Drink: Drying of NYC Archives
Tribeca Has Major Beef with Bouley, Denies Booze for Brushstrokes
A tip came in last night relaying that David Bouley's new West Broadway venture Brushstrokes, an upscale Japanese restaurant with an attached cooking school (Japan's prestigious Tsuji Culinary Academy), hit a major roadblock at last night's Community Board 1 committee meeting. The committee rejected Bouley's request for a liquor license, thereby damaging his chances of getting approval from either the full board or the SLA, the body that gives the final yea or nay. A call to CB1 confirms: "They were denied approval based on the history of the owner, having problems with the community in the past, and the way he runs his establishments." CB1 officials didn't divulge their more specific beefs with the chef or problems with his Tribeca restaurants Danube, Bouley, or the entire Bouley Upstairs/Cafe/Market franchise but expect all the dirty laundry to be aired on the 26th, at the full board meeting.
·Construction Begun on Bouley's New Project [~E~]
Photo courtesy of Bouley
First Word Wrap: More on the Curious Case of Lotus Lounge, Bar Carerra Expansion, and More!
[Lotus Lounge, shot down again, photo courtesy Ariel Rubenstein]
In addition to the major Momo and Veselka news, a few other juicy tidbits came out of last night's meeting involving the very future of LES and East Village small fries.
1 ) Lotus Lounge: Today we add a new twist to the curious case of Lotus Lounge, the LES's favorite coffee shop cum bar. First it shuttered, then it almost re-opened it as "CDK Lounge", but was denied a license. And now we get this word from our community board correspondent: "The new owner of the space formerly known as Lotus Lounge showed up to introduce his concept dubbed Lala Land. This “European fusion” café/bar is set to feature coffee & eggs in the morning and sandwiches & drinks at night … or it would if the committee hadn’t come down on the owner for categorizing his kitchen-free spot as a restaurant instead of the catered bar it truly is. The application was eventually withdrawn."
Bar Carrera expansion, Julep Conversion, and more, coming up. >>Veselka Bowery Denied Liquor License, Cockblocked by Boulud
Might Veselka Bowery be no more?
The Momofuku gang weren't the only ones seeking a full liquor license yesterday from the good ship Community Board 3. Veselka's new Avalon building spinoff needed approval as well, and while the Ko will eventually get their prize, situation looks much bleaker for team Ukraine and its rep Tom Birchard. In fact, they may just jump ship. From our correspondent at last night's meeting:
"After forty-one minutes, two failed motions and a whole lotta arguing, the new eatery was ultimately denied a license due to the proximity of the new liquored up Boulud restaurant and eight nearby bars. When one supportive board member suggested the restaurant owner aim to acquire a beer & wine license instead, an exasperated Birchard revealed that his lease has an escape clause allowing him to get out of his deal with Avalon Bay if he cannot procure a full liquor license. Since that seems unlikely at this point, Veselka Bowery may be in a state of limbo."Limbo, indeed. Bad news: No Veselka Burgers on the Bowery. Consolation prize: $25 Boulud Burgers all around.
· EaterWire: Veselka Update, Kellogg's gets a new look [~E~]
— Reporting from Jonah Moulin
Momofuku Ko Exposed; To be "Just Like Benihana"
Someone didn't do his homework, and the Ko will have to open beer and wine only
Last night Momofuku Ko went before Manhattan's Community Board 3 to get a full liquor license (beer and wine is already secure) and was shut down due to a lack of paperwork, creating a small roadblock for the soon to open restaurant. What else happened last re: the Ko? Oh just a major Momofuku Ko reveal, involving the "Benihana"-like setup of the restaurant.
To get the full liquor license Momofuku Ko so desperately wants (and we want it to have), of course, its rep had to submit almost-complete detailed plans about the restaurant to the board. Id est, reveal time.
It's going to be just like a Benihana. >>Frank Bruni laments the difficulties plaguing East Village cocktail lounge Death & Co. Takeaways: a) Late Night with Frankie B sounds like good times: "It was very late at night. And I was very much off the clock"; b) per a commenter, "Most of the bartenders from D&C are guest-tending at PDT this week." [BruniBlog]
Cooper Square Hotel Protesters Back at It Tonight
In 30 short short minutes, for the second time, neighbors of the Cooper Square Hotel will take the opportunity of a meeting of Community Board 3, tonight (see agenda item #19), to protest the Hotel's application for myriad liquor licenses. Developer Peck/Moss has indicated an interest in having multiple bars and lounges in their hotel, including an outdoor space 30 inches from a neighboring building, which does seem aggressive even by downtown boozing standards. In case you're thinking of attending, do note this: last time around, Peck/Moss chickened out of the hearing at the last minute. Consider tonight's meeting agenda tentative.
· SLA & Economic Development Committee, 12/10/07 [Community Board 3]
· Drying of NYC: Protesters Decry Cooper Square Hotel Bars! [~E~]
· Cooper Square Hotel Protest Scares Off Developer? [Curbed]
Bonus: Now appearing on the home page of the State Liquor Authority's Website: "GIFTS—With the holiday season upon us, the State Liquor Authority would like to remind licensees, applicants and their representatives that the Authority's employees are prohibited by law from accepting gifts from anyone who conducts business with the Authority. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter."
Drying of NYC: Death & Co. Closed for Next Week, Future Again Murky as SLA Lowers the Hammer
East 6th Street's perennially embattled Death & Co. is under the gun again. After shuttering temporarily last spring, the cocktail lounge is being forced to cough up $10,000 to the State Liquor Authority—and close for a week—after it came to light that two of its owners aren't listed on the liquor license, The Villager reports. Death & Co.'s website confirms the closure (right), which begins today and runs through next Friday. And according to The Villager, things may get worse yet for the venue: the provisional liquor license it's been operating with comes up for renewal soon, and you can bet neighbors will try hard again to get the place shut down for good. In a word, dicey.
· Death & Co. Closed for Next 7 Days [Official Site]
· On Life Support? [The Villager, 3rd item]
· Drying of NYC: Death & Co. Remains Closed, Future Bleak [~E~]
Drying of NYC: Protesters Decry Cooper Square Hotel Bars!
As reported in EaterWire at the end of the day yesterday, last night saw assorted residents and supporters of East 5th Street in the East Village gather to have their say about developer Peck/Moss's rather aggressive bar and nightlife plans for the forthcoming Cooper Square Hotel on The Bowery. Though the liquor license application indeed was withdrawn—it can be heard next month, if Peck/Moss thinks the climate has improved since the debacle that was their first appearance back in July—the protest went on. As such, the Eater Video Ops team was on the scene to chronicle the action, as seen above—do let us know which oldskool protest chant you find most effective. And see also more on last night's protest over at Curbed.
· Cooper Square Hotel Protest Scares Off Developer? [Curbed]
· Govind Armstrong Heading to New York, Cooper Square Hotel [~E~]
· First Word: Cooper Square Hotel Liquor License Fiasco! [~E~]
Kane's Forty Deuce Negged By Locals; Fate Now with the SLA
Click full story
Though ultimately the State Liquor Authority will rule on this matter, Community Board 2 voted last night to recommend that the SLA deny Ivan Kane a liquor license at 19 Kenmare Street, where he was planning on opening a burlesque club. Perhaps it is the threat of a Vegas-style operator taking over a previously non-menacing restaurant space, or perhaps it was these bilingual protest signs that appeared in the neighborhood in the last few days. Whatever the case, Nolita isn't having any of Kane, if they have any say in the matter. Of course, Kane's business is with the SLA, not the community board, and there is a good chance that Kane's credentials and deep pockets are going to compel the SLA to screw the neighborhood and give Kane his paperwork. The next full board meeting of the SLA is 10/3, at which time we may have a final resolution on this one.
· Nolita Not Feeling Ivan Kane, His Proposed Forty Deuce [~E~]
The Drying of NYC: Down and Out on Bowery and Bleecker
It's been awhile since we've broken out the Drying of NYC tag, in large part because community boards have stepped back from the precipice they tottered on for awhile last year—an era when securing a liquor license seemed like some impossible dream.
But as last week's First Word report from an East Village community board meeting showed, there's still plenty of animus out there for those who would dare suggest a neighborhood could use another restaurant. From the Eater inbox, a proprietor writes, "After reading about Daniel Boulud's struggle with Community Board 3, I would like to share what happened to me a few weeks ago when I introduced my request for a liquor license for a restaurant I was planning to open on Bowery and Bleecker." Uh-oh.
The proprietor's report, after the jump. >>100% Confirmed: Boucarou NOT a Restaurant
Since the community boards of lower Manhattan continue to demonstrate their absolute and complete inability to seperate potentially good venues from the neighborhood menaces (and the SLA has mostly followed suit), it's no wonder the latter group has taken advantage of this and perfected the it's-a-restaurant-surprise-it's-a-lounge switcharoo. One lounge of said ilk: Boucarou, or, as we like to know it, the retractable roof bar.
Boucarou insisted it was a restaurant in community board proceedings, celebrating its chef, menu, kitchen, et.ce.ter.a. Then it opened and things looked fishy. Now, with our receipt of the official press release on the joint, it's official. She's a lounge folks, ready to terrorize the neighborhood at any moment. Just observe the first two sentences of the release:
Boucarou lounge (64 East First Street) will heighten the senses of the Lower East Side with its alluring décor, exotic menu and fresh energy. Bringing a true lounge atmosphere to the neighborhood, Boucarou will serve as the newest hot after-work social scene that transforms into a nightclub with a sophisticated yet relaxed vibe. With a complete menu and a true a dance floor, Boucarou is poised to fill the void in gathering destinations on the LES.Don't let that 'full menu' claim fool you. The food is terrible by design (the Gentleman Stein concurs). Do also note the new bonus lie that the venue is actually on the LES. Lounge, restaurant. LES, East Village. Potato, potahto.
· Liquor License How-To, Boucarou Edition [~E~]
Full release, next. >>
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