NYC Nightlife: Everything You Need To Know Thursday

by Mara Siegler · April 14, 2011

    The Westway will open in May, Angels and Kings may be closing, there will be music by the Williamsburg Waterfront this summer, and craft brew will no longer be served at Mets games. Plus hot servers and a hot new trend! Nightlife roundup made some mistakes last night, but it certainly had fun making them.

    1. The Westway To Open In May [Eater]

    After eight long months trying to get a liquor license Carlos Quirarte and Matt Kliegman have finally won the epic war between them and the State Liquor Authority. During last week's meeting the guys brought results of studies about traffic in the area and an actual traffic engineer should anyone have any questions. They also had over 200 signatures in support and around 15 letters of recommendation from cultural institutions throughout the city. It worked. They got the license and will open sometime in mid May. They may not get to have strippers, but the spot will still have stripper poles ensuring that at some point a drunken lady may crawl her way up there and pull a Girl Gone Wild.

    2. Restaurant/Bars That May Or May Not Be Coming To A Neighborhood Near Or Not Near You [Eater]

    Laura Maniec, formerly the beverage director at BR Guest and one of 18 female Master Sommeliers, is planning on opening up Corkbuzz, a wino joint, at 13 East 13th Street. The Community Board voted to deny the application unless certain stipulations were met like  closing at 1AM on Thursday-Saturday, and not using outside promoters.

    The people behind the shuttered Gonzalez y Gonzalez had a rough night in seeking to regain some of their former space.

    "They were still unprepared as they kept forgetting to call Gonzalez y Gonzalez a restaurant and were constantly calling it a club, which obviously upset the board. They also were grilled on how they're not supposed to have dancing there, but an owner dropped the ball and said that they used to offer free salsa lessons! He immediately retracted by saying they wouldn't anymore... Oy vey. Also they didn't want to kick back their hours at all. They said that the 4AM was to serve the restaurant industry workers. They were denied again."

    3. Angels & Kings Is Closing? [EVGrieve] [Image Via] Where will Emo boyz and girlz play once archangel Pete Wentz's bar closes? Apparently a restaurant is looking to get a liquor license for the space.

    " Angels and Kings is closing so that a restaurant can open. But wait, Angels and Kings has a kitchen? Apparently they even have a menu. Who knew? They are going to hire the chef from the troubled Forbidden City on Avenue A that is now called the Fat Buddha. The neighbors opposed the transfer because there wasn't any community outreach."

    4. New York's Gay Sports Bar Wants To Stay Open Till 4am [DnaInfo]

    "New York's Gay Sports Bar," Boxers NYC on West 20th Street, is making a bid to extend its weekend hours of operation to attract the late-night crowd. Community Board 5 will decide Thurs. April 14 at 6 p.m. at St. Xavier High School at 30 W. 16th St.

    5. You Will be Able To Hear Music On The Williamsburg Waterfront This Summer [BrooklynVegan] Okay, I can not tell you the heartache it causes me to know that their will be no Jelly Pool Parties this summer. They are the best thing about the season and one of the best things about New York in general. Always, always fun. But all is not completely lost. Jelly NYC won't be hosting and only some will be free, but there will be shows. The Open Space Alliance, which oversees all the parkspace in North Brooklyn, will organize 10 ticketed and five gratis shows with a variety of music.

    6. New Trend: Guest Bartending [NYT]

    The Times has an interesting article on guest bartenders.

    "Dram and 1534, in particular, thrive on them, inviting bartenders from around the city and the country to come in for a shift, show what they’ve got, teach a little to the resident staff, learn a little from them and generate a few hours of buzz. Many other bars, along with restaurants with ambitious bar programs, are doing likewise, but with slightly less regularity."

    7. 15 New York Restaurants With The Hottest Servers (Eater)

    Sometimes it's not about the food at restaurants, but about the look. Specifically, your servers looks. Eater lists the 15 NYC spots with the hottest wait staff. Among the list are one of my personal favorites Schiller's Liquor Bar, PJ Clarke's, Miss Liliy's and Coffee Shop. I'd like to add in Juliette's in Williamsburg for the hot blond guy who works Sunday brunches, Northeast Kingdom in Bushwick for the tall, dark and handsome waiter whose name is, maybe, Ryan, and Gordon Bennett in South Wburg for the ridiculously good looking bartender they just hired. You're welcome ladies.

    8. Brooklyn Beer Will No Longer Be Available At Mets Games [BrewNewYork]

    The Mets have kicked craft brewers to the curb.

    "For the first two years, Citi Field offered four beers from Brooklyn Brewery on tap. All of them were found in the center field food court: Sabroso Ale at El Verano Taqueria, Blue Smoke Ale at Blue Smoke, Shackmeister Ale at Shake Shack, and Blanche de Queens at Box Frites. Those beers are no more. Rather than embrace the trend of the rapidly-expanding craft beer market, Citi Field has chosen to replace those beers with Anheuser-Busch/InBev-owned beers."