Franklin Southie Will Apparently Close to Make Way for Moonshine 152

Earlier this month, the Herald's Donna Goodison tweeted that Franklin Southie was apparently transferring its license to a restaurant called Moonshine Kitchen, to be located at the same address. The licensing hearing will take place tomorrow, according to an agenda posted on the City of Boston's website. The agenda also reveals that while the LLC is Moonshine Kitchen, the restaurant will operate under the name Moonshine 152. Asia Mei is listed as manager, but it is not yet clear whether this is the same Asia Mei from Sam's.

An employee reached at Franklin Southie had no additional information to provide, and a closing day has not yet been announced. Caught in Southie reports that the neighborhood "will not be disappointed" by the new venture, citing an "anonymous but reliable source."

UPDATE: The Globe confirms the upcoming closure of Franklin Southie, citing Franklin Restaurant Group co-owner David Dubois and confirming that the Mei in question is indeed the one from Sam's at Louis (as well as Hamersley's Bistro, and at one point, Franklin Southie itself). According to Boston Magazine, Franklin Southie will stay open until the end of the year, and Mei won't make many cosmetic changes; plus, she'll be able to hire much of the existing staff.