Michael Mina's 1842 Pub Goes Back for His Future at MGM

Michael Mina's concept switcheroo at MGM Grand will substitute his Seablue seafood restaurant for a gastropub concept named 1842 Pub. The focus will be on craft beer, snacks, shellfish, sausage and burgers, a menu familiar to the Mina brand and adds plenty of vintage design accents. Seablue closed Aug. 6.

The remodel of the Seablue space is limited to the front of house, while the kitchen spared major changes. The old pub theme adds Pullman booths and an elevated dining area to be created to the right of the entrance with room for 49. Befitting the concept, the bar and lounge will be a strong focus with space for 91 guests. Wooden stools circle the central bar and draft beer will piped in from a new keg room.

The restaurant will not change in size, allowing 153 diners to choose from regular tables or U-shaped booths hugging the back wall.

The host station will mimic an antique desk with brass handles and drawers. More brass is utilized in Victorian-style coat hooks attached to the Pullman booths and in the globe chandeliers fitted with Edison bulbs. A mixture of hanging light pendants and wall sconces rounds out the lighting mix.

While the bar is created with a faux cabinet appearance, six flat screen TVs will sneak in the modern world. A counterpoint to the distraction of the TV will be a display kitchen in front of a wood fired broiler.

The visual diversity extends to the new design elements. Stone mosaic floors, vintage print wallpapers, plaid fabric upholstery and butcher block tables all keep the continuity of the tavern theme.

The Seablue frontage will be replaced with a faux-pub entryway with new metal awnings, pebble glass panel doors and 1842 painted on the glass transom. An early 2013 completion date is anticipated for Mina's 19th venture, but the mystery of the significance of 1842 has yet to be determined.
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