New York Magazine‘s Grub Street has this story about the formerly shuttered Long Island Bar and Restaurant, and how through diligence and luck, Toby Cecchini (who apparently invented the Cosmopolitan) and his partner Joel Tompkins have joined forces with owner Emma Sullivan to reopen the storied joint “in the next week or so.” I hear “we’re opening in the next week or so” a lot when it comes to eateries in the neighborhood—I think it largely has to do with NYC restaurant bureaucracy. Still, we’ve waited six years for this spot to reopen, what’s another week? (Or so.) And kudos to Cecchini for staying persistent even though he had been repeatedly turned down by the owners.
By chance, however, Cecchini made the acquaintance of Emma’s grandson and, through him, Emma herself. She and her cousins were ultimately won over by the prospective tenants’ experience and their intention to faithfully preserve and restore the space. They have made one change: Long Island Bar & Restaurant has become Long Island Bar. (Although the kitchen is surprisingly spacious, Tompkins and Cecchini have yet to hire a chef.)
No word yet on whether new blood will bring the family feud with Montero’s to an end.
Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine
