The theme this month seemed to be Italian restaurants, mostly of the kind making fresh pasta. A number of international imports also are making an appearance in the Village. We did not notice any new closings this month.
Open
West Village residents were sad when Aria (117 Perry Street between Hudson and Greenwich Streets), an Italian wine bar, closed in August 2020, another casualty of the pandemic (Aria has since re-opened at 14 Bedford Street between West Houston and Downing Streets). In its place comes Canto, another Italian spot with a menu populated by Italian classics including homemade pastas, a mostly Italian wine list and signature craft cocktails. The triangular space at 118 Greenwich Avenue (corner of West 13th Street) has just re-opened as Jack & Charlie’s No. 118. The owners have gone for a clubby vibe in both the food and décor. They inherited a wood-burning oven from the previous occupant of the space, Neapolitan pizzeria Rossopomodo, but are using it for dishes like roast chicken and bone-in duck meatloaf. Two Hands Seoul Fresh Corn Dogs has opened at 95 MacDougal Street (between Bleecker Street and Minetta Lane). This is the chain’s third NYC location, and their 40th or so US location. It’s also the second corn dog spot to open in the West Village (the first was Oh K-Dog at 70 7th Avenue South). In addition to the standard Korean corn dog (which actually has a rice coating), there is an American Classic Dog which is described as an “Old-fashioned state fair corndog” and more. The corn dogs are sold individually, as well as in a box of 3 (Two Hands Signature Set) or 5 (Mega-Star Set).
Re-Opened
Idlewild, the travel bookstore which also offered language classes closed early during the pandemic. They were located at 170 Seventh Avenue South (at the corner of Perry Street), and that storefront has remained empty. But a reader alerts us to their re-opening at 617 Hudson Street (between 12th and Jane Streets) in what had been a 4U Fitness personal training studio.
Coming Soon
Maestro Pasta will open at 102 MacDougal Street (near Bleecker Street). This restaurant has a roots in Parma, in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. The founder, Alessandro Morani, has worked with a team to build a patented pasta machine, producing traditional pasta in a non-traditional way. Maestro Pasta Lab, their first US location, opened in FiDi in 2018. They are also affiliated with a number of restaurants in Italy, including Osteria dei Servi in the center of Parma. In July 2019 we wrote about Pastificio G. Di Martino, a pasta bar that was poised to open in Chelsea Market. Over two years later, it looks like it will finally open as La Devozione. Pastificio Di Martino is a family-owned business that was established in Gragnano, Italy in 1912. The Chelsea Market location is the first in the US, and in addition to the pasta bar, there will be a shop selling over 100 shapes of pasta. A tiny new Indian eatery is opening at 176 Bleecker Street (between MacDougal and Sullivan Streets). Honest Indian Street Food traces their origin back to 1975, when they ran a street cart in Ahmedabad in western India. From there they expanded to Thailand, and are now coming to the US. There is signage up in the old Dirty Bird location (204 West 14th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues) for the Silver Spoon Café.
Other
With the end of the year approaching, Eater has been publishing some “best of” lists. In the sandwiches category, Tea and Sympathy (108 Greenwich Avenue, at Jane Street) scores with their cucumber and cream cheese sandwich (which comes with their excellent afternoon tea) and Faicco’s Italian Specialties (260 Bleecker Street, between Morton and Leroy Streets), a shop we profiled here in 2015, is cited for their Faicco’s Italian Special Hero (although personally I am a fan of their Chicken Parm hero). In the Vietnamese food category, Hello Saigon (180 Bleecker Street between MacDougal and Sullivan Streets) made the cut, although as far as I’m concerned, their wok-seared flank steak banh mi should have made the best sandwich list. A WestView News contributor alerted me to a post on Eytan Sugarman’s (current owner of the White Horse Tavern) Facebook page, where he offered a free pizza for Thanksgiving to those who were unable to afford a traditional Thanksgiving meal. At the beginning of the pandemic he gave out free pizza to front line workers and medical staff. When he took over the White Horse there were protests by Villagers who were convinced he would renovate the interior of the restaurant, but those fears turned out to be unfounded.
Please keep writing to us! It’s so much fun to hear from you, and with your help we can cover the openings and closings in our neighborhood more thoroughly. Drop us a line at wvnewsinout@gmail.com
