[EVG photo from 2014]
The State Liquor Authority (SLA) has yanked the liquor license from Dahlia's on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street after the NYPD found more than 40 teens drinking inside the Mexican restaurant on Jan. 30, the Post reports.
After reportedly serving teens, the SLA served up an emergency liquor license suspension. The restaurant, known as Mary Ann's until 2014, can still sell food, but not alcohol.
Here's some passages from the Post:
[C]ops found the exits locked and more than 40 well-heeled teens — one only 15 years old — quaffing “monster margaritas” and mojitos.
And!
Cops from the 9th Precinct arrived at Dahlia’s after receiving a 911 call reporting underage drinking. At the crowded bar, they documented that 43 patrons were younger than 18, including five 16-year-olds and a 15-year-old.
Most of the teenage drinkers were from monied Westchester suburbs like Scarsdale and Larchmont, officials said. None had been asked for ID.
SLA officials also said that the holder of the liquor license, Huascar Then, and five servers were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, unlawfully dealing with a child and criminal nuisance.
SLA Chair Vincent Bradley issued this statement: "In addition to demonstrating a total disregard for the law by blatantly catering to minors, this licensee further jeopardized the health and safety of these young patrons by crowding them into a locked bar to avoid detection by law enforcement."
As you probably know, the 9th Precinct is a 1/2 block from the restaurant.
Updated 10:45 a.m.
I walked by Dahlia's this morning...
Updated noon:
The gates are up now at the restaurant... and the suspended license legalese is posted...
Thanks to EVG correspondent Steven for the photos.
Updated 3:30 p.m.
Several readers (including Vinny & O) mentioned that Dahlia's is not open today. Also, maybe randomly, one of the Dahlia's signs was lying on Second Avenue in front of the restaurant ...
[Photo by Derek Berg]
Updated 7 p.m.
The restaurant is open this evening. An EVG reader who looked inside said there were three patrons...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Slowly but surely the exterior of the former Mary Ann's is becoming Dahlia's
31 comments:
Awful food... Rude servers.... And now this... Shut it down!
Oops!
I'd like to know what happened to the teen miscreants - no mention made of them being arrested, which would perhaps have sobered them up a little.
What is it with this space? In the 1980s, when it was Mary Ann's, the owners got into hot water because they freely allowed drug dealers to use their pay phones to openly ply their trade. Was this particular building built on top of an Idiot's graveyard or something?
I always believed NYPD's response had to do with proximity. Now we have it. Real motivation. But, seriously, NYPD, this is what you should have been doing all along. So can we have some checks on Avenue C -- Wayland, Summit, Babel, Kafena, Ed's & the Wolf? Or do need to call 911 for those as well, now that we know how to get your attention?
SOunds like it was a known and organized destination from monied Westchester. Doors are locked? I bet some adult involved is into fucking drunk children.
Sadly, we live in a police state. God forbid kids want to have fun these days.
I've heard of "quaffing" ale, but never margaritas. Who the hell quaffs a margarita? Sorry, wait... minors. My bad.
I want to know whether a parent of one of the Westchester teens booked the restaurant ("I'm not a regular mom! I'm a COOL MOM!" -- Mean Girls) or whether a kid did it. When I was 15 I'd never have had the wherewithal (or the money!) to call a restaurant and get it closed for a private party.
Gojira's Idiots graveyard, now that is funny. This place is also an idiots paradise with everyone getting arrested and the liquor license gone. I doubt anyone goes there for the food alone. Well at least this explains why they would give children a free Happy Meal during Happy Hour. I wouldn't be surprised if these kids are the same group of miscreants that gave Ballaro hell for not playing enough Taylor Swift music. And I won't name names but there are plenty of other bars serving minors and there always will be as long as bartenders can get away with it.
My underage drinking was much more sophisticated than this.
9:52
Even if you call the NYPD they will not come unless you say murder. That's the new policing policy. If they answer the call it's included in the crime stats. If you don't answer the call... Well... The Brattons/DeBlasios of the world look good.. better than good.
gojira - 300 east 5th street was owned by an alive idiot! she was an amazing, horrible woman (clara storper). she would torment her tenants. 3am phone calls. frivolous court cases.
i think the building was on permanent rent strike.
her daughter was faith popper, popcorn, or something like that, and she predicted trends.
don't know what happened to any of them but their karma certainly lives on.
I walked by there a few weeks ago and while I understand that there will always be underage drinking, I was taken aback by how many very young people were waiting to get into this place. Now I know! That place has really bad service as well. I once paid my bill and was waiting for change when my waitress not only didn't bring it back, but also left for the day! I got my change from someone else at the restaurant and ended up not leaving any tip.
There was either an adult that arranged this (divorced parent that wanted to win the favor of their spoiled rotten spawn, or the spoiled rotten spawn had enough money to make a deal with the restaurant manager. If the 20 somethings running around here drunk on the weekends can't handle a drink how could a 15 year old. Teens should really not drink in restaurants or bars just in the basements of their own home like nature intended it.
> In the 1980s, when it was Mary Ann's,
According to the complaint, is still is.
Looks like the bottom just fell out of their bottomless brunch special. Now maybe the drunks that frequent this place can sober up and find a purpose for their lives that doesn't involve drinking cheap tequila infused with artificial lime flavor
These charges aside, the food concept here is really over: Humongous platters of rice and beans with a 50-pound burrito. Many better small taco shops have opened in the East Village in recent years, I'm thinking particularly of Tacos Moreles, Taqueria Diana and Otto's.
To the commenter above - I DOUBT there is any underage drinking at Edi & the Wolf.... maybe just underage delicious schnitzel eating....
Unrelated, but does anyone know what the major police activity was all about near this block on Friday night? Around 1:30am is was insane.
This has been going on for months--It's amazing it took this long especially considering the proximity of the precinct.
A SHADOW source reveals that cops have known about under-age drinkers there for years, but have told them to keep it indoors and discreet.
I'm not into drinking booze, but who really gives a fuck about people under 21 drinking? At 17 you can join any branch of the military to kill or be killed. At 18 you can vote. So where the fuck does the law get off telling anyone that they are not mature enough to consume alcohol until they are 21???
You know what the difference between Dahlia's and most of restaurants serving boozy brunch and bars in the EV? Dahlia's got caught serving liquor to minors.
And those bars who normally do not have a bouncer in their door, but they have one extensively checking everyone's IDs only when Santacon and St. Patrick's Day arrive -- all for show, on a regular day, they serve liquors to minors too.
Anon 10:22: "Sadly, we live in a police state. God forbid kids want to have fun these days." Shit, I hope you're joking because everyone knows that when you're a kid things are way more fun when you have to work to get over on the man. Having it handed to you does not make for a "back in the day" story down the line.
Damn!
I love how everyone here professes to despise police and applauds property destruction as harmless illegal behavior. Yes, I am sure a parent arranged thi . With no one driving. Some 17 year olds drinking. Wow. Until the early 1980s, the drinking age was 18. There was an open bar at my junior prom for a Catholic high school in NYC. Nothing to see here other than a police, or nanny, state.
Police state. In the good old days you all seem to want to return to the drinking age was 18. Bodegas sold beer to high school kids. High schools had smoking areas outside and open bars at senior prom. It wasnt the end of the world. Im sure a parent arranged this and they had transportation taken care of. What is the big deal? People who grew up with a drinking age of 18 making a huge deal of this. That people were arrested is absurd. This is the democrat bloomberg nanny state at work. Dont drink, dont smoke, dont drink a super big gulp. This used to be fun city. Now these folks have destroyed it. Absolutely disgraceful.
I work in the restaurant industry as a waiter. If I serve alcohol to a minor, not only will I lose my job, I can and will probably be prosecuted, and the restaurant I work at will lose their license, and possibly sue me. What if the minor chooses to drink and drive? They can also cause fatalities and accidents. More lawsuits. I always card those who look young. Its my job. And its the law. Those individuals at the bar violated the law and should be penalized. Its atrocious how many minors they served. I hope they go down. I
In case you're looking for another place to hang out with drunk teenagers, check out Yelp's Best Underage Drinking spots in the East Village.
Today is National Margarita Day. Guess whose not serving any margaritas? Dahlias, that's who. There are only 68 days left until Cinco de Mayo. If they don't get their liquor license back by then, you can stick a tenador in them, they are tostadas.
As an “Irish Outdoorsman” who began drinking at the East River Park when I was 13 when the drinking age was 18, this may seem like a nanny state type of story. I was also drinking at bars when I was 16/17. But we hung out at old man EV dive bars and stayed under the radar. Since we were from the hood, no driving home was involved at all, was not an issue. The legal age is now 21 and these kids and the owners were asking to be busted. Not shedding any tears for these suburban brats but I am concerned for the employees there.
I really wonder how this really went down. Did a 'concerned neighbor' really called?
Or did the cops decide to make an example?
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