On the 7 has been a hidden gem in Long Island City since it first opened about a year ago. The bar and restaurant has live jazz performances, cozy meals, and an assortment of wine from around the world to pair with dishes like caramelized peaches and onions and lemon ricotta flatbread.
The bar and restaurant, located at 50-02 Vernon Blvd., right next to the subway entrance of the 7 train, is a family-owned business, opened by owner Yolanda Tristancho-Helwig, who had a vision to share an upscale yet intimate space with the neighborhood. The low-lit venue offers a nearby escape for locals with incredible food and drink without having to go to the city for an elevated experience and a cozy atmosphere on cold nights.
“I love creating an environment that makes people feel comfortable and warm,” said Tristancho-Helwig. “Because we live so close to Manhattan, people tend to go there for that kind of experience, but I wanted to create something like that here without having to get on the train.”
Before the venue became On the 7, it was Domaine Wine Bar for nearly 20 years, a local haunt for live jazz music and incredible wine. While curating the venue, it felt important to uphold the tradition of live jazz performances at the space, which has even more live music events throughout the week on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and every other Thursday, along with special events like wine tastings, trivia nights and happy hour specials every day from 5 to 7 p.m.
“I used to come to [Domaine’s] as a patron, and they always had live music, so when I took it over, I didn’t want to change that because it was a staple to have this venue available for jazz musicians and local musicians,” said Tristancho-Helwig. “I wanted to create an elevated experience that’s cozy, but affordable, with delicious food.”
Since they first opened, they’ve expanded their menu to include a rotating dinner menu every Sunday and Monday, prepared by their executive chef, Heather Pelletier, who’s worked with M. Wells before it closed, a Long Island City-based restaurant known for its inventive Quebecois-inspired cuisine and pop-up events throughout Queens, including On the 7, and venues in Brooklyn. Now Pelletier has brought the same fresh concept of a unique dinner menu every week, with dishes like the Shepardess pie, a vegan take on a Shepard’s Pie, made with mixed mushrooms, roasted chestnut and mashed potatoes-a perfect warm and hearty dish for winter nights, and the butternut tart tatin, a buttery flaky puff pasty, flipped to serve, with maple, goat cheese, and arugula.
“We put an international play on the menu and pulled from all different kinds of cuisine,” said Pelletier. “There’s always some sort of a twist or update on everything; like the pot pie has a Greek influence, so there’s a lot of classic things but they’re a little different than what you’d expect.”
Other popular dishes that Pelletier has curated include maple-glazed ribs, confit duck leg, and a poached pear for a light and refreshing dessert, made with Chenin blanc, vanilla, and chocolate sauce. The venue also offers a menu of mainstay items that customers can always order; however, the special rotating menu provides something new to explore each week.
“The dishes that she’s been making are amazing,” said Tristancho-Helwig. “Some of the items she’s created aren’t something you might expect to get of that quality when you first come here.”
With the holidays rapidly approaching, the venue will be hosting a special New Year’s Eve event with tickets at $85 per person including an open bar from 9 p.m. to midnight, a champagne toast, a live DJ and the ball drop playing on their TVs, offering a low-key and intimate space to celebrate with loved ones without having to travel too far from home.
“We did one last year, people really enjoyed it, and they had a lot of fun,” said Tristancho-Helwig. “It’s not your average neighborhood bar, and it’s nice to have a place that you feel comfortable in that feels a little bit more elevated.”
On the 7 is open seven days a week, from 5 to 11 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. To learn more, visit their website.
