Ludlow Garage going back to its music venue roots

The Ludlow Garage, which has been a household name in Clifton since the 1960s, is opening its doors again on Oct. 29 as Live! at the Ludlow Garage. The space will have a restaurant upstairs and a music venue downstairs that can seat up to 260.
 
The building started out as an automotive garage, then became a music venue in the ’60s that was operated by Jim Tarbell and others. It closed in 1971, then was converted to a restaurant; it was most recently home to Olives, which shut its doors in July 2014. Scott Crawford, who has owned the building for eight years, owned Olives and is the driving force behind Live! at the Ludlow Garage.
 
“This has been in the plans for years,” Crawford says. “When I bought the building, I had a vision for this venue but decided to do a restaurant since the space was already designed for that. I decided it was time for something different, and we’re going to be doing something that isn’t very common.”
 
The Allman Brothers performed at the Ludlow Garage three or four times in the ’70s and even recorded their Live at the Ludlow Garage album there.
 
“This building has so much history, but we’re not trying to do what was here before,” Crawford says. “This isn’t the Ludlow Garage of 1970, but we do want to bring back some acts from the past. But that’s far in the future.”
 
With the restaurant upstairs and music venue downstairs, Crawford is creating two unique spaces under the same brand. The restaurant will feature a dinner menu with two signature dishes and four rotating items, including flatbreads made in a wood-fired oven. There’s a bar upstairs with garage door walls that open to Ludlow Avenue, as well as a bar downstairs to support the music venue.
 
The seating in the L-shaped basement will resemble that of a movie theater, with rows of theater seats that have tables that pop up to hold drinks. There isn’t a bad seat in the house — the seat furthest from the stage is only 58 feet away. And those sitting in the front row can literally put their drinks on the stage.
 
There will also be a tapas menu downstairs, again with a staple dish and a few rotating items. Having two different menus allows the kitchen to punch out food faster and further creates individual identities for the upstairs and the downstairs. Waiters and waitresses will provide food and drink service so concertgoers don’t have to get up to visit the bar and miss the show.
 
Opening weekend is booked solid, with Vanessa Carlton playing the first show on Oct. 29 to kick off her upcoming tour. Matisyahu will perform on Oct. 30, Livingston Taylor on Oct. 31 and Howie Day on Nov. 1. Tickets are available on Live! at the Ludlow Garage’s website as well as the venue’s box office, which will open the last week of October.