Despite a stalemate with the local community board, it looks like Brooklyn Barge Bar isn’t dead in the water just yet. Aiming to be Brooklyn’s smaller version of the Frying Pan, the bar recently announced on Facebook that it hopes to open later this month. There are photos circa late March of the team building the gangway in Kingston, New York, and they’ve also launched a website detailing its menu and plans for engaging the community in (hopefully) non-alcohol related outdoor activities like sailing and fishing (though we’re not sure drunk fishing will be left totally out of the equation).
The straightforward menu includes “finger foods” such as fried shrimp and pot stickers, three-dollar hotdogs, and main courses like grilled BBQ skirt steak ($22) and grilled shrimp coated in BBQ sauce with grilled corn on the cob and potato salad on the side ($18).
Pitchers ($23), a weekly “bucket of six special” ($36), and a selection of homemade concoctions like the Greenpoint Mule (silver tequila, ginger beer and lime juice) can be found on the short drink menu.
Located adjacent to WNYC Transmitter Park, the bar’s address is 3 Milton Street, though the bar won’t be utilizing the site’s nearby building. There’s been concern from the community about boozed-up patrons leaving through the park and merrily peeing on bushes and puking up their Barg-elatas (an, er, interesting mix of pilsner beer, lime juice, tomato juice and Chamoy hot sauce), an issue that likely contributed to the Community Board 1 SLA committee’s refusal to seriously consider the bar’s application for a liquor license.
Other things the SLA Committee was worried about when the Barge Bar appeared before them at a meeting a few months ago: the environmental impact on the fish and wildlife around the barge and the safety of patrons.
Nonetheless, it appears owner Will Drawbridge and his team are forging ahead. There’s a substantial plot of land on shore, also leased by the bar, where Drawbridge told us he envisions having public art fairs and farmer’s markets. Now the new website indicates there are plans in the works for educational programs for children and adults about the environment, the biology and ecology of the East River, and the ecosystem.
Outdoorsy types will be happy to hear that Drawbridge hopes to create waterfront access points and classes for catch-and-release fishing and water sports including kayaking, sailing and stand-up paddle boarding. Beginners can learn “proper paddling technique before venturing out into water.”
“More advanced tours will take you around the East River to historic points of interest with a guide fully trained in water safety and fitness,” the website states. And for the spectator types, more prone to watching the action, Greenpoint Mule in hand, we’ll keep you posted on the bar’s quest for a liquor license.