Openings: Mochinut on 2nd Avenue, Little Rebel on 2nd Avenue

Two recent openings to note...

• Mochinut, 124 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place

The quickly expanding company known for its mochi doughnuts and Korean-style hot dogs is up and running (H/T Steven). This is location No. 31 for the California-born chain with 90 more U.S. outposts in the works.

You can find the menu here. Mochinut opens daily at noon with a 10 p.m. close; 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Previously.

• Little Rebel, 219 Second Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street

The two-level bar-restaurant, run by hospitality vets Dermont Lynch and Jarek Krukow, features a bar and booths on the first floor with "a Victorian-style room with high ceilings, crown molding, chandeliers and balcony" upstairs that's currently open on weekends and for brunch

The concept-y drinks menu via Brooke Smith of the Dead Rabbit includes the Charlie's Angel — a rum, Cointreau combo "topped with 'Angel Dust' glitter."

You can find the food-drinks menu here. Little Rebel opens daily at 11 a.m. with a midnight close Sunday and Monday; 2 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday; and 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday. 

Previously.

Report: Employee allegations made against Local 92 for underpaying staff, skimping on COVID protocols

ICYMI: Mulitple EVG readers shared the link to an investigative piece published at Eater this past Thursday ... in which three former employees claim that Marcello Assante — the restaurateur behind Bella Ciao on Mulberry Street and Local 92 on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street — "refused to pay his employees overtime; ignored coronavirus health requirements issued by city and state officials; and referred to former employees as 'princesses' after they raised concerns about the alleged incidents."

In addition, the employees allege that Shai Zvibak, the former chef and co-owner of Local 92, "characterized Mexican staffers as thieves and referred to them as members of the 'mafia.'"

Assante denied the allegations of the former employees, claiming that three friends working at the restaurants fabricated the stories. "It's completely a lie," he told Eater. "It never happened."

The story also includes a list of alleged misdeeds at Local 92 from the early winter, including that outdoor gas heaters for sidewalk dining were moved inside the restaurant to heat its dining room. Assante also denied those claims, saying the restaurant followed all city- and state-mandated COVID requirements.

Unrelated, Assante had been looking to open a cafe-cinema at 44 Avenue A, the former home of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's East Village outpost, UCBeast, as well as the Pioneer Theater. He appeared in May and June before CB3's SLA committee.

Given the UCBeast bar's poor reputation and unanswered questions about Assante's business plan, CB3 said they'd only approve a full liquor license for drinks before and during a movie or event. Alcohol sales would not be allowed during other times — thus nixing a bar-cafe service when a film isn't playing.

Assante later said he would no longer pursue this venture for Avenue A, stating that alcohol sales before and during screenings weren't commercially viable given the rent. 

Monday's parting archival shot

Facebook reminded me of this grainy photo posted on the evening of Aug. 30, 2013.

I took this on the second-to-last night of the old Odessa, 117 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. This space dated to the mid-1960s. 

The Odessa Restaurant next door (circa 1995) remained open until July 2020. Superiority Burger is taking over that space.

Here is the trailer for the Velvet Underground documentary

Ah! Been waiting for this... the trailer for the Velvet Underground documentary by Todd Haynes dropped today. (Saw it first on Gothamist!) 

The doc debuts on Oct. 15 on Apple+. Here's more about it:

The film features in-depth interviews with the key players of that time combined with a treasure trove of never-before-seen performances and a rich collection of recordings, Warhol films, and other experimental art that creates an immersive experience into what founding member John Cale describes as the band's creative ethos: "how to be elegant and how to be brutal."

Before Apple+, the film will play at the New York Film Festival on Sept. 30. (Tix on sale Sept. 7.) 

The reviews were quite positive following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. 

Anyway, here's the trailer for the band whose birthplace is traced to the LES...

   

 Top image via Apple+

Last few days for the Sullivan St. Bakery pop-up on 9th Street

Sullivan. St. Bakery's time as a pop-up at 437 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue is coming to an end.

Wednesday (Sept. 1) is the last day for the shop's East Village outpost. They are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for their focaccia, chocolate chip cookies, disco romano, croissants, fruit tarts and a selection of sandwiches.

Sullivan St. Bakery, which first opened in Soho in 1994, arrived here last fall...  reportedly with an "indefinite" lease.

Management here told EVG regulars Vinny & O that they'd like to stay, but they'd want to fix up the space a bit and get a long-term lease. Unfortunately, the landlord is not offering a long-term rent that the bakery can afford. 

Photo by Arthur Bovino via @nycbestpizza  

This East Village business strip has been cleared out ahead of rumored new development

As EVG contributor Stacie Joy has been reporting (here and here), the businesses in the old section of 250 E. Houston St. have either closed or moved ahead of a rumored new development here between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Here's a recap of the moves to date: 

• Kapri Cleaners — the last day is tomorrow; moving to a new storefront in the renovated section of 250 E. Houston St. 
• China Town — closed, possible move to Avenue C in the works. 
• Subway (sandwich shop) — closed. No relocation notice. 
• FedEx Office Print & Ship Center — moved to a new storefront in the renovated section of 250 E. Houston St. 
• Dunkin'/Baskin-Robbins combo — closed. No relocation notice.
• Mattress Mart — closed. 

So that is all the businesses in the portion of the strip to the east (where the new paint stops!)...

Multiple sources along this corridor have said a new residential building is in the works for this space. Four sources have told Stacie that the one-level row of storefronts is facing demolition. Nothing about a new building or demolition has shown up in DOB records.

And we'll find out in the weeks/months ahead if, perhaps (and purely speculative now), the long-empty 6 Avenue B at the NW corner might be part of a new development... [Updated: Likely NO]

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. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The fall of Lenin: Iconic statue removed from Red Square on East Houston Street

• 1st look at the Lenin statue's return to the Lower East Side 

Astor Place Wegmans watch, work-permit edition

Work permits are now on file for renovations of the former Kmart space at the landmarked 770 Broadway. 

Based on the work plan, here are a few takeaways about the future Astor Place Wegmans courtesy of EVG regular Upper West Sider:

• Looks like the subway entrance is safe for now (the area is covered in the No Work in Area portion of the plan). Guess it's covered by landmarks protection. 
• The first step in the process is demolition. Almost everything is being removed, including escalator railings, storefront window displays, bathrooms, flooring and wall coverings. 
• Given that ceiling tiles and the 1990s furnishings are being removed, it seems like the goal is to restore the space to its previous grandeur.

Wegmans signed a 30-year lease last month for what will be the grocer's first Manhattan outpost. It is scheduled to open in the second half of 2023.

Kmart closed in this space after 25 years on July 11. Wegmans had agreed to buy out Kmart's lease to make this deal possible.

FULL glass reveal at this incoming Lower East Side boutique office building

Here's a view of the newly revealed floor-to-ceiling glass wall at 141 E. Houston St. 

Completion of the 9-story, 65,000-square-foot office building between Eldridge and Forsyth is slated for the fourth quarter of 2021, per the 141 website. (Not too far off from the Summer 2021 date on the plywood rendering.)

Our previous post (here!) on No. 141 has more details about what's been happening here to date at the site of the former Sunshine Cinema (RIP January 2018).

So long to the Clover Deli's iconic neon signage

Heading north outside the usual coverage area for a moment... Clover Deli officially closed last summer after 72 years on the corner of Second Avenue and 34th Street. The third-generation of the Cuttita Family had been running the deli. 

On Saturday, workers removed the Clover's iconic neon signage... Yo La Tengo's Instagram account was among those who shared the news...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Yo La Tengo (@therealylt)

Workers at the scene said that this will live on at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. 

The owners also operate House of Wine & Liquor around the corner on 34th Street.

Week in Grieview

Posts from this last week included (with a photo of Claudi in Tompkins Square Park Thursday via Steven)

• The East Village Neighbors Community Fridge is up and running again after vandal strikes (Tuesday)  

• Quick-serve veteran China Town closing on East Houston after 32 years in business (Friday) Retail shuffle continues at 250 E. Houston St.; Subway and Dunkin' next to leave (Wednesday) 

• Ray gets his day on Humans of New York (Monday) 

• March gallery expanding on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• The 13th Street Blick is moving to a familiar art-supply spot on 4th Avenue (Wednesday) 

• Activity at the former Jules Bistro on St. Mark's Place (Friday)

• Wrapping up the summer hawk season (Thursday) 

• More details on the East 7th Street fire victims seeking help from their former landlord (Monday) 

• Appreciation post: The tree pit garden on 1st Avenue at 7th Street (Wednesday) 

• Neighborhood Loading Zones, bike lane outlines arrive along Avenue C (Tuesday) 

• Henri flooding in Tompkins Square Park (Sunday) 

• Construction watch: 650 E. 6th St. (Thursday) 

• A place to store your Stuf on 3rd Street (Thursday) 

• Move-in weekend for NYU (Friday) 

• A striped awning for the Tile Bar (Tuesday) 

• Lotto love for the East Village in this TV spot (Wednesday)

... and several readers have asked about the status of 86 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue... the lower-level space was Black & White until last fall (and Wiz Kid Management was upstairs a time ago) ... haven't heard what's coming next...

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About those catch basin stencils on East Village streets

We've fielded questions this month about the stenciled messages — "This is not a trash can" — that have arrived on catch basins all around the neighborhood in recent weeks. 

Like crop circles, there were too many of them, too perfect, to be any kind of, say, guerilla art project. 

Anyway, turns out the city is behind the messaging on the catch basins (aka storm drains or sewer grates). 

And thanks to Jonas for this photo ... showing a DEP worker in stenciling action the other day...

So yeah, you're not supposed to dump anything down these (cooking grease, oil, construction waste, sewage, etc.) Will the messaging deter the catch-basin dumpers?

Details on today's Lower East Side United Festival

The annual Lower East Side United Festival is taking place this afternoon from noon to 4. 

The event, at three neighborhood locations, including 737 E. Sixth St. and 730 E. 12th St., will help provide "the community with information and access to free resources available throughout the Lower East Side." 

Kids in attendance can get free back-to-school backpacks and take part in a variety of activities.

Find more details here.