New 6th Street psychic apparently didn't summon psychic powers before taking this space

Late last month, a psychic set up shop in the lower level at 310 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

In recent days, workers covered the storefront — the long-shuttered Taj Mahal — with plywood. A reader described the city's arrival here as a "commotion," with what looked like an eviction from the basement where several people were living/working.

Anyway, the DOB slapped vacate orders on the basement space (dated from Tuesday) ... noting "that conditions in this premises are imminently perilous to life."

And per the DOB's all-cap style online:

VACATE OF COMMERCIAL BASEMENT SPACE. AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION OBSERVED TWO LOOSE CERAMIC TILES DIRECTLY OVER MAIN ENTRANCE TO COMMERCIAL SPACE IN BASEMENT. OATH SUMMONS FOR FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AND VACATE OF COMMERCIAL SPACE ISSUED. 

Obviously, we're all thinking the same thing: Why didn't the psychic see this coming????????

P.S.

And are two loose ceramic tiles "imminently perilous to life"?

Former Tarallucci e Vino space for rent

For rent signs are up now at 163 First Ave. ... the former Tarallucci e Vino on the NW corner of 10th Street. 

The KSR listing doesn't have a ton of info, like asking rent, though "all uses considered." (Soon listings may read: "all smoke shop uses considered.")

Tarallucci e Vino, the all-day Italian cafe, closed back in June after a 20-year run here. Their other NYC locations remain open.

Thanks to Steven for the photo yesterday!

Pirates of the Tompkinsbbean

Please hold your booing until the end of the post (for that headline). 

Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

The former Uncle Johnny grocery slated for demolition on Avenue D and 5th Street

Demolition permits are now on file with the city to take down the former Uncle Johnny, the longtime grocery that closed on Avenue D and Fifth Street in February.

As previously reported, a 13-story mixed-use building is in the works for this SW corner including the parcel adjacent to the former market on Fifth Street...

This past March, NY Yimby first reported on the details of the new development in the works:

The proposed 125-foot-tall development will yield 62,200 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 85 residences, with an average unit scope of 731 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have 15 inclusionary housing units and a cellar but no accessory parking. 

No word yet on a start date for the demo.

In recent years, several new developments, including the Adele ... Arabella 101 and NIKO East Village, have risen along this Avenue D corridor. 

Openings: Monsieur Vo on 2nd Avenue

Since opening on Sept. 13, several EVG readers have shared positive comments about Monsieur Vo at 104 Second Ave. at Sixth Street.

As previously reported, this is the new restaurant from the husband-wife duo Chef Jimmy Ly and Yen Vo, owners of Madame Vo on 10th Street. As a restaurant rep tells us: "Monsieur Vo is the team's love letter to the Vietnamese men in their lives — including fathers, uncles, brothers — and the dishes they love to eat." 

And here's more about what to expect: 

Monsieur Vo is inspired by Saigon's constantly evolving gastropub culture and its roots in the Vietnamese tradition of ăn nhậu, which has been described as festive dining and drinking for no specific reason. 

"Our dads could both really cook, and they always got creative with whatever ingredients they could find in America," says Ly, who growing up, remembers his father working long hours in NYC restaurants. "A lot of our menu comes from the dishes my dad would make while drinking and smoking with his buddies. He's a little bit over-the-top — he loves the finer things in life — so everything at Monsieur Vo is big and bold as well." 

While the flagship Madame Vo is known for classic homestyle dishes like noodle soup, wings, and eggrolls, Monsieur Vo’s menu goes beyond soups to focus more on shareable small plates, noodle and rice dishes, and large-format meat and seafood dishes.  

You can find the menu here. And see some food pics via the Monsieur Vo Instagram account. 

Monsieur Vo is open daily, from 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 5:30-11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. 

The Second Avenue address was previously their spinoff Madame Vo BBQ, which debuted in 2018 ... though it didn't reopen after the PAUSE of March 2020.

"The pandemic was really hard for us as restaurateurs," says Yen Vo. "We had to close one restaurant because the food wasn't delivery-friendly and it was hard to stay open. But we've transformed the space with a redesign and renovation and an entirely new concept."

Madame Vo opened in early 2017 at 212 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Pretty much a full reveal at the incoming Empanada Mama

Workers removed the plywood from the storefront on the NW corner of First Avenue and 14th Street yesterday ... showing off the new outpost of Empanada Mama.

We first reported in May that the quick-serve restaurant with an outpost on Allen Street was opening here. 

Papaya Dog shuttered here last fall, ending a 16-year-run.

Thanks to Sawyer Mitchell for the photo and to Steven and Pinch for keeping an eye on the space!

Former Los Tacos space now a 787 Coffee training facility on 7th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy 

If you glance inside 117 E. Seventh St., you might get the idea that a new coffee shop is opening here between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

And it's understandable why you might think that with the setup...

Turns out that this is a barista training site for 787 Coffee, which has a shop down the street as well as on Second Avenue, 14th Street and several other NYC locations. 

It's not open to the public, but they did let EVG contributor Stacie Joy in for a photo.

The previous tenant here, Los Tacos NYC, closed in June. The taqueria, operated by Brandon Pena and Sam Sepulveda, the owners of 787 Coffee, debuted in October 2020 to positive reviews.

Tuesday's parting shots

Some e-bike drama today on Eighth Street just west of Broadway... as the FDNY was called in to douse the flames on a bike that caught fire... thanks to EVG reader MP for the shots...

A Link5G tower for Avenue A

Another 32-foot-tall Link5G tower has gone up in the East Village, this one on the SW corner of Avenue A and 12th Street. (Thanks @mtm717 for the tip!) 

The first one (around the EV) arrived in late August on Second Avenue near First Street. There might be more now! They're multiplying! 

Per amNY: 

The new structures are operated as a public-private partnership by consortium CityBridge, and are a revamp of the old 10-foot kiosks the firm set up under former Mayor Bill de Blasio starting in 2015 with free Wi-Fi, USB charging ports, a tablet, a 911 button, and calling capabilities. 

Nicknames for it so far include "Phal-link," "deBlasiooo" & "32feetOfGray."  There are many more in the comments here.  

Updated: 

Now with video, courtesy of Creature... (best to watch with this accompaniment) ... 

 

Community groups advocating for low-income housing on these 2 East Village sites

Several community groups are hosting a public forum Thursday evening "to demand low-income housing" for the neighborhood. 

According to the meeting flyers, NYC owns "underutilized parking lots in our community, and we want to see affordable housing built on these sites."

The two examples cited are: 642-648 E. Sixth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C, which serves as NYCHA employee parking ... and 326-332 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, which the 9th Precinct uses. 

Both of these properties could yield low-incoming housing, per the organizers, the Cooper Square Committee, This Land Is Ours Community Land Trust and the Sixth Street Community Center.

The forum starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 22) at La Plaza Cultural, the community garden on the SW corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street.

And as previously reported, a group called 5th Street Park Coalition wants a park for the space adjacent to P.S. 751 and currently used as a parking lot for the 9th Precinct on the block. 

Senior housing on this Fifth Street block is one of the points of agreement that came out of the City Council vote to approve the controversial SoHo/NoHo rezoning this past December. 

A look at the fire-damaged 11-13 Avenue D

Here's a look at 11-13 Avenue D one week after a two-alarm fire caused smoke and water damage in the 6-floor residential building between Second Street and Third Street. 

Windows on several of the 16 residential units are boarded up. The city also issued a full vacate order on the premises...

Per the city: 

Due to extensive fire damage at 1st-floor restaurant along with fire, water and smoke damage throughout building... fire fighting operations to vent out entire building where all windows and doors have been removed along with removal of the skylight for venting. These hazardous conditions have therefore rendered the ENTIRE premises unsafe to occupy. 

The fire has also shut down the three retail establishments at the address: Joseph's Convenience Store, New Chinatown Restaurant and Royal Fried Chicken. 

Sources said the fire started in the New Chinatown Restaurant, which was not open at the time. An EVG reader and resident of the building left a comment on the post about the fire stating that no one was injured. 

The FDNY has not released an official cause of the fire.

Longtime bar space at 68 2nd Ave. hits the rental market

A for-lease sign now hangs on the front window at 68 Second Ave. at Fourth Street, bringing an official end, for now, to a bar in the corner space. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)

Last year, the queer-friendly English-style pub Queen Vic from the owners of Boiler Room next door became just Queen ... and more recently, Watering Hole.

Queen Vic opened in September 2010, ending the carousel of bars here, including 2x4, Ambiance and Evolution.

These rainbow photos are pure gold!

We have some late-afternoon rainbow action to share... starting with (above!) Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D courtesy of DeColores Community Yard. (To be clear, the PHOTO is courtesy of DeColores Community Yard, not the actual rainbow.) 

AvenueAnd from Avenue B and 12th Street via David Marsh ...

... and from Aven ue B and 10th Street via Eric Adams's Jetski Instructor (aka @DavyWwavy)...

... and from Ninth Street near First Avenue courtesy of Steven...

Big changes are coming to the iconic skate spot in Tompkins Square Park

One of the city's most iconic skate spots will have a new look and feel by the fall of 2023. 

Next year, the Parks Department will reconstruct the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park along Avenue A and 10th Street, adding various amenities, including a two-lane seal-coated walking loop, and new asphalt. 

City officials unveiled the plans during Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee virtual meeting this past Thursday (as we first reported here). Max Goodstein, a landscape architect with the Parks Department, provided a brief overview. 

The space, he said, has a lot of "asphalt structural damage," and it "needs to be replaced and repaired. And the only way to do that is to take all the asphalt down to the sub base and put new asphalt down." 

Other additions: new benches, a kickball court, a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, and three new basketball backstops at the eastern end, replacing the ones that always seem to be damaged. 

Workers will also remove the dugouts and backstop as the Parks Department no longer permits softball games in this space...

Here's a schematic of the reconstructed layout...

... and an overview of the amenities, which includes "1939 World's Fair benches" ...

Goodstein estimated the project would take three months to complete, but he wasn't sure when work will be ready to commence.  

"The start date hasn't been finalized yet," he said. "It's going to take three months, and we should definitely be done by next fall." 

The presentation was more of an informational session, and no vote was required by the CB3 committee. The reconstruction is moving forward.

So what does this mean for the skaters on the lot (aka TF), hallowed ground where generations have used this space dating to the 1980s? (It has been called "the last great meet-up spot for skateboarders and their friends in New York.") 

One resident commented during the meeting: "I'm really concerned that the young people in this neighborhood are being pushed out of this famous, much-loved, much-used skating space. You even opened it with pictures of skaters. What are you going to do about this?" 

Goodstein said that he skated here in his youth and has had conversations with the skaters about the pending changes. 

Another Parks rep, Steve Simon, chief of staff to the Manhattan Borough Commissioner, chimed in at this point. 

"Max and I went there, and we personally spoke to a group of them, and they were very much in support of what we intended to do," he said. "They want to have an improved surface. And what we're doing here is by no means going to displace them. [The skaters said that] they appreciate what we're doing. And the only thing they really wanted from us ... a fountain and a slightly different variation on the layout of the benches. So we're gonna accommodate them. They were pretty thrilled with what we're planning to do and with the fact that we went out there and just spoke to them." 

It's unclear just how thrilled the skaters will be with the final product next fall — after the space will likely be under construction for the prime summer months. It's also unclear what might happen with the various ramps and rails the skaters use. 

As you may recall, in September 2019, the skateboarding community came together via a petition started by Adam Zhu and signed by 33,000-plus people to show their support for keeping the multipurpose courts free of synthetic turf...  plans apparently only known to residents who attended a Community Board 3 committee meeting in May 2019. Adding artificial turf would have rendered the space useless for skateboarders and street hockey players, among other groups. 

However, less than 24 hours before a much-publicized rally was to take place, the city announced that it would no longer cover the space in turf, originally proposed to make up for the amenities lost during the years-long gutting of East River Park.

"Tompkins Square Park has served as the epicenter of NYC skateboard culture for decades. As such, we have decided to leave the area previously proposed for synthetic in the park as is and will not move forward with creating a synthetic turf area there," Parks Department spokesperson Crystal Howard said in a statement to Patch at the time. 

And the reconstructed layout of the space may make this the end of the epicenter of NYC skateboard culture.

Previously on EV Grieve:

What is the city planning for the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park? 

Ella Funt & Club 82 looks to bring food, film and theater to storied 4th Street venue

An ambitious project is in the works for 78-82 E. Fourth St. that would bring together a restaurant, movie theater and cabaret under one roof while reviving some East Village nightlife history. 

The operators behind Ella Funt & Club 82 are on tonight's CB3 SLA & DCA Licensing Committee docket for a liquor license for the two-level space between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

There are several elements to this proposed establishment — a French restaurant, movie theater and performance space. The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website (PDF here) provides more detail and renderings of the 150-person-capacity theater space, which already exists in the basement (see below for more history of this address).

There's also a mention of "screenings of independent and old films five days a week," The management team includes Harry Nicolaou. His family operates several indie theaters, including Cinema Village on 12th Street between University and Fifth Avenue.

On paper, the concept sounds like a good fit for a block with destinations such as La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, the Duo Multicultural Arts Center, the Kraine Theater and the New York Theatre Workshop.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. You can tune in via Zoom.

And now some history of the space...

Here's background via the New-York Historical Society: 

If you were an adventurous visitor to New York City in the 1950s or 1960s, you might have found your way to Club 82. A basement nightclub at 82 East Fourth Street, it wasn't much to look at from the outside... 

But once you made it there, you'd descend the steep stairs into an elegant, transporting nightclub decked out in the height of mid-century kitsch: mirrored columns, plastic palm fronds, elaborate banquettes, and white tablecloths. On the tables would be souvenir knockers, a small wooden ball on the end of a stick emblazoned with the club's name, which patrons would tap on the table when they were pleased with a performance or wanted to call a waiter. Knockers had one benefit over clapping: You didn’t have to put down your drink to use them. 

Club 82 was a trendy place to be. If you were lucky, celebrities like Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, or Salvador Dalí might be in attendance on any given night. A club photographer would circulate among the tables, snapping keepsake photos for a $1.50 or $2 fee for audience members, who were decked out in suits and cocktail dresses and would get an 8″ by 10″ print to take home at the end of the night. There wasn't a cover to get in, but there was a drink minimum and an extensive cocktail menu to hit your required mark. 

And of course, there was the stage, which was the main reason you would've come to Club 82 in the first place. The club was known for its elaborate live shows that ran three times a night into the wee hours of the morning. 

What made Club 82 unique was that it was an early bastion of drag and gender impersonation: Almost all of the performers in the floor show where men dressed as women, and most of the wait staff were women dressed as dashing young men in tuxedos. 

In the early 1970s, Club 82 became a rock club, featuring bands like the New York Dolls, Teenage Lust, Suicide and Another Pretty Face.

   

The subsequent iterations of the space included a movie theater and an all-male strip club. Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones tried to make a go of it as a music club again in 1990 with Woody's. The basement space reopened as the Bijou Cinema around 1992, per Cinema Treasures, operating off and on through the years in different capacities until 2018. 

Stillwater Bar & Grill was a ground-floor tenant, shutting down in the spring of 2019 after 15 years in service.

On tonight's CB3 SLA committee docket: Balkan cuisine for the former Starbucks on 2nd Avenue

Here are several more applicants seeking new liquor licenses during tonight's CB3-SLA docket... the virtual meeting starts at 6:30. This is the Zoom link.

• Sugar Mouse LLC, 101 E 10th St (op) 

Sugar Mouse is the name of the concept proposed for the NE corner of Third Avenue at 10th Street, in space (pic above) that TD Bank previously used before downsizing. 

The bar, offering pizza and snacks, will feature a variety of table games (foosball, billiards, shuffleboard, etc.). The hours are daily from 2 p.m. to, depending on the night of the week, 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Read more on the application here. 

Ownership also operates Sour Mouse on Delancey, billed as "the Hottest underground social club in the LES." 

We've heard from several residents who live nearby with concerns about the business,  particularly the late-night closing times. Flyers on the block noted (in all caps): "Nothing less than the quality of life on these streets is at stake."

• Lava Ground LLC, 4 St Marks Pl (wb) 

There's not a lot of information about the bar concept proposed for the lower level of 4 St. Mark's Place near Third Avenue. 

The unnamed establishment will offer bar food such as wings and beef patties with daily hours of 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. According to the questionnaire, which you can read here, the owner previously worked as a security guard and now owns a beverage company.

The space was previously (and briefly) an outpost of the Wanyoo Cyber Cafe. 

• Balkan Streat (Wolf of 3rd Ave LLC), 145 2nd Ave (wb) 

A fast-casual restaurant called Balkan Streat is in the works for the NW corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street (the former Starbucks).

As the name implies, owners William Djuric and Jason Correa plan to provide a menu with food from the Balkans. (The questionnaire here includes a sample menu.) According to his bio, Djuric, who worked at Gramercy Tavern and Momofuku Ssam Bar, decided to "pursue his dream of opening a Balkan restaurant that would be inspired by his [late] father's Serbian heritage and childhood summers spent in Yugoslavia." 

The restaurant has proposed daily hours from noon to 11 p.m., with a 2 a.m. close on Friday and Saturday. 

There's also a Balkan Streat set for Sixth Avenue.

This storefront has remained empty since Starbucks closed in April 2019.

• El Primo Red Tacos (El Primo Red Tacos NYC LLC), 151 Ave A (wb) 

The Miami-based taco shop is back on the agenda this month without the full-liquor ask.

There are still concerns from neighbors about the use of the backyard space here.

• Corp to be formed by Ronan Downs, 210 Ave A (op) (Public input occurred on this item in August and in September will only have committee discussion)

Also returning: The bar-tavern concept from a management team led by Ronan Downs, whose numerous credits include Becketts Bar & Grill down on Pearl Street.

You can read the questionnaire here. 

Several applicants have looked at this space on the northeast corner of Avenue A and 13th Street since Percy's Tavern closed in 2017. 

1 guess on what is coming to this empty storefront on Avenue A and 13th Street

Activity, including the installation of glass cigar cases, continues inside the storefront on the SE corner of Avenue A and 13th Street... a worker on the scene said it will be a — SMOKE SHOP. 

The business is expected to be open in the next few weeks. Until then, you can try one of the other two dozen smoke shops in the neighborhood.

Back in May, the owners of Keybar on 13th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue were looking to relocate here, but the application didn't make it past Community Board 3.

Caffè Bene closed here in December after nearly six years in business... until 2014, the space was Kim's Laundromat & Cleaners for some 30 years. 

Thank you to EVG reader Erika for the photo and tip!

Good Beer has closed

As a follow-up to last Monday's post... Good Beer has closed at 422 E. Ninth St., wrapping up nearly 12 years between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

As Chris O'Leary wrote in his Brew New York newsletter: 

The shop-and-bar was a craft beer pioneer when it opened, and was the first beer-focused bottle shop with on-premise drinking in Manhattan, paving the way for others throughout the borough that continue to operate to this day.

Photo by Steven 

Sunday's parting shot

Photo on St. Mark's Place today by Derek Berg...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo of Ruckus Interruptus playing the excellent Ninth Street block party yesterday... photo by Derek Berg)...

• Report of a 2-alarm fire at 11-13 Avenue D (Tuesday) 

• Remembering East Village artist M. Henry Jones (Wednesday)

• Astor Wines & Spirits has new owners — its employees (Tuesday) 

• City unveils Adela Fargas Way in honor of Casa Adela's legendary founder (Friday ... Saturday)

• Green days: 6&B Garden program teaching East Village kids how to garden and cook (Thursday) 

• Good Beer is closing (Monday) 

• What is the city planning for the multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park? (Wednesday)

• Compilation Coffee debuts on St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• Jo's Tacos coming to 14th Street (Monday) 

• The state of this Stuyvesant Street retail space (Thursday) 

• A full reveal at Zero Irving on 14th Street (Monday) 

• These cats need a home (Thursday) 

• The pre-dawn Moon in Taurus (Thursday) 

• A new broker for 44 Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• J. Crew signage official a day before its grand opening on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Signs of fall: the Feast of San Gennaro is underway (Thursday) 

• Thursday's parting SERVE (Thursday) 

• Full reveal at 15 Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• City removes the outdoor dining structure from Pardon My French on Avenue B (Friday) 

...  and after nearly seven weeks of rent-free business while parked on Sixth Street at Avenue A, the Mo' Eats truck disappeared on Wednesday...

... though it was spotted again Saturday morning not too far away...

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