The Back Room Takes Over Le Passage Privet Space; A Few More Key Details

I wasn't too shocked to hear the news that Privet closed last weekend because it pretty much looked like the photo above every time I paid a visit.

But when word came down that the venerable Back Room was set to take over the vacated space on Oct. 4, I got pretty excited.

The legendary jazz-and-blues club is less than a block away from its new home, and will officially close on Sept. 24. This new home in the old Privet is particularly awesome because that venue carries a late-night license, which means new owners Three Headed Productions (The Drawing Room, Evil Olive, Salud) will have the option to stay open until 4am (5am on Saturdays!). Hopefully, they'll also keep the alley-only entrance because, you know, that just feels right when it comes to after-hours jazz and blues clubs (UPDATE: A press release states that a deejay will spin after 1am on weekends).

Here are even more reasons to get excited about this:

Rodney Staton—formerly of Bite, Longman and Eagle and Spiaggia—has been executive chef of the adjacent The Drawing Room cocktail lounge since Nick LaCasse stepped down in June.

He's a big fan of live music and is looking forward to merging the music with a flexible and casual menu. One of the best sellers on the current menu, he says, is the steak tartare that's infused with bone marrow mustard.

Staton's hoping to include it on the Back Room menu, but confessed, "I honestly don't have any direction for (the menu) yet because we're still just trying to wrap our heads around the project." There has been confirmation that he'll create a menu of gourmet appetizers and snacks.

Other details:

● Anne Spilotro, the current owner of The Back Room, will continue with the business as a consultant. She spent 44 years building the business with her late husband.

● Three Headed Productions will incorporate a lot of the original artwork and fixtures from the former space into the new location to keep the look and feel consistent.

● The live music programming and format will remain unchanged as well.

● The Back Room will be accessible from The Drawing Room through a set of glass doors.