Another Kosher restaurant and a Brazilian crepe spot are on their way.
BaZnGa, a new Kosher bakery and cafe, is opening at 426 Amsterdam Avenue (80th-81st), the former home of Poulette. A Craigslist posting for positions says the place will be “a vegetarian, kosher, nut-free establishment also serving gluten-free and vegan options.” Rabbi Yisrael Mayer Steinberg gave them the Kosher certificate. Thanks to Terry for the tip and photos.
TAP NYC is opening at 267 Columbus Avenue (72nd and 73rd Street). It will serve tapioca crepes, a Brazilian delicacy. “Similar to a wrap, a Brazilian tapioca TAP can be enjoyed with a savory or sweet filling, perfect for any meal or snack during your day,” the company’s website says. It was founded by two Brazilian entrepreneurs who had worked in the finance industry: “TAP NYC is the result of their passion for Tapioca Crepes and their desire to share this flavor not only with Americans but also with the huge international community living in New York City, including the homesick Brazilians.” Thanks to Casey for the tip and photo.
And Paul sent in the photo above of the new restaurant set to open on 96th and West End Avenue. Looks like they’ve got a small kitchen in back — it’s a small space so it was initially difficult to envision how a restaurant might fit there. It’s expected to serve Mexican food.
They should consider putting up some vehicular barricades at this WEA & 96th corner. Drivers do stupid things in these parts. I can easily picture a car , heading west on 96th st being out of control smashing into this restaurant.
Otherwise, wish the proprietors well.
It’s not only the lack of barricades that potential can prove to be a problem, though I think since nothing has happened in that vain yet, there is probably a low chance it would. I think a bigger problem is what kind of traffic that restaurant will get being at this corner. I can’t see people on the East side of West End and further wanting to be bothered with having to cross this intersection. It’s a clusterf*ck and it always feels like the vehicular traffic have much longer signals than pedestrian traffic.
How does one pronounce BaZnGa?
And speaking of kosher certificates, is there anything special about those from Rabbi Yisrael Mayer Steinberg? I bet mine are cheaper and just as good 🙂
Actually Ethan, the vast majority of Orthodox Jews do not eat from any place certified by Rabbi Yisrael Mayer Steinberg. Just google his name and you will see forums that discuss this man and his certification and the problems it entails for some. Not for me however, I could care less.
I love you, Ethan, whoever you are. Just wait till UWS Hebrew reads this thread…
TAP NYC sounds like an interesting concept and I’ll definitely give it a try, though how many people are going to pass it by thinking it is a bar?
Hey @young_man , we will make sure people will see the fresh and natural Tapioca crepes , salads, juices and coffee drinks we will have there! Hope to see you Soon!
Tap nyc team
Ethan – I’m thinking Ba Zing A. Like the expression so popular on he Big Bang Theory.
And here I thought it was a jellyfish.
Tapioca crepe, had to look that one up as was thinking it was a pancake full of pudding.
https://www.grubstreet.com/2016/09/the-tapioca-crpe-is-new-yorks-next-greatbreakfast-trend.html
Hey B.B! The Tapioca Crepes have nothing to do with the pudding lol. Actually it is crispy outside and you can fill with your favorite ingredient! We will have a selection of savory and sweet types. Hope to see you soon at the store!
Tap nyc team
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Mmmmm vegan,, nut free, gluten free, kosher…how enticing is that!
vegan,, nut free, gluten free, kosher…
It’s easier to simply type “cardboard”
It’s not gluten-free. It serves gluten-free options. Why anyone would complain about that is beyond me.
all nonsense!
As a vegetarian, I’ll be much more likely to frequent this place than the former chicken spot. However, since they’re going to the trouble to be allergy-friendly to such a large number of people, I’m disappointed that they aren’t also soy-free. My brother has a severe soy allergy, and we’ve yet to find anywhere in the neighborhood that he can enjoy a dinner out. The city has a range of options for dairy-free, gluten-free, etc., but these places never seem to be soy-free. If anybody has restaurant suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
Steve, I would have totally agreed with you back in another life, but now I’m a parent of a child with Celiac disease. She gets sick even if her gluten-free food is slightly cross-contaminated with gluten. We can get around it in restaurants that truly understand it, but yes, we are those parents that are grilling the Chef about whether the GF pasta is boiled in the same pot that the regular pasta is. Unfortunately sometimes we need to experience something in order to have a full appreciation for it.
You remind me of Conservative Republicans (Dick Cheney, Illia Ros-Lehiten, etc.) that find out their kid is gay or trans and then they become a big advocate of that cause.
Maybe you should apply your own plea to yourself re: immigration, war on drugs, education, etc.
I know empathy can be hard for many on the right.
Paul, all fair points.
Thanks for the intelligent and reasonable response. I don’t disagree with much of what you said.
I’m a big law and order guy myself and also pro-development (in most cases) but I do consider myself a liberal on most social issues. Anyway, I’ve been here since the mid-80’s too and we are all neighbors and should all have each others backs.
In this case, I admit that I started it and was busting your chops (unnecessarily) a little with my initial comment. I guess I have a little repressed anger toward Republicans about what is going on these days with the Trump show going 24/7 and getting worse everyday.
GG,
I did vote for Trump with the hope for tax reform, fairer trade pacts, and a tougher stance on terror-sponsoring states. With regard to social issues, I wagered that as a New Yorker his rhetoric would wane once he took office, and that he wouldn’t kow-tow to the far-right religious fanatics which I believe has hijacked the GOP. And while I’m not a Hillary-Hater, I believe the Democrat Party has been hijacked by the far-left fanatics, who put idealism in front of sensibility. In the end I struggled, but I pulled the lever for Trump.
With regard to my own comment record, I often raise my voice in opposition to having too many homeless shelters and supportive housing units clustered in the West 90s. I believe having such an unfair share has contributed to the decline in our quality of life and put our safety at risk. Does that really make me insensitive to the plight of those in need? I have also spoken out against crime and in support of our police officers – does that really make me a racist? I am pro-development as I feel our neighborhood, which I have lived in for 30 years, is stagnating while others are thriving. Does that somehow make me non-community oriented?
Finally, where you see the changing of one’s opinion due to personal experiences as “hypocritical,” I see it simply as having the ability to be able to see a different side of things. When a criminal gets out of prison and turns his life around to help others avoid what he went through, would you also call him a hypocrite? Experiences are what make us grow – otherwise we are ALL stuck in our own quagmires.
Anyway, thanks for your comments on my daughter’s well-being. She and we are fine. There are many worse things than Celiac Disease that people have to go through in life.
With all due respect Paul, I have been reading your comments here for years. We are all well aware of your conservative, right wing leanings. Do you deny that or that you support President Knucklehead and his henchmen?
If so, then I must have confused you for someone else. If not, you really don’t see the hypocrisy in only supporting a cause once it personally affects you or yours.
Anyway, I hope the best for your daughter and urge everyone to be more sensitive to other people and their (legitimate) social, cultural, medical issues, regardless of politics.
GG, so you think once somebody has an opinion on something, that they can’t or shouldn’t adjust it based on circumstances, or just simply educating themselves? Have you never once changed your mind about something? You’re more hardline than the people that you’re using as examples. And next time, ask what my thoughts are on immigration, drugs, LBGT, education, etc. before you start hurling your whacked-out socio-political accusations at me, whom you know nothing about.
leave it to the internet to nitpick the minor exceptions to a general statement.
Yes there are people with specific nut allergies and there is celiac disease. However, this affects a small percentage of the population. I’m taking a swipe at the people who don’t have celiac disease and think gluten is a thing to avoid if you don’t have the disease, which it is not. These people are far more numerous than people with celiac disease. These are the people that the gluten -free trend is marketed toward and it is nonsense
Steve, I was responding to your two-word comment of “all nonsense!”. How would anybone be able to pick up your thoughts on silly trends vs. actual allergies from that? It’s hard enough to read somebody’s mind in person, never mind on a blog!
As someone whose daughter has a life-threatening nut allergy, this is not so much nonsense as it is a huge relief to have in the neighborhood. But thanks.
Speaking of kosher, the Pita Grill on Amsterdam btw 110 and 111 closed sometime recently. Don’t think I’ve seen it mentioned here.
Pita Grill switched to kosher around last September, and was closed Friday evenings for Sabbath . I got something to eat there sometime not long after the menu change — it was a gluey mess and I never went again.
that place served dog food before it switched to kosher, and continued serving dog food after it went kosher. I have never understood how it stayed in business for years.
Oh an another closure on Amsterdam that I’m not sure has been mentioned here:
Yasha Ramen at 106 has apparently given up all hope. They were closed for months due to ConEd messing around with the gas line in the building. (La Toulousaine has also been affected) But a couple weeks ago, I noticed that butcher paper had gone up in the windows, indicating that it was permanent.
Damn.
The menu is here
https://www.baznganyc.com/menu/.