New venue in town

Barbara Diamond

City planners unanimously approved live music, a parking plan and the

sale of alcoholic beverages at the upscale restaurant that is

replacing Tortilla Flats, a decision that raised questions among both

opponents and restaurant officials.

“Is this a restaurant with a bar or a bar with a restaurant,”

asked neighbor John Ferrante.

The Planning Commission approved live music at Mozambique

Restaurant on Friday, Saturday and Sundays only, and limited hours of

operation to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 p.m. on weekends.

“We will be hard pressed to find five-piece bands that have to

stop at 11:30,” said Mozambique operating manager Tony Shill. “They

can get longer gigs. I would be happy to limit the hours on Sunday,

but I want to go later on Friday and Saturday.”

Neighborhood opposition was based on traffic noise and congestion,

even more than the noise from the live entertainment, which will be

controlled by a sound engineer in a specially equipped booth.

“We have a sincere desire to work with the city and the

neighbors,” Shill said. “I hope at the six-month review we will have

earned the trust of the neighbors.”

The six-month review was a condition of the commission’s approval

and will include a review of parking.

As approved, the restaurant will be able to seat 140 customers, 74

inside, 42 on the patios and decks and 24 in two bars. The entree

menu features items such as Alaskan King Crab, chicken, steaks and

chops.

Peri-Peri, a spice derived from the Bird’s Eye Pepper found in

what was known as Mozambique, will flavor the restaurants’ two

signature dishes.

Zambique Properties, which owns the restaurant, wanted to operate

from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunches; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on holiday

and weekend brunches; and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinners and lounge. The

group also hoped to have outdoor patio hours for bar and appetizer

service from noon to midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 1

a.m. on Friday and Saturday, with live or recorded music five nights

a week.

“I have a real problem with this proposal,” Planning Commissioner

Bob Chapman said. “It is a great location for a restaurant. It is not

a great location for live music.”

Chapman said if the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, then

employees will be out of there not long after 10 p.m., which would be

less impact on the neighboring homes and residential parking.

“If you have music to 1 a.m., it’s a night spot,” Chapman said.

One of the conditions of the amended conditional use permit for the

restaurant lists 63 valet-attended parking spaces, with 10 of those

spaces designated for employees. The idea is to keep employees from

parking on residential neighborhood streets, a major concern of

residents that has led in other neighborhoods to the formation of

associations in the forefront of the opposition to businesses with

too little parking.

Mozambique owners would prefer to park employees off-site and are

pursuing an agreement with a business owner who has empty spaces at

night.

Although Mozambique has all the parking spaces required by the

code, neighbors feared that the change-over from restaurant patrons

to music and bar patrons would jeopardize their night-time quality of

life.