HUNTERS POINT — This gives new meaning to the term bar car.
Station LIC, a new bar and lounge designed to resemble an old train station, is set to roll into the neighborhood in late spring or early summer — taking over a space that used to be a watering hole featured in the 80's flick "Cocktail."
The planned restaurant, at 10-37 Jackson Ave., will serve classic cocktails and new American food, according to co-owner Gregory Okshteyn and as the blog We Heart LIC first reported.
Okshteyn, a Long Island City resident who heads the architectural firm STUDIOS GO, is in the process of renovating the triangular building at the corner of Jackson and 50th Avenues, next to the 7 train subway exit — one of the things that inspired the aesthetic of the future eatery.
"I decided to link the concept to the subways and railroads," he said, saying the space will have reclaimed wood floors, custom light fixtures and frosted glass windows that will open it up the street.
"It's going to feel like an old train station on the inside," he said. "It's just exciting, and I think a big part of hospitality is to transport people."
The building was vacant for the last 12 years but was once a bar where one of the final scenes of the 1988 Tom Cruise movie "Cocktail," was filmed, according to Okshteyn, who's opening the space with business partners Robert Bensky and Christopher Ferrante.
The restaurant plans to serve small plates like broccoli and parmesan fritters and bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, according to Ferrante, and entrees like spice-rubbed roast chicken au jus and dry-aged grass-fed burgers.
"I can describe it as basically American bistro-style, with Italian and Spanish themes," Ferrante said.
The owners said they want the Station LIC to be a fun place for locals in the rapidly growing neighborhood to spend their time.
"There are so many cool people here in this neighborhood, and it's changing not by the month, but by the week," said Okshteyn, who lives in Long Island City. "I think people really just need a place to hang out."
