Ken Friedman's Bid for 45 Bond Street Overcomes Community Board Opposition

Spotted Pig restaurateur Ken Friedman faced some opposition (not for the first time in his life) from a community board last night, as he sought approval for a liquor license at 45 Bond Street, formerly the home of Circolo45 (fka Circolo). He is, according to the application, trying to open a "modern upscale restaurant serving farm-to-table fare," but Community Board 2 voted unanimously to deny him the license until he can assure them that the restaurant will comply with all 20 of their stipulations. These stipulations, according to Gothamist, include no TV's, no dancing, no live music, no DJs, no outdoor seating, and no alcohol before noon on weekends, plus it can't function mainly as a bar.

Many of those stipulations probably won't be a problem – we've yet to see a Ken Friedman restaurant with regular DJ performances. But things like the outdoor seating ban and the weekend drinking could prove more of a sticking point. Last year Friedman and April Bloomfield gave up on opening a sandwich shop in the old San Loco space on Avenue A after encountering resistance from Community Board 3, and Friedman told Eater: "we don't open in neighborhoods where we aren't wanted."

Eater is reaching out to Friedman for an update. Here's hoping things go smoother this time around.

Update: A representative for Friedman and team says they've agreed to all the stipulations, so they should be sailing smoothly on to the next steps. Stay tuned.