Embattled Spoon Restaurant to Get Another Chance?

Apple Valley residents haven't seen the last of Spoon Fusion Cuisine, it seems.

Citing serious policing problems and fire code violations, the Apple Valley City Council voted 3-2 to deny Spoon's liquor license renewal request in January.

During the hearings leading up to that decision, Apple Valley Police Chief Jon Rechtzigel told stories of "riot-like" fights at the business, intoxicated security guards in possession of handguns and known gang members attempting to organize concerts at the business.

Despite the repeated policing issues and numerous fire code infractions, the embattled business is back on the council agenda.

The Apple Valley council voted last month to set a public hearing on March 28 to consider approval of no less than four separate liquor license applications, including on-sale licenses to serve intoxicating liquor, wine, 3.2 percent liquor and a special Sunday Liquor Sales license.

The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall during a regular council meeting.

Spoon's attorney, Michael Padden, argued at a December hearing that the restaurant makes 70 percent of revenue on alcohol sales and wouldn't be able to stay open without a liquor license. He also told city officials that Spoon's owners, Van Ngo and Kav Theng, had cooperated with police by shutting down the restaurant's nightclub business—the source of many of the police calls.

The restaurant owner's plight struck a chord with Councilor Tom Goodwin and Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland.

Even as the council voted in January to deny renewal of the licenses, council members urged the restaurant to reapply for a beer or wine license, rather than a full liquor license, as a possible alternative to closure.