Manhattan, NY – Neighbors Say Kosher Steakhouse is Too Rowdy For UWS

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    Manhattan, NY – A hip kosher steakhouse is too rowdy for the Upper West Side, say neighbors.

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    Prime KO is drawing complaints from residents of West 85th Street and Broadway.

    They say the restaurant, which opened in May 2010, is quiet during the week but attracts partying crowds on the weekend who linger on the street talking loudly after the rabbi-approved eatery closes.

    The angry neighbors showed up to complain about the restaurant at a Community Board 7 meeting this week where Prime KO’s application for a sidewalk cafe permit was reviewed.

    While the restaurant’s all-kosher menu and special events like Passover Seders have won fans among observant Jews, Prime KO’s stylish vibe has attracted celebrities since opening night. “The Sopranos” actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, along with Oklahoma City Thunder center Serge Ibaka, were in attendance that night, according to the New York Times.

    Residents in the co-op buildings directly across the street say sometimes limousines and chauffeur-driven cars idle on the block, causing congestion, and customers are boisterous when they leave late at night.

    “It’s a place to party, and it’s very difficult to contain the noise,” said resident Charles Abbott at this week’s Community Board 7 meeting.

    Abbott, who said his co-op board asked him to speak on its behalf, said a sidewalk cafe doesn’t belong on a side street, and expanding Prime KO’s operations outside would worsen the noise problem.

    Abbott said that Prime KO is a “beautiful” restaurant, but he’s had to buy a white noise machine to drown out the racket that patrons make when they leave.

    But Prime KO’s Director of Operations Steven Traube and restaurant owner Joey Allaham defended Prime KO against neighbors’ complaints at the Community Board 7 meeting, insisting that they run a “neighborhood restaurant,” not a night club in disguise.

    While Prime KO’s Facebook page promised an “epic Purim party” with no cover charge and “celebrity DJs,” Traube pointed out that those DJs plugged into the restaurant’s internal sound system, not club-style speakers that blast music.

    In addition to young celebrities, Prime KO can claim support from the Jewish establishment. Restaurant representatives presented Community Board 7 with a letter from Michael Landau, chairman of the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of the West Side.

    Landau, who said in the letter that he’s hosting a party soon at Prime KO, lauded Prime KO for hosting several charity events.

    Community Board 7 member Sheldon Fine, an Orthodox Jew, called Prime KO a neighborhood asset, because it serves the growing number of observant Jews on the Upper West Side.

    “Since when have observant Jews been known to be rowdy, drunk or loud?” Fine said. “There are ways Jews are generally characterized, but I’ve never heard that.”

    Community Board 7 approved Prime KO’s request for a sidewalk cafe permit, but the final decision will be made by the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs.

    Read more at DNAinfo.com


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    10 Comments
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    Tzi_Bar_David
    Tzi_Bar_David
    12 years ago

    I wish they would start pulling sidewalk cafe permits rather than issuing them. The streets are too narrow and crowded already.

    sam46th
    sam46th
    12 years ago

    While I respect the neighbors, they are not living on West End Ave or Riverside Dr, they live off Broadway.

    MayerAlter
    MayerAlter
    12 years ago

    The halacha does not permit eating in the street. If they go ahead with this plan whoever gives the hechsher will no doubt pull it.

    12 years ago

    why are people getting so drunk and rowdy?

    pbalaw
    pbalaw
    12 years ago

    3. It’s not in the street. It’s a few tables on the side walk, there are a few kosher rest already doing this for years (with a hechsher)

    12 years ago

    “Since when have observant Jews been known to be rowdy, drunk or loud?” Fine said. “There are ways Jews are generally characterized, but I’ve never heard that.”

    Oh, only at a substantial number of shuls on Purim and Simchas Torah!!

    In all seriousness, though, patrons of the restaurant should be considerate of the residents on the street and try to minimize the noise. I live across the street from a small shul – not a restaurant – and have to put up with the men who stand outside of the shul at all hours of the evening and carry on loud conversations, or yell into their cellphones.

    ProminantLawyer
    ProminantLawyer
    12 years ago

    #3 – you lie.

    AshMan
    AshMan
    12 years ago

    I never realized that NYC had laws against noise and traffic congestion…Might have to shut down the whole city.