Village Restaurants Still Suffering from Sandy

The eastern- and western-most areas of the Village were among the areas of Manhattan hard hit by Sandy.  We recently reported how small business in the neighborhood were stepping up to get back on their feet post-Sandy, but there are others that are still out of commission.  Last week Eater compiled a list of restaurants still closed because of Sandy.  Of course, most were in the Financial District, the Rockaways, Coney Island, and Staten Island.  We were surprised, though, to see several in the Village make the list.

On the Hudson River Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s upscale restaurant Perry Street, located in the glassy Richard Meir towers, has been closed since the storm hit.  The towers in their entirety were uninhabitable.  Home to famous names such as Calvin Klein, Hugh Jackman, and Martha Stewart, the buildings’ damage was thought to take up to 6 months to repair, the Post reported shortly after the storm.  Located on the ground floor of the 176 Perry Street tower, Perry Street’s dining room did not suffer significant damage.  Only the carpeting needs to be replaced.  The basement kitchen, however, flooded heavily and the Post reported that underground grease traps overflowed and worsened the building’s damage.  The water was five and a half feet and there was septic overflow as well.  Eater interviewed the restaurant’s chef Cedric Vongerichten who noted that the cost of repairs may be upwards of $100,000.  An article today in the New York Times gives mid-January as the definitive re-opening date of the restaurant.

Just a couple blocks south on West Street and West 10th Street, Antica Venezia also remains closed.

Not far away on the corner of Greenwich Avenue and West 13th Street, 2-year old French spot Lyon has not reopened its doors.  Eater reports that ” A note on the door explains that the owners are making repairs to the space, but nobody’s picking up the phone and the website is offline.”   Yesterday, Grub Street  speculated that the restaurant may be closed for good.

Over in the East Village on Avenue A, Flea Market Cafe is closed for post-Sandy renovations.  Although, as noted by EV Grieve, prior to the storm there were many rumors about its future and new ownership.

At 130 St. Mark’s Place, vegan-friendly spot Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen has started a crowd-sourcing campaign to raise needed funds.  Although not currently closed, the bakery is hoping to avoid that outcome.  Per their donation page: With the electricity out for over a week, the bakery was forced to throw away all of their inventory. Couple that with the loss of sales from business disruption and the bakery has found itself in a difficult situation. By helping out the Whole Earth Bakery in this time of need, you are working to ensure the oldest vegan bakery in NYC stays open for many years to come. Take that Sandy!

The aftermath of Sandy is still very much felt in our neighborhoods.  Whether it be a flooded kitchen or a loss of supplies, many restaurants were hit hard.  Please share with us any updated reports you may come across or other ways to help these businesses!