Seen & Heard: Hello! Vietpho is open

HELLO VIETPHO IS OPEN ON READE
C. and C. wrote to say that Hello Vietpho has opened in a small storefront at 63A Reade, between Broadway and Church. C. noted that the place is low on ambiance but the food is a solid choice. “I am personally very excited because many Vietnamese joints in NYC disappeared. It’s a good addition to the neighborhood.” More TK.

TRIBECAN RUNNING AGAINST JERRY NADLER
I will catch up with the candidates in the next weeks — need to figure out how to cover the race — but a Tribecan is running against Jerry Nadler for the 10th Congressional seat. Brian Robinson has registered with the Federal Election Commission to challenge the 15-time incumbent; there are four other candidates in the primary, which will be June 28. Also, Soho resident Maud Maron, who ran for the City Council seat won by Chris Marte, has registered to run against UES Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

MANHATTA RETURNING?
I’ve been keeping an eye on Manhatta — emails to Danny Meyer’s mother ship go unanswered — and was poised to say they were showing no signs of life till behold: the website now says they are reopening “shortly.” Stay tuned.

IN SEARCH OF: THE BEST BACON
I usually go for a well done order at Gee Whiz, but I have it on good authority that the bacon side at Au Cheval can’t be beat. It’s thick cut, cooked with maple syrup. Comment with any other challengers.

 

17 Comments

  1. Manhatta recently had a hiring post up with team training I believe in February and a “spring” reopening. They had posted to hire last year at one point as well, but the website update gives me hope it’s happening this time!

  2. Good news about Manhatta–my favorite bar/restaurant in FiDi. Hope they retain the counter seats overlooking the kitchen.

  3. I met Brian Robinson in the UWS. Smart guy. More grounded than most politicians. Good looking…

    I think we’ve had enough of Jerry. I haven’t seen him in the neighborhood ever. He speaks about defunding the police in the Westside Rag and I’m sorry, but that’s not working out too well.

  4. I am so happy to hear Manhatta is coming back. I love it there! Any word on the progress of the former Augustine space?

  5. Nice to see a Vietnamese option in the neighborhood.
    Are any politicians in the neighborhood ever? I have met Chris Marte several times, but generally, everyone is uninvolved unless something urgent arises and neighbors must initiate action.

  6. Jerry Nadler is way past his expiration date. He only cares about radical left politics and doesn’t give a damn about his constituents. I recently spoke to someone in his office and asked what Jerry has done lately for his district – no answer! Good luck to Brian Robinson!

    • Thank you, Allan. I appreciate that. Besting Jerry in the primary is not an easy task, but it’s necessary. The status quo is not working. Anyone who walks the streets daily knows it. Reckless Congressional rhetoric is partly responsible. Apathy, even more so. Take a look at Hank Sheinkopf’s recent piece, The Rules for the Ruling Class. Strong words, but a true inditement of his recent leadership.

      I’m a fan of your work! Hope to meet you one day.

      – Brian

      • Sorry, Brian, I looked up your Ballotpedia answers, https://ballotpedia.org/Brian_Robinson#Campaign_themes, and they struck me as vapid and parochial. “NYC needs fresh ideas.” You don’t say! What are yours? Nothing about taxing billionaires and combating economic inequality? Nothing about cutting carbon emissions to fight climate change? Nothing about reining in our arch-conservative Supreme Court? In fact, nothing about any *national* issues, including standing up to House Republicans who think Jan 6 was “legitimate political discourse” and to Senate Republicans whose sole mission is to obstruct every Biden legislative initiative so government can be deemed a failure. One would think you were running for city council or standing for community board, not seeking a seat in Congress. Please prove me wrong.

        • If it was simply Ballotpedia you reference, you gave my platform a cursory glance at best. My focus is small business recovery and public safety as applicable on the federal level. I’ll streamline emergency funding to small businesses in preparation of a future crises and propose a bill to lower federal taxes on small businesses with 50 employees or less to promote growth and prosperity. Our city and country needs that. I’ll propose a grant to aid in prevention of hate crimes as well as facilitate proper categorization for bias related violence. As a moderate, I’ll be in the perfect position to help ease the stark polarities in Congress (whose toxicity trickles down to the people.), especially given it’s all but a sure thing that the house and senate majority will belong to Republicans after midterms. I know we don’t like to hear it but it’s true.

          I am willing to speak with Manchin and attempt to push some of the key BBB components through, especially the child tax credit, which helps lift many households above the poverty line. I do think it’s important to stay realistic as we adapt to change and pursue new victories. I understand one’s hesitancy to embrace change after such a long time, but I would ask that you keep an open mind.

          • Thank you for your courteous reply. You and I clearly have different conceptions of what’s needed to solve our political impasse. But I appreciate your writing and look forward to engaging with you further.

          • Hi Brian,

            The expanded child tax credit is a great policy. I’m curious about your view on lifting / eliminating the cap on state & local tax deductions. Many families in Tribeca do not benefit from the CTC due to income phase-outs, but would benefit from the ability to avoid double-taxation by deducting their (high) NYS and NYC taxes.

          • Likewise. Always happy to engage in respectful dialogue even if we do not entirely agree. Looking forward to speaking in the future and thank you for sharing your thoughts.

            All Best,

            Brian

          • McGillicuddy, good question. I believe you are referring to the state and local tax deduction (SALT) cap as it relates to Federal tax returns. That was Trump’s way of “sticking it” to the blue states. I’m for lifting the cap. It would help retain a higher earning tax base to do so, which only helps everyone. We lost a lot of New Yorker’s to lower taxation states already.

          • “[…] Repealing the SALT cap for two years would cost about $85 billion per year. As we and others have pointed out multiple times, this represents a massive windfall to the rich and affluent. Despite what the SALT Caucus claims, SALT cap repeal is no middle-class tax cut. Ninety-six percent of the benefit would flow to the top 20 percent of the income distribution with the top 0.1 percent getting a tax cut of $154,000 per year, on average. To be fair, the middle class does get something. The middle 60 percent of the income distribution would receive, on average, a tax cut of $37 per year. Even in high-tax states, the middle class gets little. In New York, the top 1 percent would get a tax cut of about $103,000, on average. For those in the middle class, the benefit is just $90, on average. So repealing the cap is regressive and delivers little to no social benefit. […]”

            https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2021/10/02/how-dems-can-get-out-of-the-salt-mess-and-save-1-trillion-dollars/

  7. Allan, can’t you do better than drive-by, petulant (IMO) hearsay? Jerry has an excellent track record of delivering for NYC that has only gotten stronger over time.

    As for radical left: On Oct 1, 2018 (I remember the date b/c it was my birthday) Nadler’s name brought me to a fundraiser on W 13 St for insurgent Dem Andy Kim, who was gamely challenging incumbent Republican Tom MacArthur in NJ’s 3rd Congressional District. Jerry tore off the roof, convincing the packed house of the importance of Andy’s race. I ended up doorknocking there (Tom’s River country) a bunch of times. Andy won in a squeaker and gamely held his seat in 2020, helping enable the Dems to maintain a majority so they can pass infra-rebuild bills, investigate Jan 6 AND DELIVER $$ FOR NYers LIKE US.

    Just ’cause Jerry Nadler’s as old as us doesn’t mean his time is up. I’m glad to be rep’d by him.

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