Brooklyn Dining Club: Brooklyn Municipal Club heard Harvard Kroks, holds holiday bash at Buzzy’s Place, The Water Club

January 20, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A toast to The Water Club food and service from Brooklyn Municipal Club members. Photos by Andy Katz

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Michael “Buzzy” O’Keeffe, founder of Brooklyn’s iconic River Café and Red Hook’s Liberty Warehouse, hosted the historic Brooklyn Municipal Club at the group’s annual holiday party last week. But the group chose a location that looked back on Brooklyn. It was O’Keeffe’s famous site along the East River called the Water Club. It was an evening of food and music arranged by the Brooklyn Dining Club for the Municipal Club members.

The terms “club” and “historical” were tossed around frequently and very favorably throughout the evening, as 50 members and guests of the Brooklyn Municipal Club, founded in 1897, gathered to dine and hear the Harvard Krokodiloes perform.

A world-famous a cappella group, the Kroks were founded in 1946 by musical members of Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Club (which was founded in — hold onto your hats — 1770). Historically, the Brooklyn Municipal Club came along later, in 1897, as Brooklyn was voting to become part of Greater New York, which happened the following year.

But on Jan. 6, 2017, all dry historical references faded from memory once the music — and the meal — started. The Water Club did what it does best, providing the food and service that patrons of “Buzzy” O’Keeffe have come to expect. (One of his latest innovations in Brooklyn is a popular and classy English Breakfast at the River Café, starting at 8:30 weekday mornings).

“It was a unique Brooklyn evening,” said George Vail, former president of the Municipal Club. “Hosted by Brooklyn’s most famous restaurateur, our club members enjoyed one of the best views of our beloved Brooklyn, while listening to the Harvard Kroks — great music, great food and great history.”

Founded by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1897, the Municipal Club held monthly forum meetings and traveled the world — as members still do today — keeping alive the spirit of the unique municipality that was the City of Brooklyn.

“Today we still host forums and discussion groups,” said Dozier Hasty, current president of the club. “It’s collegial because we usually do it over meals, but we’re always examining the things that make a great municipality work — or not work.”

For more information, visit www.brooklynmunicipalclub.com. For more information on dining, visit www.brooklyndiningclub.com.