At last night’s CB3 meeting, Eric Lagrange felt the heat for not taming his Thai-French bistro the Elephant. After disgruntled neighbors and the First Street Block Association presented the board with a year’s worth of e-mail correspondences with the chef-owner, including one where Lagrange said he could make life “living hell” for them, the board voted to deny renewal of the bistro’s full liquor license, citing numerous noise complaints.
In the winning circle, owners Ricardo Arias and Patricia Valencia scored a license to serve wine at Café Cortadito.
Ex–Velvet Cigar Lounge owner Jason Alvator is opening Affetati (131 E. 7th St.), an Italian café and purveyor of Italian sandwiches, cured meats, bruschetta, a “large cheese menu,” and — thanks to the board’s approval — wine. Still under construction, Affetati will open for business at 9 a.m. and close at midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.
New to East 14th is Berry Bistro (430 E. 14th St.) from first-timers Harriet Kreute and her husband, who were approved to serve wine. The full-service bistro will have 12 tables and 24 seats and serve “American food with a European influence.” We envision a berry logo à la the Momofuku peach logo. —Alina Soler
