Southern-style seafood restaurant could open in old Ashmont Grill space next month

Three entrepreneurs hoping to replace the old Ashmont Grill at 555 Talbot Ave. at Dorchester Avenue with a seafood restaurant say they could begin "soft opening" next month, with a more formal grand opening in May.

The Boston Licensing Board decides tomorrow whether to grant all-alcohol and food-serving licenses to the Mix. The board could find that the Mix, a joint venture of Rufus Faulk, Jarvis Adams and Levi Samedi, is eligible for a liquor license but that it has none to give out, due to a cap of Boston liquor licenses set by the state legislature. The legislature, for some reason, has not felt the need to keep its thumb on food-serving licenses in Boston, so there is no limit to how many of those the board can hand out.

At a hearing today, Faulk described the Mix's offerings as "seafood mixed with Southern hospitality." He pointed to planned lobster dishes, with menus coming from the Lobzter Kings run by Adams, for which he has worked.

Nobody spoke against the proposal. A liaison for the city Office of Neighborhood Services said that based on a neighborhood meeting, "the community was very excited for this proposal to come in." Through an aide, City Council Brian Worrell supported the proposal.