Monday, April 11, 2022

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: applicants for the former Sidewalk and Rue-B spaces

Here's a look at two of the items on tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting... (we wrote about Bar Veloce's application for a new spot on the Bowery here). 

Offside (OT AT LLC), 94 Ave A (op) 

An applicant is looking to open Offside, a bar-restaurant serving "American comfort food" in the former Sidewalk (and August Laura) space on the NE corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street.
According to the questionnaire on the CB3 website, Offside has proposed hours of 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays, with an 11 a.m. start on weekends. The applicants also plan on having sidewalk and streetside seating. 

The applicant previously ran the Offside at 137 W. 14th St. The tavern, which opened in 2017, closed during the pandemic in 2020. Offside was known as a gathering spot for fans watching Islanders games

August Laura closed last December after a fall 2019 debut. Sidewalk, the restaurant, bar and live music venue (home of the Antifolk Festival), shuttered in February 2019 after 34 years.
Next Best LLC, 188 Ave B (op) 

Hi-Note is a proposed coffee shop-karaoke bar combo for 188 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street in space that was previously the jazz club Rue-B. 

According to the CB3 questionnaire, daily coffee service will take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. ...  with the bar component open from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. During the day, Hi-Note plans to serve cafe fare, including pastries, salads and sandwiches. 

Hi-Note's management team previously ran Baby Grand, the now-closed karaoke bar on Lafayette. 

Rue-B shut down last fall after 23 years in business. 

Tonight's virtual meeting starts at 6:30. You can find the Zoom link here.

 Thank you to Jake Bowling for the photo at 188 Avenue B.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

From anti-folk to islanders games... no to a sports bar!

From a beautiful jazz bistro to screeching amateurs... no to a 4am karaoke bar!

Any other kinds of bars, but not those two.

sonyblockbuster said...

I miss SideWalk Cafe!

Anonymous said...

Agreed. Sports bars are truly dismal.

Anonymous said...

Hi-Note - Coffee-shop-bar-component-backyard-garden. Backyard gardens are too disruptive no matter how hard an owner tries. It's makes lives miserable for those living in back.

Anonymous said...

LGI!

Anonymous said...

No to everything. Shut down the neighborhood at 11pm. And no backyard gardens. No new businesses of any kind ever. Thats the EV Grieve way!

Anonymous said...

Super (not):
proposed hours until 4 am - inside seating plus sidewalk and street shack.

And the playground for the privileged made even more fun with Take Out drinks and instant gratification marijuana.

Gee maybe folks could just go home at 11, save their money - and donate to Ukraine or Sudan or Haiti...

Anonymous said...

As both a cranky 7th Street resident annoyed by everyone's loud fun AND a loyal patron of the original Offside Tavern (and an Islanders fan), I think this will work out fine. I got to know OT's owner Nick a little at the original spot, and he's a genuinely great dude. OT never felt like a sports bar (or what we think of when we think of sports bars), as much as it was just an awesome local watering hole. Isles fans are misfits, and if nothing else the EV should still have some love for misfits. I guarantee you this is 10,000x better than a bar that draws Rangers fans...or almost any other sport, for that matter.

Brian Van said...

The original Offside Tavern was a better, calmer operator than 80% of East Village bars. After all the complaints about garbage and homeless people camping out at that abandoned corner... don't you want to do something positive about it?

Or are none of the complaints about doing something positive?