Prime 6, the forthcoming Flatbush Avenue restaurant-lounge that's got Park Slopers in a tizzy, is back in the news after last night's community board meeting. You'll recall that at the start of March one Park Slope resident made waves with a petition urging the club to promote indie musicians, not hip hop artists. Others, however, seemed more concerned about the joint's 46-seat back patio, which the owner initially asserted would stay open until 4 a.m. in the summer. Now he's agreed to close it at 1 a.m., but the locals still aren't satisfied; they want Prime 6 to move the party inside at midnight on weekends. But the owner's not having it.
Owner Akiva Ofshtein insists he can't close that early because he'll lose a lot of business to his competitors, who stay open until 1 a.m. “I can’t go below the competitive standard,” Ofshtein tells the Brooklyn Paper. "I’m glad everybody is getting ideas on the table — but the contention is Friday and Saturdays." The bar, which is near the under-construction Barclays Arena, will also have big video screens to show the Nets games, occasional bottle service, and live music outside. But at last night's meeting, Ofshtein reportedly focused on plans to serve "local meats and vegetables" and "free kids brunch on weekends." What Park Sloper could resist that?
Ofshtein plans to open in May, and he already has his liquor license, so he could just decide to defy the community board for the time being. But even midnight generally seems to be the standard for when bars close down the back yard and herd everyone inside (always a traumatic experience). Maybe we should just be grateful for what we have; last summer, state Assemblywoman Joan Millman made headlines when she proposed a law that would require bars to close their backyards at 10 p.m. on weekends. What's next, mandatory bar nap times? Jukeboxes that only play educational books on tape? No spitting?
