Six new restaurants and bars came before Community Board 8 this week looking for permission to pour, and every one of them walked out with a yes. One is a chain everybody already knows. One doesn’t have a name yet. And one is moving into a storefront that emptied out barely a month ago.
Advertisement
Start at 1479 First Avenue at East 77th Street, where Thai restaurant Spice closed earlier this summer. Attorney Anthony Caraballo told the board that six new owners have bought the business and plan to keep it as a Thai restaurant, which will now be called Ob Uan. He said one of the six had worked at Spice since 2016, and that the others have industry experience. The plan is 16 tables and 34 seats plus a six-seat bar, open 11 a.m. to midnight daily. The committee approved it 13-0. “Ob Uan (อบอวล) is a Thai word that describes the feeling of something gently filling a space through aroma, flavor, sound, and warmth,” the soon-to-open restaurant shared in a July Instagram post. “These are the little things that bring back cherished memories.”A few blocks south, restaurateur Massimo Lusardi is adding another storefront to a block he already dominates. His next spot is going into 1491 Second Ave., between 77th and 78th streets, in the narrow space just south of Calexico that most recently held an Italian coffee bar. Blair Papagni, representing the applicant, described it as counter service with roughly 19 seats and no tables, and said Lusardi would happily squeeze in a few more chairs if they fit. There’s no outdoor seating in the plan, and the application covers beer and wine rather than full liquor. The committee approved it 13-0. Lusardi’s team confirmed the concept will be an omakase bar. That’s a separate project from Koakuma, the Japanese restaurant he’s opening directly across the street, which Patch reported on this week. Koakuma “will serve a variety of sushi and cooked dishes, influenced by New York City’s dining style,” according to the team, which described a richly designed room with velvet wrap-around booths, an intimate layout and ambient lighting.
Up at 1644 Third Avenue (at 92nd Street), the owners of Plug Uglies are taking over Third Avenue Ale House. Dieter Seelig, who runs the East 78th Street bar with partner Brian Stapleton, told the board they’re taking on a space that’s been operating about 14 years and, before that, was a Brother Jimmy’s. He said the plan is to clean it up and give it a facelift while keeping it a neighborhood bar, describing the new place as a fresher, cleaner version of Plug Uglies. The name isn’t settled yet, which is why the application lists the trade name as “TBD,” though Seelig said they’re close. Approved 13-0.
A new restaurant called Il Moro is bringing Sicilian cooking to 401 East 62nd Street, between First and York avenues, in a space that housed an Indian restaurant for about 15 years. The chef-owner told the committee it’ll be a small fine dining room with nine tables, 32 seats and a five-stool bar, with no outdoor dining and recorded background music only. Demolition is done and the buildout is underway. He’s aiming to open between the middle of November and the first two weeks of December. Approved 13-0.
Advertisement
Chipotle is also on the list, though it’s a move rather than a new arrival. The location on Third Avenue between 84th and 85th streets has closed because the lease ran out, and the company is reopening across the street at 1492 Third Ave., in the former Serafina space on the corner. The general manager told the board construction is nearly finished and they’re waiting on scaffolding to come down before the storefront gets its final look, with an opening expected by the end of the month. The application covers beer and wine only, with six tables, 19 chairs, hours of 10:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. and no outdoor space. Approved 12-0.Finally, Jean Claude got its committee vote. We reported in July that Kamel Moumeni is bringing the French bistro to 1481 York Avenue (between 78th and 79th streets), the former Yefsi Estiatorio space, after demolition plans pushed his Second Avenue location off the block. The application filed with the board fills in the operating details: 30 tables, 60 seats and 10 bar seats, hours of 11 a.m. to midnight, background music only and no outdoor seating. Caraballo, who also represented the First Avenue applicant, told the board the York Avenue premises has been licensed for 14 years. Approved 12-0. There’s another Jean Claude location at 1076 First Avenue which will remain open.
One scheduling note worth watching. These votes came from the Street Life Committee, not the full board, and the committee’s recommendation still has to go to the full board before it becomes an official Community Board 8 position. It’s also worth nothing that a community board’s vote on a liquor license is advisory. The State Liquor Authority takes the recommendation into account but isn’t bound by it, and the board’s real leverage is that a disapproval creates friction and delay rather than a hard stop.
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
