Mezcal cabaret license hearing tonight

Mezcal (3230 East Colfax Avenue) restaurant celebrated its fifth anniversary a few weeks ago and brought in a mariachi band as part of the festivities. Owner Jesse Morreale has been bringing live entertainment to the club for the past few years, mainly on special occasions, as the city allows him to do up to ten times a year. But he has to get a permit to do so every time. At a city hearing tonight, Morreale will find out if the standard cabaret license for Mezcal he applied for in October is approved. Ideally, he'd like bring in mariachi and flamenco bands on a regular basis. Some members of Congress Park Neighbors voiced concerns over granting the spot a cabaret license, citing the number of liquor and cabaret licenses along Colfax Avenue, increases in noise and traffic and the amount of crime and trash in the neighborhood.

While some Congress Park Neighbors openly expressed their disapproval for the license, others praised Morreale for helping revitalize the area of Colfax near the Bluebird Theater as well as a few blocks west at Rockbar (3015 East Colfax Avenue) and the All-In hotel, formerly the Executive Inn Motor Hotel. Police calls at the motel have dropped significantly since Morreale purchased the hotel nearly three years ago.

Of the 26 members who lived in the designated area, ten members unconditionally supported Mezcal's cabaret license, while five members voted against it. Eleven members conditionally supported the license if a neighborhood agreement was affixed to it. Some of the members wanted consequences for noise complaints, to limit the hours of live entertainment or limit the days of live entertainment. --Jon Solomon