Tuesday, March 25, 2014

[Updated] Rumors: 7A space will become a 2nd outpost of Miss Lily's and Melvin's Juice Box

That's the word we're hearing from three different sources. Of course, nothing official has been mentioned yet about the former home of 7A, which closed on Avenue A and East Seventh Street on Jan. 26.

As previously mentioned, Paul Salmon, one of the restaurateurs behind Miss Lily's, the Jamaican bar and restaurant on West Houston, will be overseeing the new restaurant's day-to-day operations.

CB3 documents noted the following: "As a nod to the venerable history of this establishment, the new owners plan to incorporate some variation of the current trade name, 7A, into the new trade name."



So perhaps the name would be something like "Miss Lily's at 7A."

As for Miss Lily's, here's a recap of the place by the Underground Gourmet at New York magazine from September 2011:

This week, the Underground Gourmet pays a visit to Miss Lily's, Serge Becker's (La Esquina) hip luncheonette-themed eatery, where both the service and the food are much better than expected. "The mood was festive, the old-school ska and reggae thumping at a lively but non-deafening decibel level, the multiculti, multigenerational crowd exuberantly gnawing on their spareribs," they write of a recent Friday-night visit. Also worth eating: "golden craggy codfish fritters," "moist and meaty jerk chicken garnished with mango chutney, a truly sensational curried goat with a mouth-tingling heat, and a rich oxtail stew with bits of sweet potato and broad beans." The restaurant earns three stars.

If this rumor is true, then this would also mean the third outpost in the city for Melvin's Juice Box, operated by "downtown juicing legend" Melvin Major, Jr. The juice shop has a separate entrance and is just one part of the Miss Lily's complex over at West Houston and Sullivan.

The application for the Avenue A space was never brought before last month's CB3 meeting. It was listed as "not heard at committee," which meant that there wasn't even a vote by the committee for approval. As we noted earlier, it seems a little strange that they will completely change the 7A concept (with an all-new staff) … and there's not any discussion on the matter.

There was plenty of discussion at the Community Board level in June 2010 when Miss Lily's went for a liquor license. Neighbor Anna Wintour was among those who spoke out against Miss Lily's during a contentious CB2 meeting.

Updated 1:19 p.m.

From Eater today:

A rep for the Miss Lily's team explains that the new place will "pay homage to the cafe history of 7A," but it will also have "elements of Melvin's Juice Box and Miss Lily's."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Some part of 7A will stay in the new 7A's name

Details emerge about what's next for former the 7A, Odessa Cafe & Bar spaces

[Updated] Reader report: 7A will close at the end of the month

Renovations underway at former 7A space

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I ate at miss Lilly's once. Lou Reed came in and was seated at the adjacent table. The food was meh...clearly it was scene driven.

Hey19 said...

As long as they bring some of the wait staff from the west village location, I am all for this.

Anonymous said...

And of course, the EV needs more juice bars, cause there aren't any.

jay said...

it's not just a juice joint. food is actually good although yes, the West Village one is kinda scene-y.