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January 9, 2008

StreetLevel: Cherry Tree Bar v. NYC

cherry-tree-closing-protest1-01-2008.JPG
cherry-tree-closing-protest3-01-2008.JPGThis means war! Following its latest shuttering by the city over alleged health code violations, supporters of the Cherry Tree on 4th Avenue have covered the outside of the bar with posters claiming the city is out to get the popular night spot. This isn’t the first time the DOH has closed down the bar, between Bergen and St. Marks, and the posters affixed to the front of the business charge that the city is “fabricating violations” (see pic on jump). An open letter pasted to the front of the bar and addressed “To Our Friends in the Fourth Avenue Community” sarcastically runs down the latest infractions, including the following:

The Cherry Tree’s cook walking around the bar without gloves on. It may be that cooks are only required to wear gloves when “preparing food,” but how do we know the cook wasn’t thinking about preparing food at that very moment, which when you really think about it, is just the first step in preparing food? Because it’s likely the cook didn’t have gloves on in his imagined food preparation, this violation has not only been recorded in the Health Department’s annals, but has been reported to the New York City Department of Thoughtcrime.

The Cherry Tree has its latest day in court this week. GMAP

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Posted by Gabby at 2:27 PM | Comments (28)
Categories: Food and Drink, Park Slope

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Comments

Oh crap if they close that place then all those douchebags will move over to 4th Ave Pub. There goes the neighborhood.

Posted by: ehopestill at January 9, 2008 2:57 PM

I just saw The What heading there as we speak...

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 2:57 PM

If a new building by Scarano or any other disfavored developer had as many complaints/violations as this address - that fact would be highlighted here.
Check out DOB for list of complaints/violations and maybe get a sense that this place probably not something you'd want on your block.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 2:59 PM

Holy shit, 2:59, you ain't kidding! Looks like those guys don't give a damn about the law. I didn't tot-up the fines they've accumulated but it looks like the total might be getting close to 6 figures!

Posted by: johnife at January 9, 2008 3:09 PM

Who cares? It's a crappy bar full of frat boys. Good riddance.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 3:30 PM

And apparently there's an illegal youth hostel upstairs too. Classy.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 3:39 PM

Can someone explain to me why it is ok for a pizzeria to prepare food WITHOUT gloves at all in this city? Never ever have I eve seen a person in a pizza joint wearing gloves. And yet I still eat pizza, go figure.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 3:48 PM

ovens are hot

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 3:52 PM

Anyone know a good whorehouse in the Slope?

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:26 PM

I find it hard to believe that the City has a personal agenda against this shitty little bar. Maybe if they prepared their food in compliance with the law, they would not get shut down.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:46 PM

Fratboys are people too!

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:44 PM

No,They're not.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:50 PM

maybe some communist group meets there, cherries are red. there must be a sinister reason.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 6:12 PM

Goerge Washington ate here.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 8:19 PM

8:19, when can I catch your act at open mic?

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 8:26 PM

yeah, this place really sucks...went once and would never ever think of heading back.... the tone of the letters was the same sorta vibe I got from the owner, who I spoke to when I was there. Kinda got the idea that he thought he invented a new concept called the 'bar'.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 10:59 PM

I used to hate the frat boy part of this bar as much as anyone. But somehow much of that element seems to have gone away. They now offer a decent crowd, good beer selection, and probably the best pizza in the slope. Honestly.

Posted by: BIGSeth at January 10, 2008 7:12 AM

BigSeth, that's a big statement to make. Anyone else had the pizza here?

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 8:59 AM

The pizza was good (though it took *forever* to come), but I thought that the city made them stop serving it (probably because their oven is extremely illegal). Anyone had it recently?

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 2:00 PM

where did the frat boys go? and what happened to drive them away?

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 2:53 PM

Honestly, BIGSeth is right. It's generally a mellow vibe (tho I could do w/out the Guitar Hero nights), an excellent selection of beers (including a lot of Six Points - supporting the local guys) and really, very good pizza - cheap, too. Maybe saying this makes me too declasee to live in the slope, but I think the pizza at Cherry Tree is as good as at Franny's - for like half the price. Try the Di Verdi, especially.

It would be a shame to lose it.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 2:54 PM

Yes, the Di Verdi rules, and the rest of the pizza is really good. The key is to not go to this place on a crowded night so you can enjoy your beer and pie in relative peace. Either way, the back garden is really nice... and probably the cause of many of their fines.

Yes, there is/was a hostel upstairs. What's illegal about it?

Curious, how are so many of you so good at knowing the "frat boys" from everyone else and, upon making the distinction, so entirely sure that you would never associate with "them" in any way for any reason?

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 4:18 PM

Intersting that the Nebraskans and Martians of Brownstoner bemoan the loss of Brooklyn's character yet deride "fratboys" many of whom are the sons of NY's working class. As an the son of a fireman and Flatbush I am bemused!

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 5:05 PM

5:05: I was the first person to mention "frat boys" and I am a 4th generation NYer.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 5:14 PM

Dude, you just said:
As an the son of a fireman and Flatbush I am bemused!

nice work

Posted by: guest at January 11, 2008 3:25 PM

regulars and employees have been turning away young LIU students at the door which makes up the entirety of the frat scene. Its been clear of these customers for about a year, ever since like 60 LIU students would crash the place on sat nights. thats how the bar got its rep. its a good bar, don't be too quick to judge

Posted by: guest at January 11, 2008 3:36 PM

Most of the snarky comments on here seem to be made by people with no knowledge of the Cherry Tree. It may not be your cup of tea to hang out with the local working-class community (you may fit in better at Union Hall); but it's a well-run bar with nice owners.

A judge ruled they could re-open immediately, by the way, because the violations were so trumped-up. Anyone familiar with this situation knows that the Health Department is in big trouble here, not the Cherry Tree. If you know the staff there (esp. the bar back Jon), you know how spotlessly clean and up to code it is (probably due to all the violations in the past!).

Posted by: guest at January 11, 2008 4:43 PM

By the way, they have filed to put 10 tables in front. The lot is 20 feet wide, so I guess they're putting munchkin-sized tables in 2-foot spaces?

Posted by: guest at April 23, 2008 5:26 PM

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