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Man Allegedly Hung Out in Urbanspace Midtown Food Hall Bathroom to Steal from Women

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Plus, a review for Barca on Staten Island — and more intel

Urban Space Vanderbilt is Here to Bring Dining Salvation to Midtown

Police have caught the alleged Midtown food hall bathroom thief

NYPD has caught the man who was hiding out in a women’s bathroom at the Midtown food hall Urbanspace at Vanderbilt, and allegedly stealing items from them while they used the restroom, the Post reports. Duwayne Chance has been arrested on a grand larceny charge after allegedly stealing a gun from a retired cop while she used the public restroom by reaching into her stall. Video surveillance shows that Chance spent more than two hours in the bathroom before leaving with the gun. Police suspect the thief has done this multiple times, tacking on two additional counts of grand larceny. Police have not yet found the gun.

Critic finds “well-executed” seafood, plus a view, in Staten Island

Seafood reigns at Staten Island’s newest restaurant Barca, a project by Victor Rallo, who also runs Surf, and Dave Pasternack of Italian seafood spot Esca. New Yorker critic Hannah Goldfield finds “well-executed old standbys” like oysters and clams on the half shell, fluke crudo, and a whole branzino, alongside an uninterrupted view of Manhattan. She writes that the Sicilian-style fish stew — which is “abundant” with mussels, clams, shrimp, black sea bass, olives, and fregola — comes in a broth that’s “appealingly” fragrant with Pernod. Another crowd-pleasing dish is the “pitch-perfect” lobster spaghetti, a mix of claw and tail meat still in the shell thrown into house-made pasta.

Crown Heights’s fake bullet hole bar has rebranded

Controversial Crown Heights bar Summerhill BKonce labeled racist after its owner Becca Brennan tried to market the bar’s fake bullet holes as an Instagram ploy — has been flipped into a whole new restaurant called Oyo’s Bar and Kitchen. Chef and co-owner Wallahi Oyo is behind a new menu, which will have dishes like mushrooms and zucchini tacos.

Two openings and a closing in Brooklyn

Prospect Heights sports bar Woodwork Brooklyn at 583 Vanderbilt Ave., on Dean Street, has closed; it’s going to be replaced with a new sports bar. Meanwhile, a new Latin American tapas bar called La Napa is heading to Crown Heights at 656 Nostrand Ave., on Bergen Street, in April. It comes from Anton Francisco, who runs a similar restaurant named Cardon y el Tirano in Miami. Over in Williamsburg, a yerba mate bar called Porteñas will begin serving the earthy drink — commonly found in Argentina as well as the south of Brazil — alongside empanadas and other yerba mate-infused pastries this weekend. The cafe opens Saturday at 557 Lorimer St., between Devoe Street and Metropolitan Avenue.

Learn about natural wine at Roberta’s

Brooklyn favorite Roberta’s is hosting a natural wine class taught by wine director Kirk Sutherland; it’ll be a two-hour course including tastings paired with cheese, bread, and pizza. The event is happening Sunday, February 17, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets cost $90.

Bar Pitti doesn’t pay its employees correctly, lawsuit alleges

Greenwich Village Italian restaurant and celeb-hotspot Bar Pitti is under fire for allegedly failing to pay its employees properly. The restaurant at 268 Sixth Ave., near Bleeker Street, has been hit with a wage lawsuit that claims workers weren’t paid overtime and their tips were unfairly distributed amongst employees whose roles make them ineligible for tips. The lawsuit is seeking class action status for all allegedly impacted employees.