A stock image of kebabs
A Northern Indian restaurant specializing in kebabs is expected to open at 247 West 72nd Street, between West End Ave and Broadway — formerly home to My Most Favorite Food, which closed its doors earlier this year.
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Owner Salil Mehta — who also owns southeast Asian restaurant Wau on 81st and Amsterdam — presented his plans for Kebab Aur Sharab to Community Board 7 on Wednesday evening, as he is applying for his liquor license.
Mehta plans to keep the UWS restaurant open between 5pm-2am daily, and the interior will have 18 two-person seats in addition to 12 stools.
There will also be background music, and Mehta wants it to be a place where restaurant workers can congregate, as the kitchen will be open late.
Pairing whiskeys with kebabs is traditional in India, according to Mehta, so he was quite happy to receive unanimous liquor license approval from the board.
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The next presentation didn’t go quite as well.
Andy Kim, a real estate agent at Nest Seekers, is looking to open a private members club at 100 Riverside Boulevard, between 64th and 65th streets. He also presented his plans to CB7 as he is hoping to get his liquor license.
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Nest Seekers has an office at this location as well, and while the club’s full membership criteria has not yet been determined, one requirement, according to Kim, is that all members are real estate clients of Nest Seekers.
The space is small, so not all clients would be invited to become members.
Kim intends for this club to operate as a non-profit, and is applying for a 501(c)(3).
As several board members pointed out that the space is zoned for a community facility, there was unanimous concern about how this private member’s club would conform to that.
Following Kim’s presentation, board member Linda Alexander immediately said “I’m so not comfortable with this.”
The board tabled the application and told Kim to come back when he is more prepared (and to bring his lawyer, who wasn’t present).
“Mehta plans to keep the restaurant open between 5pm-2am daily.”
If this reporting is accurate, and if the intention truly is just a kebab restaurant with drinks and “background music,” I’d be stunned if Mr. Mehta sticks to these hours for more than a few weeks. Even the bars on the block close earlier most nights.