David Chang's Momofuku Ko is expanding in Extra Place

[The current front entrance of Momofuku Ko at 8 Extra Place]

Not too many businesses have had any success in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off of First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue.

Red Hook Lobster Pound was the most recent casualty in this former alley that ran behind CBGB. (Read about the history of Extra Place dating to 1800 here.)

That is with the exception of David Chang's Momofuku Ko, which relocated to 8 Extra Place from First Avenue in November 2014.

Things have been going so well here, apparently, at the critically acclaimed Ko, where the tasting menu is $195 per person, that they are expanding.

Chang and company are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for an alteration of an existing liquor license. According to the paperwork on file at the CB3 website, they are creating a new waiting/dining area with 6-7 tables and 14 seats for a kitchen counter/bar. (You can read their questionnaire/PDF here.)

Here's a diagram at the CB3 website with what the expanded Ko will look like...


[Click for a better look]

The paperwork appears on the doorway of 12 Extra Place, which will be the new entrance...





The sign for the now-closed boutique Inventory remains above the doorway.

The space looks to be in use as an office right now...





So a quick Extra Place business recap: The Japanese housewares boutique Nalata Nalata has the corner space at No. 2. Momofuku Ko will take up No. 4 through 12 (or 14). No. 16 was the Red Hook Lobster Pound. No. 18 is a prep kitchen for Daniel Boulud.

Moving forward Momofuku Place might be a better name for Extra Place.

The May SLA committee meeting is next Monday (the 15th!) at 6:30 p.m. Location: Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

Now will Extra Place become Extra special?

[ Image via Forgotten New York]

Extra Place has been a fairly popular topic here through the years... about six to be exact.

We first heard of the plans the developers of Avalon Bowery Place had for the former alley that ran behind CBGB six-plus years ago ... Extra Place would become "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


Sure!

To date, nothing has really worked. The latest casualties appear to be sister restaurants Extra Place and Heidi. And across East First Street Veselka Bowery was never a good fit. Other businesses have come and gone. It didn't help that it took four years to finally replace the roadway with a sidewalk and to add lights to Extra Place.

It was still Extra Place though.

Now some big names will give it a whirl. The Times reported that Momofuku Ko will move from First Avenue to Extra Place. And Eater heard that restaurateur John McDonald has signed a lease for a steakhouse/oyster place in the former Veselka Bowery. (Grub Street confirmed it.)

Add this two places to the seemingly popular Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken and L'Apicio nearby in Avalon Bowery Place... an instant upscale dining destination?

As we've asked before about new places coming to Extra Place: Is this all enough to ward off the ghosts of the Bowery's past?

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Extra Place is all pretty much Momofuku Ko now

In January 2007, WWD ran a story titled "Extra Place: Paris on the Lower East Side." At that time, reps for Avalon Bowery Place unveiled plans to make Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue, "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


As noted here in these subsequent years, a handful of restaurants and businesses have come and gone. The most recent casualty was Red Hook Lobster Pound, which went dark last April.


[Photo from April 2017]

Only David Chang's Momofuku Ko has had any success in this former alley that ran behind CBGB. Momofuku Ko, which relocated to 8 Extra Place from First Avenue in November 2014, expanded into some adjacent storefronts late last summer.



Now it appears that Momofuku Ko has nearly three-quarters of the Place. The Japanese housewares boutique Nalata Nalata has the corner space at No. 2. No. 18 is a prep kitchen for Daniel Boulud. The space that housed the Lobster Pound is now storage.



There's still a sign up in Extra Place optimistically noting "open to the public & public seating." Maybe Momofuku Ko will one day offer to serve its $195 tasting menu outdoors.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

David Chang's Momofuku Ko is expanding in Extra Place

Extra Place and Heidi looking closed on Extra Place

Several week ago, we noted that Extra Place and Heidi, the sister restaurants along Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off East First Street, were closed for renovation, per a sign at the door.

That sign is gone, and an EVG tipster noted workers removing tables and equipment from the restaurants yesterday... The Extra Place website is no longer active.



In July, CB3 dropped the hammer on the restaurants, denying renewal of its beer and wine license. (Per CB3: "The applicant has usurped a public pedestrian plaza for its private use in violation of New York City Department of Transportation restrictions by setting up an illegal sidewalk café in said public plaza.")

Extra Place was originally on the October CB3/SLA agenda for a new liquor license. However, they were a scratch before Oct. 7's meeting.



The restaurants opened in July 2012,and received fairly positive notices for their food.

At this point, it doesn't appear the restaurants will return... or that Extra Place will ever work as a shopping-dining destination...

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

[UPDATED] With new restaurant opening this week, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Late last week, workers installed new planters in Extra Place...




[Top two photos by Bobby Williams]

They are part of the sidewalk cafe for a new restaurant called Heidi that is apparently opening some time later this week... that's according to one of the workers at the space this past weekend...

UPDATED 2 p.m.

Heard from the folks helping to open the restaurant. Important clarification here:

"While this week was the original opening timeframe, some construction delays have set the restaurants back. We don’t have an exact date yet, but it’s coming up – just not this week.

"The restaurant at 8 Extra Place will be called Extra Place, and it’s Mediterranean; the one at 6 Extra Place will be called Heidi, and will serve Swiss cuisine. They’re under the same ownership."

We don't know much about what's coming here... well, it looks nice anyway. The proprietors were on April's CB3/SLA agenda. According to documents on file with CB3, the restaurant will serve Swiss and Mediterranean fare... with 16 table and 46 seats... featuring a beer and wine license with a sidewalk cafe...

Anyway, we're sure that one of the excellent restaurant-nightlife sites will have a preview offering more details about the restaurant. We're a little more curious if the new restaurant, which looks to open at 10 a.m., will be the thing to finally help transform Extra Place into some kind of destination...

About five-plus years ago, we first heard of the plans the developers of Avalon Bowery Place had for the former shit-strewn alley that ran behind CBGB — "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


It hasn't been easy. Businesses have come and gone. It took four years to finally replace the roadway with a sidewalk and add lights.

So Extra Place will have two restaurants (the other being Oaxaca Taqueria) with sidewalk cafes... plus, there's the high-end eatery taking over the former Bowery Wine Co. space across East First Street... (And not sure where the promised commissary from DBGBer Daniel Boulud fits into all this... UPDATED: See comments for more on this.) Is this all enough to ward off the ghosts of the Bowery's past?

[Extra Place, one day some years back]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Looking at Extra Place

Momofuku Ko remains closed as expansion-related work continues in Extra Place

As first noted back in May, David Chang's Momofuku Ko was expanding in the extra quiet Extra Place off of First Street here between the Bowery and Second Avenue.

The restaurant remains closed with the renovations in progress...



The plans submitted to CB3 show a bigger waiting area, six or seven more tables and an expanded bar/chef counter. There will also be a new entrance.

The sign on the door notes a closure until Sept. 6. According to the Ko website, "our re-opening date may change. We encourage you to revisit our website for the latest updates." In May, Chang told Eater that he did not anticipate the restaurant having to close during renovation.

Momofuku Ko relocated to 8 Extra Place from First Avenue in November 2014. To date, this is the only business to succeed in Extra Place since its debut 10 years ago.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

David Chang's Momofuku Ko is expanding in Extra Place

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Things have been a little quiet over in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off East First Street... in part, two of the restaurants here, Extra Place and Heidi, have been closed... a sign on the door points to a renovation...



Extra Place at No. 8, a namesake restaurant with 50 seats serving Mediterranean fare, and Heidi at No. 6, a smaller Swiss eatery with 20 seats, opened from the same owners in July 2012.



We reached out to restaurant reps to see when they might reopen. (Yelp already lists that Extra Place is restaurants closed. No mention of the renovations on the restaurants' website or social media.)

In July, CB3 dropped the hammer on the restaurants, denying renewal of its beer and wine license. Here's CB3's official CB3ease:

BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board #3 moves to deny the renewal of the beer wine license for Extra Place America LLC, 8 Extra Place, between Second Avenue and Bowery, because
1) the applicant has violated its stipulation that it will not serve alcohol outside of its establishment,
2) the applicant has usurped a public pedestrian plaza for its private use in violation of New York City Department of Transportation restrictions by setting up an illegal sidewalk café in said public plaza, and
3) the applicant has used its license illegally by serving beer and wine to its patrons outside of its establishment and allowing its patrons to consume beer and wine outside which they had purchased within its business.

The SLA currently lists two liquor licenses for the address... one is active; the other is not.



Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Red Hook Lobster Pound now open in Extra Place

[Image via Facebook]

Extra Place is no longer so lonely… Red Hook Lobster Pound officially opened its doors yesterday at 11:30 a.m….

Right now we are opening the doors at #RedHookLobster's newest pound in Manhattan! 16 Extra Place off of 1st st. bt Bowery & 2nd Ave.

— RedHookLobsterPound (@Redhooklobster) April 1, 2014

The well-regarded Red Hook Lobster Pound took over the vacated Oaxaca Taqueria space at 16 Extra Place. (Oaxaca Taqueria moved to East Seventh Street.)

Grub Street, who first reported on the opening yesterday, notes that the Pound has Narragansett Lager, Bronx Brewery's Pale Ale and Allagash White on tap. And they will have outdoor seating once spring is actually really here.

With this and whatever Momofuku is opening down the alley/Place, Extra Place may finally become the dining destination its developers touted some seven years ago, as we've cut-and-paste many times before.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound closed for now in Extra Place

Every restaurant with an outdoor cafe seemed to be doing brisk business yesterday ... then we looked in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off First Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue.

Red Hook Lobster Pound, which opened at 16 Extra Place in April 2014, didn't appear to be open. And they have outdoor seating.

Sure enough... a sign on the door says that are closed until further notice...



It appears to be a more permanent closure. The Extra Place address has been scrubbed from the Red Hook website.



It could be a seasonal closing... however, Red Hook's Montauk location has a "closed for the season" message next to its address.



As previously reported, nothing has really worked in the former alley that ran behind CBGB...



A handful of restaurants and businesses have come and gone in recent years. Only David Chang's Momofuku Ko remains.

Ten years have passed since we first heard about Avalon Bowery Place's plan to make Extra Place "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."


Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Red Hook Lobster Pound in the works for Extra Place

A few more details on Momofuku Ko (aka, TBD) coming to Extra Place

Extra Place seems extra quiet these days... though likely not for too much longer. As The New York Times first reported, Momofuku Ko is planning to move its "counter-only tasting-menu restaurant" from First Avenue to Extra Place.

Of course, there's a big vacancy here since sister restaurants Extra Place and Heidi closed earlier in the fall at 6-8 Extra Place, the alleyway that runs behind the former CBGB space on the Bowery off of First Street.

Paperwork filed ahead of this month's CB3/SLA committee meeting for 4-8 Extra Place seems to have an air of Kremlin-like secrecy.



There's no mention of Momofuku or chef-founder David Chang on the documents on file at the CB3 website. Just TBD.

As for other details. There will be four tables seating four people each as well as a counter for 25 diners. The proposed hours are from noon to midnight Sunday through Wednesday; until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. There will be 20 employees... and, uh, a sound system featuring an iPod with two small speakers, per the documents.

The Times reported that Momofuku Ko will possibly move by the end of the year.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Now will Extra Place become Extra special?

4 years later, developer still talking Left Bank for Extra Place

[Photo by Bobby Williams from Monday afternoon]

More than four years ago, we first heard about the plans the developers of Avalon Bowery Place had for Extra Place — "a slice of the Left Bank, a pedestrian mall lined with interesting boutiques and cafes."



While we've been documenting the mostly pedestrian-free zone along Extra Place, developer AvalonBay is still hoping for a café society here.

Monday night, Stephen Hutto, AvalonBay's director of retail, told CB3's Economic Development Committee that he is close on a deal to bring a new Mediterranean-style restaurant into an 1,800-square-foot space on Extra Place, Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo reported.

He also said that "a popular Brooklyn-based coffee shop" is eyeing a spot on East First Street near the corner of Extra Place.

In addition, Hutto wanted the CB's blessing for future tenants to seek new liquor licenses. (In response, CB members said that they'd deal with the licenses on a case-by-case basis.) He also asked for the Board's suggestions for populating the storefronts.

Per Hedlund's article: "Some community board members cited the lack of retail diversity in the neighborhood, as bars and restaurants continue to swallow up area storefronts, recommending that AvalonBay incentivize tenancy for a wide range of businesses by setting their rents below market rates."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

Perhaps he just saw Extra Place for the first time in 15 years or so?

Looking at Extra Place

Giving Extra Place the warm, comfortable feel of suburbia

The Villager has an update on Extra Place:

Neil Cardi was walking down E. First St. between Second Ave. and the Bowery, when he stopped. He was wearing a worn-out rocker T-shirt and black skeleton biker gloves, complete with trench coat slung over his shoulders. Standing by the small, cul de sac in midblock, he sneaked a smirk at the grimy, graffiti-covered walls and scraps of trash that decorated the obscure alley.

“This place gives me comfort,” said Cardi, a former amateur musician who has struggled with substance abuse. “I remember spending a night or two here as the Rolling Stones rolled out the back of that door. It used to be CBGB.”

The unmarked place Cardi stood in front of is a deserted street known as Extra Place and some say that since the 1970s this historic alleyway has given character to the Lower East Side.

Sigh.

AvalonBay’s advertisements that run along the walls between the Bowery and Second Ave. read, “The Redefined Bowery.” And redefining is exactly what residents of 11 E. 1st St. and 22 E. First St., together known as Avalon Bowery Place condominiums, want for Extra Place.

“Clean it up!” and “It’s pretty ugly” were the reactions of people coming out of both buildings as they walked from pressure-washed sidewalks surrounding the new buildings to aged, gum-covered splats of cement. Jennifer, a resident of two months who declined to give her last name, said of the attraction of fixing up Extra Place with cafes: “The less I have to travel for nightlife the better.”

So is Extra Place nothing more than an alley that needs a sprucing up or is it one of the last remnants of old New York? The vote is split.

“It’s kind of famous as the back door of CBGB’s. It’s the backdrop of The Ramones’ ‘Rocket to Russia’ album,” said Fred Harris, senior vice president of AvalonBay, of Extra Place. He said it’s unclear if the parcel is even an officially mapped city street, but, “Regardless of its status, or whether or we own it or not, we just want to clean it up, light it and maintain it and pedestrianize it.”

Extra Place coverage on EV Grieve

Looking at the first retailer coming to Extra Place, that "charming little East Village Street"

Back in October, The Feed blog breathlessly announced that Bespoke Chocolates would be opening its first retail outlet in November...right in Extra Place, the infamous alleyway behind the former CBGB space where you can now buy $250 vintage Cheap Trick T-shirts. Anyway! So Bespoke would be the first shop in Extra Place, which is maybe now owned by the city or nearby condos Avalon Bowery Place...So, to torture ourselves, we took a look the other day to see what was what with this space. As far as we knew, nothing had opened yet...



Yes, something is happening behind that Bespoke wrapping, officially at 6 Extra Place. Which the Bespoke Web site describes as a "charming little East Village street."



According to the Bespoke Web site, they'll be opening after the New Year. Which narrows it down to 365 days.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Extra Place gets its first tenant...And it's dessert (shocker!)

Giving Extra Place the warm, comfortable feel of suburbia

Looking at Extra Place


PS: Here's what Extra Place looked like in 1978 (via Forgotten New York)

Extra Place now graffiti free (for the moment)

On Friday, someone painted over all the tags in Extra Place…



…the seven-years-in the-making-and-failing-so-far pedestrian mall behind the former alley behind CBGB…



Not sure why the tags were painted over. Because someone deemed them unsightly? Too make way for some new art project? Patrons of the recently opened Momofuku Ko didn't like looking at them?

Dunno!

As for the Momofuku Ko here that took the place of the restaurants Heidi and Extra Place… Per Eater:

Momofuku Ko... has raised the price of dinner to $175, an increase of $50 over the old menu. With that higher cost come more indulgences: the two-Michelin-starred restaurant has lengthened the menu to 17-courses.

So what does this all mean for your wallet? A meal for two at Ko, after tax and tip, will cost $451, a 40 percent hike over the old cost of $322. Add on beverage pairings at $155, and a dinner date will run you $851.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A look inside the incoming Momofuko Ko on Extra Place

With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place