No More Plans for Downtown Pub; Liquor License Available Again

A full liquor license will soon be available from the city again for prospective restaurateurs or anyone else looking to pour at their establishment.

Licensing Board Chairman Minas Dakos says John Mastrangelo plans to turn his new license back over to the city in light of his plans for a new pub downtown falling through.

Dakos told Peabody Patch he spoke with Mastrangelo, a Peabody resident, via phone before last Monday's meeting and then confirmed at that Sept. 23 meeting that Mastrangelo would be sending a formal notice to the board and voluntarily turn over the license.

He had until the end of August to either put the license into use or take other action, following the board's approval of his license application back in March.

Mastrangelo planned to open another Kelley Square Pub at the empty Fire Bull space at the corner of Central and Walnut streets, and everything appeared to be in place to smoothly move forward this spring, except Mastrangelo apparently couldn't come to an agreement with the landlord.

The Salem News reports Phil D'Amato appeared before the Licensing Board at its Aug. 26 meeting and told the board Mastrangelo was having trouble securing financing. D'Amato said he had to look for other tenants then and noted Michael Clukey and Lillian Chalifour were interested in the spot.

The married couple are currently food service managers at a Marblehead yacht club and spent many years running Leslie's Retreat in Salem. They told the board they have their financing in place and are looking to open a restaurant, according to the Salem News.

Former board clerk and now city business liaison Julie Rydzewski told the board at an earlier meeting, however, that Mastrangelo and D'Amato were at odds over the terms for a lease agreement for the ground floor space.

Mastrangelo then indicated as much in his conversation with Dakos, according to Dakos.

Clukey and Chalifour also appeared before the board briefly on Sept. 23. Before they or anyone else can apply for the license, however, the board needs to publicly advertise its availability.

In the meantime, "For Sale" signs remain plastered in the windows of the highly visible empty storefront downtown. The Brazilian barbecue closed its doors in August 2011.