In The NewsFairmount to Mamacita: from nuisance bar to unique restaurant - "Pizzeria opening on King Street," "Fairmount," "Team transforms ex-nuisance bar"
• "Pizzeria opening on King Street" "Pizzeria opening on King Street" By Chad Umble Lancaster New Era Lancaster, PA Oct 15, 2008 Mamacita Pizzeria expects to open this week at 402 E. King St., the southeast corner of King and Plum streets. The roughly 30-seat restaurant's menu will feature pizza shop classics - pizza, subs, burgers and cheesesteaks - but may expand to include Moroccan food and other dishes. It will offer take-out as well as delivery and has eight full- and part-time workers. The restaurant has wireless Internet access, with electrical outlets at a five-seat counter where customers can plug in laptops. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The building housing the restaurant was purchased in 2002 by Tabor Community Services, which oversaw its renovation. from "Beer sales; Pa. cash reserve; Fairmount" In April of 2001, authorities from various local and state agencies, including the state's Liquor Control Enforcement, converged on the Fairmount House at 402 E. King St. It was the beginning of the end of the so-called "nuisance bar" - an apt designation. Detectives found heroin, cocaine and marijuana in a bag that no one claimed, and city health officials saw bugs in food. Also, fire officials found exit doors that were blocked. Fast forward to this week's announcement that the property has been renovated and will open in May as "Mama Cita," a pizza restaurant that will also feature Moroccan dishes. The project was spearheaded by Tabor Community Services, a non-profit housing and consumer credit counseling organization, which purchased the property in 2002. Samir Abuchnou, who will run the restaurant, was a stand-holder last year at Eastern Market, which operated in Tabor's building. Kudos to Tabor and its volunteer labor force, primarily Habitat for Humanity, for restoring the property built in 1807 or 1808, to its long-ago grandeur. "Team transforms ex-nuisance bar" Shown in front of the renovated Fairmount House, 402 E. King St., this morning are (from left) Meoldy Keim, Bob Thomas, Kip Webster, Steve Welch, Samir Abachnou and James Frederick. A former neighborhood nuisance bar will soon reopen as a restaurant to serve the neighborhood and the city. The former Fairmount House, at 402 E. King St., will reopen in May as "Mama Cita," a pizza restaurant with Moroccan dishes operated by Samir Abachnou. The upper floors will soon be rented apartments. And a small duplex that was part of the property has already been subdivided and the renovated homes sold. The project is all about giving the former bar - once known for fights, noise and drugs - back to the community, said Tabor Community Services President Bob Thomas. Tabor bought the Fairmount House in 2002, the year after city police and state liquor control agents shut the bar down. Between January 2000 and April 2001, there were 37 police incidents at Fairmount House Tavern, including fights, assaults and drug activities. The state Liquor Control Board placed the Fairmount on its list of "nuisance bars." What followed was a "a real good collaborative effort" to rehabilitate the building, said James Frederick, of the East King Improvement District, a Tabor program. Habitat for Humanity got involved to renovate the duplex behind the former bar into housing. That property was subdivided and renovated with volunteer labor over about a year. It is now homes to two Habitat families. Habitat then stayed involved to renovate the bar. "They're into doing positive things for the city and we're into renovating, so it ended up being a blessing all around," said Kip Webster of Habitat. Tabor officials estimate they spent $200,000 on the project since acquiring the building. Habitat's volunteer labor probably saved them another $100,000, said Steve Welch, of Tabor. "Without Habitat's contribution, there is no way we could have done it. Their participation was critical." Abachnou's participation in the project is an outgrowth of another neighborhood program. Last year, he was a stand-holder at Eastern Market, a Saturday-only market operated in Tabor's building. The response he got from selling his Moroccan cooking prompted his restaurant plans. "It's been great working with Tabor, and the people were very supportive," Abachnou said. He expects to have 40-50 seats in his restaurant. He will serve traditional Italian pizza and food from his own country, which he called a mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors. "It's something to share. It's something to give back. What's better to share with Lancaster than good food?" Abachnou said. Work on the building, built in 1807 or 1808, took more than three years to complete with volunteer labor, Webster said. |
