1. Toloache coming to 9th Ave

    It looks like there’s already a new tenant lined up to take over the former home of Luna Sur. Notices have been posted on the window of the vacant store at 53rd & 9th with contact details for Toloache, a group of Mexican bistros. The application for the store will be heard at the community board meeting next week.

    The application notice on the store for the incoming Toloache

    Somewhat-​interestingly, the “for rent” signs are still up too, so it sounds like Toloache signing the lease is dependent on their approval at the CB meeting. The store was home to Luna Sur, who abruptly closed towards the end of August.

    The exterior of the closed Luna Sur at the end of August
    August 2013

    Toloache will be yet another Mexican spot joining those few blocks, with El Centro, Limon Jungle, Mi Nidito and more on the surrounding streets. Here’s their dinner menu from some of their other stores, for a preview of what you can look forward to, or just walk three streets down from this spot and across to 8th Ave to find another one of their locations.

  2. Suffolk County Police on W 53rd today

    This was surprising to stumble upon. A handful of Suffolk County police cars and four or so officers, each with a dog, were hanging around outside the entrance to the Dillon along W 53rd St this afternoon, just west of 9th Ave.

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    No word on what, if anything, was going down. Whatever it was it didn’t seem serious – they were all just standing idly or walking and playing with their dogs. Anyone heard anything?

  3. Renovations underway for Bar Nine

    It looks like change is underway at Bar Nine, with crews working inside today to gut the store. We’re not entirely sure if this is a renovation or a closure, so we’re going to assume the best.

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    Just last week we spotted the signs up for a big toga party they were hosting, so there’s been no indication they’d be closing any time soon.

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    Time will tell what’s in store for Bar Nine.

Tuesday, Oct 1st

  1. A makeover for Restaurant Row

    Restaurant Row can look forward to some TLC in the next few months, according to the Wall St Journal. New lit-​up kiosks will be installed at either end of the stretch of W 46th St, forming an entranceway of sorts to the strip between 8th and 9th Ave ends, in an effort to bring in some of the heavy foot traffic along the surrounding avenues and amplify the street’s individual identity.

    Here’s a rendering of what we’ve got to look forward to:

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    Source: W Architecture

    According to the article, the kiosks are intended to fit in with the atmosphere of the street rather than blind visitors, and are designed with a mix of retro and modern styles.

    The kiosks are just the first of many plans to improve the area. Another idea includes painting the Row’s name on some of the walls surrounding the parking lot halfway down the block, along with the tagline “Where the world comes to dine”. We’ll withhold judgement until we see it.

    The tenants of Restaurant Row have always been a very close-​knit group, coming together to help further the strip. Back in the late-80’s, they came together to enlist the red-​beret-​touting Guardian Angels to push back against the crack trade increase and general sketchyness on the street as the NY Times reported, which apparently worked out well.

    Read the full article for more about the kiosks plan. Be warned, it’s behind a paywall, so try clicking the first result here to get around it if you can’t get the article. There’s also an interesting and very detailed article about the Row on Untapped Cities, so give that a read too if you’re still itching for more.

  3. Not wasting any time at Turco II

    They’re not messing around with the incoming second outpost of Turco. We covered the new location last week, which had been sitting seemingly dormant for a few weeks, but it looks like whatever they were waiting for is over, and they’re getting straight in to the store fit out.

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    They’ll have to make the most of the small space in the old Verizon store:

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    In the mean time, you can get a taste (in every sense of the word) for what’s coming by checking out the original Turco at 43rd & 9th.

  4. Dodged that bullet: SantaCon skipping the neighborhood this year

    SantaCon, the event of the year that divides communities, is almost upon us. This year, however, Hell’s Kitchen will be skipped (spared?) by the hordes of Santas, as reported by DNAinfo, in response to countless complaints from residents after last year’s event.

    If you missed it, here’s an impressive yet frightening taste of the scene last year at Pier 84:

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    Source: Adam/​Flickr

    SantaCon has visited the neighborhood throughout the years it’s been running without too much public outcry, but last year started from Pier 84, so Hell’s Kitchen bore the brunt of the event, which lead to a significant amount of complaints, which brings us to this news.

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    Source: Lauren Cunningham/​Flickr

    Some people like the event, and a lot of people hate it, so it’s naturally a divisive topic, but at least for this year it’s looking like there won’t be too much to worry about. Of course, this is only an official policy that the area will be skipped – it’s still very likely that some of the Santas (that just sounds ridiculous) will break away and descend. Be warned.

Monday, Sep 30th

  1. Renderings for future 10th Ave tower up

    547 10th Ave

    Things are heating up at the future site of a new 40+ story residential tower joining the fray of similar projects in the area. Renderings have recently been published on the fence, and they are shiny:

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    The lot is at 41st & 10th, sitting next door to St Raphael’s Church, who developer Extell bought the rights for the development from last year for almost $16½ million (no big deal). Curbed covered the plans back in January.

    For future reference, here’s the site now. Try to imagine a wall of glass.

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    The plans have work scheduled to complete in June 2016, so don’t hold your breath.

    Update: Curbed linked us! Thanks guys. Also, the site photo was linked to the wrong photo. Apologies, it’s fixed now.

  2. Havana transition on 10th Ave

    We’re just on a roll today with these 10th Ave updates. Continuing that, the “Cuban diner” Casa Havana that used to be along 10th Ave has had its signage updated for the new incoming tenant, Havana Libre.

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    The former tenant, Casa Havana, used to be down in Chelsea some years ago, before closing up and ending up reopening here. Their new location unfortunately followed the same fate, which brings us to now.

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    Casa Havana back at the start of August

    Looking forward, the new location will be a Latin tapas bar, and it looks like they’ve decided to remove Casa Havana’s (this is just getting confusing) signature street-​facing deli window, and replaced it with the traditional folding doors. Won’t be long before you can get your tapas on.

  3. River Side Deli can’t catch a break: closed by health department

    River Side Deli, on the corner of 44th & 10th, has been closed for renovations for months now, with little sign of progress or life from the store.

    Now, as if the multiple months of closure already wasn’t bad enough, they’ve somehow managed to be closed by the health department…without even being open:

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    It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here, and how this closure will impact their renovation plans.

  4. Ñaño bar & restaurant construction watch

    691 10th Ave

    The new bar and restaurant opening up across from Hell’s Kitchen Park is coming along, and recently signage has been put up with the name. ñaño will bring Ecuadorian dishes and drinks to 10th Ave, between 47th & 48th.

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    Their website is up and has the full menu, complete with photos of each of the dishes. They’re also hiring, if you’re interested.

    The spot was formerly the home of Hell’s Kitchen Pizza, whose signature shutters always stood out:

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    Look forward to ñaño opening in the coming months.

Sunday, Sep 29th

  1. Totto Ramen 2 inbound, start lining up

    464 W 51st St

    For the past several months the windows have been covered of the empty store just east of 51st & 10th. As of this week, the new tenant has been revealed to be the second coming of Totto Ramen:

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    We’ve had our eye on this place for a number of months now, staring at this the whole time:

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    Mysterious!

    The new outpost is scheduled to open in the coming months, and if it’s anything like the original over on the other side of 9th Ave along W 52nd St, there’ll be crowds outside at all hours of the day. This, plus the other Totto Ramen, along with the new Ippudo a block west on the same street means these few blocks have basically turned into Ramen Central™.

Saturday, Sep 28th

  2. Lost cat, $500 reward

    Flyers have been up for the past week around 57th St for a lost cat:

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    If you’ve seen the cat, call 917−257−5698. There’s a $500 reward, so you know the cat means a lot to someone.