— The Bowery space that was briefly home home to screeching Pan-Asian clubstaurant The General was quickly snatched up Tao Group, the company behind Beauty & Essex, Tao, and Lavo. Although the team hasn't appeared before the noise-and-crowd-haters of the Community Board 3's SLA licensing committee, work is now underway on the space. Chris Santos, the chef at Beauty & Essex and Staton Social, is on board to cook the food. No word yet on what he's working on, but expect some new iteration of soup dumplings, possibly filled with kale, bone broth, or both. According to a certificate of occupancy, the space can fit 900 people across its two floors. The members of Tao Group will go before the chilly CB3 booze board to argue their case for a liquor license later this month.
— Tonight, 7/7, The Way Station in Prospect heights will recognize the gender pay gap by charging women 77 percent of their drinks tabs. In an email promoting the event, the owner notes: "Let's level the playing field, even if it is just for one night. Women deserve better. Recognizing this discrepancy is just a start."
— Lower East Side favorite Souvlaki GR is opening a new location on 56th Street near Seventh Avenue. The inexpensive Greek restaurant already has a food truck that sporadically rolls through Midtown, but this will be its second outpost at a permanent address. No word yet on an opening date, but this is already a major win for Midtown.
— Spotted in the planter outside Pure Food and Wine, a few days after the staff walked out:
— A-Rod celebrated his 3,000th hit at The Polo Bar last Thursday.
— The cold borscht is back in action at Polish G.I. Delicatessen on First Avenue.
— Coming soon to 130 St. Mark's place near Avenue A: Via Della Pace Pizza. Presumably, this is a spinoff of the East Seventh Street standby.
Looks like it will open for good tomorrow:
— The Street Vendor Project, which organizes the Vendy Awards every year, is trying to get City Hall to loosen restrictions on cart and truck operators. Specifically, the group wants the city to allow more licenses for vendors, period, so that cart and truck operators don't have to buy them on the black market. Here's a weirdly cute video that outlines what the group is fighting for:
— Fancy cocktail slinger Ravi DeRossi quietly opened Mother of Pearl, his new tiki bar in the old Gin Palace Space, last night. The grand opening is this evening. Check out the space and the menu here.
— A new Mexican grocery/torta shop/cafe called Miscelenata is slated to open on East Fourth Street next week.
— And finally, Humans of New York shared a photo of an unnamed restaurant manager near Columbus Circle: