Neighborhood Watch

The Bean Opening Hypes the East Village; City Swiggers Brings Growlers to the UES

East Village: The Bean opened this morning to eager customers at Second Avenue and 3rd Street. [EV Grieve]
Vietnamese restaurant Sao Mai opened at 203 First Avenue on Saturday, offering a 79-item menu that also features a vegetarian section. It’s open daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. [Local/NYT]
Former chef of Cafe 81 opened Bar Kada, a pop-up Filipino restaurant operating out of Ugly Kitchen at 103 First Avenue, Saturdays from 11 a.m. until midnight. Although fellow Filipino pop-up Maharlika (now a permanent restaurant) differs in its definition of Filipino food, both restaurants praise the friendly competition. [Local/NYT]

Financial District: Taiwanese dumpling vendor A-Pou’s Taste Cart (located at Liberty Street at Broadway) debuts a second cart on the east side of Water Street, between Maiden Lane and Pine Street. [Midtown Lunch]
Lower East Side: Bowery Boogie reports the plywood was removed from 122–124 Ludlow Street last week, to reveal the front of what’s soon to be Caffe Vita and Via Tribunali. The Seattle coffee shop and pizza restaurant imports are scheduled to open January 5; see a sneak peek of their interior here. [Bowery Boogie]
Meatpacking District: The team behind the Mulberry Project opens the Vinatta Project in the old Florent space (69 Gansevoort Street), serving expertly mixed cocktails, international small plates, and vending machines stocked with alcohol. [BlackBook]
Midtown East: Learn how to prepare a holiday meal that will appease even the toughest judges at a cooking class taught by former Food Network Star contestant Chris Nirschel. Cooking demos are held most Saturdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at Copia, but book the Holiday Demo Class on Saturday, December 17 so you can put all those tips on preparation, wine pairing, and presentation to good use this holiday season ($75 per person). [Daily Candy]
STK’s four-day-old outpost at 43rd Street and Sixth Avenue across from Bryant Park offers burgers, takeout, and an outdoor seating area. The snack bar’s design and menu seem to be declaring the spot a Shake Shack for the feminine set. [Eater NY]
Park Slope: Tofu on 7th offers “serious Sichuan heat,” pleasantly surprising recent diners with dishes like three-pepper chicken and Chongqing chicken, in an area where good authentic Sichuan is hard to come by. [Chow]
Upper East Side: Beer store and tasting room City Swiggers celebrated its grand opening last Thursday at 320 East 86th Street. The bar/shop offers over 200 bottled beer choices, beers on tap available in 32- and 64-ounce growlers, and a selection of vegan sandwiches. [Fork in the Road/VV]
Upper West Side: East Village restaurant the Smith confirms it will open a third location in the former Josephina space at 1900 Broadway. The restaurant will be around the same size as the midtown east location, with a 30-seat zinc bar and outdoor seating when it opens this summer. [Diner’s Journal/NYT via Eater NY]
Williamsburg: Luke’s Lobster, Le Comptoir, Brooklyn Brewery, and Brooklyn Winery are just a few of the many vendors that will be at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar this Thursday, December 15 through Saturday, December 17, daily from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. The three-day event will take place in a warehouse at 149 Kent Avenue, and will also feature goods by independent designers and live music performances. [Brooklyn Night Bazaar]

The Bean Opening Hypes the East Village; City Swiggers Brings Growlers to the