Seen & Heard: Avocado Store

••• One of the cuter annual traditions around here is coming up. From April 10 to 16, Khe-Yo is offering a tasting menu to celebrate the Lao New Year. The cute part: Chef Soulayphet Schwader’s mother “will be offering personal blessings for health and good fortune to each participating table.”

••• Eataly‘s pizzas and panini are available for delivery via Caviar. I’ve always found that Neapolitan-style pizza doesn’t travel well; let me know if you discover otherwise.

••• There’s a lot of work happening on the ground floor of 74 Leonard, but I think it’s residential.

••• My husband, Adam, mentioned once that he noticed an avocado store somewhere in Chinatown, but all he could remember that it was on one of the streets with a wide median. (I suppose I could’ve Googled it, but where’s the fun in that?) Anyway, I finally spotted it! I bought six avocados for $8, although some were as cheap as $1 each, and you could even get ripe ones—hard to do at the supermarket. And the whole thing reminded me of the Manhattan of yore.

••• Windows are going in on the floors of 70 Vestry that have stone paneling.

••• The Untitled Jenny Lumet Project is back shooting in the area on Saturday. This sign was on Franklin, east of Broadway, which usually means the action will be on Cortlandt Alley.

 

7 Comments

  1. Yesterday I counted at least 9 construction/ renovation projects going on simultaneously on one block of leonard street. Starting on church all the way to broadway. Plus the worth street construction work and detours. It is simply unlivable. And noisy. And dirty. The constant trucks. It seems I am the only one that even notices,cares or minds. Are we all so desensitized to this now? And No I am not moving. And by the way the construction going on in the storefront of 74 Leonard is one of the worst. They have been cleaning out that space now for over a year and now building it out. The daily hourly garbage demolition trucks in front have made our life hell. And a Porto potty. Plus they leave the dumpsters in front of my building. We get $300 tickets from sanitation. This is where people live and nobody seems to even acknowledge that people Are here trying to go about their business as well. It’s been at least 10 years of this. Never ends.

    • Dear Grumpy,

      You are NOT the only one who is totally fed up with the continuous construction, obstruction and destruction which is the going on in this neighborhood. The various committees of the Community Board, especially the Quality of Life Committee spend much of their time and effort discussing this and even arranged a public forum on the subject in the fall of last year. I would admit that this didn’t make much difference as the rules are heavily slanted in favor of the real estate developers who get a free ride to obstruct streets, work outside civilized hours and generally do what they like, with or without permits. The Committee has tried to address vermin at these sites, sidewalk sheds which stay up for centuries and many other annoyances but, sadly to little effect in the way of improving things for residents..

  2. I’ve actually recently seen a pic of the “Avocado store” on the web somewhere and immediately assumed it must be a vintage shot-
    but then I noticed the 347 area code! I’m amazed these guys can pay the rent by selling only one item, but good for them!
    Reminds me of “Just Bulbs” http://www.justbulbsnyc.com/Home.html
    Hey! Who else can name a (currently open) business that only sells one type of item? I’m eliminating “We Are Nuts About Nuts” on Church St cause they sell other things too =)

  3. The Chinese name of the avocado market translates to avocado farm. I believe the store is a wholesale distributor for avocados and possibly other produce. Just my 2 cents.

  4. The pho at Khe-Yo is the best in Manhattan, and perhaps beyond. Only served at lunch. Besides a decent burrito, thats the one nut New York has a seriously hard time cracking.

  5. My son belongs to the Khe-Yo restaurant “family” and was just telling me about receiving a blessing from chef Soulayphet’s mom. He reports that it was truly heartwarming and one of the most genuine experiences he has had since moving to NY.

  6. Eataly’s pizza isn’t worth the delivery…in my opinion, of course!

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