A Boston restaurant has been accused of violating its license after hosting a late‑night private party for New England Patriots players following the team’s AFC Championship win.
On the early morning of January 27, Boston police responded to a noise complaint at Estella, a Caribbean-American modern fusion restaurant located on Temple Place, shortly after the team’s victory over the Denver Broncos.
When officers arrived around 2:20 a.m., they found a private gathering in the basement of the establishment, separate from the main restaurant, that appeared to be in breach of the bar’s license, NBC Boston reports.
Security briefly blocked officers from accessing a basement room where the party was taking place, according to police reports obtained by the broadcaster.
“Upon checking downstairs, where the party was, the sergeant observed no less than six large hookahs which appeared to be concealed underneath tables. The floor was covered with $1 bills and the liquor was mostly full on top of the tables,” the police report, obtained by the outlet, reads.
When officers walked in, they allegedly noticed the smell of marijuana and saw some women partially or fully nude running toward the kitchen. Because of what they found, police issued a license premise inspection notice for after-hours liquor sales, having unauthorized entertainment and letting people smoke indoors, according to reports.
At a licensing hearing Friday, restaurant owner Helder George Brandao admitted that Patriots players attended the celebration and that the party continued past the restaurant’s 2 a.m. closing time. He said some of the more famous players entered through a back door, but maintained that everyone was expected to leave before the curfew, WCVB reports.
Boston Licensing Board officials questioned Brandao about the rule violations, saying that having celebrities or private parties doesn’t excuse breaking the law. They warned that hosting entertainment without permission and staying open past hours could put Estella’s liquor license at risk.
Brandao admitted that rules were broken and apologized, but claimed the situation was difficult to manage because of “entitled people.”
“It’s on us to do our duty to get them out, but it was more of a bad situation that we put ourselves in by even accepting them in,” Brandao told WCVB. “It was a lot of entitlement. And trying to get that many people out.”
A hearing is set to decide what penalties the restaurant might face, which could include suspending or changing its license. The Boston Licensing Board will determine what penalties, if any, the restaurant will face at a meeting on Thursday morning.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Estella, Brandao and the Patriots for comment.
Brandao had prevously appeared in front of the licensing board over a similar incident involving a party with singer Chris Brown. During the latest hearing, board member Kathleen Joyce said that city rules apply equally to everyone, regardless of celebrity status.
“There are no exceptions in our rules for celebrities like Chris Brown or the Patriots,” Joyce said, per WCVB. “Your staff was obviously not on their game that night if they let people come in the back door, and have a DJ just randomly set up, and have strippers come and randomly throw $1 bills all over the floor.”
