On November 3, after months of negotiation with neighbors and being denied by the local ANC, the Big Bear Cafe—represented in its ABRA board hearing by the liquor licensing pro Andrew Kline—was granted its license. Big Bear didn’t get everything it wanted: The Board, while dismissing most of the protestants’ concerns about trash, noise, and zoning, confined the Cafe’s hours to midnight on weekends and 11:00 p.m. on weekdays, with outdoor music to cease at 9:00 p.m.

Don’t expect the beer to start flowing immediately, though. Owner Stu Davenport said the speedy decision—which took only a third of the Board’s 90-day window—took him by surprise, and he has no immediate plans to start serving alcohol, except for a December 5th art market where spiked cider will be in the offing.