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New Owners of Noisy Hell's Kitchen Venues Get Community Board OK

By DNAinfo Staff on January 12, 2011 1:36pm

The Albert Hall opened at 508 Ninth Avenue in December.
The Albert Hall opened at 508 Ninth Avenue in December.
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DNAinfo/Tara Kyle

By Tara Kyle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

HELL'S KITCHEN — Rowdy sidewalk crowds and a roaring HVAC air conditioning unit have made the commercial space at 508 Ninth Ave. a scourge for years for nearby residents, but a new gastro pub hopes to change all that.

The new Albert Hall tavern, located on the block between West 38th and West 39th streets, opened a few weeks ago and, on Wednesday night, gained support for a new liquor license from Community Board 4's Hell's Kitchen liquor license committee.

Previous tenants, including the Door Lounge, accrued a huge file of noise complaints related to an excessively loud air conditioning unit and noisy revelers lined up behind a velvet rope.

"We're really paranoid — we've been fooled often," said Sydney Tegeler, who has lived next door at 506 Ninth Ave. for over three decades and said "horrendous noise problems," at the location have been a problem for about five years.

Accoustics on the block are so bad, Tegeler said, that many times the sounds of bass emanating up the buildings from the venue's DJ booth caused him to simply give up on trying to sleep.

But CB4's committee, led by chair Lisa Daglian, is hopeful that the Albert Hall will be the tenant that turns things around.

They voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend approval for the eatery's liquor license application, and Daglain, who recently toured the establishment, describing it as a "welcoming neighborhood place."

Albert Hall General Manager Artan Gjoni said that he believes litter, including cans, that he found dropped into the HVAC unit may be partially to blame for its excessive noise. Although air conditioning is not operated during the winter months, he agreed to bring a sound engineer to the site soon to determine how best to adjust the system.

The gastro pub's management also told CB4 that they would limit capacity to 125, put limiters on the background music system and maintain a calm, velvet rope free environment outside the restaurants' entrance.

Those promises left Tegeler cautiously optimistic. Since the restaurant's opening, he said he has only heard loud noises once — on New Year's Eve.

Hell's Kitchen residents interested in sampling the restaurant's menu will find an array of entrees including broiled lemon sole and a potato and onion tart. Desserts include bread pudding and a hard cider and fig baked custard.

Another new owner fighting off a bad history at his address Wednesday night was John O'Neill of MJ Armstrong's in the East Village, who is now taking over Valhalla on Ninth Avenue between West 53rd and West 54th streets.

The Viking-themed Hell's Kitchen bar has been a frequent noise offender because of sidewalk crowds and doors left open to the street, committee chair Lisa Daglian said.

Before securing the committee's support, O'Neill promised increased accountability. He also agreed to conditions including putting limiters and bass control on the sound system and closing the doors to the street at 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends.

Balilo's Deli, located at Eleventh Avenue and West 57th Street, secured approval from the committee for a new beer and wine license. The deli operates from 6 a.m. to at least 6 p.m. daily.

The committee also voted in support of license renewal applications for venues including Druid's at 736 Tenth Ave. and Perdition at 692 Tenth Ave.

All applicants must next gain approval from CB4's full board. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 2.