EV Grieve

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Fencing off the Tompkins Square Park field house

Photos by Steven

Workers yesterday fenced off the Tompkins Square Park field house as renovations here are imminent (this after the arrival of the construction office on Friday).

The path along the Ninth Street walkway is about half the size now with the fencing (on the positive side, this will make it more difficult to drive through the Park)...

The space behind the field house — dubbed the Slocum area as it includes the Slocum Memorial Fountain — is now also closed to the public ...

... along with the restrooms...

The Parks Department website lists a September 2024 competition date for the $5.6-million project (PDF here), which will:

• Upgrade existing restrooms to code

• Upgrade Parks and maintenance and operations space

• Add first aid and lifeguard locker room spaces in the building

• Reconstruct interiors

• Clean and partially repoint exterior brick

In addition, the Tompkins Square mini pool will be out of commission for two consecutive summers.

This poorly scrawled circle shows roughly how much of the Park will be closed for the next 18 months ...

...the asphalt ballcourt will also be renovated early this summer (or so) ...

Inside Don Ceviche, opening soon on 1st Avenue

Photos by Stacie Joy

Last week we noted that the signage had arrived for the new outpost of Don Ceviche at 57 First Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street.

Since then, the quick-serve Peruvian restaurant has added its sidewalk awning (grandfathered in for the businesses at the address).

Meanwhile, owner Lenin Costas welcomed EVG contributor Stacie Joy inside for a sneak peek...

He says he hopes to open soon — waiting for paperwork ... this outpost will offer rotisserie chicken, all the ceviches and beer and wine.

The Laurels takes over for Bait & Hook on 2nd Avenue and 14th Street

Workers put up signage yesterday for the new establishment coming to the NW corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue — The Laurels. (Thanks to the reader for the photo!)

We haven't heard anything just yet about the business. The classified ad for kitchen help states that Dan Fleming ("as seen on Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Dishmantled") is the culinary director. "This is a fast-growing company that is looking to expand. We welcome all candidates to be part of something new and revolutionary happening in the East Village."

The Laurels takes over for Bait & Hook, which went dark at the start of the year after nearly 11 years in service, and without any notice to patrons.

Before Bait & Hook, the space was the Meatball Factory, then Hole Foods ... and before that! The Pizza Hut-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's combo, which vanished in 2010.

The former Mighty Quinn's space is for rent

Photos by Derek Berg

A for-rent sign arrived this past week at 103 Second Ave., where Mighty Quinn's recently closed here at Sixth Street.

Workers last week also removed the 6,000-pound smoker that the BBQ joint had installed when it opened more than 10 years ago...

This was the very first restaurant for the brand, which now has multiple corporate locations in the NYC metro area ... and ownership has been franchising, with outposts in New Jersey, Maryland and Florida... and in Dubai.

Ownership didn't provide a specific reason for the closure (April 10 was the last day), stating, "While we wish to have been able to just keep our first restaurant in the system forever, many realities have made that path impractical."

People into Mighty Quinn's can still have it delivered here via the Greenwich Avenue outpost.

Monday, May 8, 2023

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg

A Grace Jones lineup on Seventh Street at Second Avenue... I've seen that face before.

Updated: East Village Pizza removes its curbside dining structure

Photos by William Klayer

Workers this morning were removing the curbside dining structure on the Ninth Street side of East Village Pizza on the SW corner of First Avenue... the crew was hired by the pizzeria (this was not a city removal)...

Meanwhile, the status of outdoor dining is now in flux.

As Gothamist reported last week:

New York City is expected to set a limit on fees for restaurants seeking to participate in its yet-to-be-unveiled outdoor dining program, marking a significant victory for the restaurant industry.

The plan would place a cap on licensing fees as well as a structure for annual "consent fees," the amount that restaurant owners would need to pay to rent city streets, according to multiple people privy to the discussions. They asked not to be named because they are not authorized to discuss private negotiations.

Mayor Eric Adams has pledged to establish a permanent outdoor dining program, promising to address complaints about unsightly and noisy sheds that sprouted when the city allowed free use of the streets and sidewalks as an emergency measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Negotiations continue between the city and City Council. Per Gothamist: "Deciding whether roadway dining should run year-round as opposed to seasonally has been another closely watched debate."

Updated:

And after the structure was removed... like it was never there...

Updated 3:30 p.m.

Workers also removed the curbside dining structure at Beron Beron on the NE corner of 10th Street and First Avenue (thanks for Steven for this photo)...

Pour one out for the champagne of East Village storefront signs

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The days are numbered for one of the neighborhood's great signs featuring an unnecessary apostrophe.

On the NE corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street, the decades-spanning Nizga Liquors is under new ownership.

You may have noticed that workers spruced up the previously cluttered front window and interior — even removing that awkward turnstile at the entrance.

We're told that the new owners will start hosting wine tastings and other related events. (It looks like they will continue on with the sale of lottery tickets and more mini bottles than an airline.)

Nizga was always convenient, though, despite the "Discount" on the sign, the last-minute items we picked up on the way somewhere always seemed to be about $5 more than other local shops.

Then there is Fine Wine & Champagne's portion of the sign... which, through the years, perplexed copywriters and grammarians for the misuse of the apostrophe to indicate a plural...

Unfortunately, that sign will be coming down in the days ahead... and we understand that the tentative new name is LES Liquors.

We're also told that the sale of the shop, which saw the departure of the longtime manager, is also unrelated to the new landlords who bought the block-long residential building last fall for a reported $64 million.

At Ray's Candy Store, you can now pay for those beignets and deep-fried Oreos via Venmo

Photo by Peter Brownscombe

There's a new era here at Ray's Candy Store ... customers can now use Venmo to pay for purchases at the 49-year-old shop at 113 Avenue A near Seventh Street...

More details about the new home for Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse on the Lower East Side

Updated 5/17: Sammy's received the OK from Community Board 3.

As we first reported on April 27, NYC classic Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse is looking to reopen in a new location.

Next Monday, ownership will appear before CB3's SLA committee for a new liquor license for 191 Orchard St. between Houston and Stanton — space that has been vacant for nine years.

The questionnaire (PDF here) is now online at the CB3 website before that meeting.

According to the public document, Sammy's 2.0 would feature 58 tables for 118 guests. They're also looking for seating in the outdoor garden behind the restaurant.

The paperwork notes that there will be two seatings per evening .... and that an estimated 90% of the seating will be by reservation only. Other highlights: The sale of Sammy's merch (T-shirts are mentioned) and the entertainment will feature "a lounge singer on keyboard." (The application says they'll hire a sound engineer "for comprehensive sound mitigation.")

The proposed hours are Monday-Wednesday from 4-11 p.m., with a midnight close on Thursday and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The outdoor space would shut down at 10 p.m. all days.

Sammy's closed in early January 2021 after 45-plus years of serving up ice-encased vodka, smeared pitchers of schmaltz and enormous platters of meat from the lower level at 151 Chrystie St.

The restaurant had been shuttered since the PAUSE of March 2020, and this wasn't a business ready-made for delivery or outdoor dining.

In an Instagram post at the time, owner David Zimmerman left the door open for a return.

Signage alert: Village Works on St. Mark's Place

Village Works, the gallery, bookstore and artist space, continues to shape up at 12 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The new sign went up late last week.

And per an Instagram post on Friday: "Slowly making it happen at Village Works ... opening show happening soon!" While prepping for the grand opening this past month, Village Works has held a sidewalk sale every day.

The new space will also eventually feature a cafe. Read more about it via this EVG post from March 29.

Founder Joseph Sheridan was previously set up at 90 E. Third St., just west of First Avenue. However, he needed to find a new storefront after he lost the lease with a rent increase.

Gorin Ramen has closed on 14th Street

Gorin Ramen has shut down after three-plus years at 351 E. 14th St. just west of First Avenue.

However, Gorin fans can still travel to their Gotham West outpost on 11th Avenue for the Kitakata ramen.

There isn't any mention of this closure on Gorin's social media or website. Google lists them as "permanently closed" and someone removed the signage and menus from the restaurant's exterior fence.

The ramen shop opened here in January 2020 and only had three months of uninterrupted service before the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Openings: Offside Tavern on Avenue A

Signage arrived late last week for Offside Tavern, which opened in mid-April in time for the Stanley Cup playoffs here at 94 Avenue A.

As previously noted, this is a new iteration of Offside, which had a three-year run at 137 W. 14th St. until the pandemic-related PAUSE of March 2020.

During the NHL season, OT is a hockey bar — specifically for fans of the New York Islanders. (The Hurricanes knocked the Islanders out of the playoffs with a 2-1 OT loss on April 28.) The place made enough of an impression that when the Islanders opened UBS Arena in late 2021, the new venue included an Offside Tavern tribute bar located in Section 217.

August Laura had a brief run at the address, opening in October 2019 ... then a haphazard schedule during the pandemic before finally shutting down in December 2021. They took over the space at Sixth Street from what some people considered an East Village institution — Sidewalk, the restaurant bar and live music venue (home of the Antifolk Festival) that closed in February 2019 after 34 years.

Pini Milstein, who retired, was the principal owner of the building and the operator of Sidewalk. According to public records, Penn South Capital paid $9.6 million for the property in March 2019. The building's new owners added a one-floor extension here in 2020.

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg

A scene from a procession today for St. Martin de Porres on Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C via the Parish of Saint Brigid-Saint Emeric ...