The saga of Buster's Garage is getting so out of hand that we half-expect the owners to throw everything in 18-wheelers and high-tail it in the middle of the night, Baltimore Colts-style. The sports-bar-that-couldn't has been trying to get the go-ahead to move to the eponymous garage space at 24 Leonard Street in Tribeca, a proposal already strongly denied by Community Board 1. Then came word of the car evictions, backed up by the latest and greatest update so far:
I'm the president of the board of managers at 18 Leonard Street, the Juilliard Building, next door to 24 Leonard Street, the garage location where Buster's hopes to move to shortly. I spoke out at last week's CB1 meeting against Buster's. I'm in favor of the Provenzano family (owner of both 24 Leonard and Buster's) trying to better commercialize their garage space now at 24 Leonard, but just don't think a bar is the right way to do it. The next day I was evicted from my spot in the garage by Ross Provenzano who initially told me all residents of 18 Leonard were also being evicted, but then when asked by reporters changed his position to say it was just me since I had "made it personal" by speaking up at the CB1 meeting.It might be time to just settle this with pistols at dawn. And just to remind you why this battle is so heated, we point you to Citysearch, where the most recent comment on Buster's Garage (12/05) goes thusly: "Pros: bartender, got me, drunk; Cons: i, can't, move in."
· CB1 Denies Buster's Garage Liquor License Transfer [Curbed]
· Blockbuster CB2 Meeting Tomorrow: Blind Tiger, Busters on Docket [Eater]