Seems restaurateur Ted Mann's planned beer garden on 7th Avenue, between 19th and 20th Streets, is still chugging away in the bureaucracy stream. It will surprise no one, but transforming a mechanic shop into a restaurant requires a lot of permits. Even so, he tells Overflow magazine that he's got big, recycled dreams (like keeping the car lift) for the 13,000-square-foot space:
“We want it to feel like a private park,” Mann said. “It’s an enormous place, and we want a comfortable flow inside to outside.” The food will be traditional American: hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, coleslaw. “Everything you’d take to a park, but on a higher scale,” Mann said.
He'd also like to feature bands and other live performances. It will be interesting to see how it is as an attraction, because while it's convenient to the Prospect Expressway, the closest subway stops are the 15th St/Prospect Park F/G, and the 25th St R, which are each about a 15-minute walk away. Seems like a good enough location otherwise, though--neighbors may be used to noise from the Prospect, and one-quarter of the space is adjacent Green-Wood, whose residents probably won't notice the hubbub.
Mann is currently part-owner of 11 places in Brooklyn, including the new, much-hyped Gold Coast in Bay Ridge. Let's hope he's got some energy left to get this beer garden open while it's still nice enough out to enjoy the space.
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