I was invited to 8 East last night by the two owners to help dispel rumors and provide accurate details as they move to open.  To answer all the burning questions out there:

Is 8 East going to be a hot dance club where I can show off my sexy dance moves?

No, 8 East is billing itself as a Restaurant & Bar.  They will have DJ’s, but there is no true dance floor, but there is space to dance.  Music will be geared towards mixes of Top 40.

Will they have bottle service?

Absolutely not.  They will have 20 taps downstairs and 10 upstairs, plus full bars.

I have a hot date and need a place to take her to dinner, should I go to 8 East?

Yes, as mentioned above, they see themselves as a Restaurant & Bar.  Their menu is being developed with the assistance of Nicole Stanley, a local, who works at Sysco, the major food supplier.  The menu will be completed soon and I will be posting it prior to their opening.

Why in the world has it taken so long for them to open?

Brad Craig and Bob Storti, Jr., bought the liquor license from Toads a little less than three years ago.  They both work in the construction industry and did 99% of the redesign and build out themselves (at night, after work).   Yes, they hoped to open much earlier, however, one of the owners had a family tragedy, which resulted in a delay, and they had always planned to do the work themselves and take their time.  Add in the usual construction delays and here we are today.  The actual construction project inside was so intense, the Borough actually outsourced its oversight to an outside firm.

When is 8 East opening?

It is projected to open by September 1st.  Yes, of this year.

Hey, you want inside and didn’t take any pictures?

Its a full blown construction area inside and pictures really wouldn’t have told you anything.  There are three areas.  Downstairs has the main bar (in what use to be Toads’ space) and a dining area (I think this was the Conshy News store).  Upstairs is a fairly large space with a bar, plus more tables for dining.  If you look up at the second floor windows from the street, it looks like 8 East takes up the whole upstairs.  Its actually half the space, with apartments behind the set of windows closest to Fayette Street.  Without breaking out my tape measure, it is probably equal in space to the Boathouse (if you consider all of the Boathouse’s areas, upstairs, downstairs and the main rooms), but smaller then the Pub.

So what do two guys that work in construction know about running a restaurant?

Realizing their limitations, the owners have hired two managers to run the place, however, they do plan to be intimately involved on a daily basis.

That is all for now.  More to come.