East Village Loves NYC issues a fundraising appeal to help continue feeding New Yorkers in need

East Village Loves NYC — the local volunteer group that formed last spring to feed people in need during the pandemic — has put a fundraising appeal to help keep them preparing meals for New Yorkers this year.

Via a recent Instagram post:

Truth is, we haven’t been able to raise enough funds to safely continue helping the city we love until the end of 2021. At this pace, we'll have to shut our doors by the end of the summer. Times are tough, the city needs us, and we worry that we won't be able to respond to the growing ask for help.

So if you are in a position to help, and only if you are in a position to help, we ask that you please consider financially supporting us this year, and by doing so, knowing that you will be feeding tens, hundreds, thousands of New Yorkers who need it most.

You can read more about helping at this link. 

In addition, Sougwen Chung, a Chinese-Canadian artist, created a piece of virtual art that she is selling as an NFT. She will be donating 100 percent of the funds to East Village Loves NYC. (Details here.)

As Gothamist reported yesterday, the need for emergency food resources remains high in the city:

As vaccination rates rise and the city approaches a full reopening, hunger may no longer be top of mind for many New Yorkers. But those working in food banks and pantries say demand is still much higher than it was before the pandemic, especially among groups that were already more vulnerable.

East Village Loves NYC — which has attracted some 400 volunteers — celebrated its first anniversary earlier this spring ... and in those first 12 months, the group has cooked more than 100,000 meals for New Yorkers during the pandemic ... not to mention donated 325,000-plus pounds of groceries and 7,000-plus pantry bags.

As they noted on Instagram:

What started with our team of five or six friends doing a cooking session to help their neighborhood, turned into a massive family of hundreds of volunteers gathering every week to deliver thousands of meals to New York City.

Early on, Ali Sahin, the owner of C&B Cafe on Seventh Street near Avenue B, donated his space on Mondays for the group to cook its meals. By last June, they had outgrown the space and started assembling deliveries at the Sixth Street Community Center between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

By the end of last summer, East Village Loves Queens expanded operations and announced its new name — East Village Loves NYC. 

Photo from May by Stacie Joy

Previously on EV Grieve:
• These East Village residents are helping feed families in Queens during the COVID-19 crisis

• East Village volunteers expand their outreach to feed more neighbors in need

• East Village Loves Queens expands: Meet East Village Loves NYC

• Volunteers at East Village Loves NYC prepare meal for Ramadan; celebrate 1st anniversary

Here's the Vin Sur Vingt Wine Bar signage on 2nd Avenue and 11th Street

As we first reported this past December, Vin Sur Vingt Wine Bar is opening its seventh NYC location at 170 Second Ave. at 11th Street.

Signage is up now for the business. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)

As a reminder, here's more about Vin Sur Vingt via their website:

The menu includes an extensive list continuously rotating of 250 wines – 50 wines by the glass – coupled with a light French fare menu. The intimate space was personally designed to resemble the most authentic Bar a Vin in France. A pewter-topped bar runs along its length, with large tilted mirrors hung along a copper plated ceiling to reflect cozy dim lighting. The relaxed ambiance is also prevailed by nostalgic melodies that play in the background. All this to ensure an experience that transports you to the very place where these elements were born.

No word on a specific opening date at the moment — just summer 2021 for now.

Until October 2018, this corner space was home to the original Liquiteria, which debuted in 1996. Founder Doug Green sold the business several years ago to a group of investors who then opened more outposts, all of which closed by late 2019.

The Brindle Room is on the hunt for a new home

Several readers have asked about the status of the Brindle Room, the restaurant that served "eclectic comfort food" at 277 E. 10th St. 

Workers recently removed the sign and cleared out the space here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Owner Jeremy Spector confirmed that the Brindle Room is closed for now after 11 years at the address. 

"We are currently looking for a new location. We hope to be open this fall," he said in an email. "We're looking at spaces in the East Village. However, we haven't ruled out another neighborhood. We came close on a space. But it fell through. So we will keep trying." 

The Brindle Room was open for takeout during the early days of the pandemic but has remained closed since the spring of 2020. 

Photos by Steven

Openings: Cafe Sandra on First Avenue

Cafe Sandra debuted last week at 194 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street... with the food service arriving on Saturday (they were serving a nice looking tomato ricotta danish, among other items like breakfast burritos and sandwiches) ...

The mural is of Sandra, the chef here...

Sandra and Jake, her business partner, previously ran O Cafe on Sixth Avenue and 12th Street. Cafe Sandra is their first space as owners. 

They are open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find their menu at the Cafe Sandra website at this link. 

The previous tenant, Space 194, a hybrid tea-coffee shop-gallery, closed in early 2020 after nearly a year in service.

Thank you to Lola Sáenz for these photos!

The Astor Place Greenmarket returns TODAY

The Astor Place Greenmarket returns for the season starting today... where, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., you can find vendors that include: 

• Kernan Farms Vegetables from Cumberland County, N.J. 
• Remsburger Honey & Maple Honey & maple syrup from Dutchess County, N.Y. 
• Wilklow Orchards Orchard and small fruits, vegetables, cider, baked goods and jams from Ulster County, N.Y.
• Runner & Stone Baked goods from Kings County, N.Y. 

This marks the second year for the market, located on the south plaza at Astor Place (Eighth Street-Lafayette). It will be here through Nov. 23. More details at this link.

Photo from 2020 by Steven

Lucky Star is a 1950s-style ice cream shop opening 3 downtown locations this summer

Look for three locations of Lucky Star, a 1950s-style ice cream shop, opening this summer downtown, including on St. Mark's Place.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos yesterday on the northeast corner of Clinton and Delancey, where the first outpost is set to debut soon...

The shop features a to-go window offering up a variety of soft serve, milkshakes, sundaes and Italian ice...

There is also a Lucky Star in the works for 34 St. Mark's Place, the former Kyber Pass space between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, and the Two Bridges neighborhood.

Trigger, the longtime owner of the live music venue/bar the Continental (1991-2018) on Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place, is behind this new venture. 

Openings: Marinara Pizza debuts on 2nd Avenue

As we've been reporting (like here and here), Marinara Pizza is coming to the northeast corner of Second Avenue at 10th Street.

And yesterday was the pizzeria's opening day (thanks to Nick Solares for the pic!) at 160 Second Ave.

As noted before: An EVG reader told us that their most popular slice is the MVP, which features stripes of marinara sauce, vodka sauce and pesto on a square pie (the pic is from the Marinara social media) ...

For now, their hours are daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Find the menu here.

This is the fifth outpost for Marinara, which has locations on the UES, UWS, Midtown East and Park Avenue South. 

H/T Steven

Report: Christodora House board tells staff to get vaccination or risk losing jobs

The board of the Christodora House, the 16-floor, 83-unit residential building at 143 Avenue B, has reportedly asked two employees that they need to receive the COVID-19 vaccination — or risk losing their jobs. 

Per the Post:

The apartment building's board has informed a porter and doorman that they have until June 15 to receive at least one dose, or they will be let go. 

"The Board respects your decision," read the letter, which was seen by the Post. "However, we hope you will understand that your choice is not compatible with the Board's responsibility to provide the safest possible environment for all Christodora House staff members and residents."

The board was said to have offered the two employees $1,000 each to receive the vaccine.

"I never told them that I don’t want to get it — I just said 'not now,'" said Brandon of the vaccine. The 33-year-old porter, who declined to give his last name, fears the vaccine could trigger a flare-up of pre-existing health conditions, especially as he does not have health insurance.

Several residents of the landmarked building between Ninth Street and 10th Street have signed a petition in support of the two workers. 

Employers are allowed to require the COVID-19 vaccine, and can also legally provide incentives, including cash, to workers, according to guidance that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated late last month. 

EVG file photo

Hot in the city: Pinc Louds bring the (pre) summertime fun to La Plaza Cultural

Picking up from the previous post ... currently in a crackdown mode (to say the least), the NYPD would not let the Pinc Louds set move forward in Tompkins Square Park on Saturday evening. (No amplified music without a permit...)

However, the show was able to go on at a new location — La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street at Avenue C, where attendees were treated to another euphoric performance on this hot (not-officially-summer-yet) night. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos... 

In other Pinc Louds news, the band's new single, "Aire Acondicionado," drops on Friday.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• At the first Pinc Louds show of 2021 in Tompkins Square Park

• An end-of-summer appreciation: Pinc Louds  

A Saturday walk through the East Village

There was a movement to arbitrarily consider this past weekend as the unofficial official start of the summer after that soggy Memorial Day Weekend.

And it was suitably summery with temps in the 90s. EVG contributor Stacie Joy was out and about throughout the day and shared these photos from around the neighborhood...

... events that day included the Nexus Flea at its new location on First Avenue and Second Street...

The zine and plant swap at the First Street Garden...

Open Garden Day with Art Around the Hood...

... and in the early evening, Pinc Louds were planning to play a show in Tompkins Square Park. However, the NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol had other ideas... as they have been cracking down on amplified shows, vending, gathering, etc., etc.

In any event, Pinc Louds moved on to play at La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street and Avenue C. Photos to follow in another post.

Openings: 7th Street Burger on 7th Street

7th Street Burger opened this past Thursday here at 91 E. Seventh St. just east of First Avenue.

On Instagram, their motto is "going back to simple." As such, you can see that the menu consists of just a few items — cheeseburgers, an Impossible burger, fries, Mexican Coca-Cola and water...

Owner Kevin Rezvani was previously operating a similar venture in his native New Jersey ... where he opened his first burger joint, Diesel & Duke, a few years back while he was a student at Rutgers. (He recently sold the business, now with five locations, to start 7th Street Burger.)

The quick-serve space is open Thursday through Sunday starting at 4 p.m. for takeout or delivery. (There are also a few tables outside.)

 

The storefront was previously the longtime home to Caracas Arepa Bar, which closed last fall.

787 Coffee makes it official at 159 2nd Ave.

A quick follow-up to our post last Wednesday about 787 Coffee signing a lease for two storefronts on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and 10th Street (officially 159 Second Ave.). 

The 787 signage is now up on the space to the west ... the former Third Rail Coffee will serve as 787's retail space, while the former dry cleaners next door will be an office for the company. 

With this opening later this summer, 787 will have four East Village locations, joining 131 E. Seventh St., 101 Second Ave. and 319. E. 14th St. (The company currently has eight coffee shops citywide.) 

The Seventh Street store, which opened in October 2018, was the first for co-owners Brandon Pena and Sam Sepulveda, who wanted to bring Puerto Rican coffee to NYC. (And 787 takes its names from Puerto Rico's area code.)

Third Rail Coffee did not reopen here following the PAUSE of March 2020. Next door, Danny's Cleaners merged their business with Lois Cleaners on the southeast corner of 10th Street and Third Avenue.

Thanks to Steven for the photo!

Mocha Red promises a 'Tulum Meets Wynwood Experience' on 4th Avenue

Temp signage arrived last week for Mocha Red at 127 Fourth Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

We're told that this is a new concept from the folks behind Mocha Burger. 

And the concept? A steakhouse and mixology bar that will provide "a Tulum Meets Wynwood Experience" ...

BarBacon was here for nearly two years before bowing out during the pandemic. 

H/T Upper West Sider!