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New restaurant proposed at former Taste Boutique in Greenport

The site that was occupied by Taste Boutique for the past 15 years on 409 Main Street in Greenport is being converted into a restaurant.

Jennifer O’Brien, the chef and owner of the new business, said she plans to call it “Pearl” and intends to have a “scratch kitchen” using local, seasonal products.

Ms. O’Brien went before the Greenport Village Planning Board Thursday seeking permission to convert a vacant commercial site into a restaurant.

“This is my vision, this has been a dream of mine,” she said. “I will be dealing with a lot of local purveyors, I am the chef so I will be going out to get a lot of the stuff myself,” she said.

Planning Board members asked what the proposed hours of operation would be, and Ms. O’Brien said that hasn’t been decided yet. Resident David Corwin, a member of the village’s zoning board of appeals, suggested that a bar in a residential neighborhood will lead to a lot of noise “until 4 a.m.”

“It’s not a bar,” Ms. O’Brien said. The property had been a bar many years ago, she said, but she is proposing a small restaurant with less than 50 seats.

“We really want to be a part of this community and offer something special,” she said. “We’re not looking to cause any traffic or problems.”

The Planning Board closed the hearing to further comments but did not vote on the proposal.

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Photo caption: The former Taste Boutique in Greenport. (Tim Gannon photo)