Station LIC
June 17, By Christian Murray
The train is about to pull into the station.
Station LIC, a restaurant to be located at 10-37 Jackson Avenue, will be opening in about four weeks, according to co-owner Gregory Okshteyn.
Okshteyn, a Long Island City resident who designs restaurants for a living, said he is putting the finishing touches on the bar/restaurant, a project that has involved converting a vacant building above the Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave subway station into a train-themed bar/restaurant.
“The kitchens installed, we have our liquor license and all of our approvals,” Okshteyn said. “It’s now about putting the icing on the cake.”
The restaurant is located inside a triangular-shaped building, which looks like a station house, that has been empty for more than a decade. Okshteyn has already placed a railroad light on the exterior of the building—indicating where the door is—and is in the midst of putting old lanterns and signs throughout the dining area.
Okskteyn said that the bar/restaurant will cater to between 70-75 people. About 55 restaurant goers will be seated upstairs, with 15-20 people downstairs in the cellar.
The cellar space will be available for private events or spill over from the dining room upstairs. The downstairs will contain plastic images of train wrecks.
The restaurant will be open from 5pm through 2 am seven days per week. It will offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays about a month after opening from 12 through 4 pm.
Okshteyn said he hopes the unique train station theme will draw people from other neighborhoods–as well as Manhattan residents.
“We have the Jackson Ave station right below us and you can literally hear the subway in our cellar…and we are one stop away from Grand Central station,” Okshteyn said earlier this year.
“The train station theme is so much fun because it is a rich genre for decorative inspiration and it is also known for transporting people,” Okshteyn said. “When you go out, you want to feel like you are transported somewhere and taken away for a few hours.”
Business partner Christoper Ferrante, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and ran Bar 89 in Manhattan, has designed the menu, food and bar program.
The menu, Ferrante said, will feature small dishes such as broccoli Parmesan fritters; mini-pressed sandwiches; jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon; spice-rubbed roast chicken; roasted vegetables in French herbs; and burgers.
Ferrante said that there will be an extensive cocktail list and beer will be sold by the bottle.
While empty for the past decade, the location has a rich history. It was the home of a successful saloon called Blessinger’s and was also featured in the 1980’s Tom Cruise film ‘Cocktail.’
