As Grub readers know, community-board-meeting shitshows end up determining what you eat, drink, and, in the case of the abandoned Forty Deuce space (which will now house Chris Eddy’s sushi spot), what sort of celebs and semi-nudity you may or may not be able to feast your eyes upon on a Monday night. Consider the case of recently opened Mercury Dime, which wanted wine, but ended up serving coffee. Or the plight of Death & Co., which now has to close at midnight and may end up gone for good. Or David Bouley’s attempt to open Brushstrokes, which Eater reports was again stymied by Community Board 1 last night, though Bouley will have one more chance to plead his case later this month.
Today, the Sun reminds its readers that the SLA, the authority that ultimately grants liquor licenses, is taking community boards’ recommendations more seriously than ever, finally paying heed to the law that prohibits booze-serving establishments within 500 feet of a school or religious establishments (and rendering impossible that Simpsons scene where the churchgoers switch places with the bargoers). In fact, they now trust community boards to such an extent that certain lawyers tell their clients to abandon all hope if they don’t get the board’s approval (perhaps this is what happened with Public’s next restaurant?). Among the questions the article fails to answer: What exact percentage of CB recommendations are rubber-stamped by the SLA? Will Bouley, for instance, have a fighting chance against the SLA even if the CB disses him? We’ll let you know when we get an answer.
Restaurateur’s Difficulties Point to Community Boards Trend [NYS]
