Back Bay to get restaurant serving food until 1:30 a.m.; quieter space to replace rowdy, now defunct club

The Boston Licensing Board today approved plans to replace the former Storyville club in the Copley Square Hotel at Exeter Street and Huntington Avenue with a restaurant aimed at what its lawyer said was "an older, more sophisticated crowd" only out to "enjoy food," not bring the house down.

The new HuE, pronounced "hue," despite the capitalized last letter, will feature a "globally inspired menu that reflects the people of Boston in their diversity," or slightly more specifically, "sharable plates" in a "modern American style," attorney Tom Miller said of the plans by Boston nighttime veteran George Aboujaoude (in photo) and manager Nick Saber. None of the three explained the reason for the capital E.

Responding to concerns from nearby residents about the sort of people the place might attract, Miller added, "we're creating a supper club here, a place where people can come and enjoy food." And while there might be some music, there won't be a dance floor, he said.

"We are not expecting to attract that same crowd as Storyville," he said, adding that because the place is a restaurant, patrons will basically leave at staggered times, rather than bursting out into the street all at once at closing time.

Still, some nearby residents, however, expressed particular concern about the kitchen being open until 1:30 a.m. no matter how much older and more sophisticated the new clientele might allegedly be.

"Being an older, more sophisticated person, I know that I and my friends really don't go to places that stay open until 1:30," Barbara Grossman said, adding she's worried that the sort of people who might go to a restaurant that late would be "more enthusiastic" in their exuberance, enough so to disturb nearby residents.

"It's that old expression: nothing good happens at 2 a.m.," nearby resident Faith Cuenin added.

But the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay actually supported the idea of a late-night kitchen. In fact, NABB's Conrad Armstrong said the group actually supported the idea of keeping the kitchen open until 1:30 p.m. exactly because restaurants don't tend to attract the sort of rowdy people a place with a dance floor might. He added the group also likes the fact that HuE's tables will be bolted to the floor, so they can't be shoved aside for an impromptu dance off.

The restaurant will have 249 indoor seats and a 24-seat seasonal outdoor patio.

The board approved the license transfer unanimously, and voted to add a license requirement that the kitchen stay open until 1:30 a.m.