Openings

Pleasure Island Remains Deserted in Gravesend

No liquor license means no tropical drinks.
No liquor license means no tropical drinks. Photo: iStockphoto

For some reason, a new bar named Pleasure Island is having a hard time getting its liquor license approved. The Brooklyn Ink reports that an “upscale cocktail lounge” has been angling to open in Gravesend for a while now; $40,000 of renovations, including new leather booths and “wrought iron murals,” have been installed and are gathering dust. So what’s the holdup?

Well, for starters, Pleasure Island will be replacing Pleasure, a nightclub that attracted “drugs and drunk kids” to the block, according to a neighbor. Pleasure closed in 2008, and its former proprietor is now “10% owner” of Pleasure Island. So, when word got out a new “adult establishment” was opening, a petition went around warning neighbors that Pleasure Island would have “degenerating effects” on their children. With no liquor-license hearing scheduled, owner Mark Shteynshlyuger says Pleasure Island is a legitimate restaurant where he’ll serve entrées like duck breast and tapioca-crusted tuna. A “vocalist and D.J.” will provide the entertainment. “I’m from Russia, formerly,” Shteynshlyuger tells The Brooklyn Ink. “And in Russia, ‘pleasure’ means something else. It’s not ‘pleasure’ in the American way, connecting with sex objects and everything else. It just means: ‘Have a good time.’” So, semantics aside, is there hope in the distance? “The community board is going to oppose it 100 percent,” says Community Board 15 chairperson Theresa Scavo.

Pleasure Island or Local Pain? [Brooklyn Ink]

Pleasure Island Remains Deserted in Gravesend