Seen & Heard: $500 Reward for Helping Cops With a Difficult Arrest

••• The police officers’ union is offering civilians a $500 reward for helping a cop with a perp who’s resisting arrest. Isn’t that the last thing a police officer would want? Also, I would advise against lending a hand if you’re black. (Thanks to J. for the photo.)

••• “Do you know where the best place to buy sushi grade fish in the area is?” asks D. “Are there other options in addition to Whole Foods (not sure if they even offer sushi grade)?” Funnily enough, I just noticed yesterday a freezer in the produce section stocked with frozen “sushi-grade sashimi” that you thaw and serve, which I’m not remotely recommending. I’d try Eataly before Whole Foods; I’ve been burned at the latter before. Bear in mind that even though Eataly opens at 7 a.m., the seafood counter is usually not ready till at least 9:30 a.m. (P.S. One of the things I dislike about the city now—at least this part of it—is that we no longer have things like fishmongers and butcher shops.)

••• Am I the only one who detects an unpleasant tone in this letter from the NYC Department of Design and Construction about the Warren Street reconstruction? Meanwhile, is the Worth Street reconstruction progressing at all? Also, I asked when the block of Warren between West and Greenwich will be paved—it’s been done for a long time—and the answer was: “The contractor is still working out the paving schedule so I do not have an exact date. This block will have to be paved by November 15, although it may be done sooner.”

••• The building at Hudson and Leonard has been made into the campaign office for a character on “Ray Donovan.” It was on W. Broadway last time.

••• A reader discovered what the pop-up coming to 371 Broadway (the rear of 5 Franklin Place) will be: Room for Tea, “First Tea-Themed Immersive Art Pop-Up in NYC. You’ll experience a 40-min journey featuring 5 main senses and 18 visual highlights. Senses are: Labyrinth of Tea Origin, Milk Tea Metropolis, Matcha under Cherry Blossom, Summer Boba Court and Mint Tea Secret Box.” In other words, it’s corporate Instagram bait for Boba Tea, but you have to pay $23 for the privilege (or $33 for an additional 40-minute tea ceremony). The photo below makes it look tantalizingly like “Twin Peaks,” but I don’t think the rest is like that.

••• Press release: “Today, the New York City Department of Buildings published a new, real-time interactive map of all major construction projects in the city, showing the almost 200 million square feet—over 7 square miles—of buildings currently under construction in New York. […] The map shows all active permits issued by the Department for new buildings, as well as alteration projects involving the enlargement of an existing building. The map will automatically update in real-time as new permits are issued and existing permits expire. Members of the public will also be able to sort, search, and view permit data by building type (commercial, residential, etc.), the proposed number of dwelling units, square footage, estimated cost, community board boundaries, and general contractors for the project, giving users the ability to find out exactly what is going on in construction projects near them. Each project on the map has links to extensive permit and project details from DOB’s searchable online database.”

 

14 Comments

  1. As they did here, and rightly so, DDC gets blamed for the lack of progress. Thus it is understandable IMO when they are terse, if not unpleasant, to neighbors holding up progress on the sidewalk work with their illegally installed sidewalk planters.

    • I’ve always wanted to know why these projects take so long, as there are weeks that go by with no work. Is it too much to ask that there is a project manager can actually coordinate and efficient (in time and money) schedule for which to make less disruption of a neighborhood a priority?

  2. I think the best sushi grade fish comes from the Lobster Place in Chelsea Market. Next best would be the stuff from Sunrise Market on Broome Street. I’ve tried the stuff from the frozen section of Whole Foods and found it to be not very good.

  3. “Sushi Grade” isn’t a standard, so it’s hard to answer without specific context, but a lot of the fish at Hmart (formerly Han ah Rhum – sp?), the major Korean produce retailer. Seafood at their Palisades NJ flagship is exceptional – very fresh and expertly handled – and their outpost on 32nd Street is good, with a much more limited, packaged selection.

    • Sorry, I left part of my answer out but you get the idea. You should be able to find what you need on 32nd street, and I agree about Lobster Place, although prices are higher.

      • One more thing (an edit function would sure be nice): my wife is the cook, and Japanese, so I’m sharing her opinions. She doesn’t buy fish at Sunrise on Broome, but has at the E. Village main shop. However, selection is less reliable even there.

  4. It may surprise you to know that almost all sushi grade fish in NYC come in frozen with the exception of uni and some shellfish.

    The freezing kills the bacteria and a slushy called watermelon ice (just a food coloring) is added to enhance the flesh.

  5. I love to watch Ray Donovan but enough already – go back to LA. Your presence is ruining the few retail stores that are trying to survive in TriBeCa.

  6. My best friend is Japanese, from Nagoya, and so we prepare sushi a lot at home. We buy the fish from Sunrise Mart in Soho, on Broome Street. It’s about a 10 minute walk from my place n Murray Street and it’s Japanese owned, so yeah, they know their way around sushi. http://sunrisemart-ny.com/default_eng/

    Also good for other Japanese basics.

  7. Check with Blue Moon Fish at the Greenwich St. Green Market on Saturday mornings. Fish is fresh off the boat. Tuna is outstanding. Ask them about using it and other seafood for sushi.

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