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

George Aboujaoude

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.

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Comments

voted to add a license requirement that the kitchen stay open until 1:30 a.m.

But what if they find that the crowd always dies out at 12:30. They have to keep the kitchen open or lose their license?

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I hope your expectations were minimal for common sense.

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The city should start holding meetings at 2am so these NIMBY boomers stop attending and trying to ruin the city for everyone else.

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Should be held on the Friday after Thanksgiving when all their screaming know it all advocates go home to their Mommy and Daddies nice suburban houses in the Mid-Atlantic for the weekend.

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We should absolutely do this, so people who think the only ones pushing for bike lanes are young out-of-towners can see how wrong they are.

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Hi John,
I'm 40 years old, have 3 kids and would love to see more of the asphalt in the city turned over to pedestrians and bicyclists. Your cliches are old and tired, just like that phrase.

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I like to bike too. However, I was just matching hysteria with some nonsense spouting by a brat with an overwhelming sense of greed when it comes to public space and use.

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35 year old dude who has lived in Boston for 20 years and I bike to work. I appreciate the bicycle infrastructure improvements since I started biking in the early 2000s. I have had friends who died while cycling in Boston. I don’t find your comment funny at all.

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Also a 40s parent in a biking family. The less car use occurring in the city, the better. Cities are for walking and biking (and minimal car use by disabled folks and others). Move to a car-centric suburb if that’s what you want.

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"It's that old expression: nothing good happens at 2 a.m.,"

Whoever says that hasn't had the hottest date of their life yet.

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That truly reflects older people at 1:30 a.m., like getting up to pee for the third time and eating a cookie?

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