Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Fan Pier developer Joseph Fallon are expected to cut the ribbon today as Big Night Entertainment Group opens Empire restaurant on the ground floor of One Marina Park Drive in the bustling Seaport District.

The Asian-themed restaurant will be the seventh venue opened in just six years by fast-growing BNEG, which was founded by brothers Ed and Joe Kane and partner Randy Greenstein. The 14,000-square-foot restaurant that will seat 350 patrons will open next week and serve as a complement to Strega Waterfront, the other restaurant at One Marina Park Drive.

For me, this is our best design ever, said Ed Kane, during a tour of the still-under-construction space last week. Its going to be the biggest head-turner.

Full of custom features from backlit wooden screens to moon door mirrors to mosaic tile floors and masterful stone work, the restaurant will have a sushi bar, private dining rooms and seasonal outdoor seating, all awash in imperial colors that Kane, who travels the world looking for design ideas, says will give it a Hong Kong, new Shanghai look.

The Kanes and Greenstein got their start together at The Estate nightclub in Boston, but quickly expanded in 2007 by inking a deal with Foxwoods Resort and Casino and opening Shrine, an Asian-themed restaurant and nightclub, in the complexs MGM Grand expansion.

The success of Shrine was followed by two more Foxwoods projects: Scorpion Bar in 2008 and the retro-chic bowling alley High Rollers Luxury Lanes in 2010.

Then, the Big Night team turned their attention back to Boston, opening Back Bays Red Lantern Restaurant and Lounge in 2011 and the downtown supper club GEM recently.

But Greenstein says Empire, which will initially be open just for dinner, is going to be the best one yet.

The waterfront is where its at, he said. Its perfect timing for us. The areas exploding as we speak.

With shovels already in the ground by the four major developers in the area and Vertex Pharmaceuticals new headquarters being built next door, Empire may be surrounded by construction for a while, but Big Night is investing in the long term, pouring $6 million into the project, which has a 20-year lease.

Read the original post:

Empire restaurant ready to turn heads in Seaport District