Stephen Rex Brown

Stephen Rex Brown

A new pizza joint opened at 23 Third Avenue today, right around the corner from where 2 Bros. started experimenting with $1.50 slices last week.

St. Marks Pizza is slinging pies in the former home of Tahini. Earlier this year chef Michael Huynh told Eater that he planned to open a restaurant serving cheese steaks in the space, though that idea apparently went nowhere. (Elsewhere in Mr. Huynh’s universe, Eater breaks news that BaoBQ has officially closed on First Avenue.)

Now, St. Marks Pizza is serving fairly standard fare. Several signs trumpet “Little Italy Pizza” (right here in the East Village!) A slice goes for $2.75. Read more…

Jamie Larson Bookshop owners Terrence McCoy and Bob
Contant.

The constantly-embattled St. Mark’s Bookshop surpassed its goal of $23,000 today, though that doesn’t mean the beloved store’s survival is certain.

“This first big chunk at least guarantees that we will keep fighting because you have shown everyone that there is a reason to,” the owners wrote in a thank you note posted online.

Currently, the store has raised over $24,000 and still has three days of fundraising left.

But in a phone conversation co-owner Terrence McCoy said many hurdles remained. For one, the store’s shelves are disconcertingly empty due to the fact that some publishers have stopped shipping new books due to unpaid bills. The owners are seeking investors who could fund the new storefront, but thus far, any potential backers have favored the existing location, Mr. McCoy said.

“I can’t say that we’re going to instantly move,” he added. Read more…

For once, the police and crusties can agree on something. The pit bull shot yesterday on 14th Street in front of dozens of horrified onlookers had it coming.

Brandon Verna, a homeless man acquainted with the owner of the dog, identified by police as Lech Stankiewicz, said that the pit bull has a reputation for being overly protective of her master.

“Most of us figured out that when he’s passed out, whether he’s overdosing or not, leave him alone,” Mr. Verna said. “If he’s going to die, call an ambulance and have them deal with it because no one wants to get bitten.” Read more…

Back in June, Paul Gerard, the chef who took over the short-lived Zi’Pep space on Ninth Street, told us he would open Exchange Alley with Billy Gilroy, a partner in West Village hotspot Employees Only. So what does “New York with a New Orleans flair” look like? Watch our video of yesterday’s opening night festivities to find out.

Yesterday Mr. Gerard, who was a chef in New Orleans before most recently serving as chef of Soho House, said he would be preparing a frequently changing menu using, in part, ingredients from a backyard garden that he hoped would be used by local schoolchildren. “Some days I’m enamored with pasta, other days I’m enamored with tomatoes,” he said. “By the time the tomato season is just about over, I’ll be enamored with root vegetables and game.” The bar, backed by mirror-finished stainless steel, will serve beer-and-wine cocktails till 2 a.m. on weekends.

The walls are decorated with photos of some of Mr. Gerard’s creative inspirations, including downtowners like Lou Reed and Miguel Piñero. The chef is hoping to tap into the new make-up of the neighborhood, which has changed a lot since his younger days living in Alphabet City. Read more…

New York Police Department The suspect.

A man followed a woman into 116 Avenue C on August 11 and punched her in the face several times before snatching her purse, the police said.

The man, thought to be in his late 20s, made his move at 11:45 p.m. in the building near East Eighth Street. As the 28-year-old victim began to go up the stairs the suspect threw her to the ground, punched her and ran out of the building.

Melvin Felix Officers loaded a dog kennel into the trunk of a
police car as friends of the
owner of the dead pitbull looked on.

A police officer shot a pitbull that was apparently trying to defend its passed-out owner on 14th Street at around 4:15 p.m., horrifying passersby who watched the wounded mutt suffer a slow death.

A man who identified himself as Steve-o, who was lingering at the scene near Second Avenue said he was a friend of the passed-out man, known as Pollock. The dog, according to Steve-o, was named Star.

Another witness, Roland Bueler, said the dog was protecting his master as a police officer tried unsuccessfully to rouse him while an ambulance awaited. “People who live in the neighborhood say he’s along here all the time,” Mr. Bueler said of Pollock. “He had a dog that was, I think, a pitbull mix. And the dog was defending the guy so no one could approach him.” Read more…

Daniel Maurer

The weekends are always pandemonium in the East Village, but it’s rarely the older hippies causing a scene.

And yet on the corner of First Avenue and Second Street last Friday around 8:20 p.m., a gray-haired man wearing a tucked-in tie-dye shirt – and, oddly enough, a Yankees cap – was vehemently stomping the back wheel of someone’s bicycle.

“Hey, don’t do that!” a bystander cried out limply. But the bike basher was already heading across First Avenue for a bite to eat.

Minutes later, he was back to where the bike was chained up, kicking it a couple more times for good measure before storming off with his takeout bag.

Before we could confront the man, he ducked into an apartment building on Second Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. That’s when we popped off the photo you see here.

Meanwhile, back at the scene of the trouncing, a woman accompanied by a pair of dogs was taking photos of her own. Lo and behold: it was Grace Weaver, the “Singing Vegan Lady” who was profiled by DNA Info just last week. Maybe she was documenting the effects of meat rage? Actually, no: it turned out the bicycle was hers, and the man who had assaulted it was her roommate. Read more…

Introducing a new column in which we get to know the strangers who are yelling under our windows, making out on our stoops, and keeping the dream alive every Friday and Saturday night. They’re the Weekend Warriors.

Alexandra Reali

We met this foursome in the middle of Ninth Street and First Avenue on a recent Saturday night. Dana is from Syracuse, N.Y., Andy lives in Brooklyn, and Arezu and Yasmin were visiting from Montreal. They came to the East Village after a night out in Williamsburg, looking for a bite.

Yasmin: We were here earlier today! I’m actually not too familiar with the neighborhood; we’ve only been here during the day. Now it’s very quiet.

Andy: I like Tompkins Square Park, I like St Marks. They have shows there in the summer, the old punk scene.

Dana: West Village is nicer. I like the roads in this neighborhood.

Arezu: I think there’s more to do at night, actually, in Montreal. Places stay open later and there’s more people on the streets. I find there’s peak hours here. And then it kind of dies – like it fluctuates. In Montreal it’s a steady flow, and different types of people. There are places in Montreal that are very diversified. This particular neighborhood I think is one social group.

Andy: Everyone’s in Brooklyn now, and you gotta move.

Arezu: We were just in Brooklyn, actually. The only reason we left Brooklyn is because I’m staying here. But we would have stayed. Read more…

Sarah Darville Remodeling today.

Here’s one more late-August bar opening: The Beagle on Avenue A will reopen its doors in two weeks with a new look and a focus on the cocktails that Jim Meehan of PDT likes so much.

The Beagle’s cream-colored walls and tables have been replaced with dark blue paint, new blue glass doors, and booth seats. Its owners Matt Piacentini and Dan Greenbaum said their goal is to create a “cocktail den,” moving the space away from its previous status as half-bar, half-restaurant.

“We’re going for that intimate, cozy feel,” he said. “Making it somewhere where it’s a little more fun and easy to hang out.”

Mr. Piacentini said a new menu of cocktails and charcuterie would be “more approachable” but that the specifics were still in the works. One thing is certain: “There will be a lot of sherry,” he said.

Molecule really made a splash last month, opening to a veritable wave of publicity: the “water cafe” got several write-ups, and news of $2.50 to-go glasses of filtered water even crossed the pond. But while the owners touted their $25,000 filtering machine and their “fountain of youth” and “body repair” supplements, there was no shortage of wet blankets: here at The Local, a commenter, Courtney, called the place “one of the most offensive things I’ve heard recently” and implored: “Can we as a neighborhood agree to stay far away from it so that they go away?”

So, is anybody – other than intrepid reporters, of course – actually going to Molecule? Turns out, they are. During a recent afternoon, about eight people trickled into the store over the course of two hours. Okay, not exactly a flood of customers, but they came from Brooklyn, the Bronx, and (sorry, Courtney) right here in the East Village – and some were back for seconds. Maybe the store won’t be a one-sip wonder? Maybe this concept really will hold water?

Watch our video to hear customers shower the place with praise and tell us what you think: are they just drinking the Kool Aid?

Sunda Croonquist A photo taken by Ms. Croonquist before her arrest.

She was only trying to take pictures of the rowdy crowds that congregate every weekend mere steps from her apartment. Then, she ended up in handcuffs.

A 51-year-old standup comedian was arrested on Friday night after trying to take pictures of a woman on a stretcher outside of nightlife hotspot Solas.

Sunda Croonquist, who lives a few doors away from the club, had just returned with her husband and two kids from a party in New Jersey when they came upon a crowd spilling into the street around 1:40 a.m. Gawkers were eyeing an intoxicated woman on a stretcher.

Outraged by the behavior of the crowd of revelers, Ms. Croonquist began to take pictures. “The crowd was laughing at my 9-year-old daughter who was having trouble walking through a crowd of over 80 people congregating on the sidewalk,” wrote Ms. Croonquist’s husband, Mark H. Zafrin in an e-mail. “My wife was mostly in Los Angeles this year and was shocked by the weekend mayhem. It became acutely personal when my daughters (a) had to see a young girl laying in her own vomit on the street (b) had to navigate through a huge crowd on their own sidewalk.”

Police didn’t take kindly to Ms. Croonquist standing in the street and snapping photos. A police spokesman said that she was told to return to the sidewalk, refused, and was then escorted to the sidewalk. She then returned to the street and ended up in a confrontation with Sergeant Timothy Brown. She faced off chest-to-chest with the sergeant, who told her to step back — an order she ignored, the spokesman said. Ms. Croonquist was then put under arrest, and according to a criminal complaint, flailed her arms and kicked her legs while being handcuffed. She faces charges of obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest and harassment.

But Ms. Croonquist’s husband has a different version of events. Read more…

Blackbird, the bar that was set to fill the former Lakeside Lounge space next week, will be opening a little earlier than expected, according to Maria Devitt, the longtime CBGBs bartender who’s a managing partner. The one and only Jonathan Toubin, of the popular “New York Night Train” parties, will spin sounds from the 60s on Sunday.

As previously mentioned, the new bar won’t have live music. If that’s got you bummed, check out footage that hit Vimeo yesterday, of Jim Keller – best known for scoring a hit, “867-5309/Jenny,” with the band Tommy Tutone – performing his own song, “Soul Candy,” during Lakeside’s final days.

An East Villager’s surveillance camera caught a gloved burglar snooping around inside his apartment on August 6.

The police said that the burglar entered the abode at 516 East 11th Street at 3:35 p.m. and stole “some personal items.”

A police spokesman did not have further information on what type of video camera captured the suspect, or what valuables he swiped. But the camera sure did get a good look at him.

Stephen Rex Brown Medics tend to the cyclist.

A cyclist was hit by a cab after running a red light at East Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue shortly after 6:30 p.m., witnesses said.

The cyclist was traveling west-bound on East Ninth Street, went through a red light and then managed to avoid one cab before being nailed by a second, Katarina Kojic said. “Luckily, I don’t think he hit his head,” she said.

The victim was treated by Fire Department medics and put in an ambulance.

“He came across. There was too much traffic, I didn’t see him,” said the cabbie, Hardyale Singh. “I hit the bike, not him. It wasn’t my fault.”

This is the second accident at that intersection that The Local has recently stumbled upon. In June a pregnant cyclist was hit by a cabbie at the very same spot. Read more…

Sarah Darville Construction at 58 Avenue B.

A market and deli is coming to the space where vegetarian standby Kate’s Joint closed in April.

Marcelino Castillo, a manager at Gracefully, told The Local that his store at 58 Avenue B will be called Vella Market and will sell organic fruits, vegetables, and juices, as well as a full deli menu with sandwiches. It should open by October.

“It’s going to be all-natural,” Mr. Castillo said, indicating that Vella will be similar to the Gracefully store on Avenue A, between Second and Third Streets, and its sister location adjacent Stuyvesant Town. Read more…

In light of this week’s news that Big City Records will close, it seems especially important to appreciate the East Village’s record stores. In the latest installment of What’s That You’re Playing?, Michael Stasiak tells us what’s on the system at Other Music.

Dan Glass Kirk-Jones Quintet at University of the Streets

The boycott of University of the Streets is over, a group of musicians announced in a statement posted by Brooklyn Vegan today. But it’s not necessarily back to business as usual for the jazz venue: its director, Saadia Salahuddeen, said it would likely head in a new musical direction in the coming months to help pay the bills.

“I’ve always supported the musicians that can’t get paying gigs, who are more improvisational, experimental, and given them a place to play,” Ms. Salahuddeen told The Local. Moving forward, she said, “We will service another community of musicians, change our focus to another group that needs attention.”

That shift is a result of ongoing financial pressures on the nonprofit performance space and a result of the negotiations between University and a coalition of musicians represented by the Local 802 union. As part of the agreement that brought the boycott to a close, the venue will end its “pay-to-play” policy, which required bands to pay a fee if too few paying customers came to see their show. Read more…

Mohammed Rahman, the Bangladeshi man clocked in the face and threatened by a pair of troublemakers, was back at work today at Astor Place serving lamb gyros, chicken over rice and the like. So, did the police get that guy who threw the punch? “It’s foolishness,” Mr. Rahman said. “I told the police, ‘He’s right there!’ One block away. They’re slow. They said call 911 if he comes back.” Since the incident on Thursday, which was followed by a threat to burn his food cart to the ground, Mr. Rahman has seen his attacker around. Fortunately, it seemed the man had cooled off.

“I want to smoke food, cure food, and be in a place where I can do whatever I want,” said chef Will Horowitz, whose new eclectic barbecue joint Ducks Eatery will officially open early next month.

Judging by the limited menu (the restaurant is still in soft opening mode) and smoky, spicy cocktails, Mr. Horowitz is indeed having fun. A spicy beef jerky is made with squid sauce; cherrystone clams are served with smoked ham, kaffir granita, currants, and cilantro; crispy pig ears come in a lettuce wrap. The spicy trail mix includes bacon and Cocoa Krispies.

The star of the show, of course, is the smoked brisket with apricot and fish sauce.

Mr. Horowitz plans to continue changing up the menu, and mentioned goat feet curry soup and yakamein, a New Orleans noodle soup.
Read more…