On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: applicants for the former Brazen Fox and Loverboy spaces

Tonight is the second of the two CB3 SLA committee meetings for April. 

Here's a look at a few of the items on the agenda:

• Entity to be Formed by Curt Heugel, 106 3rd Ave (op) 

Hospitality veteran Curt Heugel's Host Restaurants, whose portfolio includes concepts such as Bill's Townhouse, Campagnola and Printers Alley, is behind a new unnamed venture for 106 Third Ave. at 13th Street.

The questionnaire for the space shows proposed hours starting at 10 a.m. with a 4 a.m. close (the outdoor cafe portion would have an 11 p.m. curfew).

Heugel and his partners also operate Jackdaw on Second Avenue at 13th Street. 

This two-level corner space was home to the Brazen Fox, which closed during the pandemic. 

 • Entity to be Formed by Michael Perry, 127 Ave C (op)

A new venture called Two Perry's is in the works for 127 Avenue C at Eighth Street.

The space would be a cafe offering breakfast and lunch during the day with a bar-restaurant service in the evenings. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, the proposed hours are 7 a.m. to midnight, with a 2 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday.

Loverboy, specializing in pizza and slushy drinks, closed here during the pandemic after nearly three-plus in business.  Before Loverboy, the corner space was home to multiple establishments, a list that includes Lumé, the "Epicurean drinkery," ... Life — Kitchen and Bar … which had taken over for Verso. Other restaurants here in the past nine years include Caffe Pepe Rosso and Caffe Cotto. 

Items not heard at Committee 

• Sushi by M (Sushibym2 LLC), 300 E 5th St (wb) 

Sushi By M, which currently offers an omakase experience from a compact space on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery, is moving to a more high-profile spot on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street (last occupied by Spiritea, and pictured above).

This larger space for Chef Tim would include six tables (seating 12 patrons) and a sushi counter for 16 guests. The daily hours are listed as noon to 11:30 p.m.

• Woman in Wine LLC, 413 E 12th St (wb)

Alessandro Trezza, whose establishments include Have & Meyer in Williamsburg, is opening a small plates/dessert and wine bar at 413 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The questionnaire shows daily hours of 4 p.m. to midnight. The document includes a sample menu.

This mid-block space was previously Zadie's Oyster Room.

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

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: Tiger Lily, Lamia's Fish Market, Little Rebel

The first of two April CB3 SLA committee meetings happens tonight via Zoom.

Here's a look at three new liquor license applications in the East Village:

• The Tiger Lily Kitchen (Elvis' Cafe LLC), 58 Third Ave. 

Hospitality veteran Michelle Morgan is looking to bring the Tiger Lily Kitchen to the former Boilery space here between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Morgan opened Tiger Lily, which serves "healthy Asian-inspired cooking with gluten-free and vegan options," late last year as a takeout and delivery operation at 293 Third Ave. between 22nd Street and 23rd Street. This space would allow for her to offer indoor dining.

For a look at their lunch and dinner options, you can check out the Tiger Lily Instagram here. The application for the address is on the CB3 website.

• Lamia's Fish Market (East Coast Fish Market Inc), 45 Avenue B 

Lamia's Fish Market is seeking an upgrade from beer-wine to a full liquor license here between Second Street and Third Street. 

Lamia Funti, the applicant, appeared before CB3's SLA committee meeting in April 2016. The application was reportedly denied based in part on the history of the space. (The Lo-Down reported on this here. And DNAinfo here.)

Media outlets previously 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, a years-long thorn in the side of Avenue B neighbors, as reported and here ... and here.

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

Despite the 2016 committee denial, Lamia's received the beer-wine license via the State Liquor Authority later that fall.

You can read Lamia's questionnaire on the CB3 website at this link.

• Little Rebel (K&L Hospitality LLC), 219 Second Ave.

A bar-gastropub called Little Rebel is in the works for the former Professor Thom's space on Second Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street.

You can read more about the plans that owners Dermot Lynch and Jarek Krukow have for the space — as well as see a sample menu —via their questionnaire here.

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

Beetle mania: Tim Burton-themed bar-restaurant expands on 6th Street

Beetle House, the Tim Burton-themed bar-restaurant on Sixth Street, is expanding its footprint here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Reps for the place virtually appeared before the CB3-SLA committee on Monday night. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, Beetle House will move into the adjacent space at the address.

Zach Neil opened Beetlehouse in 2016 ... and later expanded in other markets (Los Angeles, New Orleans). 

Beetlehouse has been closed since the PAUSE went into effect in March. However, their Instagram account promises that they "will be open by Halloween."

This expansion also officially marks the end of Cherin Sushi N Ramen's time at the address. They had been closed since March as well.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• 'Merica dream fades as Zerza returns to 6th Street

On the CB3-SLA agenda tonight: A Chinese restaurant for the former Cucina Di Pesce space

Here are a few of the applicants on CB3's SLA committee docket tonight for new or expanded liquor licenses and methods of operation:

• Jadeite, 87 E. Fourth St.

A Chinese restaurant called Jadeite is in the works for the former Cucina Di Pesce space on Fourth Street just west of Second Avenue.

Here's a description of what to expect from chef-owner JinYu Zhong via the questionnaire at the CB3 website:

At Jadeite, we are dedicated to showcase you a new way to understand Chinese culture through Chef Zhong’s memories and love of food and her experiences at various fine dining restaurants. This is a set tasting menu of ten courses, marrying the best of both worlds.

And the sample menu...



The questionnaire notes that Zhong has extensive restaurant experience in her family's restaurant business in China. In NYC, she has cooked at 11 Madison Park and attended the Culinary Institute of America.

Plant-based celebrity chef Matthew Kenney was previously OK'd for another restaurant concept in this space. However, those plans never materialized.

Cucina Di Pesce closed in September 2018 after 32 years in business. (They have been hinting at a return to the East Village in a yet undisclosed location.)



• Nostro East Village, 75 Second Ave.

The low-key Italian restaurant opened on Second Avenue between Fourth Street and Fifth Street back in the fall.

They are now applying for a beer-wine license for the space. This outpost of the Brooklyn-based Nostro has been BYOB to date.



• Hayaty, 103 Avenue A

The Mediterranean restaurant and hookah bar between Sixth Street and Seventh Street is looking to expand its hours of operation to 4 a.m., according to the questionnaire online at the CB3 website.

Hayaty made headlines in early January. According to the NYPD and multiple published reports (such as the Post and NY1), a fight that started inside Hayaty ended up in a police-involved shooting on Avenue A that led to the death of two men.

The CB3 committee meeting is tonight at 6:30. Location: the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.

A look at tonight's CB3-SLA agenda

[Brasserie Saint Marc]

Community Board 3's SLA & DCA Licensing Committee will meet twice this week to hear applicants vying for new or modified liquor licenses.

Brasserie Saint Marc, which opened at 136 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street in October, is back on the agenda for the following proposed changes:

Brasserie Saint Marc (UKI Freedom LLC), 136 2nd Ave (op/method of operation/add DJ, Live Music (Acoustic), promoted events, any event at which a cover fee is charged, scheduled performances, add more than 12 private parties per year, add unlimited drink specials, add boozy brunches with food, extend Happy Hour, add Jukebox and Karaoke, add Video/Arcade Games)

They withdrew their application ahead of last month's committee meeting.

Ownership is also seeking a license for a sidewalk cafe. Also on the sidewalk cafe agenda tonight: Ruby's Café, which debuted this past October at 198 E. 11th St. at Third Avenue.

Here's a look at the rest of the agenda for tonight's meeting:

• El Sombrero (Two Almontes Corp), 108 Stanton St. (op/alt: to use basement to store alcohol/method of operation: change hours to 11 am to 2 am Sunday thru Thursday and 11 am to 4 am Friday and Saturday; change number of employees to 8; to hire 1 security personnel for Friday and Saturday to check ID)

• The Crown (Bridgeview Hotel LLC), 50 Bowery (op/method of operation/add recorded/background music to roof-top space)

• Norman's Cay (Norman's Cay Group LLC), 74 Orchard St. (op/alt/to license adjacent space)

New Liquor License Applications

• Ichibantei (Lucky One Enterprises LLC), 20 St Marks Pl (op)

• Corp to be formed by Erinson Salce, 112 Rivington St. (op)

• Cozy Cafe (Cozy Cafe Corp), 43 E. 1st St. (upgrade to op)

• Nostro East Village (Romi Ripa LLC), 75 2nd Ave (wb)

A noteworthy scratch: Applicants for Ichibantei have been on the CB3-SLA agenda multiple times dating to November 2018 for the former Grassroots space on St. Mark's Place.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30, Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

We'll have details later about CB3's SLA committee meeting on Wednesday night.

Gov. Cuomo approves bill to create public liquor license database

Gov. Cuomo has approved a bill (S55/A4315) that requires the State Liquor Authority (SLA) to create and maintain a public database of information specific to on-premises liquor licenses.

Two local elected officials — Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and Sen. Brad Hoylman — sponsored the bill that will enable residents a means to look up information on a bar, including whether it has permits for live music or sidewalk seating.

The two released statements on Friday after Cuomo's signature made it all official:

Sen. Hoylman:

Community boards, block associations, and residents across my district have for years called upon the State Liquor Authority to make information on these licenses more available and accessible, so that they can better understand their impact on our neighborhoods. This is basic, good government. Yet until now, to our enormous frustration, the only option for the public to learn this information was through filing a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request.

You shouldn’t have to file a FOIL request just to find out whether a bar in your neighborhood has a liquor license that permits live music or an outside patio. What’s more, under these constraints, police precincts aren’t able to respond to neighborhood noise complaints — as they have no way to confirm whether an establishment is operating within the parameters of their license or not.

Assemblywoman Glick:

For too long, it has been nearly impossible for community members to get very basic information about State Liquor Authority licensees that operate in our neighborhood. Now that liquor license information will be easily obtainable, people can see for themselves if nearby establishments are being good neighbors and are operating within the constraints of their license.

The news release included a statement from Susan Stetzer, district manager for Community Board 3: "Having information available online would be a tremendous help. We spend a lot of time working with community groups and with our local precincts to resolve issues that require information about a licensed business, particularly method of operation and outdoor use questions."

No word on when the SLA will actually make this online resource available to the public.

On the CB3 agenda tonight: AMA Raw Bar on Avenue B, The Pineapple Club on 6th Street

There are several items of interest on tonight's CB3-SLA docket. Here's a look at two of the applicants:

• 190 Avenue B

A restaurant going by AMA Raw Bar is in the works for the former Kingsley space between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The food here is described as "Asian seafood," per the questionnaire posted to the CB3 website. The applicant, listed as Harvey Woo, plans to use the backyard garden. In total, there are 30 tables for 64 guests as well as a 10-seat bar. The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday; until 3 a.m. on Friday ... with an 11 a.m. open on Saturday and Sunday.

Kingsley closed back in early September without any notice to patrons after three-plus years in business.



• 509 E. Sixth St.

The Pineapple Club will be bringing "American Polynesian" cuisine to the former Out East space here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The public questionnaire on the CB3 website shows that the two-level space will have 40 tables seating 101 guests, with another 20 seats for the bar. The proposed hours are listed as 5 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a 4 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday, and 10 p.m. on Sunday. There's also a brunch service on Saturday and Sunday.

The questionnaire doesn't mention the background experience for the applicants — listed as Travis Odegard, Panos Kourakos and Nazar Hrab.

There's also a sample menu with the online questionnaire ...



Like Kingsley, Out East quietly closed... the space went dark in December 2017 after eight months serving a seafood-centric menu from the proprietors behind places like Beauty & Essex and Stanton Social.

Tonight's CB3-SLA committee is at the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. You can frontload at Sophie's or the Ace Bar on the block.

Ainsworth eyes former DBGB space on the Bowery; Ruffian team to the Eddy

Here's a quick look at several more of the applicants on tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting docket. These are existing East Village operators looking to expand...

• Ainsworth to the Bowery

Ainsworth, the growing chainlet of upscale sports bars, has applied for a new liquor license for 299 Bowery in the Avalon Bowery complex between First Street and East Houston Street. (Questionnaire here.)

This outpost of Ainsworth (there's also one on Third Avenue at 11th Street) will be open for lunch and make use of the sidewalk cafe that DBGB tried to muster enthusiasm for.

DBGB closed here nearly two years ago, with chef-owner Daniel Boulud citing "erratic" patronage on this corridor during the week. Perhaps Ainsworth, a SantaCon hotspot, can bring in a steady stream of patrons.



• Ruffian Wine Bar owners taking the Eddy space on Sixth Street

In a sale of assets, the owners of Ruffian on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue plan to open an "American/Italian" restaurant called Kindred here between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Questionnaire here.)



The Eddy closed last month after five-plus years at the address.



• The Woodstock in the works for 99 Third Ave.

The owners of The VNYL across the Avenue here between 12th Street and 13th Street have plans for a Neapolitan pizzeria called the Woodstock for this address. (Questionnaire here.)



The previous occupant, Thaimee Table, was seized by the Marshal in early May.

Tonight's CB3-SLA committee is at the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: Jimmy's No. 43, Luthun, Outpost Brewhouse, Headless Widow

[The currently closed Jimmy's No. 43]

Here are a few of the applicants on CB3's SLA committee docket tonight for new liquor licenses (find the full agenda at this link) ...

• Paloma Rocket, 41 E. Seventh St.

We've mentioned this one before. Jimmy Carbone is collaborating with Graham Winton of Paloma Rocket for a new venture in the currently-closed Jimmy's No. 43 on Seventh Street.

As Carbone told us last year: "Operation-wise, it will pretty much be the same — the same Jimmy's vibe." The menu will feature Carbone's pizza.

Carbone is currently recovering from a series of spinal surgeries after discovery of a previously undiagnosed staph infection that spread to his spine. Read more about his recovery here.



• Luthun, 432 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue

For more, let's head over to a preview that Jennifer Gould Keil had at the Post last month:

[C]hefs Nahid Ahmed and Arjuna Bull have joined forces to open their first restaurant, Luthun, this spring.

Named for Ahmed’s mother — the name means “something new and unexpected” in Bengali — the 800-square-foot restaurant will have 30 seats in the former Teshigotoya space ...

The global menu is influenced by the countries and top eateries where the chefs have worked — from Lespinasse and Café Gray to El Bulli, The French Laundry and The Fat Duck.

The plan is to offer two tasting menus, one of which would be vegetarian, both seasonally driven and well-priced along with a small and “world-focused” wine list, the chefs say.

You can find the questionnaire with more details at the CB3 website. Here.



• Outpost Brewhouse, 503 E. Sixth St.

The applicants for this space at 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B were on the January docket, but scratched.

The premise has changed a bit from what we saw in January. The proposal now calls for an all-day establishment called Outpost Brewhouse.

According to the questionnaire posted on the CB3 website, the proposed hours are Monday-Tuesday (3 p.m. to 4 a.m., Wednesday-Saturday (7 a.m. to 4 a.m.) and Sunday (8 a.m. to 2 a.m.)

There's a mission statement of sorts on the questionnaire that notes: "As longtime locals, the management and owners want to create a space for young families, longtime residents and neighbors to enjoy some elements the community has been lacking over the years. We aim to implement a brighter space to a dark street and to contradict all of the dark 'corner bars' on the street and neighborhood."

They go to describe Outpost Brewhouse as "a destination for young families and professionals that enjoy some of the refined points in life in coffee, food, beer and cocktails."

The applicants have operated a handful of bars, including the Trading Post on John Street in the Financial District and the Globe on 23rd Street. Closer to home, the applicants also own Solas, a mainstay on the SantaCon circuit, on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Cholo Noir, the Chicano-inspired bar-restaurant, was the last tenant here.


[EVG file photo]

• Headless Widow, 99 First Ave.

An applicant whose previous listed experience was as a bartender at Michael Jordan's The Steak House N.Y.C. is looking to open an establishment with a six-table sidewalk cafe called the Headless Widow. (Not sure of the origins for the name — an unpublished Washington Irving short story perhaps?)

The sample menu on file with the questionnaire shows a variety of pub-fare offerings — burgers, salads, sandwiches and main courses like the Headless Widow Fish and Chips. The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., with a 2 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday.

The corner space on First Avenue at Sixth Street was previously Umm Burger for 13 months.

The CB3 committee meeting is tonight at 6:30. Location: the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.

Ellis looking to bring comfort food to 6th Street

Updated Jan. 14: This item was withdrawn ahead of tonight's meeting.

A bar-restaurant called Ellis serving American comfort food is in the works for 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

A group of applicants are on this month's CB3-SLA agenda for a new liquor license for the address.

According to the questionnaire on file for public viewing at the CB3 website (PDF here), the establishment has proposed hours of 2 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday through Friday, with opening hours of 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The configuration shows 11 tables seating 48 guests and a bar with 15 stools.

The sample menu for Ellis on the questionnaire features a variety of salads and sandwiches, categorized under Smaller Plates and Larger Plates...



The applicants have operated a handful of bars, including the Trading Post on John Street in the Financial District and the Globe on 23rd Street. Closer to home, the applicants also own Solas on Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, which regularly serves as a main stop during SantaCon.

Cholo Noir, the Chicano-inspired bar-restaurant, went out of business here last August, first with handwritten notes indicating the trusty "closed for renovations." They never reopened after 13 months at the address.

The CB3 committee is Monday night at 6:30. Location: the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.

Moxy East Village reps to appear before CB3 in bid for liquor licenses for new 11th Street hotel

As previously noted, the incoming Moxy East Village will have four eating-drinking establishments — "for guests and locals" — here on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Here's what's planned for the 13-story hotel in partnership with Marriott, according to a recent news release: a cellar-level restaurant and lounge, a lobby bar and lounge area, "an elevated twist on a traditional Grab & Go," and "an outdoor rooftop amenity."

Reps for the hotel are expected to appear before CB3's SLA committee on Monday evening to seek liquor licenses for these various concepts. (As of now, the questionnaire with more detailed information on the bars and restaurants has yet to be posted on the CB3 website. Update: The questionnaire is here. I haven't had time to go through it all just yet... The TAO Group, which operates about 500000 venues, including the Moxy Times Square, is the bar-restaurant vendor for the EV location as well.)

The Moxy is slated to open in late 2019. The Lightstone Group bought the five-building parcel of apartment buildings that stood here and had the properties demolished in the fall of 2016.

The committee meeting starts Monday at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the rally outside 112-120 E. 11th St.

6-building complex on East 10th Street and East 11th Street sells for $127 million

Preservationists say city ignored pitch to designate part of 11th Street as a historic district

Permits filed to demolish 5 buildings on 11th Street to make way for new hotel (58 comments)

On the CB3-SLA July docket: Szechuan cuisine for Avenue A; No Reservations on Avenue C

[171 Avenue A]

CB3's SLA committee meeting tonight ... you can find the full rundown of applicants at the CB3 website.

Here's a look at two potential new ventures:

• 171 Avenue A

A restaurant serving Szechuan cuisine and dim sum is in the works for this space between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The applicants, who have not been licensed previously, are looking for a beer-wine license.

Proposed hours are noon to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The PDF on file at the CB3 website includes a sample menu.

Chao Chao, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant, closed here without any notice to patrons in May 2017 after six months in business. Chao Chao evolved from Soothsayer, which opened in January 2016. Soothsayer, from the same operators, also closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September 2016. The applicants had hoped to secure a full liquor license, but couldn't make the space work with just beer-wine.

171 Avenue A was also the onetime home of Rat Cage Records and 171A, the illegal club-turned-rehearsal studio that produced records by Bad Brains and the "Polly Wog Stew" EP by the Beastie Boys.


[129-131 Avenue C from 2017]

• 129-131 Avenue C

A venture called No Reservations is being proposed for 129-131 Avenue C between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. (Not sure if the No Reservations name is some kind of tribute to Anthony Bourdain.)

The applicants were previously involved with The Grayson, the sports bar at 16 First Ave. The sample menu at the CB3 website shows comfort foods such as burgers, wings and... hot dog sliders.

The proposed hours are pretty varied — 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday to Wednesday; to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday (with an 11 a.m. open on Saturday and Sunday)... the applicants are also looking to license the rear garden, which has a different set of proposed hours. You can find the application (PDF) here.

This space was last home to the hookah hotspot Babel Lounge.

CB3's SLA committee meets tonight at the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton. The proceedings start at 6:30.

Bushwick-based chef looking to bring Short Stories to the Bowery

Looks as if one of the recently vacated bar-restaurants on the Bowery will have a new tenant.

Applicants are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license at 355 Bowery, the former Wise Men space between Third Street and Fourth Street.

According to the materials (PDF here) posted on the CB3 website, the applicants for the proposed Short Stories include Danny Teran, who runs several businesses in Bushwick, including Wheelhouse out on Wilson Avenue. (He is apparently known as "The Wolf of Wilson," per this Brokelyn feature.) Williamsburg Pizza investor Ashwin Deshmukh is also listed as one of the applicants.

The menu at Short Stories will feature "a mix of American, Cuban and Mexican fare." (Teran, a Cuban-American, specializes in Cuban cuisine. He also previously ran Millie's Cuban Cafe on Wilson Avenue.)

The application also shows six tables seating 12 diners as well as a 10-seat bar. (There appears to be some additional seating on benches.) The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the week, until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Wise Men closed last November after five years in business.

And before the Wise Men...


[Photo from 2011]

... there was Osaka Vibe/Orange Valve — aka, that kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery.

The CB3-SLA meeting is Monday night at 6:30 in the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation of sorts: That kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery

Former kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery is now home to the Wise Men

The 7 restaurants that have closed on the Bowery in the past year

About the bar-restaurant proposed for 2 St. Mark's Place

Looks like Bull McCabe's may have some bar company on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (RIP Grassroots.)

Applicants are on this month's CB3-SLA committee docket for a new liquor license for 2 St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue/Cooper Square.

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website (PDF here) shows that the applicants are involved with Draught 55 Bar & Kitchen on East 55th Street, a six-year-old establishment offering more than 40 craft beers.

The applicants describe the menu for the new space as a "spin on classic pub food with contemporary American offerings." The proposed hours are 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday-Wednesday; until 4 a.m. Thursday-Saturday. The seating chart shows 19 tables for 65 guests (that includes a bar with 10 stools).

No word yet on the name of the bar-restaurant for 2 St. Mark's Place.

The CB3-SLA meeting is next Monday at 6:30 p.m. The location: the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.

2 St. Mark's Place was most recently Ayios Greek Rotisserie, which closed at the end of 2017 after 16 months in business. Previously, the address was the St. Mark's Ale House, which had a 21-year run until July 2016. (And once upon a time it was the second location of the Five Spot Cafe.)

Cafe in the works for 2 St. Mark's Place, previously Ayios and St. Mark's Ale House

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

CB3 hasn't listed the dates yet for its committee meetings in May. However, one eager applicant has posted notice of a new liquor license application for 2 St. Mark's Place.

The applicant is called 2 St Mark's Cafe LLC ... and is eyeing the former home of Ayios Greek Rotisserie at 2 St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue/Cooper Square. That restaurant closed at the end of 2017 after 16 months in business. Previously, the address was the St. Mark's Ale House, which had a 21-year run until July 2016. (And once upon a time it was the second location of the Five Spot Cafe.)

No other information is available just yet about the applicant. The CB3-SLA committee is May 14, per the flyer.

[Updated] A look at tonight's CB3 agenda, which includes the return of The Honey Fitz

CB3's SLA committee meets tonight at the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton. The festivities start at 6:30.

Here's a look at a few of the applicants on the agenda:

---

• 20 St Mark's Place — Applicants from Ichibantei, the 7-year-old "Japanese Soul Food & Drink" bar-restaurant on 13th Street near First Avenue, are looking to open a similar-sounding concept at 20 St. Mark's Place.

This space is above the Grassroots on the block between Second Avenue and Third Avenue that previously housed Sounds.

According to the application (PDF) at the CB3 website, this unnamed restaurant would seat 64 during their daily hours of 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

The paperwork doesn't note if this would be a second location of Ichibantei or if they plan to move the business.

The fact that an applicant is looking to sell liquor in a space that wasn't previously licensed in a so-called Saturated Area has raised the ire of a few people on the block. While not named in the story, this application was the news hook in a St. Mark's Place Is Full-of-Bars piece in the Post yesterday.

Per the Post:

A proposal for yet another bar and restaurant at 20 St. Marks Place shows there are an astonishing 32 liquor licenses within 500 feet. And that’s before you count two more pending applications for watering holes, State Liquor Authority records show.

And...

“Stacking bars on top of bars is not a happy thought for me,” said Ian Fair who ran Sounds for many years and still lives in the building. He closed the shop in 2015 after the landlord tripled the rent.

---



• 58 E. First St. — Applicants with experience at Casa Mizcal on Orchard Street and the Black Ant on Second Avenue are looking to open a restaurant called Boticarios in the space where Esperanto Fonda lasted nine months.

The application at the CB3 website (PDF) includes a sample menu.

While they haven't yet secured the liquor license, the owners have left a note for the neighboring residents about some renovations in the restaurant...



---



• 210 Avenue A — Applicants for The Honey Fitz are making another run at Avenue A. The proprietors, James Morrissey and Ian Nolan (The Late Late on East Houston and The VNYL on Third Avenue), were looking to open in 2016 in the space that is now home to Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place. However, they held off given the uncertainty at the time surrounding the lease at Nino's.

They are proposing a bar-restaurant with hours of 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily. (I don't know if the networking space for freelancers is part of this proposal as it was for the St. Mark's Place space.)

The application (PDF) has all sorts of details about the proposed venture, including the menu. No. 210 at 13th Street is currently home to Percy's Tavern, who presumably would close if all this is OK'd.

Updated 9/17

BoweryBoogie reports that CB3 denied the application for the Honey Fitz. Per BB:

[Residents] further alleged that bringing in Morrissey with a 4am liquor license, and who has a terrible track record with VYNL and The Late Late, would only exacerbate an already saturated area. Indeed, the latter operation is considered one of the worst offenders in the district, and carries a report card of more than thirty 311 complaints. Residents on East 1st Street regularly complain about noise, which first has to travel past a clamorous Houston Street and then through First Park.

Remember, of course, that the original intent of The Late Late was an Irish gathering space that would feature “Irish gourmet food” and small poetry readings. Talk about bait-and-switch. This could be why so many turned up to speak in opposition (i.e. more than a dozen).

---

• 151 Avenue C — Studio 151, the three-year-old club from the owner of Nublu, is on the agenda for a new liquor license for the upstairs space here between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

I'm not sure what's going on with the space, which has been closed the past six months, per Studio 151's social media.
(You can find their CB3 application here.)

Neighbors have already been circulating flyers about this item...


[Photo by Steven]

The flyers cite Studio 151's "thirty year history of noise." To be fair, Studio 151 opened in July 2014. Speakeasy closed here in the spring of 2014.

CB3 committee exploring link between bar density and public health

[EVG file photo #goodtimes]

On Tuesday night, CB3's Transportation, Public Safety & Environment Committee meeting is addressing a topic of possible interest: the impact of bar density on public health.

This meeting notice via the EVG inbox explains...

At its September 2017 meeting, Community Board 3’s Transportation, Public Safety & Environment Committee will be investigating the link between alcohol outlet density (the number of alcohol serving establishments within a limited geographic area) and adverse effects on local public health and public safety.

The Committee’s primary focus will be on if existing data establishes such a link and, in the event such a link exists, if CB3 should take any future actions based upon the data (potentially with the State Liquor Authority, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and/or New York City’s incoming “night Mayor”).

To guide us through the discussion, the committee will hear presentations from Robert Pezzolesi, MPH, the Founding Director of the New York Alcohol Policy Alliance, and Professor Sigmund Shipp, Director of Hunter College’s undergraduate urban student program, along with two Hunter graduate students who recently authored a report on the link between alcohol outlet density and public health/public safety in an area of the Lower East Side that has a particularly high concentration of alcohol serving establishments.

In connection with the presentations, the Committee is interested in hearing from community members’ and organizations’ about their perceptions of any link (or lack thereof) between the number of alcohol serving establishments in your neighborhoods and declining or improving local health and safety conditions. Please join us.

While CB3 is seeking public input, keep in mind, per the notice: "The Committee will not be hearing complaints regarding individual businesses."

The meeting is Tuesday evening at 6:45, Downtown Art, 1st Floor Theater, 70 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Yuan Noodle in the works for the former Biang! space on 2nd Avenue

CB3 hasn't yet posted the schedule for May meetings just yet... until then, we at least know about one applicant that will appear on the SLA committee docket... an EVG reader shared this photo from 157 Second Ave. ... showing a flyer for a new restaurant called Yuan Noodle...



No word just yet who's behind this venture. Biang! — the sit-down Chinese restaurant via Xi'an Famous Foods owner Jason Wang — closed here between Ninth Street and 10th Street back in March after 15 months in business.

The previous tenant at 157 Second Ave., Wylie Dufresne's bistro Alder, closed after two-and-a-half years at the end of August 2015.

If Wang and Dufresne, given their successes, couldn't make the space work ... not sure who can. Other recent restaurants here (before 2013) included Plum and Cafe Brama.

CB3's SLA committee meeting will be on May 15. We'll update when more information becomes available.

On CB3's SLA docket for March: The return of Mono + Mono and Poco's sidewalk cafe

[EVG file photo of Mono + Mono]

CB3 has released its rundown of meetings for March... including for the SLA & DCA Licensing Committee.

Here's a quick look at a few of the items on the docket. (The questionnaires with more information about the applicants and their intentions haven't been posted online just yet.)

But first! The meeting is Monday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. (corner of the Bowery).

And now...

Sidewalk Cafe Applications

• Poco (Becaf LLC), 33 Ave B

CB3 voted to deny the renewal of a sidewalk cafe permit for Poco, who advertises having a "legendary boozy brunch," in December 2015. Neighbors have described Poco as being a "horror show," particularly during the brunch hours.

The restaurant's website notes: "Poco was built for one purpose — to be home away from home for the local residents of NYC's most unique, authentic neighborhood — Alphabet City."

• Mamak (Love Mamak Corp), 174 2nd Ave.

The Thai restaurant at the corner of 11th Street is vying for a sidewalk cafe.

New Liquor License Applications

• Monomono Inc, 116 E 4th St (wb)-EXPEDITED APPLICATION

Nearly four years have passed since a two-alarm fire swept through the single-level building that housed Mono + Mono, which specialized in Korean fried chicken.

The owners have said that they would reopen. For now, a flower shop is holding forth in the space between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

• Fresh Press Cafe LLC, 77 2nd Ave (op)

Something in the works for the former Ballaro space, the cafe that closed between Fourth Street and Fifth Street last February.

• To be Determined, 140 1st Ave (op)

The owners of Big Lee's (aka the Hard Swallow Saloon), which has been closed of late, are applying for a new liquor license.

• RSVP Hospitality LLC, 11 E 1st St (op)

Not sure about this one... the address for Bowery Meat Co. is 9 E. First St. ... and L'Apicio is 13 E. First St.

• Novo Partners, 57 2nd Ave (op)

This is one of the empty retail spaces of an Icon Realty-owned building.

• Mandolino Inc, 137 E 13th St (op)

The pizzeria opened last month between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

• Hi Collar (Sobaya Restaurant Inc), 214 E 10th St (upgrade to op)

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b=beer & cider | wb=wine, beer & cider | op=liquor, wine, beer & cider | alt=alterations

On the CB3-SLA docket this month: Applicants for the former Cock space on 2nd Avenue

There are a few items of interest to note on CB3's SLA committee docket this month.

Among them: There are applicants seeking a new liquor license for 29 Second Ave. between First Street and Second Street. This is the former home of The Cock until the crew moved to the Lit Lounge space back in December.

There are not a lot of details on the questionnaire (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website.

The document shows proposed hours for the unnamed establishment as 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday-Friday, and noon to 4 a.m. on the weekend. Occupancy includes 18 tables that will seat 40 people... there's a menu that will feature specialty sandwiches.

While the applicants have not been licensed previously to sell liquor, the applicants have restaurant experience (Cafe Select in Soho, Toro in Chelsea, among them). One of the applicants is Maxx Starr, a co-owner of Fun City Tattoo, which opened at 94 St. Mark's Place back in 1989.

The October SLA committee meeting is Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Thelma Burdick Community Room, 10 Stanton St. at the Bowery.