing Vietnamese cuisine to 4th Street

Nón Lá Vietnamese Kitchen is coming soon to 128 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

This new venture is from Ronny Nguyen, who runs the very solid Sao Mai on First Avenue. As we understand it, his son will be operating Nón Lá. 

The space was home to Lui's Thai Food. As previously reported, chef-owner Pimnapa "Lek" Sunthatkolkarn had to retire her business after being hospitalized late in the summer.

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the photos and tip!

The restaurant portion of Sage Kitchen has closed

The Sage Kitchen restaurant space has been dark since late in the summer... and now a for rent sign hangs in the window here at 356 Bowery between Fourth Street and Great Jones. 

While the restaurant is closed, Sage is still operating its commissary business from a different location for catering and delivery. The owners discussed the situation in an Instagram post from this past Thursday:

It breaks our heart to tell you that our restaurant on Bowery is closed and will not be reopening. The restaurant was the dream of four friends for a long time and when it came to life last spring so many of you became a part of it.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 and the incompetence of our politicians has made operating a restaurant in New York City completely impossible so we’re going start searching for a new location for our restaurant for when the time is right to reopen. 

With that said, we are very fortunate to have our incredible team working hard in our commissary kitchen and Sage Kitchen will continue to be available for delivery and catering — just like we have done since our inception.

The 6-year-old catering company opened the restaurant space in April 2019.

A return to the Avenue B flea

Yesterday afternoon saw another Avenue B Flea between 10th Street and 13th Street (revisit the one from Oct. 10 here) ... the stoop sale was organized to support the neighborhood, independent vendors and local artists. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was again documented the shoppers and sellers along the Avenue...

Report: Astor Place Hairstylists will close next month after 73 years in business

Astor Place Hairstylists is the latest NYC institution to fall victim to the economic hardships brought on by COVID-19.

The subterranean shop, founded in 1947, will close before Thanksgiving, according to manager Michael "Big Mike" Saviello, who told the Post their that business is down by 90 percent.

They reopened in June, but the customers didn't return. 

Said Saviello: "Maybe we’ll come back when the city comes back, but right now it's not feasible." 

In 2018, Nicolas Heller, a filmmaker (aka New York Nico),  released "Big Mike Takes Lunch,” a documentary that captures a day in the life of the longtime manager. (Read my interview with Heller here. The link also includes an embed of the 12-minute film.)

Heller addressed the pending closure on his Instagram account ... urging his 466,000 followers to pay a visit...

Maybe I was being naive, but I never saw such an iconic NYC institution ever closing. I figured it was too loved by the community to ever shut down. But because of the pandemic, there are no customers and they can’t afford the astronomical rent. 

I’ve been told they definitely plan on closing for good UNLESS there is a “miracle.” I’m not sure what that means, but for your sake, I couldn’t encourage you more to stop by and get your haircut, and find your new barber. @astorplacehairstylists is so much more than just a barbershop, it’s a museum, it’s the epitome of NYC...

 And Astor Place Hairstylists addressed the outpouring of support in this Instagram post...

View this post on Instagram

So many have been asking to donate🙏🤗but even that can’t sustain a nyc business. Thank you from the bottom of our hair cutting hearts for your support. The memories people are sharing...wow! Check our stories. For better or worse, Astor Hair is a one-of-a-kind place because of the people. The owners, the staff, the clients, the visitors. It’s a really hard blow, but Astor Place Hairstylists will never die completely. Maybe one day we will be back in a different form...reincarnated somehow. 🤞❤️🙏💈 #astorhair #nyc #barbershop #iconic #eastvillage #greenwichvillage #barberlife #hairstyles #fcovid19 #nychistory

A post shared by Astor Place Hairstylists (@astorplacehairstylists) on Oct 25, 2020 at 5:21am PDT

Photo from 2011 by Karen Gehres, who directed the film "Astor Barber All Stars."

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week include...  (and photo from St. Mark's Place yesterday is by Derek Berg)

• Another mission to feed those in need in the neighborhood (Tuesday) 

• A farewell parade through the East Village for Jack Finelli (Monday)

• Documenting 166 Avenue A through the years (Thursday) 

• Delphine le Goff on her East Village storefront art and love of the neighborhood (Friday) 

• This is the new building slated for the corner of 6th Street and Avenue C (Monday) 

• Lucy's is back open on Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• Los Tacos NYC debuts on 7th Street (Friday) 

• About the Mask-Querade event on 7th Street Halloween afternoon (Wednesday) 

• This week's NY See (Thursday) 

• Post-PAUSE status check (Thursday)

• Report: Locals fear the 'crumbling' former P.S. 64 (Tuesday) 

• Openings: All The King's Horses Cafe on 12th Street (Thursday) 

• Popeyes now open on 1st Avenue (Monday) 

• The UPS Store delivers a grand opening on 1st Avenue (Friday) 

• Teso Life signage arrives on St. Mark's Place; T-swirl Crêpe makes an EV return (Wednesday) 

• 2 new floors for 21-23 Avenue B (Wednesday) 

• Former Hotel Tortuga space now slinging 99-cent slices on 14th Street (Tuesday) 

• Glaze Teriyaki Grill closes on 4th Avenue (Monday) 

• A full reveal at 202 Avenue A (Monday)

... and after a year up on the northwest corner of Avenue A and Third Street, workers have removed the sidewalk bridge, bringing back into view the retail tenants along here: Exit 9 Gift Emporium, Essex Card Shop, Downtown Yarns, Galleria J. Antonio and Bin 141...

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Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

The holiday lights are already up along 14th Street

You may have noticed that the holiday lights have already arrived on 14th Street at First Avenue ... all the way west to around Union Square... this is the earliet that we can recall seeing them by about three weeks... perhaps in a bid to just hurry us through the rest of 2020...

Previously on EV Grieve: • Holiday lights make you momentarily forget how horrible the intersection of 14th and 1st is

Full-on fall

A fall scene in Tompkins Square Park this morning via Steven...

EVG Etc.: The Strand says its cash reserves are depleted, issues plea for business

• An SOS from the Strand (Gothamist ... Deadline) The plea from owner Nancy Bass Wyden resurfaced recent articles (here and here, for instance) about her continued investment in Amazon... and growing rift with her staff.

• Manhattan's median asking rent fell below $3,000 — to $2,990 — for the first time since 2011 (Streeteasy)

• The East Village is well-represented in this listicle of the city's best Vietnamese restaurants (Eater)

• Catching up with the Mosaic Man (B&B)

• Video shows a male Karen — aka "Daren" — being aggressive on Astor Place after refusing to wear a mask (The Daily Dot)

• East Village teen arrested while live-streaming his climb of the Queensboro Bridge (Queens Daily Eagle ... Gothamist)

• Pinc Louds full-band show on Astor Place TONIGHT (Instagram)

• Penny Arcade stages her new mixed-media performance, "Notes from the Underground," on Friday, Oct. 30 at Pangea on Second Avenue. Find the livestream info here.

Random photo from yesterday at Second Avenue and Sixth Street

The early voting period starts TODAY!

Starting TODAY (Saturday!), polls in New York City will be open through Nov. 1 for early voting. Officials have said that voters will find plexiglass dividers, hand sanitizer and social distancing at polling locations.

Visit the Board of Elections website to find your location and the hours, which vary by day.

Meanwhile, you may request an absentee ballot until Oct. 27 via this link. Your absentee ballot must be postmarked by Nov. 3 (2020!), and received no later than Nov. 10 (2020!). 

Photo in Tompkins Square Park yesterday by Steven

Updated 5 p.m.

Some readers reported two- to-three-hour waits at Campos on 13th Street... lines stretched around Campos and back to Avenue B... and down to 12th Street... down 12th Street to C ...

#TopStory #LBS : @michalp_: 'Long, orderly voting line in the East Village on the first day of #EarlyVote!
Cc @evgrieve #VoteEarlyDay ' pic.twitter.com/9kbak1xIHs, see more https://t.co/xddeRCloAz

— Always looking (@PekkaPuhakka) October 24, 2020

Line photo via Steven