Bd. 1 Approves Sidewalk Cafes
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

With a streamlined licensing process that now averages approval in 80 days or less, restaurant owners came to the April meeting of Community Board 1 with visions of their sidewalk cafés up and running by July. "I believe everywhere else is down while Astoria is up because we have sidewalk cafes," said one patron, speaking in favor of them.

The owners of Bistro 33, formerly a Laundromat at 19-33 Ditmars Blvd., want to establish an unenclosed sidewalk café with 11 tables and 36 seats on eight feet of sidewalk outside their new restaurant. There was a small technicality, however. "There is no restaurant operating yet," said Joe Risi, chair of the consumer affairs committee. The owners, Soup Kitchen Associates, Ltd. have been in operation for two and one half years at another location and are planning to move to Bistro 33, a larger location currently under construction.

Risi asked about alcohol (they do plan to serve, pending state approval of their liquor license application), hours of operation (11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.), music (indoor only) and nearby residences (six families living in the building above them).

But the sticking point was whether or not an approval could be given for a restaurant that has not yet been established. After some discussion, the board voted to approve the application for Bistro 33 but will send a letter asking the city Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) which grants the license, for clarification.

Mundo Café, at 31-18 Broadway, is up and running and by the number of patrons speaking at the public hearing on their behalf (there were at least eight), is doing very well. But the restaurant is small and they applied for an unenclosed sidewalk café for 11 tables and 27 seats to help increase capacity.

"I'm the one who went into [your] restaurant," said Board Chairperson Vinicio Donato. Donato spotted a table and two chairs already outside the restaurant and asked what they were doing there without a permit.

In addition, Risi asked about current enclosures since the picture submitted with the application clearly showed an enclosure extending onto the sidewalk. The owner said they had put up one during the winter to protect waiting customers from the cold. Although it's legal to put a protective enclosure at the entrance of a restaurant, theirs was too big.

"This [enclosure] has been taken down and it will remain down," said the architect for Mundo and the board approved the application. "He's [Mundo's owner] only going to improve the area and that street," said a resident.

Owners and proprietors of Athens Café, a fixture at 32-07 30th Ave., came to renew their unenclosed sidewalk café with 28 tables and 86 seats. But again there was a problem. The restaurant's owner had answered "yes" to the question "Has any person had an application denied, suspended or revoked" on the application. "Can you explain that?' said Risi.

The owner said DCA issued a violation for putting plastic around the exterior of the café in February, "I put the plastic for three months, a violation was issued and we were closed for three days," he said.

Anyone who has an unenclosed café can apply for an enclosed café but it's another procedure," said Donato. The board approved the renewal for the unenclosed sidewalk café. The board also approved an enclosed sidewalk café for seven tables and 14 seats for Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, located at 31-02 36th Ave.

In other business, an application for a cabaret license at 36-21 Steinway St. was also approved, pending clarification from DCA. The proposed club, Super El Noa Noa, has not yet opened at the location, a former steak house. An application to reinstate a previously granted zoning variance that had expired for the Exxon Mobil gas station at 31-02 36th Ave. was also approved.