L’Entree has been closed by the marshal

April 6, 2023 Restaurant/Bar News

Thanks to James for the heads up on this: L’Entree, or Chez Normandie, the party space and bar that was set up behind the self-serve drinks (called Dirty Lemon) of The Drug Store at 293 Church between White and Walker, has been closed and the space returned to the landlord.

The notice is dated March 20.

The location was at first an outpost of The Drug Store, opened in 2018, a tech and health company owned by Zak Normandin who also said he lived upstairs. I had heard the space behind the coolers was a party space, but that all came to light in November 2021, when Normandin applied for a liquor license to make the space public. Neighbors were furious and blocked his attempts — at least for a while.

He finally pushed through the SLA in November 2022, got a temporary beer and wine license, and opened Chez Normandie in early December “behind the curtain at L’Entree, inspired by the flavors of coastal France and, more specifically, the Normandy region where my family immigrated from to the United States.”

I never did go — it seemed too fraught. But clearly there were other issues.

It’s a nice space with a big glass skylight in the back, but as I recall, it has very little (to none) sound engineering and only one bathroom, which is not allowed for a bar or restaurant. Plus neighbors maintain that the apartments upstairs are run as illegal Airbnbs, and they have the photos of the rolling bags to prove it.

 
Tags: , , ,

2 Comments

  1. TJ
    April 10, 2023 • 8:27 am

    This is a shame. Could have been a really nice addition to the neighborhood and they did a lovely job of updating it – it should have flourished. Challenging for a small biz to succeed though with the NIMBY litigious neighbor situation they faced.

    Reply
  2. R.
    April 10, 2023 • 12:26 pm

    @TJ, totally disagree. It’s always this kind of silence or praises that encourage business like this to exist. Completely ignore the disturbances to the neighbors ( often portrayed as hostile anti-business nuisance)
    Next to our building is 52 Walker which has been occupied by a few galleries except for 3 floor which is run by something called AG Studio. Basically an event space that rents to anything that requires dj blasting music til dawn. It’s one of those Covid entrepreneur’s genius ideas which we are surrounded by when loft dwellers fled. That’s when we also discovered all the 311, 911 or the 1st precinct had become a thing of the past, you are on your own!!
    Sound proofing the space? No one would even put us in touch the landlord!
    So TJ, while you are thinking about this starry eyed, maybe you can help us find the landlord to sound proof the space!

    Reply

Comment: