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East Village Mourns Neighborhood Restaurants Destroyed In Blast

By Rosa Goldensohn | March 27, 2015 6:39pm | Updated on March 30, 2015 8:59am
 The restaurants were destroyed Thursday.
The restaurants were destroyed Thursday.
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EAST VILLAGE — While missing neighbors were on the forefront of locals' minds Friday, East Villagers also mourned the loss of two neighborhood staples: Pomme Frites and Sushi Park, which were both reduced to rubble in Thursday’s East Village explosion.

Both restaurants were destroyed, when a fire that erupted after the explosion consumed the buildings they'd called home.

Robert Senuik, a cook at The Stage Restaurant, was crushed by the loss of his favorite fry joint, where he regularly ordered the snack along with his favorite mango dipping sauce.

“Oh my goodness, homemade potatoes," Seniuk said about the loss of Pommes Frites. "If you wanted the best French fries in the city, you go over there."

Pommes Frites offered over 20 sauces to accompany its paper cones of fries, including pomegranate terikyaki mayo, smoked eggplant mayo and curry ketchup. 

Joe Plummer, a 27-year-old who runs a film production company, was a regular at Sushi Park for years. He was partial to its good food and good price. 

Sushi Park frequently offers a 50 percent off deal, and “it was actually good,” he said.

Devoted customers of both eateries expressed concern and dismay on Yelp and Facebook.

“Of all places, WHY SUSHI PARK?! Why?!” wrote Yelp user Melissa R.

“I've been coming here since high school, and I've brought so many people here to taste the wonders of Pommes Frites,” Yelp user Connie V. said of Pommes Frites. “There's really no second best to this place.”

A message on Pommes Frites' Facebook page announced that staff and customers were safe.

"We hope to re-open someday soon and will keep you updated when we have news to share," the message read.

Neither restaurants' owners could be reached for comment.

Carmine Palermo, who runs Block Drugstore down the street from the collapse, said he was worried that other small business owners on the street would lose crucial revenue in the aftermath of the disaster.

“Most business are working week to week, because you have a lot of high rent, taxes, they’re pressured to be open all the time,” he said, adding that he feared that federal aid wouldn't come fast enough.

“It’s a disaster,” Palermo said.