“Madame Jade” posters outside the 2-03 Borden Ave. restaurant. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
July 31, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
The former Crabhouse site is undergoing another concept shift, with plans for an Asian fusion restaurant there after months of operating as a Latin restaurant and lounge.
The site, located at 2-03 Borden Ave., is now going as Madame Jade, and will offer a contemporary take on Southeast Asian cuisine in a “new age vibe”, according to the restaurant’s website.
While the full menu does not appear to be on the website yet, some listed offerings include General Tso’s chicken and waffle cites, spicy pork dumplings, Korean hot chicken sandwich, curry sticky rice, and bao buns. Other offerings expected to be on the menu include Peking Duck, tuna toro rolls, and lobster-based dishes.
The restaurant will seat 150 people, and includes a handcrafted cocktail menu and outside seating on floating “birds nests.”
The site will also include a lounge, as its prior concept did.
It is unclear when the restaurant concept switched, but the lounge appears to have been holding parties under the Madame Jade name as early as mid-June, based on Facebook posts. The restaurant portion, however, does not appear to have launched yet, with a grand opening date yet to be announced.
It is also unclear if the restaurant is still under the ownership of Skinny Lee and Joseph Lucil, who have operated restaurants at the site beginning with the revamped Crabhouse in 2016.
The owners were unable to be reached for comment. Calls to the restaurant and lounge’s listed numbers also went unanswered, and the restaurant appeared closed yesterday evening.
Madame Jade follows The Loft LIC , the prior concept that offered Latin fusion dishes around the beginning of the year. Before the switch, the restaurant operated as the Crabhouse for a year.
Staff at the Loft LIC previously told the LIC Post that the change was prompted by the owners struggling with the Crabhouse concept, as patrons often complained about prices and menu items.
LIC Talk was first to write about Madame Jade.
