Per ownership: "Our lease has come to an end, and renewing wasn't an option."
As we noted on July 18, an applicant was on the July CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license. The operators include Keith Siilats, a founder of an e-commerce company for financial-service firms, who also happens to own the building.
Siilats told Eater last month that he plans to open a similar bar in the same space.
And there was more background:
Siilats says DeRossi and co. hadn’t been paying rent for a while — a fix that he says was solved after he bought the business from the prolific East Village restaurateur and bar owner. DeRossi acknowledges that they hadn’t been paying Siilats directly, but only because they had sued him years ago for illegal construction that was impacting business, such as flooding the space when it rained. Their attorney had recommended that they keep the cash in escrow, according to DeRossi.
“After years of fighting with Keith in court it came time to renew our lease, as we could not come to an agreement with him we all just decided to go our own ways,” DeRossi writes.
Anyway, Mayahuel closed after service last night. There were some tributes on Instagram.
No word yet on when the new establishment might open here. CB3 approved the application last month. (A PDF with the minutes of the meeting is here.) The venture was described as a "a full-service Moroccan and Mexican fusion restaurant."
Moroccan and Mexican fusion? I cant wait.
ReplyDeleteThe question is why does the Liquor Authority give out on-premises liquor licenses like candy (when the NYSLA says liquor they mean hard liquor). 105 First Avenue (the former location of Empellon Cocina) has TWENTY-THREE on-premises liquor licenses within 500 feet. By law, they have to show that granting them a license is in the public interest if there are MORE THAN THREE within 500 feet. How did we get to 23? There cannot possibly be a public interest in all those liquor licenses. Something is clearly amiss. Let's see if 105 First Avenue gets there license even though they are not accepting CB3's stipulations.
ReplyDeleteWasn't this place a Russian mob hangout at one point?
ReplyDeleteMexican themed cocktail bar, hmmmmm....
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they just open a Mexican restaurant and serve cocktails?
And why is it that NYC does not have a good Mexican restaurant? Chipotle, Dos Toros, and Qdoba are not Mexican restaurants. They are just glorified Taco Bell, not to mention chains. The rest, e.g., Cosme, La Esquina, etc.? Just another gastropub or sports bar.
And Empellon Al Pastor? Where do I begin? It was supposed to be a taqueria especializing in mezcal ONLY cocktails. And what and how and why is it now? Just look at the signage on that business, simply says BAR. No name, not a thing but just BAR. And the menu? 4 out 5 of the panels are dedicated to liquor, not just mezcal. I don't know what Stupak did to CB3; he must have had them on mezcal and tequila when he gave his bs... I mean presentation and proposal on his Mexican restaurant. ... I mean BAR.
This my expression whenever CB3 dishes out full liquor licenses to "restaurants" -- "Mayahuel!"
@ 11:00 PM, they say the Mexican food is leagues better in California, and they are right. One burrito from a food truck near the Getty Villa beats anything I've had in New York. But they have geographic, historic, and cultural connections to Mexico that we don't and much more local produce. La Palapa is pretty good though I haven't been there in a while.
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