By Anna Rice, News Staff
A mixed crowd enjoyed American comfort food and cocktails while conversing and listening to jazz pianist Yoko Miwa and her trio of musicians Wednesday night at the Stork Club in the South End.
‘We do bring a lot of people together because of the jazz and the good food,’ said co-owner Ziad Chamoun, who graduated from Northeastern in 1986.
Some local jazz musicians, including Miwa and her trio, play at the Stork Club on a weekly basis. Chamoun said his goal in opening a jazz-themed restaurant was to continue the ‘tradition of great jazz in the South End.’
The tradition began with Bob’s Southern Bistro, which held the same location as the Stork Club at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Northampton Street for 17 years before closing in 2007. Bob’s also served American food and hosted jazz bands so when it left town, many local patrons and jazz fans were saddened.
After Bob’s closed, a restaurant named Circle took its place. Heading in a different direction, Circle served French cuisine and closed after just six weeks of business in 2008.
‘
Chamoun said he loves the Stork Club’s location and doesn’t think it was the reason for previous owners closing up shop. He said his restaurant has been relatively successful.
‘We’re very happy with the way things are progressing,’ he said. ‘The buzz is out there and people like it. They like the vibe and they like the food.’
The restaurant, which opened in August, is modeled after a famous jazz club of the same name that operated in New York City from 1929 to 1965. The Stork Club offers live music, dining and drinks seven nights a week. Customers range from local residents both young and old to tourists who pop in to see a specific show, Chamoun said.
Chamoun said the location he selected was also ‘close to his heart’ because it was on the edge of Northeastern’s campus. But he said that he hasn’t seen many students from his alma mater in the Stork Club.
‘We haven’t been getting many Northeastern students, which is disappointing because we are right next door,’ he said. ‘Our food is inexpensive and our atmosphere is great.’
The Stork Club’s menu includes traditional items like meatloaf, steak, burgers and macaroni and cheese alongside Southern favorites like catfish sliders and buttermilk fried chicken. Prices range from $7 to $21, with most dishes costing between $7 and $15, Chamoun said.
Brennan Leung, an sophomore international affairs major, said he went to the Stork Club once for Sunday brunch with two other Northeastern students.
‘I thought it was nice,’ Leung said. ‘It was a little expensive, but that’s the price you pay for a place like that.’
Leung said he lives next door to the Stork Club, but that he hasn’t gone to a nighttime show yet. He said from what he has seen, most patrons are older and not many students hang out there.
Erica Santucci, a sophomore music industry major, said she worked as a server at the Stork Club earlier this semester but had to quit because she had too much schoolwork. She said she enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant while she worked there and said the food was ‘delicious.’
‘I loved it,’ Santucci said. ‘It’s totally free and they have nights that are categorized by different styles of jazz, like bebop, blues and Latin night. The bar’s really cool and the lighting is really cool … It’s very laid back.’
Santucci said she thinks the Stork Club would be a cool place for students to hang out because you can enter if you are under 21 and the shows are free, but that not many do. She said some of her friends have visited, but doesn’t think the word has spread to the rest of the student population yet.
Chamoun said he hopes the restaurant will eventually become a South End landmark, like Bob’s had been.
‘I think we’re trying to do something here that would last for a long, long time,’ Chamoun said. ‘And I think that with what we’re doing perhaps we will.’
The Stork Club, 604 Columbus Ave, South End. Open nightly from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Open Sundays for brunch, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday. Thursday through Saturday they start at 9:30 p.m.
