Otheroom Owner Seeks Residents' Approval for New Eatery

Three years into his effort to open a new eatery on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the owner of The Otheroom bar continues to face opposition from residents concerned about noise, parking and unruly patron behavior.

Craig Weiss detailed his plans for a new deli/bistro at 1205 Abbot Kinney Blvd. at a meeting Tuesday night attended by about a dozen community members.

"I'm here to take everyone's advice," Weiss said.

During the meeting, he offered to curtail outdoor seating and to submit to quarterly community reviews. The new plans will likely go to the Venice Neighborhood Council for consideration later this month.

Previous plans called for a 3 a.m. closing time and were vociferously opposed by local residents. The VNC voted against those plans last year.

The proposed bistro/deli would offer high-end groceries, produce, sandwiches and deli foods, as well as beer and wine. The current plans call for 49 seats, 8 of which would be sidewalk seating and 12 of which would be on a back patio. Weiss said that the eat-in menu would include pizza, steak and a raw bar. The meeting was held in the proposed location, an empty building next to Weiss' The Otheroom, a popular Abbot Kinney bar. 

A conditional use permit for the building, without which Weiss cannot open, was declined by the city's planning board. Weiss appealed the decision, asking for time to go back to the community.

"It would be nice if you were in keeping with the rest of the neighborhood," said Kate Lutz, who lives nearby. Lutz said that she understands that with the cost of rent on Abbot Kinney, it might be unfeasible to open a deli that didn't serve beer and wine, but she was concerned about noise, parking and making Abbot Kinney a party destination. 

The VNC has yet to decide its agenda for the Oct. 21 meeting, but Land Use and Planning Committee chair Jake Kaufman would like Weiss' plan to be discussed. "If we make no decision, it's a lose-lose all around," he said later.

During the meeting, Weiss stressed that he wanted to work with the community this time around. He has been trying to put something in that location for more than three years.

The biggest sticking point for the community has been concern over loud, drunk people overflowing from the Otheroom next door, but while Weiss is amenable to making some concessions, he emphasized that the project could not go forward without a license to sell some alcoholic beverages.

"The economic realities of a restaurant exist with the sale of beer and wine," Weiss said. 

Whether late-night dining, gourmet groceries, fresh squeezed juices and organic soft serve are amenities Weiss' neighbors will go for, though, has yet to be decided.

Venice resident Barbara Brown did not seem convinced.

"I get up at six in the morning," Brown said after the meeting. "I'm not going to go have oysters in the middle of the night."

People are invited to express their support or opposition to the plans by e-mailing lupc@venicenc.org.