Restaurant Neighborhood of the Year: Williamsburg

Unlike Bloomberg, Zagat has been to actual new restaurants in the outer boroughs. They are impressed enough with Williamsburg’s latest crop (Allswell, Brooklyn Star, Cafe de la Esquina, Forcella, Isa, Mable’s, Maison Premiere, Masten Lake, Meatball Shop and Pillar & Plough) that they’ve anointed it restaurant neighborhood of the year.

(It’s nice to see that the Northside sharing in the good eats action – the Southside has been kicking its ass in that category for years now.)

New CB1 Liquor License Rules

Aaron Short has the info on the new rules and guidelines that CB1 instituted for new liquor license applications. Most of the rules codify what CB1 has been looking for all along, and try to rein in the biggest sources of complaints, in particular outdoor areas – limiting hours of operation for outdoor spaces, etc. (the rules don’t require a full kitchen for bars with outdoor spaces, as reported, but they do require seated food service at all times). As Short notes, all talk of moratoriums and (worse) a ban on liquor licenses in “residentially-zoned” areas (which accounts for 90% of CB1) are off the table.

And for those concerned that the new rules will restrict nightlife, its worth noting that CB1 approved 9 (out of 11) new licenses this month, all of which voluntarily met the new rules (as have most of the applicants for the past year or more). The two rejections were no-shows.

Santorini: Pay What You Feel the Food Is Worth – Forever

What it boils down to is that people are inherently good, and when a decision like this is left up to them they’ll usually take the high road.

And with that, Santorini ends the experiment and makes it a permanent thing. At any price, the food is worth it.

Midnight Lick Leases Space in Williamsburg

This is an interesting development – Kalmon Dolgin/Midnight Lick is converting a number of buildings in industrial locations for creative-arts businesses. Yet another example of viable (and job-creating) uses for former manufacturing buildings that don’t involve condos, clubs or hotels. Encouraging.

Most Holy Trinity Church Holiday Tours

Urban Oyster is leading tours of Most Holy Trinity on Montrose Avenue on December 17 and January 7. The church in its current incarnation dates to 1885 (William Schickel, architect), but the congregation itself goes back to 1841, when it was founded by German immigrants. It was the second Catholic parish in Williamsburg, and Brooklyn first National parish.

Urban Oyster does some great tours – this one is also for a good cause, to raise money for “Trinity Human Service Center, a nondenominational food pantry and charity that operates in the church basement”.

Haircut for Not an Alternative

Late last summer, the Change You Want See Gallery/Not An Alternative lost its lease on its space at 84 Havemeyer Street. The 240% rent increase was too much for the gallery/co-working space/activist hub. In a sign of the times, Brownstoner now tells us who will be affording that rent – a high-end barbershop (from Carroll Gardens, no less).

All’s well that ends well, though – Not An Alternative has landed new space on the Greenpoint waterfront.