The Curious Case of Mint Plaza's Chez Papa

We have to admit: we're a bit baffled by the doings at the upcoming Mint Plaza location of Chez Papa. To be sure, delays are nothing new—expected, even—when it comes to restaurant openings; between the red tape and the strive for perfection, predicting a debut date is like hitting a moving target for everyone involved. But for some reason, there seems to be more afoot at Chez Papa, originally slated to open on Labor Day, then at the Mint Plaza ceremony in November, and then by "Christmas at the latest." Finally, it seemed that this would be the week, as a grand opening party was slated for this past Monday evening, with a public opening following the next day; however, said party was canceled at the last minute due to "construction delays." As of yesterday, the new date is sometime next week.

So far, everyone's been mum on the situation down on Jessie Street. Is it really "construction delays"? If so, isn't it a little late in the game for construction to be such a major factor? A more likely question: might inspections be proving more difficult than expected? Also, the liquor license transfer is still mired in the pending stage. The romantic in us likes to think that the nice Chez Papa folks are having some difficulties with the famous super rats of the area, but that's most likely just sensationalist thinking. In any event, we have to ask: what exactly is going on down there? Everything OK?
· EaterWire: Chez Papa Sets Date, Gustofino Shuttered? [~ESF~]
· Plywood Report Mint Edition: Chez Papa Interior! [~ESF~]
· Return to Mint Plaza: Three Weeks Post-"Opening" [~ESF~]

Anyone with knowledge and/or further Mint Plaza conspiracy theories is very much encouraged to share, either in the comments or directly to the inbox.