Jefferson Siegel shared this photo today of the diner's nice-looking sidewalk cafe.
The diner, which opened in 1985, has daily hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. (And keep an eye out for the $7.75 breakfast special.)
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
A little love for Little Poland
The remains of the Gem Spa can now be found in homes (and a barn) across the U.S.
Parul Patel, who had been running the store that her father Ray owned since 1986, made a gallant effort to save the iconic corner shop that dates to the 1920s. However, whatever financial progress she was able to make was not enough to overcome a global pandemic.
Late last year, Patel auctioned off the Gem Spa's sign, rolldown gate and other miscellanea.
At The New Yorker this week, Michael Schulman tracked down the owners of these Gem Spa relics.
Jason Sheehy nabbed one of the big yellow storefront signs (seventy-five hundred dollars), plus a milkshake machine (three-fifty). Sheehy lives on a grain farm in Ohio, but "the East Village has always just been my jive," he said. Both items will live in his nineteenth-century farmhouse, part of which he has turned into an Irish pub, furnished with a bar and stools from O’Lunney's Times Square Pub, another pandemic casualty.Diana Goldfeder Stewart, a graphic artist in San Francisco, bought an egg-cream sign for her kitchen (three thousand dollars). Her family operated the store from the twenties through the fifties, when it was called Goldfeder's. She grew up hearing stories about her great-grandfather Nathan's chocolate-sauce recipe. ("He served what was called Goldfeder's Famous Egg Cream.") Like a lot of Gem Spa fans, she was anxious about what will replace it. "That corner — it's a magical corner for so many people," she said. "It can't be just nothing there."
As this photo from yesterday shows, nothing is here for now. The storefront is on the rental market.
Trading places: Are you ready for some Unregular Pizza?
Lamonaca, who has wanted to open his own restaurant, started experimenting with his pizza-making skills during the pandemic. From his Harlem apartment, he whipped up a handful of pies every week and made them available via barter.
As the Rome native told the Post back in February, he didn't want to take people's money during such difficult financial times... so he traded his creations for everything from chocolate cake to chicken Milanese.
He said there's some historical precedent for bartering. During leaner times in post-World War II Italy, "My grandmother would bake bread and press olives into oil, and trade it to neighbors for eggs," he said.Now though you can pay for the pies, which the Post declared the best in the city. You can follow the pizzeria on Instagram. It appears that Lamonaca will still hold some pizza barters. (Update: they will have once-daily trades.)
Hours: daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Electric Burrito debuts on St. Mark's Place
As previously reported, the Southern California-style, to-go restaurant was created by Alex Thaboua and Will Wyatt of the cocktail bar Mister Paradise around the corner on First Avenue.
The menu includes burritos inspired by Thaboua's upbringing in San Diego and house-made sodas.
A rep shared more info on what to expect:
Visitors will be able to enjoy a selection of Cali-Mexican fare, including San Diego classics such as breakfast burritos, tacos and a totally authentic California Burrito that’s stuffed with french fries.Popularized by surfers and familiar to anyone in Southern California, this fry-stuffed Mexican-American mashup is a staple of casual California dining. Dubbed simply The California Burrito, there are slightly different takes up and down the Gold Coast with people in San Diego usually opting for carne asada.At Electric Burrito guests may select pollo asado, carnitas or carne asada as their base that gets rolled up with pico de gallo, cheese, and those iconic fries (guac, beans, crema and other add ons can be thrown in as well).
Good night: Mattress Firm closes up shop on East Houston
Previously it was a Sleepy's ... and before Sleepy's, the address served as a Halloween pop-up shop for a few years.
And before that! Blockbuster!
Blockbuster bid adieu in March 2012.
The 13-floor residential building at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square, changed ownership in the fall of 2016 ... and underwent extensive renovations.
You can tell by where the new paint stops — right at the former Mattress Mart. Other current tenants in the unpainted zone include the Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo, Subway (sandwich shop), China Town Chinese restaurant, the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, H&R Block and Kapri Cleaners.
There are several vacancies in the old and renovated retail sections. And the Y7 Studio has yet to reopen (to the left of Mattress Mart) from the PAUSE of March 2020.
Monday, May 17, 2021
Monday's parting shot
Report: Police seek 2 suspects in lobby shooting on Avenue D
Fox 5 and ABC 7 have the surveillance video. No one was injured during the shooting, which took place just after midnight on Saturday.
Descriptions of the suspects were not provided in the media reports.
Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.
Screengrab via ABC 7
On Union Square, Food Emporium makes the upcoming closing official
The WARN filing says that the Food Emporium lease is expiring. The closure will impact 50 employees, per the notice.
For now, everything in the store is 30 percent off. (And if you are looking for a Coinstar replacement.)
What's next for the Food Emporium space? In February 2020, Lois Weiss at the Post reported that Target signed a lease for the 32,579 square feet here on 14th Street. At the time, the Food Emporium was said to stay here through the end of April 2023.
Sources told Weiss that, despite the wait, Target wanted to lock in the location along 14th Street. The nearly 16-year lease had an asking rent of $183 per square foot, she reported.
In December 2015, Key Food acquired the Food Emporium banner name and related intellectual property assets, per published reports.
A few blocks away, Chef's Local Harvest, a 10,000-square-foot grocery store, is opening early next year in the former Associated on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.
A new era for Good Time Pilates
EVG contributor Stacie Joy caught up with owner Sam Miles (below left) and Broome at 158 Allen St. between Stanton and Rivington...
Stacie interviewed Sam and Meg back in January (link here). Nice to see that they were able to realize their dream of growing their small business and opening their own studio.
You can find info about Good Time Pilates here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
New sidewalk debuts on the northwest corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street
As reported previously, the building sits on two of the three lots destroyed during the deadly gas explosion here on March 26, 2015.
EVG reader Alex R. shared this photo and video clip from late last week...
The return of a sidewalk and departure of the sidewalk bridge is good news for the nearby residents who had grown tired of the scene on this intersection in warmer-weather months. In recent years, this corner has been a gathering spot in the summer-fall for travelers/crusties. (The outside of the currently closed Orpheum Theatre across Second Avenue remains a spot for an encampment.)
Meanwhile, sales commenced last summer for the units in the Morris Adjmi-designed building at 45 E. Seventh St. Prices range from $1.35 million for a one-bedroomer and $1.995 million to $4 million for two and three bedrooms ... with the penthouse asking more than $8 million.
The property will reportedly include a commemorative plaque that honors the two men who died here during the explosion: Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón. (In October 2017, city officials unveiled new street blades that co-name this northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street after the two men.)
As for more history here: In the spring of 2017, Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for the empty lots at No. 119 and No. 121 that landlord Maria Hrynenko owned.
In a previously recorded transaction, Ezra Wibowo paid $6 million for the adjacent property at 123 Second Ave. that was owned by a different landlord who had no role in the explosion. There isn't any development planned there for now, according to previous reports.
In January 2020, Hrynenko, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis were found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and related offenses for their role in the blast. They were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko is out on bail as she awaits an appeal of the case.
Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband Michael died in 2004, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to cut corners, according to prosecutors.
In a previously recorded transaction, Ezra Wibowo paid $6 million for the adjacent property at 123 Second Ave. that was owned by a different landlord who had no role in the explosion. There isn't any development planned there for now, according to previous reports.
In January 2020, Hrynenko, contractor Dilber Kukic and unlicensed plumber Jerry Ioannidis were found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and related offenses for their role in the blast. They were each sentenced to four to 12 years in prison. Hrynenko is out on bail as she awaits an appeal of the case.
Hrynenko, who took over ownership of the buildings after her husband Michael died in 2004, and her cohorts rigged an illegal system to funnel gas from 119 Second Ave. to 121 Second Ave. to cut corners, according to prosecutors.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• How displaced residents are faring after the 2nd Avenue gas explosion
• Moving on — and feeling lucky — after the 2nd Avenue explosion
• Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'
• Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner
• How displaced residents are faring after the 2nd Avenue gas explosion
• Moving on — and feeling lucky — after the 2nd Avenue explosion
• Updated: 2nd Ave. explosion — landlord, 3 others charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter; showed 'a blatant and callous disregard for human life'
• Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner
[Updated] Irving Plaza has an announcement to make today
The 1,200-capacity music venue closed back in July 2019 for what was to be an eight-month rehab, which ended up putting the potential reopening right at the start of the pandemic PAUSE in March 2020.
As for the renovations, here's what Pollstar reported:
Improvements at the 150-year-old Union Square building will include revamps of the lobby area and the music hall, new bars on all levels of the venue, a new downstairs VIP lounge, and the remodeling of the mezzanine including a new box-seating section configuration located on the mezzanine.
The venue has been in use for concerts for the past 41 years. The Polish Army Veterans of America have owned the building since 1948. Here's more history via the Irving Plaza website:
Originally, the building was four separate brownstones, which were eventually combined into a hotel in the 1870s. In 1927, the building was gutted and turned into a ballroom-style theater and christened Irving Plaza.Over the next few decades, Irving Plaza would serve as a union meeting house, a performance space for folk dance troupes, and a Polish Army Veteran community center, as well as a venue for the Peoples Songs Hootenannies with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.
In 1978, Irving Plaza was converted into a rock music concert hall, where EVG once saw Dogstar for some reason.
In late 2017, Michael Swier, co-owner of Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge and an original founder of the Bowery Presents, and Live Nation Entertainment created promotions and booking venture called Mercury East Presents. Their combined venues include the Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theatre and Warsaw. The other facilities already have shows books in the months ahead.
Previously on EV Grieve:Irving Plaza is now closed for renovations
New Bagel Boss location now with Bagel Boss signage
This will be one of two new BBs in the neighborhood (first reported here). There's also one coming to 238 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, though no sign of signage there just yet. Both are expected to open this summer.
The owners of Bagel Boss recently discussed their expansion plans with Forbes:
Founder Adam Rosner explains that "At the beginning (of the pandemic), we got our teeth kicked in like the majority of New York City. We innovated, did a lot of shipping and now see a little spark in walking traffic."Andrew Hazen, a partner, says it opted to expand during a pandemic because "We believe in the future of New York City, and we felt now is the perfect time to invest in it while rents are currently tenant-friendly."In fact, Rosner asserts that he was able to secure two long-term leases in Manhattan with rents that were 35 percent to 40 percent below previous market levels.
Bagel Boss, founded in 1975, will now have 15 locations in NYC and on Long Island.
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Week in Grieview
Posts from this past week include (with a photo from Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg)...
• Report: Now there's an East River Park construction lawsuit (Monday)
• There are 3 (!!!) chicks for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday)
• Expanded C&B Cafe nearly ready (Tuesday)
• This East Village Easter footage from 1966 includes a crucifixion in Tompkins Square Park (Friday)
• NYPL plans to expand services at all branches by mid-July (Tuesday)
• Gallery Watch checks out My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake (Wednesday)
• Mom is sweating in this week's NY See (Thursday)
• Checking in on 2 under-renovation properties along this charming block of 7th Street (Thursday)
• Sunspot! (Wednesday)
• Another Tony's Pizza for the East Village, this one for the former Vinny Vincenz space (Wednesday) More pizza for a former pizzeria (Thursday)
• 32 Avenue C is now shorter (Tuesday)
• Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe owner eyes new concept for 2 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday)
• The Ukrainian Museum is back open on 6th Street (Friday)
• Coyote Ugly makes it official on 14th Street (Friday)
• Opinion: The overlooked stakeholders and potential bias in the Open Restaurants program (Wednesday)
• Yubu bringing Korean food and beverages to 7th Street (Tuesday)
• Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches lives on in a new Avenue A location (Monday)
• Report: Man stabbed, robbed of his e-bike in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)
• Openings: Sanshi Noodle House on 2nd Avenue (Monday)
• Little Rebel announces itself on 2nd Avenue (Monday)
• Coffee shop slated for 194 1st Ave. (Thursday)
... and from Friday in Tompkins Square Park, a tree climber (photo by Steven) ...
It sparked a mini-debate — yes, climbing a tree in an NYC city park is illegal.
EVG Etc.: The fate of Raphael Toledano's bankrupt EV portfolio; the free fitness classes on Avenue B
• A long read on the reconstruction plans for East River Park (Curbed)
• Mayor de Blasio signs Open Streets bill into law (amNY ... previously on EVG)
• New Yorkers on the CDC's new mask guidelines (Gothamist)
• An East Village-focused look back at the pandemic's darkest days (The Nation)
• The new show at the Housing gallery on the LES pays tribute to Steven Cannon, founder of the East Village-based A Gathering of the Tribes (Hyperallergic ... previously on EVG)
• Joyface reopened on Avenue C and Seventh Street this past week (Instagram)
• Rough Trade's new NYC home — after seven years in Williamsburg — will be in Rockefeller Center (Official site)
Photo of a familiar car around the neighborhood from Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D
Checking in on the grocery cart garden
Sunday's opening shot
For anyone keeping track, the Blondie mural on Bleecker at the Bowery has been restored ... this after being tagged last month... after being restored back in December.
Shepard Fairy's mural has been here since August 2017.
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Saturday's parting shot
May 15
Crate digging!: A soft reopening today with sidewalk sales at A-1 Records
The shop has been online only for sales during the pandemic (with curbside pickup too).
A-1, which opened in 1996, is at 439 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
Image via Instagram
The Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place will be 'opening soon'
Friday, May 14, 2021
Bring it on
We've featured the music of local band Pom Pom Squad several times in the past... they recently released "Head Cheerleader" (video above!) from their first LP, Death of a Cheerleader, out on June 25.
And Pom Pom Squad will be supporting Bully out on tour later this summer.
Who's on 1st? East Village Flea
The next East Village Flea (aka Nexus Flea) happens tomorrow (Saturday!) on First Street and First Avenue (Peretz Square) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The flea market started on April 3 (relive that one here!) ... and they're running every other Saturday for now. In case you haven't been yet.
Why you might see Art in Odd Places on 14th Street this weekend
Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2021: NORMAL, curated by Furusho von Puttkammer, invites artists to critique and dissect the American Mythos for AiOP’s 16th annual public art and performance festival taking place from Avenue C to the Hudson River along 14th Street ...Visit the AiOP website for more details and a list of participating artists.
This East Village Easter footage from 1966 includes a crucifixion in Tompkins Square Park
The video below is from Easter Sunday 1966 in the East Village. It starts on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. You'll also see some scenes in Tompkins Square Park where, at the 1:40 mark, the kids are treated to an interpretation of the crucifixion of Jesus.
James' cousin Donna, one of the girls in the video, provided some narrative:
My dad shot these videos. We were all going to Easter Mass at Most Holy Redeemer then to Nana Julie's and Grandpa Walter's for Easter lunch. We were waving to my Grandma Anna in the window. Others on the street were are family friends and neighbors all getting together for Easter.
The hippies had moved into the neighborhood and basically took over the Park. On Easter, they built their version of the crucifixion with human skulls, etc. It didn't last long as some of the local guys knocked it down because it upset their wives and mothers.
The street-front store is next to the Chic Choc bar [now Sophie's]...it belonged to Willie Silverman. He and his son Sidney bought closeouts from department stores and wholesalers. Every night the neighborhood would gather in front of his hole in the wall to see what crap bargains we could get. These were great times!"
See for yourself... (and there is no sound on the clip)...
The Ukrainian Museum is back open on 6th Street
Among the current exhibits: "In Bloom: Nature and Art," which "explores the impact of the flower motif through the prism of Ukraine’s folk art traditions and the works of its preeminent artists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries."
The museum, founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There is a limited capacity for now and masks are required. You can check out the visitor info page for more details.
Coyote Ugly makes it official on 14th Street
No mention yet of an opening date here on IHOP Way.
As we first reported this past September, Coyote Ugly permanently closed its home of 27 years at 153 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. (That space is currently going under a gut renovation for lord knows what.)
In announcing the closure, CEO and founder Lil Lovell had this to say in a video clip: "After sitting closed for six months due to COVID restrictions, we simply can't afford to pay the rent."
No. 233 was previously home to the Blind Pig, the sports bar/pub, which closed in June 2019.
In announcing the closure, CEO and founder Lil Lovell had this to say in a video clip: "After sitting closed for six months due to COVID restrictions, we simply can't afford to pay the rent."
This First Avenue location was the original Coyote Ugly — featuring bartop dancing, body shots and guilt for ordering water. There are now more than two-dozen global outposts.
No. 233 was previously home to the Blind Pig, the sports bar/pub, which closed in June 2019.
A full FULL reveal on 1st Avenue and 2nd Street
OK! Here's a look at the southeast corner of First Avenue and Second Street... where workers have cleared away most of the construction materials from outside the all-new 24 First Ave., including at the Second Street side of the development.
The two buildings that made up the L-shaped parcel — 24 First Ave. and 99-101 E. Second St. — were demolished to make room for the 101 Condominium, a 7-story, 23-unit condoplex.
And here's a view from the side along First Street between First Avenue and Avenue A...
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Report: Man stabbed, robbed of his e-bike in Tompkins Square Park
The two men apparently knew each other.
Per the Post:
The 55-year-old victim was sitting on a bench in the East Village park at around 4:30 p.m., and got up when a man he knew approached him, according to cops and law enforcement sources.
"Sit your ass down, you are not leaving," the perp snarled, before grabbing the bike and knifing the victim, according to the sources.EMTs took the victim to Bellevue, where he was reportedly treated for a puncture wound in the left hip/groin area.
Grant Shaffer's NY See
Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC...
Checking in on 2 under-renovation properties along this charming block of 7th Street
Here's a look at the recently renovated 264 E. Seventh St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.
According to the approved permit filed with the city, the owners had No. 264 gut-renovated and converted to a two-family dwelling (from three units), leaving the building's exterior in place and adding an extension in the rear.
You can see the exterior results of this work in the top two photos... as it still fits in this row of like-minded residences.
Things didn't look so good here in September 2016, when a permit was filed with the DOB to demolish the three-level, circa 1842 townhouse.
Preservations rallied to try to have the string of pastel-colored residences considered for landmarking. However, in late October 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to consider them for such a designation.
In April 2019, word came via the Village Preservation that new owners purchased the property and nixed a full demolition. (Public records show an LLC paid $7.7 million for the address.)
And as noted before, Felicia Bond lived in the garden duplex at No. 264 when she illustrated the renowned children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" in the mid-1980s.
Things didn't look so good here in September 2016, when a permit was filed with the DOB to demolish the three-level, circa 1842 townhouse.
Preservations rallied to try to have the string of pastel-colored residences considered for landmarking. However, in late October 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to consider them for such a designation.
In April 2019, word came via the Village Preservation that new owners purchased the property and nixed a full demolition. (Public records show an LLC paid $7.7 million for the address.)
And as noted before, Felicia Bond lived in the garden duplex at No. 264 when she illustrated the renowned children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" in the mid-1980s.
Meanwhile, two residences to the east, the three-level 268 E. Seventh St., didn't fare as well ... demolition continues here... and the insides have been gutted...
Actor John Leguizamo owned No. 268 starting in 1995. In February 2013, the building hit the market with a $4 million ask. However, as Curbed noted at the time:
It's unclear how recently Leguizamo lived in the place, or whether or not he even still owns it — the deed was transferred to an LLC in 2002, and the listing says that it was "Recently a single family residence; currently used as a 3-family" ...Leguizamo watchers on the block say that the actor moved away about 2001 or 2002.
Highpoint Property Group is now listed as the owner... picking up the property for $4.3 million in the fall of 2019, per public records. The Group's other East Village properties include The Slater at 174-176 First Ave. ... The Topanga at 202 Avenue A ... and The Callahan at 100 Second Ave.
More pizza for a former pizzeria
Look for more pizza on the high-profile corner of Second Avenue at 10th Street.
Signs arrived yesterday for Marinara Pizza ... (thanks to Steven for the photos!)
Two buzzy pizza joints have been at this address (160 Second Ave.) in recent years. Lions & Tigers & Squares — the Detroit-style pizzeria from the Artichoke team — debuted in October 2019 before closing during the pandemic last summer.
And before this... Nicoletta spent six-plus years in business here until the end of 2018.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe Centosette closes on Second Avenue
Cafe Centosette closes on Second Avenue
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