CB3 Liquor License Tidbits: Claw Daddy’s, Via Tribunali, 127 Ludlow St. Project

We’re learning a few new details about proposed restaurants and bars set to appear before Community Board 3’s State Liquor Authority (SLA) Committee this coming Monday night.

First off, a new Cajun-style seafood place called Claw Daddy’s at 185 Orchard St. is seeking a full bar, with a closing time of midnight.  The restaurant, which opened recently in the former Ha’chi space, appears to be under the same management as the previous restaurant. The applicant listed on CB3 documents is Tak Chueng Fok, who had a wine-only license at Ha’Chi.  Claw Daddy’s menu features items such as crab legs, oysters, Cajun wings and fried catfish.  The early Yelpers have pretty nice things to say about the new offerings.

The team behind Via Tribunali, the Neopolitan pizza restaurant at 122 Ludlow St., will be trying for a full liquor license.  CB3 approved a beer and wine permit for this business when it opened but rejected full liquor on the grounds that the area is already over-saturated.  Via Tribunali looks to have added a partner, Eran Elhalal, who runs Saro Bistro on Ludlow Street. According to their application, the restaurant wants to begin serving lunch and also to extend its hours in the evening until 2 a.m.

Down below Delancey, we’ll be keeping an eye on a new establishment at 55 Canal St. (on the corner of Canal and Orchard St.) Preliminary paperwork filed with CB3 indicates the applicant is Laura Morand — an operator by the same name owns Drop Off Service, a bar on Avenue A.   The building, sold last year, is directly across the street from the new Jarmulowsky hotel project, in an area that’s becoming a new focal point for LES nightlife.

Now some followups from last month’s full board meeting.  CB3 voted to recommend approval for several LES projects, including:

• An Asian fusion restaurant at 127 Ludlow St. from the owner of Foundation on Essex Street and other partners.  The operators are taking over the former Motor City space.  The board decided to approve the application in an “over-saturated area” because the location was “previously licensed” and because the applicants presented around 140 signatures from residents supportive of the new venture.

• A new French bistro at 188 Orchard St., formerly the home of the beloved restaurant, Zucco, which closed a few months ago.

• A new spot at 49 Clinton. from Gaku and Christy Shibata, who own the Japanese restaurant Yopparai on Rivington Street. The new establishment built around Shochu, the Japanese spirit increasingly popular in the U.S.  Due to opposition from community board members, the owners were forced to reduce their weekend hours (closing time: 1:30 a.m.)
  

The board rejected a proposal for a wine and beer license at Whynot Coffee, which recently opened at 175 Orchard St.  If past experiences are any indication, the State Liquor Authority will likely approve the permit in spite of CB3’s vote. The SLA’s bar for wine/beer licenses is much lower than that of full liquor applications.