Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Next week (April 8 to April 12), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building as well as roof work. We will be work on the new sidewalks around the building as well and plan on completing the 14th street side by the end of the week.

The following week (April 15 to April 19), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors and roofs as well as sidewalk work. Additionally we plan to begin removing the sidewalk shed along 5th ave.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, April 6th for interior, superstructure, sidewalk, and hoist removal related activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.

Union Square just got a little more mysterious. Hidden beneath Mission Ceviche’s massive flagship restaurant, Sub-Mission is a new subterranean cocktail lounge that mixes speakeasy allure with Peruvian flair—and it’s shaping up to be downtown’s next late-night magnet.

The 1,000-square-foot hideaway, located at 7 East 17th Street, takes the phrase “below the surface” quite literally. Guests descend from the ceviche bar upstairs into a jewel-toned cocoon of gold, green and soft lighting. The centerpiece is a glowing U-shaped bar crowned by a chandelier and flanked by plush banquettes that seat 65. Fashion portraits, moody lamps and color-shifting backlit panels (yes, guests can choose the hue) complete the glamorous tableau.

On October 26, the owners of the upcoming Reyna restaurant, which is taking over the Le Midi space on 13th St., held an introductory Zoom call. Attendance was sparse, but it was interesting to hear their plans and to have the chance to voice concerns pre-emptively.

The restaurant will likely be open until 11 on weekdays and midnight on weekends. It is meant to be an upscale drinking/dining experience, not a noisy bar. They will also be using the Karaoke Cave space as a site for “French Karaoke” as well as sort of a holding space for people who may be waiting for a table (a problem Le Midi certainly never had).

They also plan to build a street-side dining shed, most of which will occupy the space now being used by Corkbuzz.

In general, they seemed quite eager to hear about any issues that nervous neighbors like us might have ahead of time, rather than deal with our anger later. They hope to open in the March/April time frame.

You can get an idea of what Reyna will be like by visiting the Web site for their two locations in Toronto:  www.barreyna.com 
If you have any questions, you can contact them directly:

Nicki at nicki@barreyna.com
Etienne at 646-421-4242.

All businesses in the Bowlmor building with the exception of the pita place have now closed. Demolition (plus two years of construction) now seems imminent.