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I See London, I See France
The burlesque club opening on Commerce Street in the old Hook space now has a banner outside of it announcing the name of the forthcoming establishment, Paris Burlesque Club. An image of the Eiffel Tower has also been painted onto one of the windows. Community Board 6 approved a liquor and cabaret license for the Red Hook venture in February, so perhaps its opening is on the horizon.
Burlesque Club in Red Hook a Go-Go [Brownstoner] GMAP
Closing Bell: Burlesque for Red Hook? [Brownstoner]
05/12/2011 2:00 PM
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Community Airs Qualms About Bar Near Barclays
Last night the proprietors of Midtown restaurant Social Eatz came before CB6 to apply for two liquor licenses at 604 Pacific Street, across the street from the forthcoming Barclays Center, and many at the meeting weren’t thrilled by the proposed establishment. What’s planned: A gastropub occupying 3,500 square feet that seats 150 people, with two bars, some live music and no outdoor space. Meanwhile, Italian and Middle Eastern restaurants are slated for a smaller section of the space. Neighbors voiced a great deal of concern about the proposal in a fashion that was reminiscent of the outcry surrounding plans for Prime Six. One speaker said, “You’re going to be opening a restaurant for the arena, and the neighborhood surrounding you doesn’t want this arena.” Other residents of Pacific Street said they didn’t want the street to return to the way it was 30 years ago. One resident stood up and read a selection of newspaper headlines that associated sports bars with violence. In the end, the community board’s consideration of the proposal was pushed back to next month. A community meeting with the restaurant owners will be set up in the interim. (The photo above shows 602 Pacific in the foreground, which the owners say will be used to house some of the business, though the bulk of the space for the bars and restaurants will be in the furniture store pictured to its left.) Atlantic Yards Report has a detailed post on the plans and the crowd’s reaction at last night’s meeting. GMAP
04/26/2011 9:00 AM
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New Regulations for Outdoor Drinking?
At this month’s CB6 Public Safety committee meeting, there will be a discussion about an Assembly Bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Millman to amend the alcohol beverage control law in relation to rooftop and rear yard bars. The bill stipulates that “rear yard and rooftop permits in cities with a population of one million or more” would have to meet the following requirements: There is only waiter service to patrons in outdoor areas; no amplified music is allowed; and the outdoor spaces will close at 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. As the bills states, “Such outdoor use tends to be disruptive for residents who live within earshot because of the late hours of operation and the high noise levels that have the capacity to travel into their homes. This legislation recognizes the need for a balance between these sometimes competing interests.” (We’re sure some folks over at CB1 would be pleased!) If you care to discuss hear the community board committee’s take on the proposal, its meeting is on April 25th at 6pm.
Text of Bill [Word Doc]
Photo by owen.iverson
04/20/2011 10:00 AM
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Saint Vitus Opens in Greenpoint
Opening in Greenpoint as of this week, Saint Vitus Bar is billing itself as the neighborhood’s first real rock bar. Developed through a collaboration of partners from Bar Matchless and Anella, the former social club come plumbing school now boasts a sleek mahogany bar and music venue in back. The space, designed by Matthew Maddy (Weather-Ups, No.7 and Anella), is industrial chic. The drink menu will feature various shot combinations, including a Brooklyn Brine Pickle Back. Tap beers include Six Point, Kelso, Ommegang, Capt. Lawrence, Victory, etc with Bud, PBR, and Genessee available by can. Owned by former bartenders, we can expect expertly prepared cocktails as well. Moreover, this may well be the first rock club whose menu is decidedly bun-centric: Offerings include Short Rib, Grilled Cheese, BBQ Tofu, Eggplant, and Pulled Pork buns. Rock on! GMAP
04/15/2011 2:40 PM
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Sunset Park Getting Jungle-Themed Dance Club
Jaguars, a new restaurant and club coming to Sunset Park, is opening next month. The 20,000-square-foot club, we’ve been told, “will focus on a jungle theme with palm trees, animals and birds of paradise. Set on a raised platform only feet away from the dance floor, Jaguars will also tout a restaurant that will serve Italian cuisine.” The space is still under construction, but the photos above show how it’s turning out so far. The bottom floor will be dedicated to the dance club (where the jungle motif will be most prevalent), while the second floor has dining space for the Italian restaurant, a normal bar and a “bikini bar.” Apparently there will also be a limousine service offering free rides to customers. With the promise of a limo, this may just be worth a trip out to 47th Street and 2nd Avenue… GMAP
03/21/2011 11:00 AM
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Burlesque Club in Red Hook a Go-Go
Looks like Red Hook is most definitely getting a burlesque club at 18 Commerce Street. A couple weeks ago it was unanimously approved by CB6′s Public Safety Committee, and then once again unanimously approved on Wednesday night at the CB’s monthly board meeting for both a liquor and cabaret license. Once again, the owners promised that there wouldn’t be any nudity. One board member opined that rather than being a distasteful addition to the neighborhood, it had the potential to be a “hip” spot. There were a few stipulations attached to the board’s approval: The backyard garden can’t be used as a club area; the side areas of the building are only supposed to be used as entrances and exits; and soundproofing must be installed.
Burlesque For Red Hook? [Brownstoner] GMAP
02/11/2011 11:30 AM
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Closing Bell: Burlesque for Red Hook?
This item made an appearance in our Daily Links, but we’ll throw it out again: a Paris Burlesque Club was approved by the Public Safety Committee to open at 18 Commerce Street, reports the BK Paper. Apparently the dancers will strip down to bikinis, but the business owner promised no “stripper poles or runways. The venue has previously been a music hall and most recently a dance club named Hello Brooklyn. (It was shut down for selling alcohol without a license.) Despite concern, the Public Safety Committee gave a unanimous thumbs up. The final vote will come at the full board meeting on February 9th. “This will only bring the neighborhood up, said board member Lou Sones. This is as reasonable as an establishment like this can be.
01/25/2011 4:00 PM
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No Name Bar Opens in Greenpoint
Tucked rather conspicuously between the Greenpoint Gazette office and a plumbing/electrical supply store is a new bar that has yet to have a name. Located at 597 Manhattan Ave., the three-week-old watering hole is outfitted in wall-to-wall wood, from its sturdy, dark stained exterior to its solid wood floors and cedar-paneled ceiling; Owner Erik Greene‘s follow up to Bar Matchless, it’s mellower, though dark lighting is a theme at both. Bar manager Jessica Wertz, responsible for the design, wanted it to have the feel of a tavern in an ancient Chinese trading village. Regarding the lack of a name, Wertz says, I want it to come naturally. GMAP
12/23/2010 9:00 AM
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Inside Look at MikNic Lounge
From the outside, little appears to have changed at the old Lido space on Columbia. But the new MikNic Lounge is renovating from the inside out. This photo, one of many from the new bar’s Facebook page, shows some of the construction going on behind the facade. According to an email from co-owner Miki Mosman, they’re hoping to open “sometime near to the middle or end of October.” They’re planning on having “live music as well as some late-night food offerings, and down the line, we will be introducing film screenings and other cultural programming to the venue.” GMAP
New Bar for Lido Space [Brownstoner]
Ice Cream for Old Lido Spot [Brownstoner]
09/14/2010 9:31 AM
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Nightclub Finds Home in Gowanus
“Sexy people, ritzy lighting and comfy lounge furniture” is not a line we would use to describe many spots in Brooklyn, much less Gowanus. But the New York Post was apparently pretty impressed with the dance club that just had its soft opening at 424 Third Avenue. The club, called “Ultraviolet,” was a warehouse space and is now a three-story, very purple, dance-and-drink destination. As a Greenpoint visitor noted, Gowanus definitely doesn’t stink so much anymore.
‘Ultra’ Cool Club Lets You Paint Gowanus Purple [NY Post]
Gowanus Getting a Big Case of UltraViolet [Eater]
08/05/2010 10:59 AM
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The Starlite Lounge Says Goodbye
The Starlite Lounge, one of Brooklyn’s oldest gay bars and possibly the first black-owned gay bar in Brooklyn, has been having rough times for about a year now. After the building came under new ownership this past December, there was a petition to landmark the building and protect it from demolition. It wasn’t demolished, but we recently received an email that said the Starlite Lounge is closing its doors for good on July 31st. There will be events there until Saturday celebrating the end of a neighborhood staple in Crown Heights.
Starlite Lounge in Danger of Closing Forever [Brownstoner]
Curtains for Starlite Lounge [Brownstoner] GMAP
07/29/2010 9:29 AM
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Veronica People’s Club Open in Greenpoint
Greenpoint’s got (yet) another new bar, this one from the owner of Heathers in the East village. Located at 105 Franklin Street, Veronica People’s Club is named partly after Winona Ryder’s character in Heathers, and partly after an old sign found at the site, which identifies it as a former Polish punk rock club called Peoples Club. Gothamist says that the bar will soon have Sunday suppers featuring a rotating series of guest chefs. And according to the Greenpoint Gazette, tamales will be offered on especially busy evenings, so people won’t have to leave the bar in search of delicious food. During the day, coffee and pastries are served via the street-facing window. For full details, visit the bar’s facebook page.
07/28/2010 3:01 PM
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First Look: Williamsburg’s Newest Rooftop Bar
[Gallery not found]
Tucked under the BQE on Meeker and Lorimer, Night of Joy doesn’t look like much from the outside, but a neon sign that flashes the words “Cocktails” and then “Joy,” hints at the treasures within. The owners, who also run The Dove Parlour in Greenwich Village, spent a year styling their new digs to look “like the inside of a jewelry box.” With slender chairs painted metallic gold, walls swathed in pale blue avian prints, herb-infused cocktails in delicate little glasses, and heart-shaped drink tokens, this may be the girliest bar in Williamsburg — and that’s not a bad thing.
Crown molding, wooden shutters on the windows, and spindle work give the space a sense of old-Brooklyn romance. The antique-looking chaise, lacy curtains, and shelves of well-curated tchotchkes could’ve been chosen by a chic grandma, but the roof deck (which will getting some outdoor furniture and its own bar in the coming months) feels just-industrial-enough to draw a coed crowd. Night of Joy opens to the public this evening. GMAP
05/14/2010 3:28 PM
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Starlight Lounge in Danger of Closing Forever
The Starlight Lounge, located at Nostrand Ave and Bergen St, in Crown Heights North, is Brooklyn’s oldest gay bar, and perhaps also Brooklyn’s first black owned gay bar. However, the future of this neighborhood institution is looking bleak. As reported on Gothamist, the bar’s manager, Tim Leviticus, is quoted saying, “Without us knowing, the old landlord sold the building — not even giving us the right to purchase it. We haven’t met the new owner yet, but we’ve heard he wants the building to be empty.” The Lounge opened in the 1960′s, and was a popular hangout for the black gay community, as well as welcoming to anyone else who came in. Today, it is popular with both new and old clientele, with dance parties and karaoke nights. The owners are now circulating a petition to have the building and the bar landmarked, to protect it from demolition, and to preserve the Starlight. Information and discussion can be found on the Brooklynian, and more history can be found here.
Brooklyn’s Oldest Gay Bar May Close[Gothamist]
Community Petition For Landmark Status[Brooklynian]
Photo:outaboutbrooklyn.com.
View Larger Map“>GMAP
12/30/2009 10:30 AM
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Booze-plex Brewing on 4th Avenue and Carroll
The former Cattyshack space on 4th Avenue will be born again as a new bar, according to workers who have started fixing the place up. The business doesn’t yet have a name, they said, and they also seemed pretty positive that it won’t once again be a lesbian bar. It’s scheduled to open in January. Meanwhile, Mission Dolores, the Bar Great Harry spinoff that’ll share a building with this new place, is also still in-progress.
StreetLevel: Bar Great Harry Spinoff Opening on 4th Ave [Brownstoner] GMAP
12/21/2009 11:29 AM
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New Gowanus Club is Getting There
Ultraviolet, the club on 7th Street and 3rd Avenue that’s been in the works for about a year and a half, is nearing completion. The large lounge, which will have bars and DJ booths on three separate floors, has an impressive pedigree—one of the owners of the East Village’s popular but now defunct Save the Robots is behind the venture—and it’s on the same block as the Bell House. The space looks almost finished (no interior picture-taking is allowed, unfortunately, but it’s pretty slick). The owners are waiting on a final city inspection and their liquor license, so it’ll probably open within the next 3 to 6 months. GMAP
09/18/2009 10:30 AM
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architect66
Feb 15, 2012 | 11:04 AM