The restaurateur who will be occupying the site of a once infamous night spot and the building’s owner both assured the Calvert County Liquor Board Thursday, June 26 that the new business will draw a respectable clientele.
“We don’t anticipate the patronage that was there before,” said James P. Zirakian, the owner and operator of the Charles Street Brasserie in Solomons. Zirakian’s business will occupy the space that was once the location of Calypso Bay Crab House, a bar/nightclub/restaurant that had been the scene of brawls that required a huge police presence to quell.
Property owner James Schultz said the business “won’t be a nightclub anymore.”
Zirakian stated there was the possibility the upstairs would be converted into a “low-key lounge” or a place to host “special events.”
The board unanimously granted Charles Street Brasserie a Class B—“On Sale” beer, wine and liquor—license. Zirakian said the restaurant would be open year ‘round.
The restaurant will be ready to open once all state and local permits have been granted. Board members had expressed concerns about potential noise issues and on-premises drinking by boaters docks at the nearby marina. Zirakian suggested posting “no drinking” signs in the parking lot, “The signage would be a start,” he said.
“We’re very optimistic, Jimmy’s got a lot of restaurant experience,” said Charles Donnelly, an attorney representing Zirakian.
Other actions taken by the Liquor Board at their June meeting included the granting of a request from the owners and operators of Plum Point Pub at Breezy Point Marina in Chesapeake Beach to change their license class from “A” to “D.”
The board granted approval of a Class B Liquor License to Ashley Hillegas and Matthew S. Keen for their new business, Island Hideaway in Solomons.
The board amended a decision made back in April to allow for the transfer of a liquor license to the new owners of China Harbor Bistro. Negotiations between the previous and current owners for the transfer reached an impasse. The Liquor Board opted to grant the owners a new license once the previous owner’s liquor inventory is removed from the premises.
The board opted to defer a request for expansion of a license premises from David A. Gilbert of Anglers Seafood Bar and Grill in Solomons until more research is done regarding the ramifications of granting the request.
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