d.b.a. is back open on 1st Avenue

A reader told us that d.b.a. reopened last evening.

The bar at 41 First Ave. between East Third Street and East Second Street closed for renovations in early December.

As previously noted, David McWater is d.b.a.'s new owner. (His other bars include Milano's and Doc Hollidays.)

It was our understanding that the bar would have the same basic look and feel... except for maybe the bathrooms. We'll swing by later to see how it all looks.

Ray Deter and Dennis Zentek opened d.b.a. in 1994. Deter died in July 2011 from the injuries he suffered in a bicycling collison. Zentek died on March 23 from head injuries he sustained in a fall down a flight of stairs.

The d.b.a. in Williamsburg closed for good in late November.

Previously on EV Grieve:
David McWater looks to be the new owner of d.b.a.

Report: CB3 OKs liquor license for a David McWater-owned d.b.a.

As we reported earlier this month, David McWater, a local bar owner and former longtime member of Community Board 3, emerged as the new proprietor of d.b.a. at 41 First Ave.

And last night, he went before CB3's SLA committee for a new liquor-license approval.

As BoweryBoogie reported: "Nothing about the bar is changing; it’s the same name, same method of operation, and same staff."

CB3 OK'd the new license, though there was debate about the legality of the bar's backyard. (You can head to BoweryBoogie for the back and forth about that issue.)

Paperwork (PDF!) on file at the CB3 site shows that McWater, who also owns part of The Library, Doc Holliday's and Milano's, and Tower Brokerage's Bob Perl as the principals for d.b.a.

Ray Deter and Dennis Zentek opened d.b.a. in 1994. Deter died in July 2011 from the injuries he suffered in a bicycling accident. Zentek died on March 23 from head injuries he sustained in a fall down a flight of stairs.

According to BoweryBoogie, the heirs of d.b.a. had reached out to McWater about taking over the ownership.

David McWater looks to be the new owner of d.b.a.

A familiar name is set to become the new owner of d.b.a.

David McWater, a local bar owner and former longtime member of Community Board 3, has apparently emerged from a number of potential suitors for the popular 20-year-old d.b.a. at 41 First Ave.

According to paperwork on file at the CB3 website ahead of this month's SLA licensing meeting, McWater is behind "41 1st Avenue Rest Corp." that is applying for a new liquor license.



McWater, an often controversial local official, resigned from CB3 last September citing an array of reasons. According to The Villager, McWater has an ownership stake in Doc Holliday's, the Library and Milano's. He also owned Nice Guy Eddie's, which closed in June 2012 on Avenue A and East Houston.

As The Lo-Down pointed out in September 2013, McWater came "under fire for strongly advocating for the rights of bar owners, as a member of the community board’s State Liquor Authority Committee. McWater served as chairman of CB3 for four years until June of 2008. He has played critical roles in two major CB3 initiatives — the 2008 rezoning of 111 blocks of the LES and the East Village and the Seward Park development plan."

One d.b.a. source tell us that McWater isn't planning on any major changes at the bar, which specializes in craft beer.

Ray Deter and Dennis Zentek opened d.b.a. in 1994. Deter died in July 2011 from the injuries he suffered in a bicycling accident. Zentek died on March 23 from head injuries he sustained in a fall down a flight of stairs.

The application for 41 First Ave. will be heard at the Nov. 17 licensing committee meeting.

Report: David McWater is resigning from Community Board 3

[David McWater, seated left, during last week's CB3/SLA meeting. Photo by BoweryBoogie]

Longtime CB3 member David McWater will resign during tonight's full board meeting, according to an article published at The Villager this morning.

Per the article:

“I’ve done more than any community board member in the history of New York City,” McWater told The Villager. “Nobody in the last 20 years did anything like the Lower East Side rezoning and SPURA. The community owes me a debt — nobody’s ever done what we’ve done. Nobody — nobody ever did anything like SPURA and the rezoning.

“The proudest moments in my life were the Lower East Side rezoning and SPURA,” he said. “With the Lower East Side rezoning we stopped N.Y.U. in their tracks at Third Ave.; except for a few areas, you can’t go over eight stories. We stopped the dorms, we stopped the hotels. It’s the greatest bulwark against gentrification the Lower East Side could ever have — and I believe, in my heart, we saved the homes of hundreds and possibly thousands of people, protecting them from being harassed out of their homes by landlords and developers to build buildings.”

McWater said that he'll likely make his remarks to the Board and community tonight "between the public session and the period where politicians and their representatives give their reports."

The resignation comes one week after an ugly confrontation between McWater and neighborhood group the LES Dwellers during the CB3/SLA committee meeting on Sept. 16.

You can read the entire Villager piece here.

[Updated] CB3 member David McWater charges resident during contentious liquor-license meeting

An ugly scene reportedly played out during last night's CB3/SLA committee meeting between board member David McWater and neighborhood group the LES Dwellers.

BoweryBoogie and The Lo-Down were both in attendance and witnessed what transpired. After a pitch by applicants hoping to take over the Gallery Bar space on Orchard Street, McWater made his first appearance at the meeting.

That's when Sara Romanoski, part of the Dwellers group (and director of the East Village Community Coalition), noted that he arrived "just in time to support Darin Rubell, a current co-owner of the Gallery Bar space," as The Lo-Down put it. (McWater sold Nice Guy Eddie's to Rubell, who turned the space into Boulton & Watt.)

The comment caused him to reportedly leap out of his chair and come face-to-face with Romanoski. Per BoweryBoogie: "Those pushed buttons resulted in constant verbal attacks between the two parties, and near fisticuffs after McWater charged Romanoski (Ed. note: CB3 needs to address this issue, stat)."

An EVG reader in attendance last night told us this in an email: "His behavior was outrageous, [he] reduced her to tears." (The reader said that McWater later apologized to Romanoski outside.)

The Lo-Down spoke with McWater by phone after the meeting. "McWater told us he was angered by the insinuation that he’s somehow corrupt and argued that the Dwellers went on a personal attack against him. In our conversation and during the hearing, McWater said he was late due to another meeting concerning an important land use issue."

Read the full coverage at BoweryBoogie (who has video of the aftermath) ... and The Lo-Down.

Updated 3:04 pm

Gothamist has a lot more on the meeting. According to a video that Gothamist has posted, "things escalated quickly, with McWater vowing to 'bury' Aaron Sosnick of the East Village Community Coalition."



[Photo via BoweryBoogie]