And so far, Lee said they have not experienced any of the problems with underage drinking that plagued the Grille.

“Everything’s been smooth,” Lee said.

Instead of calling the ID checkers at the front door “bouncers,” Lee refers to his relatively undersized front line as “doormen.”

“Bigger guys can cause more problems than they solve,” Lee said. “Our guys are people who know IDs and are good with people. People are going to realize that they have to toe the line here.”

Red Line features a large drink selection, and the bar includes an inverted glass cleaner that washes glasses with a fountain of spray.

The bar also boasts a Harvard institution in their bartender, who goes by Paul “Boston’s Best Bartender” Barry. Barry worked at the old Grafton Street and teaches bartending courses for Harvard Student Agencies in his Irish accent.

The consensus among patrons of Red Line appears to be “so far, so good,” according to Harvard University Dining Services production manager Paul Deal, who said he used to grab a drink at the Grille after work but was trying the new bar out yesterday.

Syracuse University senior Brad W. Bestgen, from Stoughton, Mass., said he noticed a different atmosphere from the Grille.

“It used to be a bunch of college kids running around getting hammered,” he said. “This is a little different.”

The transition from the old Grille to the new Red Line became complete Sunday morning at about 3 a.m., when three young men attempted to take down the old Grille sign still fastened to the new Red Line facade.

As the three men tried unsuccessfully to unscrew the bolted sign, the Red Line staff sat, watched, and chuckled, before scaring the vandals away.

—Staff writer Justin D. Gest can be reached at gest@fas.harvard.edu.