YORKVILLE — An owner of the Lower East Side's Grey Lady has set his sights on a long-empty Second Avenue storefront.
Callum McLaughlin is planning a new bar and restaurant at 1701 Second Ave., at East 88th Street, with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients — including a raw bar filled with oysters and shellfish sourced from northeastern waters, according to a menu filed with Community Board 8.
Dishes at the 107-seat spot will include winter squash salad, crispy fish tacos made with Chatham cod, beer-battered fish and chips, and crab and chili cavatelli.
Prices for dishes haven't been set yet, but the owners promise "simple seasonal chef-driven cuisine."
The menu will be made up of 60 percent alcoholic drinks and 40 percent food, according to the application.
The establishment will be taking over a space that has remained empty since previous tenant Pat O'Briens, known for its cheap beer and drinking games, closed in 2011.
McLaughlin declined to comment on his new venture, saying he's still working on nailing down a lease for the space. He is also currently applying for a liquor license at the location.
CB8 gave its blessing for the license on Feb. 8, but its approval is only advisory and the State Liquor Authority will make the final decision.
The application names several other Manhattan restaurants "associated" with the new eatery, which hasn't yet been named, including Uva, Lusardi's and Norman's Cay. The document does not indicate how the other locations are linked to the new operation.
Expected hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily, except on Sundays, when it will close at 2 a.m.
