Could Spitzer's Corner and Los Feliz Become High End Restaurants, Or Is It All Smoke and Mirrors?

LES nightlife man Rob Shamlian is having a tough time unloading his bars Spitzer's Corner and Los Feliz, reports Bowery Boogie. Sarid Drory, of the The Waverly Inn and Cub Room, and Alon Moskovitch of Mezetto have already spoken up, saying they hope to take over the bars, but the Community Board isn't thrilled about keeping around two nightlife spots that have been major pains for neighbors.

Drory and Moskovitch promised that both spaces would be overhauled and turned into high-end restaurants, with a three star Michelin chef helming the kitchen at Spitzer's Corner and breakfast service for the neighborhood. But these could easily be hollow promises. The duo want to hold on to the names of the bars, and, more tellingly, their bouncers, which could mean that they plan to keep things as is as soon as they snag SLA approval. In the end, the pass-off of both places was approved, but with conditions, like a midnight closure during the week and a 2 a.m. one on the weekends. Nothing's official until the SLA ruling, but it's not too late for Drory and Moskovitch to walk away from it all.

Shamlian is also trying to unload The Derby. Despite the drastic business moves, he says he's not struggling financially: "It's a quality of life issue...I've had enough of the hostile neighborhood groups, the blogs with no culpability who are able to spout whatever nonsense they think of, and the constant harassment." Good luck to the new owners with that one.