Brush Stroke Liquor License Battle

I don't know how many of you are addicted to reading restaurant news and surveying menus of dining establishments that you will probably never get around to patronizing considering the number of restaurants in this city, and have noticed that aspiring restaurateurs are finding liquor licenses harder and harder to come by. They're either flat out denied, or else get the "beer and wine only" cap, and have to cling to the hope that one day they can graduate to a full bar so that they may attract the movers and shakers of New York City by keeping the cocktails flowing. Well David Bouley, of Bouley, Danube and Upstairs fame, who has graced the Zagat Survey, is beginning to turn the tables (bad restaurant pun originally unintended. I swear.)

After original denial of a liquor license for his latest project, a Japanese restaurant to be named Brush Stroke, he crusaded for the TriBeCa subcommittee to reverse the decision. Stacked against him were past issues ranging everywhere from double parking in front of his restaurant, to insurance fraud, to carbon monoxide violations, to restaurant waste staining the sidewalks. But after a massive PR drive that included obtaining letters of support from local residents and details on his 'charitable contributions', it seems like he changed the board's mind to believe he's an asset to the community. So Brush Stroke, bring on the bar! Except, um, New York does have this rule that says you can't open an establishment serving alcohol if there are three others within 500 feet. So that's the next uphill battle. Now, how to put those restaurants out of business....?

Photo via Eater