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Proposed Brazilian Restaurant Hits Rent Snag in Inwood

By Carla Zanoni | April 26, 2011 4:02pm

By Carla Zanoni

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

INWOOD — A proposed Brazilian steak house in Inwood, which residents feared would be a nightclub in disguise, apparently won't be opening anytime soon.

No work has been done on a building at 5065 Broadway that was slated to house Churrascaria Amores, a Brazilian steak house proposed last year. The building also includes the historic Seaman-Drake arch.

A. N. Shell Realty's owner Andrew Shell, who represents Churrascaria Amores' landlord, said that restaurateur William Segura is $8,000 in arrears after failing to pay April's rent. 

According to Shell, Segura had been given six months free rent as incentive to move into the 7,000-square-foot space back in November. Rent for the space had previously been listed at $17,000 per month, according to Mantione.

The landlord, Salvatore Mantione, is now seeking to evict the restaurant, according to an April 15 dated letter taped to the metal security gate on the building and Shell.

"They didn’t come up with any money and now they've disappeared," Shell said of the restaurateurs.

Segura, who owns three other establishments in the immediate area, including Tobaco y Ron, Sazones and Vin-Tich and once said hoped to turn the area into "Manhattan's next Meatpacking District," did not return calls for comment.

Plans to open the Brazillian restaurant seemed to falter late last year after an initial application for a liquor license was delayed in November.

Despite submitting a request to go before Community Board 12 in November, the owners of Churrascaria Amores postponed their initial hearing until December, and then never followed up with the board.

The State Liquor Authority has no record of an application on file, according to its website.

Residents had voiced concern over the restaurant's design, which proposed to utilize two rooftop spaces atop the building and the arch. Residents feared rooftop patrons would create excessive noise for two apartment buildings on Park Terrace East that overlook Broadway.