The Drying of NYC: Williamsburg Follows CB3's Lead

Williamsburg: Something once thought to be impossible just happened. There is a community board acting even more bonkers than the notoriously strict and (oftentimes) anti-nightlife Community Board 3 covering the EVill/LES. It's CB1 in Williamsburg! According to the Brooklyn Paper, community members were appalled at Tuesday night's hearing for a wine bar going in on Driggs and Metropolitan when the owner—Stefan Mailvaganam of Bar Carrera—wanted to stay open until 2 a.m. ("That anything-but-startling revelation led to an audible gasp among two dozen residents...") Instead the neighbors demanded the bar close at 9 or 10 p.m. Their reasoning? The neighborhood is already rife with bars, frat boys, and...gangs:

We are trying to prevent gang activity in the neighborhood...Opening this restaurant with beer and liquor, with teenagers already going crazy here, it’s going to be an even bigger issue.

Yes, if there's one thing that leads to increased gang violence, it's a wine bar. To be fair, the bar owner does kind of deserve some heat, but for a totally different reason. This quote: “Drunken frat boys don’t come to drink an $11 glass of wine, grab an indigenous bite to eat, and listen to jazz.” It remains to be seen if this new tough stance will affect the three new restaurants opening just up the block from the owner of Fette Sau, Pies 'n' Thigh alum Stephen Tanner, and ex-Diner chef Caroline Fidanza. The full board will vote on the decision next month.
· Neighbors fill up on wine in Williamsburg bar fight [BP]