Welcome to First Word, wherein Eater and its correspondents sit for hours at steamy community board meetings to bring back the first word of new establishments and what they're up to. Your reports from the field always encouraged to tips@eater.com.
Last night, Community Board 3, members of the public, and bar and restaurant owners and their lawyers gathered together for a long but tame SLA licensing meeting. As usual, some lucky candidates walked away victorious while others felt the wrath of the sleep deprived residents, going home empty handed.
1) Kind of interesting that the board would approve a big project on the Bowery from the Kurve folks while denying a Mustang Harry's and Rory Dolan's alum for a tavern restaurant in the former Lan space at 56 3rd Ave.. Sure, the area in question is overrun with your garden variety shitshows, but the gentleman and his business partner seemed to know what they were doing. It was a 3-1 no vote.
2) The board unanimously shot down the application to upgrade the license and extend the hours of european wine bar Klimat. Board chair Alexandra Militano went to great lengths to justify the decision, mentioning that the owner made several misrepresentations in an earlier hearing with the SLA, including that he was running a sushi restaurant and needed the license to serve his diners wine and sake. A member of the community who spoke in opposition also referenced a troubling anecdote: in a 2008 board meeting, the owner allegedly giggled when a man with emphysema wept as he tried to lay out his case against the bar.
3) The board denied hookah bar and underage favorite Sahara East's application to extend alcohol service to their backyard. CB3 has never been fond of backyards, and the restaurant's already racked up a serious number of 311 complaints in that outdoor area without even having the ability to serve alcohol there.
4) The board approved the owner of two year-old Shoolbred's for his forthcoming bar/restaurant at 180 2nd Avenue, the Thai on Thai space. Tentatively called Ninth Ward, it will serve Cajun food.
5) Mitchell Banchik, the owner of Jake's Dilemma, Down The Hatch, and The Gin Mill, got the go ahead for a transfer of ownership at the current Telephone Bar space (149 2nd Ave.).
6) BG Bar Inc. (113 Ludlow St.), Tuck Shop (115 St. Mark's Pl.), the new occupant in the former Persimmon space (227 E. 10th St.), and Luna Pizza (227 Park Row) were approved in their respective categories.
7) Dona Gallo Inc (126 St. Mark's Pl.), 200 Allen Café, St. Mark's PHO Corp (13 St. Mark's Pl.), and Luke's Lobster (93 E. 7th St.) withdrew their applications.
— Gabe Ulla
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