Everyone complains that Whole Foods is too expensive. What to do? Track the weekly sales, which sometimes have excellent deals on fresh meat and vegetables. Friend Whole Foods Market NYC on Facebook 
or follow on Twitter, and you’ll see the deals every week.
HGLArt, now open on our 13th St. block next to the equally new Lucky Louie Cafe, is a very fancy preschool.
Check it out.
Interesting….”Long regarded as a leader in New York’s fine-dining world, Danny Meyer is making moves into the casual ranks of the city’s culinary scene. The restaurateur’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), which encompasses a range of high-price dining spots such as the Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern and the Modern, is investing in Joe Coffee, a New York-based coffee chain with 13 locations in the city and two in Philadelphia.”
“Historically we’ve had the privilege of investing in some incredibly special companies whose cultures, leaders, and innovative business models caught our eyes, and Joe is no different,” said Danny Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of Union Square Hospitality Group. “USHG has had a meaningful relationship with Joe Coffee and founder Jonathan Rubinstein for many years, both as avid fans of their coffee bars and also having served their coffee at Union Square Events for years. We chose to make this investment with Joe Coffee because they are dedicated to the pursuit of making flawless coffee, are led by passionate and exceptional management, and share the same hospitality values as USHG.”
“We are incredibly proud and humbled that USHG and its affiliates have chosen to invest in Joe,” said Jonathan Rubinstein, Co-Founder and President of Joe Coffee. “Danny Meyer is a leader I have admired my entire professional career and to have the opportunity to partner with him and his outstanding team at Union Square Hospitality Group is a dream come true. With this new funding, we will continue to do what we love – roast, brew, and serve the best quality coffee with genuine hospitality – and now we are excited to bring Joe to even more great communities across the country.”
Thai restaurant Spice, which recently relocated from University and 10th to University and 13th now has a new branch at 4th Ave. and 10th. Plenty of pad thai in the neigborhood for everyone.
Curbed.com is reporting on a terrible HVAC noise problem being caused by the system installed by Vapiano last summer. Watch the video, and you’ll see and hear the problem. Here’s the report:
There’s nothing like a good noise controversy to round out the day, so here’s a tipster’s accusation that University Place chain restaurant Vapiano is destroying neighbors’ eardrums: “For the last seven months, residents of 48 East 13th Street, 107 University Place and 35 East 12th Street have been living with an egregious noise condition created by Vapiano’s HVAC system. Attempts to correct this with the various NYC agencies (DEP, DOB have thus far have not been effective. Vapiano has been issued 3 noise violations thus far by the DEP, has been the subject of TV news coverage (NY1 & Fox5), has been found in violation of the Building Code (twice!) and yet the residents are still subjected to the loud illegal noise levels from early morning to well into the late. This has been going on every day since July 16th of 2010.” Precise! So what do the locals plan to do about it? >> The neighbors have a plan: shame the restaurant via blog, video, and petition. Says our tipster about the video, “there is nothing wrong with your speakers, that’s actually what Vapiano’s HVAC system sounds like. If the noise is too loud and you can’t understand what people are saying just turn up the volume!” Noise wars: on.
French country fare in the space formerly occupied by Bak Kitchen in our building on 13th St.
Let’s hope the crowd at Sidebar doesn’t find its way to our side of the park to wreak havoc.