The Day | Bungled Burglary at Il Bagatto

Tree, Union SquareScott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

Add another one to the more than 80 crimes we brought word of yesterday: The Post reports that two men were caught sneaking into Il Bagatto on East Second Street on Feb. 13 and one of the perps admits to having broken into Spice Cove and Landmark Vintage Bicycles.

Real Deal notes that Ashkenazy Acquisition has ramped up its marketing efforts to sell 235 East 14th Street for an asking price of $14.5 million. According to the item, the building got an IHOP because Ben Ashkenazy is a managing member of Trihop, which owns IHOP franchise rights in the tri-state area.

The Wall Street Journal notes that the bi-annual Antifolk Festival will be at Sidewalk Cafe from Feb. 22 to Feb. 26. American Songwriter also sits down with booker Ben Krieger, who confesses he misses a couple of things about the old Sidewalk: “There was this smokin’ hot Southern waitress that used to work the back room on Mondays. I miss her. And I’ll never forgive [management] for killing the salmon burger.”

Apparently the MTA’s plan to remove trash bins from the Eighth Street subway station was actually a success. The Daily News reports that “cleaners have been bagging less trash from platforms and tracks at the two stops — Eighth St. on the N and R lines in Manhattan, and Main St. on the No. 7 line in Flushing, Queens, transit officials said.”

Ellen Anistratov, who owns Yonah Schimmel with her father, tells the Lo-Down that the legendary knishery is losing business owing to construction on Houston Street. “The city has cut off our oxygen… I have no money to pay my workers. It’s really bad,” says Ms. Anistratov, noting that customers can no longer park in front of the shop to pick up orders.

Grub Street has more details on Boukies, the Greek restaurant that Christos Valtzoglou is opening in the former Heartbreak space: “The super-Grecian meze restaurant has enlisted Diane Kochilas as consulting chef, along with Stefan Sanders as chef de cuisine. The restaurant will open in March, featuring Athens-like taverna classics such as eggplant “dolmas” with spiced ground meat and feta-filo flutes with Greek honey.”

A tweet from Five Napkin Burger indicates that it opened its location at 14th Street and Third Avenue last night.

According to Capital New York, Nublu was packed on Thursday night as Phenomenal Handclap Band made a homecoming performance.