Signage arrives for Dahlia's-replacing salad and juice bar

Earlier this month, multiple tipsters told us that the closed-for-now Dahlia's on Second Avenue and Fifth Street will return as a quick-serve restaurant specializing in salads.

And yesterday, the signage arrived for 100% Healthy Blend...



The sign notes both a salad bar and a juice bar on the premises. As we understand it, the owners of Dahlia's are also behind this new venture.

As you likely recall, the SLA temporarily suspended Dahlia's liquor license after serving a reported 50 minors one night in January. The Mexican restaurant then closed in May.



Thanks to Vinny & O for the photos!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

RUMOR: The Dahlia's space will be converted into a salad bar

RUMOR: The Dahlia's space will be converted into a salad bar

Multiple tipsters have told us that the closed-for-now Dahlia's on Second Avenue and Fifth Street will return as a quick-serve restaurant specializing in salads.

Here's how one tipster put it: "It's going to be a salad bar! Saw them bringing in the sneeze guards. Per a super on the block it's definitely a salad bar and no liquor license."

The Mexican restaurant temporarily closed in early May while the State Liquor Authority decides their future booze fate. Back in February, the SLA temporarily suspended Dahlia's liquor license after serving a reported 50 minors one night. Dahlia's stayed open without alcohol after this, though business appeared quite slow.

The State Liquor Authority website shows that the license, set to expire Nov. 30, 2017, is currently inactive.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

Paper now adorns the windows at the temporarily closed Dahlia's

[Photo from May]

Dahlia's on Second Avenue at Fifth Street temporarily closed in early May while the State Liquor Authority decides their future booze fate.

Yesterday, EVG correspondent Steven noticed that the windows have been papered over...





No word just yet what might be happening to the space.

Back in February, the SLA temporarily suspended Dahlia's liquor license after serving a reported 50 minors one night.

According to the Post, officers from the 9th Precinct a half block away found the exits at Dahlia's locked "and more than 40 well-heeled teens — one only 15 years old — quaffing 'monster margaritas' and mojitos" one night in January.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

Without a liquor license, Dahlia's decides to close for now

Back in February, the SLA temporarily suspended Dahlia's liquor license after serving a reported 50 minors one night.

Since then, we haven't seen many, if any, diners inside the Mexican restaurant on Second Avenue at East Fifth Street ... even with meal deals that include a soft drink.

So, for now, Dahlia's has closed until the liquor license issue is resolved, as the sign out front shows...



Patrons are directed to their sister establishment, a tapas bar on East Ninth Street.

According to the Post, officers from the 9th Precinct a half block away found the exits at Dahlia's locked "and more than 40 well-heeled teens — one only 15 years old — quaffing 'monster margaritas' and mojitos" one night in January.

Said SLA Chair Vincent Bradley in a 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."

On Feb. 12, the SLA charged Dahlia's with 55 violations, including 50 separate sales to minors, failure to supervise, and code violations for exceeding maximum capacity and having locked doors. The licensee, named as Huascar Then, was also arrested.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

Meal deals at Dahlia's

Since the SLA temporarily suspended the Mexican restaurant's liquor license for serving a reported 50 minors one night in late January.

Photo on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street via Vinny & O.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

[EVG photo from Monday]

As noted the other day... The State Liquor Authority (SLA) has temporarily yanked the liquor license from Dahlia's on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street after the NYPD found a lot teens drinking inside the Mexican restaurant on Jan. 30, the Post reported.

The SLA has posted its media advisory about the incident... and the reported number of underage drinkers actually numbered 50, and not 43 as the Post noted.

Per the SLA statement (PDF):

The New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) suspended the license of Vargomez Corporation, doing business as “Mary Ann’s” at 300 East 5th Street in Manhattan. The suspension was ordered by Members of the SLA, Chairman Vincent Bradley and Commissioner Kevin Kim at a regular meeting of the Full Board on Tuesday February 16, 2016. Effective immediately, no alcohol can be served or consumed on the premises.

On January 30, 2016, New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers from the 9th Precinct responded to a 911 call reporting underage drinking at the bar. Upon arrival, NYPD officers found the doors of the bar locked and observed numerous patrons appearing to be under twenty-one years of age drinking at the over-crowded bar. After gaining entry to the premises, NYPD officers documented sales to fifty underage patrons, forty-two of which were 18 and younger, including five 16 year olds and one 15 year old teenager.

On February 12, 2016, the SLA charged Mary Ann’s bar with 55 violations, including 50 separate sales to minors, failure to supervise, and code violations for exceeding maximum capacity and having locked doors. The licensee, present at the time of the incident, was also arrested.

And!

The SLA’s decision to summarily suspend a license is not a final determination on the merits of the case. The licensee is entitled to an expedited hearing before an administrative law judge. An order of summary suspension remains in effect until such time as it is modified by the SLA or a reviewing Court.

Meanwhile, the Mexican restaurant was reportedly well-known among underage drinkers. Washington Square News, NYU's independent student newspaper, talked to underclassman about the bust in an article published yesterday.

An excerpt from the students interviewed:

“Honestly I’m surprised they weren’t shut down sooner. The restaurant is right next to the police department so it really wasn’t smart for them to have such a lax ID policy. I only went there twice because it’s one thing to see underage college students sipping on overpriced mojitos but most of the people there looked like high school freshmen. It was really disturbing.” — Mairead McConnell, freshman

“I think that it’s sad but like I guess it had to be done if people didn’t show up making a scene when they left then maybe it would’ve stayed under the radar for longer. The first couple weeks everyone went and drank there. It was a cool spot before the lines went out the door and were two hours long. But it wasn’t my number one spot.” — Thomas Fortune, freshman

“I was definitely sad to hear about Dahlia’s, but when I read the news article with my roommate we couldn’t help but laugh because we were not surprised in the slightest. I feel badly for the employees who were arrested because there are countless other bars and restaurants who serve minors nightly, but in all honesty Dahlia’s was infamously known by NYU freshmen and local high-schoolers for not [asking for ID], so I figured it was only some time until they got caught.” — Taber Brown, sophomore

Dahlia's remains open for food service. They are not allowed to serve alcohol for now.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Slowly but surely the exterior of the former Mary Ann's is becoming Dahlia's

Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

[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... you wouldn't know that the restaurant isn't serving liquor... see next update below...








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

Dahlia's-Mary Ann's transformation complete

[EVG file photo via Goggla]

A quick follow-up to our post from Friday about Dahlia's (slowly) taking over the Mary Ann's space on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street.

The new sign was painted on Friday night, as this photo by EVG reader Christina shows…



… and here's a view of the final product in the daylight…



Previously on EV Grieve:
Slowly but surely the exterior of the former Mary Ann's is becoming Dahlia's

Slowly but surely the exterior of the former Mary Ann's is becoming Dahlia's

[EVG file photo via Goggla]

At some point in the past, say, nine months, Mary Ann's began morphing into Dahlia's on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street. On Tuesday, workers finally painted over the Mary Ann's on the front of the building…



The sidewalk awning still says Mary Ann's … As far as I can tell, the menus with Mexican fare are almost identical? Can anyone confirm this? (And the Mary Ann's in Tribeca is now also Dahlia's? So many questions????)



And I realized that I hadn't been to Mary Ann's in about 18 years…