Diners at McCafferty's used to stop in their tracks to stare at helmets and jerseys signed by former Baltimore Colts greats who played for the restaurant owner's father, Don McCafferty Sr.
But visitors to the site of the former Mount Washington institution are now halted by yellow police tape put in place by the Internal Revenue Service, which recently seized the restaurant's assets - everything from kitchen equipment to 180 caricatures of prominent Maryland athletes and political figures.
The IRS plans to auction the goods today and tomorrow at the restaurant, 1501 Sulgrave Ave., in a final attempt to recoup tax money owed by McCafferty's Inc. IRS records show $440,000 in state and federal tax liens against the property from 1998 to 2004. McCafferty's closed this year, neighbors said yesterday.
Donald McCafferty Jr., the principal partner in McCafferty's Inc. since the restaurant opened in 1993, did not return calls seeking comment.
The cuisine
Though McCafferty's featured an impressive array of jerseys, game programs and old sports photos, the restaurant was as much known for its cuisine, which featured well-reviewed steaks and fancier touches such as a duck breast in ginger plum sauce.
The caricatures, many autographed, covered the walls of the dining area, which also featured a piano bar. Among those pictured were Mayor Martin O'Malley, Hall-of-Fame pitcher Jim Palmer and Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos.
Longtime WBAL-TV sportscaster Gerry Sandusky, also the son of a Colts coach, signed his caricature, "Old ball boys never die, we just talk a lot."
Jockey Kent Desormeaux signed his, "To McCafferty's, where winners celebrate!!!"
Radio spots for the restaurant featured state Comptroller William Donald Schaefer and former Rep. Helen Delich Bentley.
Patrons and local sports figures said they were sorry to hear of the closure.
"It's just so sad that a thing like that has to end, because it was a traditional place to go," said WCBM sportscaster Ted Patterson, who was a host for radio broadcasts in the restaurant from the late 1990s to 2002.
Patterson said McCafferty Jr. never seemed interested in the Ravens, but when old Colts showed up, "he would greet the players and swap stories of the old days."
Though Don McCafferty Sr. coached the Colts only for a few years, he led the team to its only Super Bowl title - 16-13 over Dallas in 1971. A photo showing Jim O'Brien's wobbly, game-winning field goal from Super Bowl V is one of the items up for auction tomorrow. McCafferty Sr. died at age 53 while coaching the Detroit Lions.
"They called him the easy rider," said John Ziemann, president of the Marching Ravens, which used to be the Baltimore Colts Marching Band. "He was a very nice person, very quiet. From what the players told me, they wanted to do the job for him."
Financial problems
The restaurant had faced financial difficulty for years. McCafferty's Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection in 1996 amid accusations that a former partner had drained hundreds of thousands from the business, using forged checks and loan documents.
Patterson said he knew the restaurant was struggling. He said McCafferty sold the prize of his memorabilia collection, a ball autographed by Babe Ruth, a few years ago. But most items Patterson described - including Don McCafferty Sr.'s college all-star uniform - are not up for auction.
IRS officials said such auctions are rare, occurring in about 1 percent of cases in which the agency pursues those who have not paid state and federal taxes.
A person or business owing unpaid taxes would usually receive written notices, telephone requests and a visit from an IRS agent before having property seized, said James C. Dupree, an IRS spokesman.
The IRS plans to auction the restaurant and kitchen supplies at 1 p.m. today and the sports and political memorabilia at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
