EAST VILLAGE — DF Mavens, which sells pints of its dairy-free ice creams in Whole Foods and other regional stores, has opened its first brick-and-mortar shop on the corner of St. Mark’s Place and Second Avenue.
The ice cream — made with soy, almond and coconut milks — is now available by the scoop in 15 different flavors like mint almond cookie, Sicilian hazelnut truffle and Madagascar vanilla bean. The shop will also rotate 11 new flavors exclusive to the store, according to press materials.
A scoop of ice cream starts at $4.50.
DF Mavens serves a vegan-friendly menu that includes wraps, acai bowls and baked goods. The store also sells tea, coffee, juices and shakes. Most items are in the $4 to $9 range.
The store will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Other restaurant openings and closings in the area include:
Mission Chinese Food, 171 East Broadway
Celebrity chef Danny Bowien quietly reopened Mission Chinese Food in a new Lower East Side location last weekend, announcing its first day and hours on social media.
Open. 171 east broadway. dinner only. closed mondays. pic.twitter.com/rDKlBc5BNw
— james daniel bowien (@dannybowien) December 20, 2014Bowien and his partners left Mission Chinese’s original Orchard Street location in November 2013, after the Health Department shut it down and acquired the space earlier this year.
The restaurant’s signature dishes, like kung pao pastrami and salt cod fried rice are back, along with new offerings like cheese pizza, according to reports.
For now, Mission Chinese is only open for dinner from Tuesday through Saturday.
Ramen Lab, 70 Kenmare St.
Ramen Lab, a new space that plans to share a “love and obsession for ramen” by providing seminars, courses and tastings for newbies and aficionados, is aiming for a Jan. 6 opening, according to Bowery Boogie.
The space, an offshoot of ramen noodle supplier Sun Noodle, will also be open to the public for dinner from Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.
The menu includes Tori-Gara Shoyu ramen, one of the oldest forms of ramen made using chicken and soy sauce, as well as miso and veggie versions of the bowls, Bowery Boogie wrote.
Back Forty, 190 Ave. B
Back Forty, which described itself as an “organic and responsibly sourced” burger joint, closed on Dec. 21 after seven years in business, chef and owner Peter Hoffman told Eater.
He said “a difficult landscape and lease uncertainty” led to his decision to close the eatery, located at 190 Ave. B.
Back Forty’s sister restaurant in SoHo, Back Forty West, will remain open, Hoffman said.
Matcha Cafe Wabi, 233 E. Fourth St.
Matcha Cafe Wabi, a cozy tea and coffee spot on East Fourth Street near Avenue B, opened Dec. 19, according to Kimie Kobayashi, who has been helping co-owner Takeshi Mitsui — who also owns and operates the Pirka Salon next door.
The cafe specializes in shots of matcha usu-cha, a finely ground green tea that is prepared by whisking the hot water and the tea together in a bowl, Kobayashi said.
Customers can also order other Japanese and herb teas, espresso drinks, pour-over coffee roasted by 95 RPM in Brooklyn and other specialty drinks like Kinako Goma Latte, made with roasted soy bean powder and black sesame paste.
A matcha shot costs $2.50 and drinks cost up to $5.
The cafe is open Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kobayashi said they hope to open on Mondays in the spring.
