— Popular croissant purveyors Ceci-Cela will be soft opening its new Lower East Side retail storefront at 14 Delancey St. this weekend. Its original Soho location on Spring Street will eventually close after nearly 25 years in business due to a lease non-renewal.
— Renaissance Kitchen closed its doors last week after more than 25 years serving diner food to Hell's Kitchen. The owner was elderly and no longer wanted to run the business.
— Ess-a-Bagel's new Stuy Town location now has signage, but owner David Wilpon says the shop's opening has been delayed until May. The iconic bagel shop had to close its original First Avenue location last March.
— The Bushwick family behind local coffee shop Express Yourself Barista Bar is donating a portion of their sales to help people who were displaced by a massive fire in the neighborhood. The fire injured 11 people and left as many as 21 families homeless. Stateside Cafe is also accepting donations of cash, clothing, and other items.
— The people behind Nolita bar Mother's Ruin are trying to open a pizzeria in the East Village. A sample menu includes "New York Style Pies" like a "Funky," with ricotta, sweet and sour Vidalia onions, herbs, pine nuts, and chilies.
— Big Gay Ice Cream's West Village location on Grove Street reopens on Friday after a temporary closure this week. The popular soft serve shop had to replace its floors.
— Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's handed out free ice cream in Union Square yesterday to campaign for Bernie Sanders. The flavor, Bernie's Yearning, requires crushing up a disk at the top, a mass of chocolate that represents how wealth has accumulated, Cohen says. Besides its political bent, it's basically a mint chocolate chip flavor.
— East Village restaurateur Ravi Derossi's sparkling wine bar Riddling Widow now has a new person in charge of beverages. Ariel Arce used to be the wine director at Birds and Bubbles and has worked for people like Chicago Chef Grant Achetz. Riddling Widow, open Wednesday through Saturday, will focus on champagnes and sparkling wines from around the world.
— Meatball Shop and Seamore's restaurateur Michael Chernow is now in the juice business. Chernow, Larry Praeger of Dr. Praeger's, Sagan Schultz, and Collin Hughes have debuted a "clinically grounded cold-pressed juice" called WellWell that will be available in area Whole Foods starting Friday. The juice, made of tart cherry, watermelon and lemon, is intended to be a post-workout drink. It costs $4.99 a bottle and will also be on tap at Seamore's.
— Williamsburg nightclub Verboten has been seized by the state for unpaid taxes. Owners Jen Schiffer and John Perez owed more than $360,000 in sales taxes. Previously, Schiffer and Perez have been accused of fraud by their investors and sued by their staff for sexual harassment.
— And finally, here's how to make a Black Seed-style bagel at home: