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State Liquor Authority Delays Decision on Papasito

By DNAinfo Staff on August 30, 2012 8:58am

INWOOD -- Despite threatening to yank Papasito Mexican Grill And Agave Bar's liquor license in July, the State Liquor Authority could not decide Wednesday whether to extend or cancel the embattled restaurant's spirits certificate.

Instead, the authority will hold a special meeting Sept. 28 to discuss the issue. 

Residents who attended Wednesday's hearing again voiced concerns about noise and vibrations from the restaurant that they say make it impossible to sleep.

They also allege that dancing takes place there though Papasito's doesn't have a cabaret license.

Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell Jr, who represents the area, sent a letter to Authority Chairman Dennis Rosen opposing license renewal.

"This establishment has been a blight on the neighborhood nearly from the moment it first opened in 2010," he wrote.

"While the proprietors are entitled to make a living, the record clearly shows that they have pursued their profits to the absolute detriment of the neighborhood. This they have no right to do, and their abuse of the community should come to an end."

Fernando Mateo, Papasito's co-owner, downplayed these concerns, railing against the possibility of losing his license.

"That would be a death sentence," he said.

He also shot back at these complaints as well as one suggested compromise: before deciding to postpone its decision, one Authority member suggested that closing the restaurant at 1 a.m. would solve these problems.

"That [still] puts us in a very bad position with competitors," Mateo said. 

Papasito's Upper West Side location has also received complaints about noise, underage drinking, and drunken fights