There’s finally some action in the old Georgia’s Cafe & Bakery space at 89th street and Broadway, which closed last year after a fire. A restaurant tentatively called Cibo e Vino is seeking a liquor license there. The LLC that owns Cibo e Vino, called Bukefal LLC,  is owned by Marjanne Motamedi, who once co-owned a West Village Italian restaurant called I Tre Merli Bistro. Thanks to Ken for the tip.

Boozy Australian brunch spot and bar The Sunburnt Calf on 79th street has closed, and will make way for new owners and a “brand new concept” after Memorial Day, the restaurant said on twitter. Thanks to Gavan for the tip.

A company called Treathouse that makes gourmet treats is planning to open this summer at 82nd and Amsterdam, the former home of Cardeology (which has moved). The company was apparently inspired by a very successful bake sale, according  to their about page.

Sol y Sombra on 82nd and Amsterdam closed temporarily and will reopen Tuesday under new ownership, with an expanded tapas and wine list. They’re also planning to add a rum bar, an employee told us. Thanks to Gavan and Rebecca for the tips.

John Fraser of Dovetail (77th off Columbus) is into mixed martial arts. Who knew? “When much-lauded chef John Fraser isn’t tending the pass at Dovetail, the acclaimed Upper West Side restaurant he opened in late 2007, he’s living a lifestyle that includes vegetable-forward eating and practicing Muay Thai, a form of Mixed Martial Arts known also as Thai boxing.,” the Village Voice reported.

Pinkberry is opening another location next month on 80th street and Amsterdam. Thanks to Angie for the tip.

Good Enough to Eat, the beloved longtime restaurant on Amsterdam between 83rd and 84th, was close to being forced to leave the neighborhood as its lease is set to end shortly and it wasn’t getting another one. But the restaurant just announced an exciting development: it will be moving to 85th street and Columbus Avenue, probably in mid-June.

Good Enough to Eat has been on the UWS since 1981, and at its current location since 1989. Its classic American food, including big turkey and meatloaf dinners and heaping brunches, have made it a local favorite. Owner Carrie Levin, however, has had an uneasy relationship with her landlord and her lease was set to end for good on June 30, she told us. She had said she might have to leave the neighborhood, and even asked the local Community Board for help in finding her a new space.

The new Good Enough to Eat will go into the space of AG Bistro, the restaurant that just replaced Nonna a few months ago, according to Good Enough to Eat’s Facebook page. An employee at AG Bistro confirmed they would be closing, and a spokesman for AG Bistro had no comment.

Penang, a Malaysian restaurant on 72nd street between Columbus and Broadway that has been on the Upper West Side for decades, just closed to make way for Legend Chinese restaurant.

Penang’s demise was unexpected (I just got take-out from there three days ago) and it’s a sad day for the neighborhood. Penang has served very good Malaysian food since at least the 1990′s; it used to be on 71st and Columbus in the space currently occupied by Cafe Tallulah. Penang always had a nice relaxed bar scene up front at the 72nd street location; everyone there seemed to be a local.

But a Legend manager we spoke to says that Legend intends to keep serving Penang dishes for the time being, and they are keeping the current chef. In the coming weeks, they’ll also be adding other Asian dishes from the Legend repertoire. Legend, which started in Chelsea, is known for authentic spicy Sichuan food. A few months ago, Legend Upper West opened at 258 West 109th street. Food writer Marisa Olsen reviewed the food for us here.

The space at the corner of 102nd street and Broadway has been on an unlucky streak: First, Mama Mexico closed about a year ago, and now its replacement Maria Bonita has folded — it “never caught on,” said our tipster David.

“We went a few times, most recently last weekend,” wrote Steve. “Food was decent, if a bit pricey, but the crowd was sparse. The place never seemed to draw the audience that jammed Mama Mexico.”

The place is still advertising a Cinco de Mayo bash on its website — alas, it never made it tot he 5th. The phone is out of service. Thanks to David, Sean and Steve for the tips and Sean for the photo.

Gotham Burger at 726 Amsterdam Avenue (between 95th and 96th), which we wrote about in March, is getting closer to opening. In fact, the owner now says it should open this month: “The food, including the namesake Gotham Burger, will mostly be the same, [owner Avi] Roth said, but the New York location will feel more like a sports bar, with a liquor license and TVs,” NJ.com reported.

“Roth, a former education consultant, has described his restaurant concept as a Kosher Shake Shack,” Patch reported.

Emerald Inn has already set up its signs at its new location on 72nd between Broadway and West End Avenue. The community board will vote on its liquor license application this month. Thanks to Chris for the tip and photo. It’s expected to open by June 1.

Despite a push by politicians to keep Food City on 94th street and Columbus Avenue open, the market has closed and one of the owners tells us there’s little chance that it will move or reopen. Food City is a lifeline for many middle-class, poor, and elderly residents in the neighborhood, and we’ve heard from many of them that they’re devastated that it won’t be there anymore.

Councilwoman Gale Brewer had said a few days ago that she was working on keeping the store open. LeFrak Organization owns the building, and has said that it wanted to work with the city to improve the space, but it’s plans were somewhat vague (backstory here). We’ve reached out to LeFrak and will update this post if we hear back.

Barbara, one of our frequent tipsters on this story, sent the following note today:

“This has an enormous effect on people who formerly shopped there. My friends and I have tried D’Agostino, where I never shopped before, because that is the closest, and on a level path. But differences in prices can be shocking. Ex: Green grapes 3.99 a pound, that are 1.29 on Broadway—and not the freshest.

Funky old Associated, about 98th/Amsterdam, would work except that it is a long way back, and much uphill, for heavy items like milk, canned goods, chicken. We have always done some selective shopping at Whole Foods and the beloved Mani Market, but neither will do for big basics shopping.

And this is in good weather. Imagine winter. You would think Lefrak and other owners would put their heads together and realize that a supermarket right there is a big draw for people renting or buying.”

As the store emptied out, a writer from Epicurious said she kept stopping by to see what was still available: “Recipe Starters” from Progresso apparently weren’t selling well. Also: “There were single bottles of bad sauces and single boxes of scary cookies and a few clusters of products overpriced even at 50 percent off.”

A new retail strip is being built on Columbus Avenue between 92nd and 93rd street, and the neighborhood is likely to get some new stores in the not-too-distant future.

Party City, a party and Halloween retailer, agreed to lease  a 13,000 square foot store in the new development two years ago, although it was expected to open in 2012. The majority of the store is going to be underground. It’s unclear what other stores will go into the development, which is at the base of 100 West 93rd street, a luxury condo building.

It doesn’t sound like the rest of the space has been rented yet, A few weeks ago, realtors listed 23,000 square feet of space in the development, the same amount that was available as of 2011.

“Party City is a great anchor for the new retail development at 670 Columbus Avenue,” says Josh Siegel, president of Starrett Development, in a press release sent out in 2011. “and we are excited to find additional strong retailers that will be an asset for the surrounding community for the remaining spaces.”

Two local supermarkets are on the brink of closing, and some people are mad as hell. But is there anything that can be done about it?

At Food Emporium on 68th and Broadway, the end is approaching quickly (May 4), and the store is now offering up to 80% off on certain items. But liquidation sales can be tricky, and we’ve already heard from a reader that the “discounts” don’t really seem like deals. Liquidation sales often take advantage of our desire for deals, even as the prices are not much lower than normal, as ABC News found out a few years ago.

At Food City on 94th and Columbus, the outlook is murkier. The market still plans to close at the end of this month, but there’s been growing political pressure on The Lefrak Organization, the owner of the building, to sign a new lease. Food City is the go-to supermarket for many elderly and low-income residents in the area. A rep for LeFrak sent us a statement earlier today (we had been attempting to get a response from them for the past few weeks). The statement reads:

“Food City has been our tenant at 705 Columbus Avenue for many years and has not been asked to leave.  We have been in conversations with the City on plans to improve the physical and retail facilities at this location.  The existing 50 year old facilities are outmoded and in nearly irreparable condition.  We have no plans for condominium development or other residential uses, nor have we increased Food City’s rent since 2005.  We await further feedback from the City on how we can work together to transform this important retail property into a vibrant asset that will serve this community for decades to come. Until that time, we cannot make multi-year commitments with our tenants.”

We asked the LeFrak rep if that means that Food City doesn’t have to leave, and why then would Food City be getting ready to close. The response was unclear: “Food City is under a month-to-month lease.  Our statement speaks for itself, and, as regards your last question, we do not speak for Food City.”

Food City apparently hasn’t had a long-term lease since 2004.

We’ve reached out to Gale Brewer’s office to find out the implications of the statement and what the city can do in this case. We’ll update this post if we hear back.

Food City’s owners certainly seem to think they’re being evicted, as you can see in the interview below between Food City owner Adam Katz and City Council candidate Ken Biberaj.

There’s been more turnover among small businesses on the Upper West Side, including a store closing on Columbus Avenue that has been around for nearly two decades.

Brief Encounters, a lingerie store on the corner of 71st and Columbus, is closing after 18 years with a going-out-of-business sale. A sign on the window says “Retiring. Thank You for 18 Wonderful Years!”

There is paper over the windows at Space NK Apothecary, a cosmetics and skincare product store on Columbus between 69th and 70th, and the interior has been gutted.

Avventura, the glass store on Amsterdam between 82nd and 83rd, plans to close in the next few weeks “for a number of reasons,” an employee told us. According to a fan on Yelp, the store has been around for more than 20 years.

The 79th Street Pharmacy opened earlier this year on 79th between Broadway and Amsterdam. Despite the proliferation of big box pharmacies throughout the neighborhood, owners Keith Lewis and Larry Hoss are counting on strong service to keep locals coming back. They plan to work with local schools and hold healthy living seminars for seniors. There’s a Duane Reade just down the block on Amsterdam. Which one will you go to?

A new hair salon called Blow Out opened at 908 Amsterdam Avenue between 104th and 105th.

Thanks to Jaime, John, Jan, Michael, and Shari for the tips. Do you ever think to yourself I need to tell West Side Rag about this? Do it! Email info@westsiderag dot com.

Food City, the market on the corner of 94th street and Columbus Avenue that has been around for 44 years, is expected to close by the end of the month. But there’s been a flurry of activity in recent days, with politicians staging a rally on Sunday and writing letters to try to keep it open. The owner of the building, LeFrak Organization, hasn’t responded to our inquiries, and we hear that the shelves in the market continue to empty. There’s little indication that the market’s closure has been stalled. One of our tipsters writes: “I was at Food City a few minutes ago, and a long-time employee said firmly that they are closing at the end of the month. The shelves are indeed emptying fast.”

According to Councilwoman Gale Brewer, the property sits in a former urban renewal district and it can only be modified with approval from the city planning department. It doesn’t sound like a massive tower can be built there, at least not easily. “This zoning allows individual property owners within the WSURA to make an application to modify the ground floor and second level of the building for commercial and community facility space. In 2012, Community Board 7 was notified that the LeFrak Organization was exploring the possibility of redeveloping the space at 705 Columbus for additional commercial retail space. To date, no plans have been officially submitted to the City Planning Commission.”

How much can politicians do to “save” a market when it sits on privately owned land? Brewer says “This situation, of a large landlord with no community ties buying a property and then driving out a decades-old neighborhood institution, is not the right way to do business or make friends on the Upper West Side.” Oh, if only all the landlords on the Upper West Side would think more about making friends than making money! Then my rent would be $800.

Let us know what you think in the comments below. And read a release from the rally below:

Today, Council Member Gale A. Brewer joined members of Local 338 Retail Wholesale Department Store Union and United Food and Commercial Workers (RWDSU-UFCW) along with hundreds of neighbors to support Food City, 705 Columbus Avenue, Manhattan, a grocery store with over 40 years of doing business on the upper West Side. Food City has not been given a lease by the owner of the building since 2004 and may be forced to close as a result.

Food City is a family owned business of three generations, founded in 1953 by Robert Katz and partners. The first Food City market opened on Broadway and branched out, at one point including fourteen stores located throughout the city. The Food City on 70 West 95 Street/705 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10025 opened in 1969 and has since been an important place for the upper West Side community, offering quality products and reasonable prices to the local neighborhood. Food City has been a union shop since 1953, being part of Local 338 for groceries and Local 342 for meat products. It is currently home to about 45 loyal union employees, and an integral part of this neighborhood.

Aside from being a trusted place for people to do their daily shopping, Food City has also been an active part of this community and annual supporter of Goddard Riverside Community Center’s softball league. In the 2012-2013 Age-Friendly Grocery Guide produced by Council Member Gale Brewer’s office, Food City and its workers were featured as embodying the best practices of local businesses in addressing the needs of older adults, providing the option to shop by phone and a delivery service. Their produce, meat, fish and prepared goods are available in single portions. Their aisles are accessible, as are their publicly available restrooms. That is why, especially for the seniors in this area, Food City represents a store that cannot be matched by any other market in the vicinity when it comes to prices, range of products, and services provided.

Unfortunately, for eight years, Food City has not been offered a long term lease from the building owner, the LeFrak Organization. Without a guarantee of a long term lease, Food City cannot invest in the renovations necessary to continue to stay open and competitive. The site where Food City is located, 705 Columbus Avenue, is part of the now expired 1962 West Side Urban Renewal Area (WSURA) and falls under the jurisdiction of a 2008 City Planning text amendment. This zoning allows individual property owners within the WSURA to make an application to modify the ground floor and second level of the building for commercial and community facility space. In 2012, Community Board 7 was notified that the LeFrak Organization was exploring the possibility of redeveloping the space at 705 Columbus for additional commercial retail space. To date, no plans have been officially submitted to the City Planning Commission.

“The Lefrak organization should be proud to have a store such as Food City on their property,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. “Food City is the principal food supplier to the residents of Lefrak’s adjacent apartment house, and to thousands of other local residents like me. It is not just another disposable commodity, but a safe, trusted neighbor where customers are treated like family.” Brewer added, “This situation, of a large landlord with no community ties buying a property and then driving out a decades-old neighborhood institution, is not the right way to do business or make friends on the Upper West Side. An enlightened landlord like Lefrak should be committed to keeping this key resource open, and to preserving the values of the community where it wants to put down roots.”

New York State Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell stated “Food City is an important neighborhood institution that provides essential services to our neighborhood, especially to the many seniors who live nearby. I am proud to stand with many members of our community in calling for the landlord to allow the store to remain open. We need more upstanding companies like Food City in our area, and for it to be forced to leave is a travesty.”

“I am at a loss for words” said Barbara Berger, the owner of the Food City “Food City is more then just a business, it is a three generation family business, and we have always worked as a family that includes our employees and customers. This place lasted for three generations and has always been a part of my life. It is truly an end of an era.”

“For over four decades, Local 338 has represented the workers of Food City – Columbus Ave. It’s a tragedy that the Landlord for the property has refused to give this community grocery store a lease that would allow them to continue to serve the residents of the Upper West Side,” said John R. Durso, President, Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW. “Our members are more than just workers in a store, they are part of this community.  They are your neighbors, your friends and although you may not realize it, they are part of your daily lives.  Some of our members in this store have worked here for than 30 years and, at the end of this month, they and their families will face an uncertain future. Both the residents of the Upper West Side and the men and women who work here each day to serve the community deserve better!   They deserve to keep a great community grocery store like Food City.  I join Council member Brewer and the other elected officials gathered here today in calling upon the landlord to work with Food City to reach an agreement for a new long term lease that will secure their ability to continue serving this great community.”

“It’s hard to believe that in this community which is still largely home to working families and retired elderly, we are threatened with the loss of yet another accessible source of affordable food and fresh produce,” said Nick Prigo, local Democratic District Leader from Community Free Democrats. “We ask the LeFrak Organization to be the best of good neighbors by offering a reasonable, long-term lease to Food City so that it can update its equipment and services to our community.”

Community Board 7 Chair Mark Diller noted that “Sustainable communities must provide options close to home to purchase healthy food at a variety of price points.  Eating healthily should be available to all, and the loss of a traditional and beloved supermarket such as Food City is a serious concern.  Community Board 7′s Core Principles recognize the vital role of supporting and celebrating all forms of diversity, including economic and social diversity, as part of building a sustainable future for everyone, and losing Food City is a major step backward from that goal.”

Stephan Russo, the Executive Director of the Goddard Riverside Community Center also expressed his regret upon hearing about the closing of Food City. “Food City has been a terrific community partner; they sponsored a softball team for children in the neighborhood. We purchased the food from them on many occasions and it will be a shame to lose such a valuable resource.”

Hannah S. Hess, the Vice President of the Stryckers Bay Apartments Board of Directors, also expressed her disappointment about the situation. “Food City is the only existing supermarket with a five to seven block area. The other supermarkets are upscale, catering to the new, upper-income residents in the area.  For the elderly and physically challenged, the loss of Food City would be a real problem.  For the lower income residents of the area, neither D’Agostino’s nor Whole Foods have the kinds of prices that allow them to maintain a reasonable budget. I am distressed that the Lefrak Organization is not renewing the lease of Food City.”

“Food City’s closing after 44 years will be a very sad day for our neighborhood. For many years they were the only market serving our immediate area. Food City has especially been a blessing for the elderly and infirm, providing patient and friendly service from their long-term devoted employees. This is another unfortunate example of how money in New York City is taking precedence over community,” said Jim Victorine, resident of the 95 West 95 Street.

Photo via Nick Prigo.

City Councilwoman Gale Brewer is calling on the owner of the land under Food City, the supermarket on 94th street and Columbus Avenue, to offer the market a new lease and save it from closing at the end of the month.

Real estate company The LeFrak Organization apparently owns the land, and Brewer says that the organization chose not to renew Food City’s lease. Deeds filed with the city do show that a company at the same address as LeFrak owns the land, but we didn’t hear back from the LeFrak Organization’s spokesman to confirm.

Update: Brewer has announced a rally to save Food City on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Brewer says Food City should be saved because it’s an important market for local seniors, and some locals have told us that it served a lower-middle-class clientele that doesn’t have other options (some of our commenters disagree with that assessment). We have also heard from several neighbors that Food City is likely to be replaced by a large new residential development.

LeFrak, Richard 2013-4-4 Food City – FINAL by westsiderag