At CB3/SLA meeting: Le Souk denied; residents speak of "mayhem" and "crazy fistfights"; proponent suggests people would prefer living in Staten Island

As you read this, the CB3/SLA licensing meeting is just wrapping up (that joke never gets old!). An EV Grieve reader was there for part of the meeting and kindly filed this report. For that, we offer many thanks to this dedicated soul.

Things got off to a good start at 6:45 with the announcement that eight agenda items would not be covered, leaving only 27 matters to discuss.

After a brief discussion of budget priorities (largely a formality) the action got underway with Renewals with Complaint History.

First up was St. Dymphna's of 118 St. Marks, looking to renew its full liquor license. The board raised the issue of whether the establishment is allowed to utilize its back yard space, citing a 2007 DOB decision which indicated the back yard could not be used, and the fact that its SLA renewal application did not indicate a back yard space was in use, though it is. The establishment is under new ownership, and the current proprietor indicated he was not familiar with that DOB decision or the previous complaint history. The Board voted to approve the renewal with the stipulation that the back yard space not be used.

Next up was Spur Tree Restaurant of 76 Orchard Street, looking to renew its restaurant wine license. No one was present to represent the applicant, and the board voted to deny the renewal for non appearance.

Le Souk

That took us right to the main event -- Le Souk -- which was called in not to discuss a renewal but to address the complaints that have been lodged against it since reopening. The discussion started with a recap of the December 2008 board decision to not vote on the club's renewal, the club's license being suspended at that time. Six residents were then given an opportunity to speak. Le Souk's opponents described the improvements in quality of life during the time the club was closed.

One resident was quoted via letter as saying "life was so peaceful on Avenue B" during that time. Opponents reported that since the club has reopened, "all sorts of mayhem" has occurred, including "crazy fistfights" and "animal behavior." One resident opined about the nature of Le Souk patrons, stating that they "drive the taxi drivers to the point of insanity," a reference to the honking problem on the corner. It was also noted that the police do not ticket for honking on the corner of 4th and B despite posted warnings, purportedly because they are not able to determine which cars are doing the honking.

Seriously. One resident indicated that "life has been intolerable since Le Souk has reopened" and the letter writer was again quoted, saying "a superclub like Le Souk has no business in the neighborhood." Residents also cited loud music emanating from the club and Web site reviews which tout dancing going on in the club in violation of cabaret laws.

Two Le Souk proponents spoke in favor of the club, one saying that "the community was in shambles while Le Souk was closed," the argument focused on economics and the idea that this is not the time to shutter a club that brings much business to the neighborhood. He also suggested Le Souk is doing a better job now relative to the abysmal job it had done in the past (not the most ringing endorsement) and made a reference to some people maybe preferring to live in Staten Island.

Le Souk's proprietor indicated that traffic is a problem throughout the East Village and not a function of his club, saying in fact that he does not have a traffic or congestion problem in front of his establishment. He was then scolded by the board for failing to organize a meeting with residents to work through issues outside of the CB meeting process, as he had promised to do sometime in March. A member of the Le Souk management team indicated they would make the meeting happen this time. It was noted that Le Souk has 7,000 square feet of space.

By this point the room had become quite hot and a Le Souk proponent had to be directed by the board to stop speaking out of turn, one board member wondering aloud if security needed to be summoned. After much discussion of the language of the motion, the board voted to deny the renewal, when it comes up. In response to a direct question from a resident, asking if Le Souk would begin turning down the volume of its music starting this weekend, Le Souk indicated that it would.

Thailand Cafe

It was now 8:02. Still so early and only 23 agenda items to go. Next up was Thailand Cafe on 2nd Avenue, looking to add some manner of outdoor seating. The board expressed concerns with the already numerous outdoor seating arrangements on that stretch of 2nd Avenue, and whether the clearance depicted in the plans between the outdoor seating and bus shelter in front of the establishment would actually be as large as the plans suggest (15 feet). Residents were organized against the plan, 10 or so standing together to indicate their opposition. One suggested the idea of dining outdoors several feet from a stream of city buses would perhaps not be the best dining experience ever. There were also 23 letters submitted in opposition. The board voted to deny this plan due to bus shelter proximity and existing levels of sidewalk congestion in that area.

At this point one of the board members learned that an attendee was waiting to speak on the matter of Chickpea, agenda item 28, and let him know that the item had been announced among those canceled at the outset. Mercifully this happened two hours into meeting and not 10.

Cien Fueguos

Next up was Cien Fueguos LLC, looking to open a Cuban fine dining establishment at 95 Ave A. The owner and team made a fantastic presentation, top to bottom. They produced 1,000 signatures from East Village residents in support of their plan, 200 of them living in the immediate vicinity. Numerous residents spoke on their behalf including the owner of the building. The presentation included statistics on the prevalence of Cuban restaurants in Manhattan (there are just 43, and only five of those are considered fine dining establishments) which were compared to comparable statistics for Italian restaurants. The owner operates four other establishments in the East Village without incident and the management team's experience running orderly restaurants was touted, as was the fact that the venture will bring 40-50 new jobs to the neighborhood and include a sandwich shop. The board issued a favorable opinion on the application with basic stipulations, some of which the operating plan for the establishment already included.

(Someone said this owner is the guy behind Bourgeois Pig and Death & Co.. I thought Death and Company had some issues in the past, but am not sure. They were pretty clear about the owner running four places and not having problems.)




Caffe Bon Gusto

Next up was Caffe Bon Gusto, for which the sailing was not smooth. The applicant himself did not show up, instead sending two representatives, one of which seemed to be his attorney. The board noted that the application (for a wine license) was more or less identical to the application it rejected in September 2007. And that with only 10 signatures in support of the restaurant -- four of those from residents not in the immediate vicinity -- the applicant has not demonstrated that his establishment will provide a substantial benefit to the community, a requirement to secure a favorable opinion from the board in a resolution area. No residents signed up to speak for the club, but the applicant's attorney noted that no residents turned out to speak against it either.

Postscript

At this point our reader left. It was after 9 p.m.

How do they manage to get through 27 agenda items? I can't fathom it.

[Updated] Lamia's Fish Market headed to SLA for a beer-wine license for 45 Avenue B

[45-47 Avenue B file photo]

A restaurant called Lamia's Fish Market is in the works for the long-vacant storefront at 45 Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street.

Lamia Funti, the applicant, appeared before CB3's SLA committee meeting back in April. The application was reportedly denied based in part on the history of the space. (The Lo-Down reported on this here.)

Media outlets have identified Funti as the co-owner of Le Souk on La Guardia Place along with her husband Marcus Jacobs. He was reportedly an owner of Le Souk at 47 Avenue B... Le Souk was a years-long thorn in the side of neighbors, as widely reported here ... and here ... and here ... and here.

In October 2009, the State Liquor Authority cancelled Le Souk's liquor license. (Read the SLA release here.)

According to a neighborhood block association member, Lamia's Fish Market has now applied directly to the New York State Liquor Authority for a beer-wine license. This application is one of many to be heard during an SLA board meeting today at their New York City office, 317 Lenox Ave. at 126th Street. (The block association rep didn't have an exact time for this applicant during the public meeting, only that it will be heard between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.)

The block association member provided a recap about the applicant(s).

The location is the former Le Souk space, and the principal/proprietor of this new establishment (Lamia Funti) is the wife of Marcus Andrews (formerly, Marcus Jacobs, one of the principals of the old Le Souk along with his brother Sam Jacobs). She is the manager of the current Le Souk, now located on LaGuardia Place in the Village, which Marcus owns. She is proposing a restaurant, not a club/lounge like the old Le Souk or the current business on Laguardia, with only a Beer/Wine license and a 12 am closing every night. This type of license would typically be approved by the SLA without question. However, this situation is unusual and merits special consideration by them.

Even though Ms. Funti was not officially involved with the old Le Souk on Avenue B, she is associated with the Jacob family and their other businesses. At the current Le Souk, which she manages, there have been online reports of fights (involving the owner), a stabbing, plus 311 calls and complaints. Given this background, many involved in the Block Association believe that, even on her own (much less because of her familial affiliations), she does not run the kind of business we want on Avenue B.

You can read CB3's lengthy Recommendation To Deny from the April meeting at the CB3 website here (PDF)

Updated 10/26

The SLA approved this applicant for a beer-wine license according to someone in attendance. More info as it becomes available.

Readers respond to Le Souk's closure

[Image via Eater]

Several people left comments yesterday in response to Le Souk closing up on Avenue B. A sampling:

First Le souk has been on Ave B more than 8 yrs. (get your facts straight bro the club has been there since 1999)

This place has been closed by several parties (no pun intended).

1 The peeps who moved in years after Le Souk and several other biz wrestled the area away from the crime that kept these same people hiding in there safe hoods.

2 The Neo fascist LOCAL and NYC administration, that is more intent on trying to facilitate/negotiate mutli-billion dollar deals with construction developers than creating programs to help build and sustain small businesses.

This seems to me an amazing situation in the current economic climate. To crush any kinda business, let alone one that brings thousands of dollars a day to the local economy. Call me silly or irresponsible but it just seems like an absurd maneuver to me.

And!

Why all the haters? This neighborhood was nothing before Le Souk arrived. You will regret your petty 311 calls and waa-waaing baby talk to the community board when the rats and drugheads take over. You will beg us to return. Guess we will be giving our money now to the good people on La Guardia Place, home of the Le Souk Harem. I hope they will appreciate all that Le Souk regulars have to offer a neighborhood.

And!

If you don't want to live on a street or ave. that has businesses, perhaps moving out of the city would be best for you. The city is alive and people go out and night life abounds.

And!

Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't LeSouk a Mom & Pop shop that has been put out of business by people complaining everyday about the noise and their over crowding?
Are we mourning the loss or congratulating the NIMBYs who blocked them from doing business.

And!

It's very arrogant to feel that just because someone wants to go out get really drunk and be loud and obnoxious that it's okay to be a disturbance to others and that residence ought to be "grateful" for you coming and bringing revenue into the neighborhood - because of course it was rat and drug infested before, right? And was "nothing" before you came spending your money, right? Unfortunately this is the mentality that is causing clubs and bars to experience difficulty when it comes to getting liquor licenses.

And!

It's worth noting that -- neighbor complaints notwithstanding -- Le Souk's liquor license was terminated by the SLA because the club failed to operate in compliance with applicable laws, not because residents had issues with it. Surely the complaint history did not help, but this termination was about more than noise complaints, and it went through the court system.

For all of the talk about the negative impact on businesses, why did local business owners not show up en masse to speak on behalf of Le Souk at community board meetings, if this one particular club was truly that important? Closing Le Souk does not represent a fast track back to 1980. Countless nightlife spots in the East Village operate successfully as good neighbors and no one has less fun as a result.

Previously.

"If your establishment needs to hire a guy in an orange vest to direct traffic around your club every Friday and Saturday night..."

Crap, is it Thursday already? I meant to share this entertaining and informative reader comment earlier this week. Upon hearing the news last Friday that Le Souk had its liquor license reinstated and was planning on staying in the East Village (as reported first by DBTH), WB had the following to say:

One thing that need not be guesstimated is how much that place sucks.

Jokes aside, Le Souk did go before the Community Board in December. It was "following protocol" should this very thing happen. See here.

And so here we are. Hello.

Many spoke at that meeting. The tone was generally not positive as Le Souk went. It is true that some spoke up for the club, but a fair number of the pro Le Souk comments revolved around the tenuous idea that there exists no middle ground between circuses like Le Souk and the East Village of decades past (see reference 1). On the other hand the anti Le Souk crowd made consistently reasonable points. For example, if your establishment needs to hire a guy in an orange vest to direct traffic around your club every Friday and Saturday night, it's quite possible that your establishment has outgrown its environs.

Anyway, after everyone spoke their minds, the CB ruled that it would be inappropriate for it to make a decision at that time, since the license was suspended. It seemed like an odd decision at the time, given what was said and the place's history.

Now, I am not an attorney but I'm not certain that today's ruling means that Le Souk is on the fast track back to serving $24 Jägerbombs (reference 2). It sounds as if Le Souk needs to reapply for its license, which one would *guess* involves a recommendation yay or nay from the CB. And I can't fathom the CB giving it twelve thumbs up or whatever. The only thing Le Souk has going for it is that it has been closed for months and hence hasn't racked up more violations. But I don't fully understand how this machine works.

Anyway, if you ever have free time, the Community Board meetings are very interesting. It's a good look into one of the larger factors shaping our neighborhoods.

WB

Late night in front of Le Souk

A few weeks back, we noted some work and what not at the former Le Souk space on Avenue B... and, a tipster was curious why he or she saw people coming out of Le Souk at 4, 5, 6 a.m....

Now, the tipster has passed along a photo from the other night with the following note: "Le Souk 4.30 am. 18 people come out to smoke."



A little dark, of course (what, want the person to use a flash?)... but you can kind of see a group of people congregating in front of the Le Souk space...

Meanwhile, a walk by the Le Souk space revealed dozens of cigarette butts on the sidewalk out front... quite a few for in front of a shuttered business....





Anyway, as we've pointed out before, Le Souk still looks like a functioning restaurant at a quick glance...and the windows are covered with thick curtains... and what looks like a trash bag over the front-door window...



Anyway, there's probably a logical explanation for all this...

Previously.
Plus:
Is Le Souk still doing business on Avenue B?

Finest Pizza and Deli not closing because Le Souk went away

In recent months we've noticed that Finest Pizza & Deli on Avenue B at Fourth Street was no longer open 24 hours... A Curbed commenter wrote on this post yesterday:

"Because of La Souk being shut down, the bodega on Avenue B/4th street (next door) will not be renewing his lease. His profits are down $2000.00 a month since their closing. I liked it so much more when someone complained about the noise they were told to 'Shut Up'."




That's just not true. There has been a minor movement to show what a loss Le Souk's closing has been on the neighborhood... those comments like, "Le Souk made the LES upscale."

At the CB3/SLA meeting in October, a Le Souk proponent stood up and said: "the community was in shambles while Le Souk was closed." The argument focused on economics and the idea that this is not the time to shutter a club that brings much business to the neighborhood.

In any event, the Finest Pizza & Deli is NOT closing because Le Souk closed. Straight from an umimpeachable source:

Abdul reports that there just isn't the business necessary for them to stay open late. They will stay open until around midnight or so on normal nights and possibly a bit later on weekends or if it gets crowded. He stated that it has nothing to do with Le Souk's closing, that the business had been dying for a while.

"LE SOUK IS BACK!!"

Concerned residents forwarded me the copy of this message...

Residents of E 4th Street and Avenue B area,
PLEASE, WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

Have your sleepless nights returned? Have you noticed that the noise and mayhem on Avenue B and the adjacent streets has returned?

LE SOUK IS BACK!!
Unfortunately, sad but true, the case against them was dismissed on a technicality and they are open under temporary license and coming up for a license renewal hearing in the next week or so. If you want to maintain your sanity and get some sleep at night, here are somethings you must do for yourself and the good of the community;

(FYI - Le Souk's Address is 47 Avenue B btwn 3 & 4 Streets)

1. PLEASE phone the SLA right now Complaint Hotline
(212) 961-8378. EVERY day counts. EVERY complaint/voice counts.
SEND your complaints and comments to the SLA.

2. If you'd prefer not to call, here's an easy link to file a complaint to the SLA.

3. As per Susan Stetzer, our CB3 District Manager, everyone must call 311 when the noise is crazy so that the complaints will be logged into the system. They will give you a complaint number which you should then send via email to Community Board 3.

4. If you prefer to send a snail mail letter to the SLA, you may do so at the below address.

PLEASE send a letter protesting this to

Attention: Dennis Rosen
New York State Liquor Authority, Zone One
317 Lenox Avenue, 5th floor
New York NY10027
Please CC: Susan Stetzer who is monitoring the situation. sstetzer@cb3manhattan.org

5. Please come to the CB3 meeting on October 19th at 6:30p to voice your opinions. Le Souk is on the calendar for that meeting.

SLA/DCA Licensing Committee
JASA/Green Residence
200 East 5th Street at Bowery

PLEASE TAKE ACTION ASAP!!!! It will only take a few moments, and the relative peace we had when Le Souk was closed - is at stake !
Thank you for your support.

contact us at: E4StBlockAssoc@yahoo.com

Photo by Yun Cee Ng via.

Le Souk will have their liquor license cancelled

An SLA spokesperson told me: "[The SLA] will re-serve the cancellation order, which will terminate their liquor license."

From the State Liquor Authority:

COURT OF APPEALS UPHOLDS STATE LIQUOR AUTHORITY DECISION

Liquor Licensees Must Comply with SLA Rules Mandating Health and Safety

Albany NY – State Liquor Authority Chairman Dennis Rosen today announced the New York State Court of Appeals has upheld the SLA’s determination in the matter of 47 Ave. B. East, Inc. vs. the New York State Liquor Authority. Yesterday’s decision by the Court of Appeals reverses the order of the Appellate Division with costs, dismisses the petition of 47 Avenue B (doing business as “Le Souk”), and holds that the SLA’S findings that the licensee allowed the premise to become overcrowded and failed to supervise was supported by substantial evidence. Most significantly, the decision upholds the validity of the SLA rules, which provide the SLA with the regulatory power to ensure licensees comply with local health and safety rules.

On April 9, 2008, 47 Avenue B challenged a March 3, 2008 determination by the SLA canceling the bar’s liquor license. In an earlier lower court decision issued on May 21, 2009, the Appellate Division ruled in favor of the 47 Avenue B, finding that the record did not contain substantial evidence of overcrowding, that it was beyond the rule-making authority of the SLA to issue a rule requiring licensees “to insure that a high degree of supervision is exercised over the conduct of the licensed establishment at all times,” and that it was beyond the rule-making authority of the SLA to issue a rule requiring, “all on-premises licensees, regardless of type of premises, to conform with all applicable building codes, fire, safety and governmental regulations.”


“The Court of Appeals correctly found that the SLA must have the authority to act when bars break local laws,” said Chairman Rosen. “Bars that allow overcrowding or fail in their basic duty to adequately supervise their premises are often just setting the stage for more serious violations to occur. The Court's decision yesterday was essential for the SLA’s continuing efforts to ensure public safety at licensed establishments.”

This matter was handled by Senior SLA Attorney Scott Weiner, under the supervision of Thomas J. Donohue, Counsel to the Authority.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At CB3/SLA meeting: Le Souk denied; residents speak of "mayhem" and "crazy fistfights"; proponent suggests people would prefer living in Staten Island

"LE SOUK IS BACK!"

Your chance to nab a piece of junk from Le Souk

Le Souk is back open and loud as ever

We know that Le Souk is throwing a New Year's Eve bash at their old space on Avenue B ... Perhaps the Le Soukers were giving the space a test run last night... As one resident said, "it was so loud tonight all night after, say 11 pm. Around 2:30 am, I finally got up to see what the problem was ... Surprise! Le Souk."

Indeed.




The State Liquor Authority terminated Le Souk's liquor license in October 2009.

Le Souk has really closed

On Friday, we heard that troubled hookah hotspot Le Souk had, indeed, closed after losing its liquor license.

I was curious if that was permanent. This sign now greets potential Le Soukers.



I asked Stacie, a resident who has lived nearby for a lot longer than the eight years that Le Souk has been around, for her take:

Yep -- it's closed. No dining, no drinking, no dancing, no parties. No bouncers, no crowds, no fights. No honking, no puking, no throbbing (music), no nothing.

With Le Souk's departure and the closure of Layaly, only one Hookah bar, the Horus Cafe, remains along the Avenue B corridor...

Is Le Souk still doing business on Avenue B?

Last fall, troubled hookah hotspot Le Souk closed after losing its liquor license in a long, contentious battle.

And this rather final sign greeted potential Le Soukers....



But, in recent weeks, that sign has disappeared. Meanwhile, all the usual Zagat/Time Out/accolades stuff remains in the front windows...along with a menu. (The photo below was taken on Sunday.) If you didn't know any better walking by, then you'd think the place might still be open. And maybe it is.



A trusted EV Grieve reader reported that Le Souk was open for business this past New Year's Eve. Said the reader:

"[I]t must have been hired out for a private party, because I understand they can't sell alcohol, but perhaps they can give it away? There were black-tie Secret-Service-looking bouncers out front too. It was just as loud as usual at 2 am ... but with fewer people, and all in much fancier dress. Not too surprising seeing as how it was NYE."

So far, we've been unsuccessful in tracking down anyone who may have been at this alleged soiree... Is this the first in a line of other private parties to use the Le Souk space?

Report: No action taken yet on Le Souk (Update: "Two nights ago it finally closed down.")

In his "Mixed Use" column at The Villager, Patrick Hedlund follows up on the news last week that Le Souk is losing its liquor license. Residents who live near the hookah hotspot on Avenue B near Fourth Street shouldn't celebrate just yet.

Susan Stetzer, Board 3's district manager, said that despite the recent action, the club was up and running this past weekend.

"People that live in the area were celebrating the news, and by Sunday night they were complaining to the community board," she said.

The S.L.A. only has the power to confiscate liquor licenses and can't actually close the location. According to Stetzer, police at the East Village's Ninth Precinct had not been contacted about the ruling or asked to take any action.

"I must say, I'm a little frustrated," she added, recalling that after Le Souk's first cancellation, the club continued to operate for eight months. "It is really difficult to get any information on what the S.L.A. is doing about this."

UPDATE! Per the comments:

"I live across the street from Le Souk and couldn't wait for it to close! Two nights ago it finally closed down. No restaurant, no club, no bouncers, traffic, or underage squealers or fighters."

Previously.

Former Le Souk space 'needs a real restaurant operator'

Save for a few mysterious parties, Le Souk has been dead and gone now five years this October. (The State Liquor Authority terminated Le Souk's liquor license in October 2009.)

Since then, the space has been empty (much to the delight of neighbors) ... and on and off the market several times. We spotted a listing for the space at 47 Avenue B between East Fourth Street and East Third Street back in July 2011. The asking price then was $25K.

For rent signs arrived along this Avenue B corridor earlier in the summer. And now the listing has arrived on Craigslist. Let's check it out (Bolding via EVG):

This is a restaurant space that has an atrium in the back, the ansil/flute are in place. there is 6,627 square feet on two floors that could be divided for the right tenant. The asking rent is $331,350 per annum and $27,612.50 per month. This place needs a real restaurant operator. there was a liquor license at one time the new tenant would have to apply for a new one. Tenant will pay their proportionate share of real estate taxes as well as their own utilities which will include water, gas and electric. ownership would be willing to split up this site.

The photos at Craigslist are worth flipping through to admire the ancient ruins of Le Souk. Let's carbon date that disco ball.

Meanwhile, the former Max space at 51 Avenue B also remains on the market. Asking rent is $10,000 a month. This space has been vacant for 20 months.

Previously

This past weekend outside Le Souk

On Christmas night, several readers passed along word of another party at Le Souk on Avenue B... Also, the empty storefront between Le Souk and Max's, which used to be an animal hospital, has been filled with people, but only late at night, a reader reports. On Saturday night, they moved a bunch of furniture/trash out of the old space and onto the street ...some of it went into Le Souk and some upstairs into the residential building that houses both locations. Yesterday morning, much of the stuff remained lined up on the sidewalk...

And later...

[Updated] Rumors: SLA rescinds Le Souk's New Year's Eve plans for Avenue B

A tipster notes that the State Liquor Authority (SLA) has pulled the special permit for Le Souk to hold a New Year's Eve bash at their former Avenue B home.

We're awaiting confirmation from the SLA on this.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Le Souk is 'exceptionally back to its former location'

UPDATED: The folks at Le Souk said via Twitter that the party is still on.

[Updated] A look at the rest of tonight's CB3-SLA meeting docket

[45-47 Avenue B]

CB3's SLA committee meeting is tonight 6:30 in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

To date, we've look at several applicants:

• 98 Favor Taste, 37 St. Mark's Place

• Unnamed pizzeria, Avenue C and Eighth Street

• Vietnamese restaurant, 119 St. Mark's Place

• Desi Galli, 172 Avenue B

And one applicant we looked at is no longer on the agenda. The owners of the Brazen Fox had plans to open another bar-restaurant directly across the street from their current two-level bar-restaurant on Third Avenue and East 13th Street.




We do not know why they are a scratch from the meeting. In any event, this would be a tough sell... a full liquor license with a sidewalk cafe for a space (Gothic Cabinet Craft shop) that was not previously licensed within a saturated area... from applicants who already operate a successful space right across the street. Not sure what the public benefit is here.



And there was neighbor opposition to the application as well... based on the flyers on the block...



Meanwhile, here's a quick look at some of the other East Village applicants on tonight's meeting agenda...

Applications within Saturated Areas

• Fish Market Inc, 45 Ave B (wb)

A venture called Lamia's Fish Market is in the works for the long vacant storefront at 45 Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street. The questionnaire (PDF) on file for public viewing at the CB3 website shows a restaurant with 40 tables seating 160 people. The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to midnight Monday though Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday.

Lamia Funti is the name of the applicant. Media outlets have identified her as the co-owner of Le Souk on La Guardia Place along with her husband Marcus Jacobs. He was reportedly an owner of Le Souk at 47 Avenue B... Le Souk was a years-long thorn in the side of neighbors, as widely reported here ... and here ... and here ... and here. In October 2009, the State Liquor Authority cancelled Le Souk's liquor license. (Read the SLA release here.)

Updated 4/19

The committee voted to deny the application. The Lo-Down has the details about the operators here.

• Baker's Pizza (Baker's Pizza LLC), 201 Ave A (wb)

The pizzeria that opened back in February between East 12th Street and East 13th Street is seeking a beer-wine license.

Sidewalk Cafe Application

• Lionsbeerstore (Beer Factory LLC), 104 2nd Ave

• Biang (Wen Zi Inc), 157 2nd Ave

The previous tenant at this address, Alder, had an eight-table, 16-seat sidewalk cafe.

New Liquor License Applications

• AGN Restaurant LLC, 166 1st Ave (op)

This is the former North River/Nite Owl space near East 10th Street. The owners of the Belfry on East 14th Street are looking to open a bar-restaurant here serving American comfort food, according to the questionnaire (PDF) on file at the CB3 website.

The proposed hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday; until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

• Proto's Pizza (Fifty East LLC), 50 2nd Ave (wb)

Items not heard at Committee

• Virgola (Virgola 3 LLC), 221 Ave B (wb)

They were denied at the February meeting ... this will be the second Virgola location in the East Village.

• Dumpling Go (Dumpling 2 Avenue Inc), 188 2nd Ave (wb)

The restaurant has been closed for the past week. Looks like a renovation, though there aren't any signs for customers.

Your chance to nab a piece of junk from Le Souk

As Down by the Hipster noted May 22, Le Souk had its liquor license reinstated ... before that, though, there was talk the longtime bane of lower Avenue B (as Eater aptly described it) was relocating to Bleecker and LaGuardia...

Meanwhile, Le Souk must be doing a little late spring cleaning. Which may explain why someone at Le Souk left a bunch of crap on the sidewalk last night... I call dibs on the empty keg!

Is part of the former Le Souk spot on the market on Avenue B?

Workers have put up new "restaurant/store" for lease signs on two empty properties on Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street... We spotted signs at the former animal hospital...

...and at part of the former Le Souk empire a few doors to the south. (There were no signs at the main Le Souk entrance.)

NYCRS officials haven't posted the listings just yet, so we don't know yet if all (or any!) of the Le Souk complex is involved in the lease... If so, then it might mean the end to those mysterious late-night parties and after-prom bashes...

Buses, bouncers and a mysterious Avenue B party spot

For the second consecutive weekend, crowds have flocked to the space next door to, or on top of, the former Le Souk at 47 Avenue B. However, this time, it appears the gathering is far more organized.

There are some guys working the door...

...and there were three party buses full of party people...

A resident took these photos around 3 a.m. early Saturday. The resident noted: "It appears they show up by bus (many buses) and disappear into the doorway next to Le Souk for a few hours. Then, drunk, they filter out later on to the waiting buses. There are some chaperones or minders who herd them like silly teenage sheep. No idea what it's all about. I just know they are wicked loud and young."

A reader left this comment, which makes it look as if the party went on for two nights (or mornings):

There were 3 "party" buses on Ave B Sat night. When I called 311 at 3 am I was left in a never ending holding pattern. Then I hung up and called 911. The operator hung up on me. That's my city now. Endless suburbanite spawn in large groups shipped in on buses. Annoying transplants doing annoying things on my dime as they claim expression of themselves. I just want to know, is there no person in the town you were raised that misses you? It is a large country we live in, why do you all move here? It's not that great, and it's full.

The State Liquor Authority terminated Le Souk's liquor license in October 2009. While this all may not have anything to do with Le Souk, who has tried to hold parties at this space in the past, several people did sign on to Foursquare from 47 Avenue B on May 21.

WTF: 'Le Souk is back to Avenue B for New Years!'

A rather terrified Avenue B resident passes along this info about a New Year's Eve bash at the shuttered Le Souk...




The description mentions Le Souk's West Village location, but everything else points to Avenue B... where the restaurant/club lost its liquor license last year... Anyway, The Harem VIP Table Service Ticket is $250.