Our Block (14th St.) in the 1850s

You may remember The Adore on the 13th St. block. Now, a couple of doors down at the former site of the copy shop and, briefly, Blossom de Jour, will be a new French/Japanese bakery called Patisserie Fouet.
Tacos on 12th St., strangely enough in the same location that used to house The Big Enchilada. What’s old is new again.
Sad to see that Patisserie Fouet on 13th St. is no more. It closed suddenly and without much explanation. Perhaps an end-of-year lease situation. They do have another location at 776 9th Ave at 52nd St.
Shanghai Square on 13th St. is now open for breakfast, serving traditional Chinese fare such as dim sum, Shanghai soup dumplings, and scallion pancakes. Is this innovative marketing or desperation? Is this bagel-and-croissant neighborhood ready for something so exotic at 8 in the morning?
It looks like shuttered Indian restaurant Babu Ji may be rising from its wage theft lawsuit ashes into the old All’onda space at 22 East 13th Street. A neighbor happened upon the space at an opportune moment, when a garbage bag hanging over a brand-new sign at the address fell down, revealing the words “Babu Ji” for all to see. It’s an unexpected changeover for the space — up until very recently, Red Farm restaurateur Ed Schoenfeld was planning to take the space for a new restaurant called The Mess. The restaurant with chef Zod Arifai was completely built out and had even hired staff and hosted friends and family in February when all work came to a halt in March. Schoenfeld previously told Eater the hold-up was initially a result of issues with the Community Board, who recommended a denial of the space’s liquor license. Schoenfeld did not immediately respond to inquiries, and Babu Ji owners Jennifer and Jessi Singh declined to comment.
Just what the neighborhood didn’t need: another place to spend $6 on coffee. Joe and the Juice will open a new location at the corner of University and 13th St., the site formerly occupied by the defunct Nutella Cafe.