Organic lounge eyes Ponce; The Spence eyes opening

Craving healthy organic food and beverages served within a smooth and chic space on an eclectic stretch of Midtown?

Well, you won’t get it from Crave, which last summer said it was going to bring to the former Entice-A space at 239 Ponce de Leon Avenue, a low-key dining spot featuring an infusion of fresh ingredients to “a Southern menu with global flare.”

The venture firm of PRC Restaurant Concepts, LLC has stepped away from those plans and in has stepped Jermaine Day, who hopes to open Organic Food Lounge “within the next three to six months” at the space. Organic is set to go before the Neighborhood Planning Unit-E (NPU-E) on March 6 seeking a liquor license.

The 3,900 square-foot lounge will having seating capacity for 80, and while it will offer some gluten-free and vegan options, the menu will consist of mostly organic finger food/tapas choices, including a large array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

According to the liquor license application, the restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., except for Friday and Saturday evenings when it will close at 2 a.m. Day said some nights would feature live entertainment including jazz and blues music, and equated the social environment to what one might “find at Buckhead Bottle Bar or Eclipse de Luna.”

He added that he thought the typical crowd would be, “health conscious and of a higher education level. It will be a safe environment.”

Day said he comes from a professional background consisting of both front of the house service industry and health and nutrition work. The 35-45 age demographic would comprise of about 50-percent of the patrons, with the other half being spilt evenly between the 25-35 and 45-plus demographics, according to Day.

“People that shop at Whole Foods, Sevananda, , some feel when they go out at night, there’s a compromise of lifestyle with the dining choices,’’ Day said. “We’re providing those different healthy options. It’s more cost effective to take care of yourself on the front end than on the back end.”

Meanwhile, the NPU-E meeting set for April 3 will see a vote on the liquor license application for The Spence, as the Richard Blais American cuisine concept is on course to open later that month at 75 5th Street.

The 4,000 square-foot establishment has seating capacity for 130, but Blais told Paula Forbes at the food website Eater that it seat around 100, adding that, “I really just want people to eat good food.”

According to the license application filed by The Spence, LLC, the restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., offering Midtown residents another late-late night dining option.