The restaurant, which offers Japanese barbecue, will reopen next Wednesday (Nov. 25), according to its Instagram account.
And here's a quick look inside the door...
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Two-plus years after devastating fire, Yakiniku West reopens next week on 9th Street
AO Bowl softly opens on St. Mark's Place
The Japanese health-food cafe AO Bowl is expected to (softly) open today at 82 St. Mark's Place on the southwest corner of First Avenue.
A rep for the quick-serve establishment says that this is the "first-ever cafe in the U.S. to use vacuum blenders to create vacuum-pressed smoothies and juice on premise."
And more via the EVG inbox...
Using Blendtec technology, which prevents the oxidation of fruits and vegetables, AO Bowl juices retain over 90 percent juice compared to about 60-70 percent in standard juicing. Vacuum blending removes the air from ingredients within the blender, allowing juices to retain the majority of their original vitamin and mineral content.A fully plant-based menu with keto and paleo-friendly options features locally sourced or homegrown items including oat milk, bean sprouts, acai, granola, and market bowls like Adzuki Rice with Kombu and Grilled Pineapple Yams.
Workers gutted this single-level structure on the corner ... dividing the storefront into several spaces. The other new tenant here will be the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop one of these days.
The previous single occupant, Foot Gear Plus, closed in July 2018 after 40 years in business.
Smoothie images via AO Bowl
Former Mace space for rent on 12th Street
Mace relocated from Ninth Street to this larger space in early 2019.
Double Wide closed at No. 503-505 in March 2018 (much to the relief of some neighbors). Noise issues have been persistent here dating back to the Mundial and Totem days.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Gallery Watch: Cotton Mouth by Tschabalala Self
Text and photos by Clare Gemima
Cotton Mouth by Tschabalala Self
Eva Presenhuber, 39 Great Jones St.
Cotton Mouth presents as a formal critique on projected viewings (or constructions) of Black bodies in America. This show is physically and figuratively in your face, hitting the nail on the head with what needs to be addressed socially and artistically right now.
The demand of this politically charged work is potent with its use of scale and installation method especially. Cotton Mouth is striking, hard-hitting and an exciting insight into the trajectory of young artist Tschabalala Self (1990, Harlem). This is her first solo show at the gallery.
As you walk into the beautiful space that is Eva Presenhuber on the historically rich Great Jones, you will quickly find yourself surrounded by mixed-media paintings made out of materials such as fabric, thread, charmeuse, silk, velvet, paper, pigment, acrylic and canvas that completely dominate the space.
Cotton Mouth also features sculptures, drawings and an audio work spread across the two gallery floors.
The title of the show and Self’s making process simultaneously speak to slavery, and the mutually exclusive relationship that cotton has with the African-American experience.
The title of the show and Self’s making process simultaneously speak to slavery, and the mutually exclusive relationship that cotton has with the African-American experience.
The act of these characters stitched and painted into the canvas by hand carry an emotional and personal significance to Self, while also speaking to the historical devastations of Black slave labor in America. Each constructed character holds power over their self-presentation and external perception unapologetically, an act of power that Black people in America are denied daily.
The work is so hard not to touch based on the array of different fabrics used and sewn together. What was hard for me to believe is that through stitching and constructing, Self has made characters that undeniably hold their own presence and somehow even look different in age and personified life experience.
The work is so hard not to touch based on the array of different fabrics used and sewn together. What was hard for me to believe is that through stitching and constructing, Self has made characters that undeniably hold their own presence and somehow even look different in age and personified life experience.
Self has impeccably built each and everyone of these characters from scratch whether it be Lil Mama 2 with her plaid and tulle fringed pants or the two lovers in Sprewell that kiss in front of an incredible photo transferred TV. One of the characters even wears the artist’s actual jeans.
Self’s practice marries her interests in the psychological and emotional effects of projected fantasy with her sustained articulation of Black life and embodiment. Seeing every hand stitch in Self’s work shows the viewer how painstaking and timely it is to create. The labor in each stitch holds affection, memory and protection according to the artist, and I feel as though the painted hands directly applied to the gallery’s walls touch on this too.
Self’s practice marries her interests in the psychological and emotional effects of projected fantasy with her sustained articulation of Black life and embodiment. Seeing every hand stitch in Self’s work shows the viewer how painstaking and timely it is to create. The labor in each stitch holds affection, memory and protection according to the artist, and I feel as though the painted hands directly applied to the gallery’s walls touch on this too.
Cotton Mouth by Tschabalala Self is showing at Eva Presenhuber until Dec. 19
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Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com
EVG Etc.: The MTA's financial crisis; the latest essays from Luc Sante
• MTA leaders mull a COVID-19-related financial crisis that could potentially see a 40-percent cut in weekday subway service and layoffs of more than 9,000 transit workers (Daily News) ... MTA looks to borrow $3 billion from the Feds (Streetsblog)
• NYC restaurants restaurants report a drop in sales with the new 10 p.m. curfew (The Post)
• Anti-nuclear pacifists, seen on Saturdays in Tompkins Square Park protesting the war in Yemen, are headed to federal prison (The Intercept)
• Q&A with East Village artist-musician Kembra Pfahler: "Being creative and sharing is a benevolent human trajectory that's difficult to irradiate even under the most heinous conditions. It lifts the spirits." (Whitehot Magazine)
• Thoughts on Luc Sante's new collection of essays, which includes remembrances of the East Village music scene from his youth (The New York Times)
• Complaints increase about the sight-seeing helicopter excursions over Manhattan (The City)
• Singer-songwriter Jill Fiore on her fire escape performances on Essex Street (NY1)
• Yellow Rose is a taco hit on Third Avenue (Eater ... previously on EVG)
• Introducing "The Encyclopedia of New York" (New York)
The Bowery Mission's 141st Thanksgiving
While there won't be any indoor dining, the Bowery Mission will be serving nearly 450 turkeys and 2,000 pounds of potatoes to those in need.
Per the organization's website: "Special Thanksgiving to-go meals will be served outdoors during a four-hour period between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. We welcome anyone who would like to enjoy their hot meal onsite to do so as our limited outdoor seating allows. We will have partially open tents following mandated health and safety requirements, along with adequate social distancing and PPE."
In another change, there isn't any call for volunteers to serve the meals: "Due to social distancing and safety regulations in New York City in response to COVID-19, we will not open Thanksgiving Week volunteer opportunities to the public."
However, there are other times to volunteer, which you can find here.
And there is also a need for donated goods, including non-perishable food, pre-packaged snacks and water, travel-size toiletries, hats, gloves and scarves. Find out how to donate at this link. (And no drop-offs on Thanksgiving day!)
The Bowery Mission is at 227 Bowery between Stanton and Rivington.
Image via the Bowery Mission website
Reader reports: E. 10th St. Finest Deli will close next month
Per our tipster: "The landlord wouldn't work out a rent deal with them."
While there isn't an exact closing date made public, there are 2-for-1 signs posted on a variety of items in the store to help thin the stock.
This will be the second corner deli on this stretch of First Avenue to close this fall. Best Price Deli & Grocery on the southeast corner of 12th Street closed in late October.
A full reveal at 639 E. 9th St.
This space was, for years, a parking lot. Development talk here dated to 2010 (the photo below is from 2012)...
The excavation work started in March 2018. And neighbors are happy that the sidewalk bridge has been carted off... No word yet on rental information from the developer, who also owns the building next door at No. 641.
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
While we're 'Younger': Filming in Tompkins Square Park today
A reader said that cast-and crew had a COVID-19 testing location inside the former St. Brigid School on Avenue B.
Thanks to Derek Berg for the photos ... and H/T Steven...
Street appeal: East Village resident David Godlis has a new book of photographs
On Thursday at 5 p.m., there's a virtual book launch and conversation with Godlis along with special guests Luc Sante and Chris Stein. (The two contributed the book's foreword and afterword.) Find the info to tune in right here.
His previous book, "History Is Made at Night" (from 2016), chronicles the heyday of the scene at CBGB between 1976 and 1979.
His previous book, "History Is Made at Night" (from 2016), chronicles the heyday of the scene at CBGB between 1976 and 1979.
A visit to Raul's Barber Shop
Text and photos by Stacie Joy
Like most local businesses, Raul’s Barber Shop at 11 Avenue B (between Houston and Second Street) is struggling during the pandemic.
Raul Velez Sr., 78, has been at the head of his eponymous barber shop on Avenue B for 59 years, and he and his son Junior show me around space.
I meet barber Cesar Barros, 63, who has been cutting hair here for 32 years, and learn more about the space, which was separated into individual sections for increased COVID precautions. Business has been slower recently and the shop is working to adjust.
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the barber shop no longer bears Raul’s name on the awning, nor the phone number, and the mural of Puerto Rican fighter and entertainer Hector “Macho” Camacho that used to grace the gate is also missing.
The building (in a package deal along with its neighbor at 9 Avenue B), which was previously owned by Michael Chang now belongs to notorious landlord Steve Croman, and the shop was told to paint over everything. Junior tells me there has been no rent increase yet but they are concerned about changes might be forthcoming.
The Bean ready to make its 2nd Avenue return
Updated 11/18
The Bean is now open! Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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The Bean reopens today in its former home on Second Avenue at Third Street... almost a year to the date that it closed at this very location.
As you may recall, the Bean shut down two EV locations in November 2019 — here on Second Avenue and on First Avenue at Ninth Street. At the time, owner Ike Escava blamed rising costs on the closures. The outposts on Third Avenue at Stuyvesant and Broadway at Ninth Street remained in operation.
The Bean first debuted in December 2011 here on Second Avenue. The retail space has been vacant since the Bean's departure.
Will update the post when we get the new hours for this Bean branch.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Sink your teeth into this new signage on Avenue A
Anyway, Kids Dental is what it sounds like — a dentist for kids (children! Not like Kids.) The practice also has outposts in Washington Heights and Bensonhurst.
Rumba Bar & Grill announces itself on Avenue C
The bar-restaurant with a Latin-influenced menu has been in the works for awhile here between 11th Street and 12th Street... we first mentioned it in September 2019 when the applicants, who also run Salome Latin Cuisine on Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, were to appear before CB3.
With the arrival of the sign, it appears they are getting closer to opening.
There has been a lot of turnover in recent years at this address. The last tenant, Bar Taco, which closed in early 2019, took over the space from a short-lived venture called Malcriada, a "Latino Gastropub" ... which arrived after Kaz, another short-lived venture that lasted seven months.
Cafecito, the Cuban-style cafe, had a good run here, closing in early 2016 after 14 years in business.
Thanks to Vinny & O for the photo!
Monday, November 16, 2020
Monday's parting shot
Tile Bar returns
Last night's high winds damage outdoor dining spaces on St. Mark's Place
Given the gale-force winds last night (and that rare tornado warning!), we wondered how the neighborhood's outdoor dining structures fared... a quick survey this morning found some damaged spaces along St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...
Gothamist has a recap of the storm's wrath right here.
Bluestockings hosting limited-capacity opening this holiday season in new LES storefront
Bluestockings, the volunteer- and collective-run bookstore and activist space, will host a soft, limited capacity reopening this Thursday (Nov. 19!) in the new space at 116 Suffolk St. between Rivington and Delancey.
Bluestockings will be open — foyer-only hours this holiday season — on Thursdays to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Dec. 20.
Meanwhile, the build-out continues at No. 116. Bluestockings launched a crowdfunding campaign to help "keep providing vital resources to our queer, trans and SWing community." (Find the GoFundMe here.)
Bluestockings opened at 172 Allen St. between Stanton and Rivington in 1999... before moving on at the end of July.
You can follow the Bluestockings Instagram account for updates.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Today is the last day for Bluestockings on Allen Street; new LES location in the works
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Today is the last day for Bluestockings on Allen Street; new LES location in the works
A glimpse of the 10-story condoplex to come to 14 2nd Ave.
This site has been vacant for years, last housing Irreplaceable Artifacts until its demolition by the city in July 2000. There's a lot of back story, which the links below cover...Previously on EV Grieve:
• Workers remove artifacts from the vacant 14 2nd Ave., fueling speculation of new development
• Development watch: 14 2nd Ave.
• Vacant lot at 14 2nd Ave. sells for $7 million; will yield to 10-floor condoplex
• More about Treetops, the name of the condoplex coming to 14 2nd Ave.
Former psychic medium hits the rental market on 2nd Avenue
The retail listing is not yet online for the space between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
Meanwhile, right next door, a for-rent sign recently went up at the now-shuttered Nostro Ristorante, which debuted here in October 2019. They had reopened briefly for takeout and delivery back in the spring, but closed soon after.
There has also been an ever-increasing encampment outside these storefronts in recent months. The city moved them along, though they have returned... and just out of the view of this photo on the right.
Ugly Kitchen makes closure official on 1st Avenue
Ugly Kitchen, a self-described gastropub serving Asian fusion and Filipino cuisine, had not been open since the summer here on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. In recent months, the Ugly Kitchen name had been removed from the awning.
This past Friday, Ugly Kitchen chef/partner Aris Tuazon shared an official closing announcement in an Instagram post:
It is with great sadness that we announce the closing of Ugly Kitchen. Due to the insurmountable challenges of the pandemic, we have come to the sad and difficult decision that we have no alternative but to close our doors. We want to thank all of our wonderful guests and employees for supporting us ... You have truly become a member of our family and our bonds will surely continue in the future.We could have not have achieved our success over the past few years without you and we are confident that our cherished memories will continue anywhere we gather. Perhaps one day, when the time is right, Ugly Kitchen will rise once again. Until then, we bid our farewell.
The restaurant opened here in September 2011.
Photo from Oct. 1 by Steven
Sunday, November 15, 2020
A moment with Manny today
Multiple readers/residents asked about Manny the Peddler today... overnight, someone ransacked his wares here along Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street ... word is some of the items turned up for sale along the ramshackle flea market on 14th Street near First Avenue.
In any event, Manny is OK... and he could use some folding tables if anyone has a one to spare.
Manny, aka Emmanuel Howard, has been selling second-hand items here for more than 40 years.
Thank you to @brianboulos for the photo today...
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