Not Closing!

Last month we reported that Florence Prime Meat Market (5 Jones Street between West 4th and Bleecker Streets) had plans to close. As soon as the April issue of WestView News came out, we were bombarded with angry phone calls telling us that we had gotten it wrong. So this month, we are pleased to report that plans have changed. It is true that Benny Pizzuco, the owner, had decided not to renew the lease, and instead focus on the wholesale business which is based in Huntington, L.I. But Aristeo Quiñonez, the head butcher at Florence took over the business and negotiated a new lease with the landlord. He told me that Florence is now a family business: his two daughters and wife are also working at the shop. Quiñonez came to the US from Mexico in the mid-80’s. He was a teenager then, and worked at Florence making deliveries and cleaning the store. Over time he became the head butcher, a job he held for more than 25 years. Florence Prime Meat Market was founded by an Italian immigrant, Jack Ubaldi in 1936. Ubaldi sold it to a longtime employee, Tony Pelligrino in 1975. Pelligrino ran the shop for about twenty years and then sold it to Benny Pizzuco. In a way history is repeating itself since the shop is once again owned by both an immigrant and a longtime employee.

ARISTEO QUINONEZ, the new owner of Florence Prime Meat Market. Photo by Ede Rothaus.

Top Opening

Gourmet Garage – 99 Bank Street at Hudson Street

After Mrs. Green’s closed in December 2016 (it had opened in August 2015), the topic of who would be replacing them was hotly debated. The Villager reported that Westside Market would be taking over, but when I spoke to the manager at the 110th Street store, he told me that they were in negotiations, but that nothing had been finalized. Finally, in February 2020, word came that Gourmet Garage would be opening a location there. But like for many other businesses, the pandemic delayed things and people started to wonder if it would ever open. Now the opening date (April 29) has come and gone, and judging by the number of people who had contacted me to tell me, there was great excitement about the opening.

GOURMET GARAGE. Photo by Maggie Berkvist.

Also Open

AnnTremet Cakes (47 8th Avenue at West 4th Street) is a new shop offering remarkable cakes, most of which need to be ordered two days in advance. Some of the cakes have Asian influences/ingredients (such as Ube, a purple yam, Sakura flowers, etc.) but they also offer very elaborate buttercream cakes with pandas, moon and stars and Mickey and Minnie. The store replaces an ambitious Japanese restaurant, Shuraku, which closed during the pandemic. Mollusca (1 Little West 12th Street between Hudson Street and 9th Avenue) is a restaurant dedicated to seafood in general, with an emphasis on mussels. The chef was born in Savonna, Italy where he worked in his family’s restaurant from a young age. He has opened four Mollusca restaurants in Russia, with the original in Moscow. Blank Street Coffee (19 Eighth Avenue between 12th and Jane Streets) has opened a third location in the West Village. The other two are on 7th Avenue near West 13th Street, and Bleecker Street near 7th Avenue South. Mr. Z Famous Asian Cuisine (313 6th Avenue between Cornelia and Carmine Streets) has opened in the old Xi’an Famous Foods space. It is one of the more cheerful looking storefronts on the block. The menu features typical Chinese dishes, as well as some more unusual ones, like Beef Tripe, Chicken Feet and Crispy Durian Pie. There are also some pan-Asian offerings like Thai Fried Rice, Ramen, and Crispy Vietnamese Rolls. The owners immigrated to the US from China and worked in the restaurant business here from a young age. Intelligentsia Coffee New York Training (114 Christopher Street) is not a retail establishment—it is a kind of coffee lab for the brand’s wholesale partners. Eva Joan (22 8th Avenue at West 12th Street) is a store that does tailoring/mending, embellishment and embroidery. This is not a typical tailor: the vibe is edgy, and the results can be a little out there, but they are committed to helping you “make the garment of your dreams”. less&more Nail Lab (491 6th Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets) replaces Kim’s Vogue Nails. However, this shop touts their use of recyclable, non-toxic, cruelty-free products, sustainable packaging and reusable tools. During their soft opening they are offering 20% off services.

Closed

Silver Spoon NY (204 West 14th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues) abruptly shuttered. The “bar for foodies” had opened in February of this year, and was getting very positive feedback on its food. But without warning, two months later it was gone, and a real estate agent was showing the space to other clients. Even though they were not there very long, they will be missed. Also, this month the West Village lost two Chinese restaurants. Junzi Kitchen/Nice Day Chinese Takeout (190 Sullivan Street at Bleecker Street) opened in 2018 and was the result of work done at the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute by some students who wanted to open a fast casual Chinese restaurant which served authentic Northern Chinese food. During the pandemic business slowed, and the team, which also had plans to take over struggling restaurants serving Chinese-American food, decided to turn Junzi Kitchen into their vision of an updated Chinese-American eatery. They called the reformulated restaurant Nice Day Chinese Takeout and it opened in November of 2020. Now, Nice Day has closed, and out of the three restaurants they operated in NYC, only the one near Columbia University remains. With the high rents in New York City, their new plan is to open Chinese-American restaurants in the suburbs first, before eventually returning to the city. Clay Pot (270 Bleecker Street at Morton Street), a Chinese restaurant that served rice and toppings in heated clay pots has closed. The sister restaurant in the East Village is also gone.

Coming Soon

St. George Coffee (74 7th Avenue South at Barrow Street) will be a French boulangerie (bakery) and café. It is opening in the large triangular space that has housed many different restaurants over the years: Fava Bistro closed in 2019, and before that came Maison de Makoto, Duet, and Centro Vinoteca. Ferdi Restaurant (15 Seventh Avenue South between Leroy and Carmine Streets) has signage up. It will be a family-operated restaurant serving Italian fare. A new wine bar called Moon Flower will open at 201 West 11th Street (between Greenwich Avenue and Waverly Place) where another wine bar, Vin Sur Vingt, used to be (Vin Sur Vingt moved around the corner to a larger location on 7th Avenue). Shoppe Balloo NY, a children’s apparel store started by a West Village mom which also sells some women’s apparel and home goods is coming to 353 Bleecker Street (between Charles and West 10th Street). Next door at 355 Bleecker Street, Olfactory NYC, a fragrance store that allows you to develop your custom scent will take up residence. Now You’re Clean, a self-service dog wash spa is opening at 113 West 10th Street (between 6th and Greenwich Avenues). Their flagship location is in the East Village.

There is so much going on, we can always use your help. We love hearing from you, so please get in touch at: wvnewsinout@gmail.com

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