Famed chef and restauranteur Danny Meyer has embraced the taco. His Union Square Hospitality group has opened Tacocina, a sit down taco stand in Domino Park, a 6-acre space on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn. It will be open year round with seating for over 100 guests. Tacocina will press its own tortillas and serve tacos alongside Mexican beers and cocktails in a laid-back, lively setting overlooking the East River. Its chef, Barbara Garcia was raised in Mexico. They will feature six tacos and side offerings. Union Square Hospitality has a strong track record with casual fast food fare, having created Shake Shack in 2004, now an international brand. Bernstein Redo, P.C. is proud to be part of the Union Square Hospitality and Tacocina team.
This week Lily M. Fan was confirmed by the New York State Senate as a Commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority. Ms. Fan, a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, was born in Hong Kong and speaks fluent Cantonese. She is a New York City resident and was appointed a member of Manhattan Community Board 4. She served as the Board’s Co-Secretary from 2016 to 2017.
Ms. Fan was previously a lawyer at the law firms of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Morrison & Foerster LLP, specializing in white-collar criminal litigation and securities class actions. She also served as Legislative Counsel in the New York State Senate in 2010. Ms. Fan founded Scandobean Productions LLC, a theatrical and film production company, in 2010. She also has a real estate business and mediates family, entertainment, and other contract disputes.
Ms. Fan is a Tony-nominated and Oliver-nominated theatre and documentary film producer. She is currently supporting numerous Broadway productions. She was recently represented on Broadway in the new plays Chinglish and Hand to God, and the revivals of Jesus Christ Superstar and Love Letters. Ms. Fan was also an Executive Producer of Weiner, a documentary feature about Anthony Weiner’s 2013 campaign for New York City Mayor, which received the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Ms. Fan is a Member of the Board of Advisors at the Yale School of Drama. She serves as Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Lark Play Development Center. She is the Treasurer to the Board of Directors of The Lilly Awards. She is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee. She is also a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and she serves as a trustee to both her parents’ charitable foundations.
Rosé Mansion just opened a new pop up in midtown at 445 Fifth Avenue. It is in a two story building completely dedicated to and filled with Rosé wines. It brings a tasting experience with wines from around the world. Patrons go on what they describe as a fun, educational vacation-like journey through 14 unique rooms inspired by Rosé. They will learn about the drink itself, the scientific process behind making it and where it is produced. The experience ends in the Grand Tasting Lounge. Rosé Mansion’s owner and creator is award winning Tyler Balliet who founded Second Glass in 2008 and has been creating pop up wine tasting events for a decade. The space will be open through Sunday, October 7, 2018. Bernstein Redo, P.C. is proud to be part of the Rosé Mansion team.
In recent years there has been a surge of private members clubs wanting to open in New York City, many born in London where there are hundreds of clubs. Bernstein Redo, P.C. client Soho House, which opened on Ninth Avenue in 2003, set the bar, and now everyone wants in. We have particular expertise in this, and have counseled many members clubs including Ludlow House, Dumbo House, Neuehouse, The Wing, Zero Bond, 5 Hertford Street, Groucho Club, Norwood, Classic Car Club, and others in navigating the uncommon license laws of New York. New York law dictates who can apply for a members club liquor license, where such clubs may be located, and imposes strict rules regarding who the members club may allow in and that also control how it may operate. These differ significantly from the laws that govern hotels, restaurants and bars that are open to the general public. When faced with the maze of rules on members clubs that can seem daunting, we are constantly asked, “how does Soho House do it?” We know, because we did it.
A planned new four-star Virgin Hotel is rising on Broadway and 30th Street in NoMad. The Lam Group is partnering with Sir Richard Branson to build and operate the 38 story hotel which will have over 400 guest rooms. It will come with over 90,000 square feet of retail space. Virgin says that the hotel will intermix a passion for food and beverage, music and culture, fusing along with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for travelers and locals alike. It currently operates a hotel in Chicago, and plans to open in other cities as well. London-based Swingers, which operates indoor mini-golf courses will be leasing over 20,000 square feet of subgrade space in the new hotel, its first location in the U.S. Bernstein Redo, P.C. is proud to be part of the Virgin Hotel and Swingers team.
Eli Zabar, owner of Night Shift, E.A.T., Vinegar Factory, Eli’s Market, Eli’s Essentials, and a number of other east side eateries, is teaming up with his son Oliver to open in a new location on Broome Street on the lower east side. The space, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets, was formerly occupied by Lucky Bee, a Thai restaurant, which closed late last year. Zabar has over 45 years in the food business. Manhattan Community Board 3’s SLA committee unanimously welcomed and approved the Zabars for a liquor license after having stymied an attempt last year to open on Mulberry Street. Bernstein Redo, P.C. is proud to be part of the Zabar’s team.
Pastis, Keith McNally’s celebrated French bistro, is planning to reopen at 52 Gansevoort Street, a block from its former location. The famed restaurant opened in 1999 as an early entrant in the then seedy Meatpacking District. It was instrumental in transforming the neighborhood, and had a very rich history, bringing a piece of Paris to New York. Pastis closed four years ago when the property was sold and the new owners decided to demolish the building. McNally, a James Beard award winning restauranteur and owner of Balthazar, Augustine, Morandi among others, will partner in the new Pastis with another James Beard award winner, Stephen Starr. Starr’s New York restaurants include Le Cou Cou, Upland, The Clock Tower and Buddakan. The two plan to reopen Pastis in 2019. Bernstein Redo, P.C. is proud to be part of the new Pastis team.
Zero Bond, a private members club for three upper floors in the building at Broadway and Bond Street in Manhattan, was approved this week for a liquor license over the objections of Community Board 2. The brainchild of Scott Sartiano, a former creator and owner of 1OAK and the Butter Group, the members club will feature a restaurant, bowling alley, shared work space and meeting rooms over three floors, with an entrance at 0 Bond Street. The lower floors of the building are occupied by Equinox fitness club. The application received strong support from City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Council members Margaret Chin and Rafael Espinol as well as from many residents and the NoHo Bowery Association. It is expected to open in early 2019. Bernstein Redo, P.C. is proud to be part of the Zero Bond team.
Last September Mayor Bill DiBlasio created the Office for Nightlife for New York City, and this weekend named Ariel Palitz as its first Executive Director. Ariel, a former bar owner was also a member of Manhattan Community Board 3. The Office for Nightlife will be part of the Office of Media and Entertainment headed by Commissioner Julie Menin. In a post she wrote after her appointment, Ariel said “I look forward to working together with the Advisory Board, and hearing feedback from nightlife operators, curators and community to ensure that New York culture is not only preserved, nurtured and protected, but respected.” We congratulate our friend, Ariel, and look forward to working with her team on nightlife issues.
On February 27, 2018, Conde Nast Traveler published its list of the 31 Best Hotels in New York City. Bernstein Redo, P.C. is proud to represent 16 — more than half — of those hotels on this exclusive list, including Soho House, 11 Howard, Public, The Beekman, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, The Nomad Hotel, Ace Hotel New York, Standard High Line, Hotel Americano, The Williamsburg Hotel Gramercy Park Hotel, Peninsula New York, among others. Congratulations to our clients who made the list.