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New Bar 'Bob's Your Uncle' to Take Over Ding Dong Lounge Space

By Emily Frost | January 15, 2015 7:02pm | Updated on January 16, 2015 4:57pm
 The new bar promises to be tamer with no loud music and a neighborhoody vibe. 
New Bar Opens in Ding Dong Lounge Space
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MANHATTAN VALLEY — A "classic bar" hoping to attract a more mature crowd is set to open in the former Ding Dong Lounge, a dive known for live music and dance parties that shuttered over the summer after 13 years.

The new spot, named Bob's Your Uncle, is the brainchild of business partners Danielle Savin and Megan Giometi, who are aiming to attract an over-30 crowd to the Columbus Avenue space by eschewing the raucous atmosphere of the former tenant.

The joint, set to open in the coming months, will be "a neighborhood local classic bar" that includes a small menu, Savin told Community Board 7 Wednesday night.

Residents living next to the former Ding Dong, located between West 105th and 106th streets, relayed horror stories about the dive at Wednesday's meeting as the new operators tried to persuade CB7 they were different from their predecessors. 

"[The Ding Dong Lounge would] leave the whole sidewalk full of bottles and cigarette butts. They didn’t even have the decency to clean up," said Cecilio Moreno, who lives next door to the address. 

The new bar will have no live music or DJs, and "we’re not targeting a college bar [crowd]," Savin explained.

"We’re just asking for a clean slate and to prove ourselves."

The CB7 liquor license committee pushed back on their request to stay open until 4 a.m. every night, allowing a 2 a.m. close time Sunday through Wednesday and a 3 a.m. closing Thursday through Saturday. The committee ultimately voted to recommend approval of the license by the State Liquor Authority. 

► Lincoln Square Steakhouse, the restaurant that took over the space formerly occupied by Loi on West 70th Street, opened Thursday.

The steakhouse is going for a nostalgic vibe in its decor and menu, describing itself as "a classic Steakhouse reminiscent of the 1960s."

Owner Bruno Selimaj also runs a steakhouse on West 57th Street called Club A Steakhouse.

There's a fireplace in the new 300-seat restaurant, as well as a bar. A pianist will entertain bar-goers nightly, the owners said. 

► The Hudson Beach Cafe, along West 105th Street in Riverside Park, is reopening April 1 under new ownership. 

Glenda Sansone, who owns The Ellington restaurant on West 106th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, said she received a license from the Parks Department in mid-November to operate the restaurant, but by then it was too late in the season to open. 

From April 1 to Nov.1, the restaurant will stay open every day from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., she said.

The Department's rules also stipulate that the restaurant must maintain the bathrooms connected to the space, which are open to the public. Additionally, any live music planned will have to be approved by the Parks Department. 

Community Board 7 approved its liquor license Wednesday. 

► The international chain Sushi Shop, which already has one New York City location on West 52nd Street, opened a new location on Broadway at West 78th Street Thursday as part of a plan to open five more New York City locations this year. 

The brand is known for its takeout, but the Upper West Side location will also feature a 22-seat dining room for lunch and dinner, as first reported by the West Side Rag. 

At lunchtime, to-go lunch boxes for $12.95 and $14.95 are filled with rolls or sushi and come with edamame, a side salad and rice or miso soup.