Plans to reopen the shuttered Max Fish in the former Gallery Bar space at 120 Orchard Street are solidifying nicely, with CB3's liquor licensing subcommittee having voiced their official approval early this morning.
Owner Ulli Rimkus and a cadre of prominent Fish supporters waited at the meeting until nearly 1 a.m. to make their case for the bar, which inhabited its Ludlow Street outpost for 24 years until a stratospheric rise in rent forced it to close last July. Rimkus initially planned, however skeptically, to move her operation across the river to Williamsburg, but negotiations for the Metropolitan Avenue warehouse apparently fell through, giving the legendary haunt a second chance to preserve a shred of old LES legitimacy before the whole thing really does become a luxury La Brea tar pit for bros 'n banks.
Assuming the new Max Fish gains the traction it needs to reopen on Orchard, the ordeal could almost be considered something of a boon for Rimkus: She has taken on several more partners comprised of the bar's staff, in addition to the fact that the new space is two levels and significantly larger than the Ludlow iteration. Asked whether she was concerned about making rent on a large, expensive space, Rimkus replied that the previous issue was very specifically with her landlord, the Lo-Down reports. "He wanted me out," she said.
Testimony on behalf of the bar was nearly all glowing. Paper Magazine founder David Hershovits argued that Max Fish’s return would be a "statement against gentrification and against people who want to 'exploit' the neighborhood," the blog reports. “It would be a great signal to everyone to enable Ulli to come back. It’s the best thing that could be done in the community.”
The sole voice of dissent came from a neighborhood group called LES Dwellers, who argued that conditions in the vicinity "were no longer palatable for this type of operation."
The board voted unanimously to approve a full liquor license.
