Booze News

The ransomware attack has Baltimore City’s municipal systems still somewhat-paralyzed, making police data and reports difficult to access. Instead, we will focus this week’s issue of Booze News on publicly available data from one of the biggest liquor-licensed establishments in the city, the only business in the city with a 24-hour liquor license: the Horseshoe …

Eutaw Liquors, located across the street from Lexington Market in Baltimore’s Central Police District, is a fascinating example of the chasm between the Liquor Board’s enforcement of its rules and regulations and the daily experience of those in the vicinity of these licensed establishments. In 2016, BNS Liquors, Inc. transferred ownership of the liquor license …

Welcome back to Booze News! Until last month, recent inspection information was essentially unavailable to the public. The public paper files at the Liquor Board’s offices contained only inspection reports from several years ago, as we saw in our Waverly Tavern post; the more recent inspection reports were either in the Liquor Board’s online system, …

Welcome back to Booze News, a blog about the Baltimore City Liquor Board. Each post of this rebooted version of the blog will focus on a specific example of a liquor licensed establishment from each of the nine Baltimore City police districts. We will compare 311 calls, 911 calls, Liquor Board records, police records, and …

9:30 AM Licensees Ashley Kim and Kyung Lee Business Name Arik, Inc. Trading As Whispers Address 1807-11 Baker Street Type of License Class “BD7” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Protest of Renewal Hearing notes Former Liquor Board Chairman Stephan Fogleman represented the licensees, one of whom was present. Ms. Inez Robb, president …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicant Terence Dickson Business Name New Terra Cafe, LLC Trading As New Terra Cafe Address 101 E. 25th Street Type of License Class “B” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application for a new Class “B” Beer, Wine and Liquor restaurant license under …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicants Richard Craft, Jr. and Eduard Popescu Business Name Guilford Brewing, LLC Trading As Trade Name Pending Address 1611 Guilford Avenue Type of License Class “B” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application for a new Class “B” Beer, Wine and Liquor restaurant …

5:00 p.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions, Hardships and Violations): Applicants Goitom Habtezghi & Robel Kidane Business Name Shewelelei, LLC Trading As Sun M Liquors Address 2700 W. North Avenue Type of License Class “A” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application to transfer ownership. Hearing notes Mr. Peter Prevas told the …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicant Tizita Ephrem and Patrick Buttarazzi, Jr. Business Name MHF Baltimore DT Operating V, LLC Trading As Fairfield Inn & Suites Address 101 S. President Street Type of License Class “B” (H-M) Beer, Wine &s Liquor License Reason for hearing Application to transfer ownership with …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicants Thomas Looney and Annmarie Langton Business Name Gypsy Bar, LLP Trading As Gypsy Queen Address 3515 Clipper Mill Road Type of License Class “B” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application for a new Class “B” Beer, Wine and Liquor restaurant license …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicant James Clark Business Name Clark Bar, LLC Trading As Clark Burger Address 415 S. Central Avenue Type of License Class “D” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application to transfer ownership. Hearing notes Mr. Joseph Woolman told the Board, for his client, …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicants Robert Cobb, Matthew Russell, and Kathryn Barrett Business Name Cobb Theatres (Rotunda), LLC Trading As CineBistro at The Rotunda Address 711 W. 40th Street Type of License Class “B” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application for a new Class “B” Beer, …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicants Vincent Iottesta, Jr. and Erissa Mann Business Name CP Limited Trading As Ceremony Coffee Address 1312 Point Street Type of License Class “B” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application for a new Class “B” Beer, Wine and Liquor restaurant license under …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicants John Chenery and Alesia Chenery Business Name JR’s Bar & Grill, Inc. Trading As Trade Name Pending Address 1229 Hull Street Type of License Class “BD7” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application to transfer ownership with continuation of live entertainment. Hearing …

Note: going forward, in the interest of time, Booze News posts will omit the zoning designation, neighborhood, area demographic information, and corporate entity status of each licensee/applicant. If you would like to look up that information for a case, please contact Becky Witt at beckyw AT communitylaw DOT org. 11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicant Darryl Strange Business Name Truth Lounge, LLC Trading As Truth Lounge Address 4507-09 Belair Road Type of License Class “BD7” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application to transfer ownership, request to add live entertainment. Hearing notes Mr. Hurdle, for his client, …

10:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (New, Transfers, Expansions and Hardships): Applicants Benjamin Poole and Paul Benkert Business Name Le Zinc, LLC Trading As The Bluebird Address 3600 Hickory Avenue Type of License Class “B” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application for a new Class “B” Beer, Wine and Liquor restaurant license under …

Dear Booze News Readers: In June 2013, Christina Schoppert began Community Law Center’s Booze News blog as a summer project, tracking promised changes after the devastating 2013 Legislative Audit of the Baltimore City Liquor Board. At the end of the summer, I took over the project from Christina, at the time not knowing a hardship …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (Hardships, Transfers, Expansions and New: Applicants Daniel Halpern, Brooke Edmond, and Sabreen Shaw Business Name Atlanta Restaurant Partners, LLC Trading As TGI Friday’s Address 2435 Liberty Heights Avenue Type of License Class “B” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Request to add live entertainment. Hearing notes Ms. Linda …

11:00 a.m. I. Violations: Licensee(s) Max Dalton and Mehdi Poursaka Business Name Ultra Lounge, LLC Trading As Mirage Address 401 W. Baltimore Street Type of License Class “BD7” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Violation of Rule 3.12: General Welfare – March 26, 2016 – At approximately 12:30 am, the Baltimore City Police …

Perhaps even more important than what happens before the commissioners at BLLC hearings in Room 215 is the process by which licensees are brought (or not) before the Board. Over the coming year, Booze News will highlight one Liquor Board file per month: combing through the inspections, supplemental information, 311 and 911 call records, and …

11:00 a.m. Chairman Matricciani began the hearings by announcing that he and alternate Commissioner Harvey Jones had been sworn in for the renewal of their two-year terms. He added that his fellow commissioners had re-elected him as chair of the board for the foreseeable future. The Alcoholic Beverages Article provides for staggered terms of two …

11:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (Hardships,Transfers and Expansions): Applicant Joseph Dipasquale Business Name J. Dipasquale & Sons, Inc. Trading As Dipasquale’s Address 3700 Gough Street Type of License Class “BD7” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Request to add outdoor table service, live entertainment, and off-premise catering. Hearing notes Mr. Dipasquale testified that …

10:00 a.m. I. Regular Items (Hardships, Transfers and Expansions): Applicants Nitinkumar Patel & Sarah High Business Name Lavina, LLC Trading As Six Pax N More Address 6622 Belair Road Type of License Class “A” Beer, Wine & Liquor License Reason for hearing Application to transfer ownership Hearing notes Mr. Frank Boozer proffered the case on …