It’s sad to lose longstanding French favorite Casimir, on Avenue B, but local Francophiles needn’t fret because over the past two months Casimir’s owner, Mario Carta, has spent the last two months transforming the space into his new French tapas joint Pardon My French; he says Casimir had a good run of 16 years, and with his business partner Antonin Brune and a new chef he’s ready to introduce the East Village to what he says is a more fresh, modern concept. It opens Monday.
The Comfort on Grand Street (Photo: Nicole Disser)
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we could feel exactly zero of our extremities by the time we rolled up to the Comfort, a new diner on the Lower East Side, but something about this place was so… comfortable. Roomy old-school vinyl booths and a springy color scheme offer a seriously cushy respite from the brutal second coming of the Ice Age happening outside right now. Oh, and the Comfort, unlike its older sister restaurant the Comfort Diner (which has called what’s perhaps the least comfortable spot on the planet, Times Square, home for the last 20 years or so) has possibly the best cure for New Ice Age-related ecophobia: booze.
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(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
Pour some sangria out for La Paella. After 20 years on East 9th Street, the Spanish spot just got a Cuban makeover.
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It’s another case of boot camps replacing bohemia: physical therapy has replaced Fellini at both former locations of Kim’s Video on St. Marks Place.
On the corner of Second Avenue, Taiji Body Work just opened in the space that once housed the second location of Kim’s; on the other end of the block, Nimble Fitness has moved into the former home of Mondo Kim’s.
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(Lindsey Thornburg’s Facebook)
Looking to channel Blake Lively? Look no further. Womens’ apparel designer Lindsey Thornburg reopened last week at 21 Orchard Street after a rent hike forced her to move from her residence of two years, at 114 Stanton.
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“French tapas” may sound like a contradiction, but it’s the direction French cuisine is heading in, according to Antonin Brune. The waiter at East Village longtimer Casimir partnered up with Mario Carta, the bistro’s owner, about eight months ago and within the next couple of weeks, they’ll relaunch it as Pardon My French.
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(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
Over the weekend we noticed signage for Mi Garba up at 129 Fourth Ave., the former home of Dryden Gallery Space near Union Square. According to the Post, the company, which stocks European supermarkets with freshly prepared Tuscan foods, is planning a 10-table restaurant where clothing items and food and wine will also be for sale.
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(Photos courtesy La Contenta)
The East Village and Lower East Side have an abundance of nouveau Mexican restaurants. Some of them, like Empellón Cocina, are hits that spawn knockoffs like Empellon Al Pastor, and others not so much. Still, people keep opening these places.
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(Photo courtesy of Little Choc.)
Greenpoint got its first apothecary and juice bar back in October and now Williamsburg is getting one — with gluten-free crepes thrown in. Pourqoui pas?
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(Photos: Daniel Maurer)
While New Yorkers await Anthony Bourdain’s forthcoming food hall, another global-cuisine concept has sneaked onto the scene in Williamsburg. The owners of Greenwich Village Caribbean spot Negril Village quietly opened Streets last week.
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News that the incoming Williamsburg Hotel would feature a rooftop bar inside of a water tower really made a splash earlier this month. Now we’ve obtained renderings of the seven-story hotel that show it will offer an outdoor rooftop pool, a basement dance club, and a “stylish restaurant,” among other splashy amenities.
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Matthew Marcus (l) and Daniel Albrigo (r). (Photos: Ian Frisch)
Eight hours before the grand opening of Three Kings Studios, a bi-level art gallery at 754 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, owner Matthew Marcus locked its front door from the inside. He stood, back to the street, sending e-mails on his iPhone and corralling a small staff to help with last-minute preparations for the inaugural show yesterday evening, featuring Brooklyn-based artist Daniel Albrigo.
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