Hello Crapman,I was recently informed by my doctor in the area that Salerno's has closed. They have had a "closed renovations" sign in the window for a few weeks now. He is usually a pretty reliable source for neighborhood events, so perhaps you know someone who can confirm this? If this is true, I think Eastern Richmond Hill officially qualifies as a slum now.
Thanks for your time and the great blog,
Jason in Kew Gardens
36 comments:
That would be a travesty. Bobby Kennedy used to eat there when he was US Senator. I was there about 5 months ago, on a Saturday evening, and there was only one other table occupied. I suppose this was inevitable. Pass the curried goat, please.
No surprise!
I was wondering how soon after the closing of Jahn's that Salerno's would follow.
I guess we all got our answer.....PDQ !
So what's up next Nancy.....
a historical society wake?
Sadly speaking, there's one thing for sure....
with LPC ignoring RH and it being red-lined
by NYC....I thinks it's time to move on .
How is this LPC's fault if people weren't going there to eat anymore and it didn't have the business to stay open?
I think a scene in Goodfella's was filmed at this restaurant - when Henry stood up Karen on the double date with Joe Pesci.
If LPC hadn't IGNORED Richmond Hill's request
for a historic district,
the neighborhood would be revitalized
instead of sodomized by "developers".
The first fatality was the Triangle Hofbrau House,
then Simonson's, followed by Jahn's, now Salerno's,
maybe eventually the decaying Republican Club!
("Thanks" for your appearance
at that ill fated rally C.M. Gallagher).
Wake up folks, you've BEEN RED LINED
by NYC and their buddies in the real estate
industry!
Gotta make room for those vibrant,
new arrivals to complete the NYC 2030 picture!
How many of those projected
one million people will be taking up residence
in the formerly historic Richmond Hill ?
I was told that an Indian restaraunt would take it's place, as a Mexican chain restaraunt will occupy Jahn's former location.
Good riddance. I was there a few months ago for a birthday party and the food and service were terrible. I guess if you're not a senator or judge rubbing elbows with mafioso you get the second tier service.
Mexican? Indian?
Signs of the times
of a neighborhood....
what do they usually say (?) oh yes.....
"IN FLUX" !
Or more clearly, "ON THE SKIDS" !
It's strictly a matter of geography
when it comes to owning a home.
In this case you're too close to south Jamaica
and a smidgen too far from
Forest Hills.
A bad..... location, location, location!
The sacred 3 "L"s that make a property
worth a lot, or simply worthless.
Do not forget the closing of the Richmond Hill LIRR train station. Reopening it would restore Richmond Hill.
So the bigotry is now expanding to Indians and Mexicans. Blame the LPC for not ensuring that only white people live in Richmond Hill, that makes a lot of sense.
The expansion of 3rd world people with limited financial resources into a neighborhood
that had a higher socioeconomic level of residents
IS NOT BIGOTRY.
IT IS MERELY A BLUNT ECONOMIC
FACT OF LIFE !
This is a neighborhood in decline!
Nobody said anything about only
"white people" living in Richmond Hill
if the LPC had granted it historic district status.
Sections of Harlem are landmarked
you reverse bigot!.
You can try to hide your racism and bigotry in socioeconomic analysis all you want, but no one buys it. When Italians first came to this country in large numbers, the existing NYC residents said they were lower class and inclined to criminality. The Irish were also similarly labeled. I guess we shouldn't have let those lower "socioeconomic" groups come here either.
Stow away the pompous long winded tripe,
you self proclaimed amateur sociologist.
You are invited to stick your head
back up somewhere,
if you find that you're running out of words
for your dubious lesson/rant.
I can hear those violins playing in the background!
And we've heard all that baloney before.
It doesn't make it fact.
FYI,
My paternal grandparents
were some of those "lower class" Italian immigrants
you're referring to..
They managed to work very hard
and eventually build up
a successful lumber mill and fuel business
(dealing in wood)
on 149th Street off Morris Ave. in the Bronx
just west of the old 3rd Ave. El.
That was until my Grandfather fell ill and passed on.
Following the death of my Grandmother,
the youngest two of their 7 kids wound up
in an orphanage at Spark Hill, N.Y.
(One of those two graduated with a PHD from Fordham University).
NONE of my uncles or aunt became criminals!
So you stop your own brand of generalizing.
That neighborhood back then
was a socioeconomic slum, and pretty much, still is.
However, the recent influx of "the arts"
(along with some designated landmarked buildings)
appears to be RAISING the socioeconomic level
of ALL the area's primarily Latino residents.
Go back to school and learn something.
You appear to be an ignorant CLOSET
(or maybe not so closeted) BIGOT youself !
with LPC ignoring RH and it being red-lined
by NYC....I thinks it's time to move on .
----------
Then maybe those from Richmond Hill that (for some reason after all those years of empty promises) believe in the process take stock, and move on too.
Time to take up arms.
I'll try to make this simple so you can understand - I did not say that Italians and Irish are a lower class. I said that the existing NYC residents perceived them to be lower class when they first came to this country in large numbers, just as some of the racists here are trying to mask their bigotry against Indians and Mexicans with socioeconomic arguments.
Richmond Hill (and for that matter Ozone Park and South Ozone Park) used to be nice neighborhoods, but now they resemble a third world country. Nothing against Mexicans or Indians moving in, just keep the neighborhood desirable and appealing the way it used to be. Don't make it a third world ghetto where no one speaks English.
We understand very well....
"I'll try to make this simple".
Your an obvious phony
who's spouting pure pork baloney!
There's no need for you to counter post.
I think the readers have already got your number.
So wipe the doo-doo off your shoes ,
and try not to step into it any deeper than you already have.
10-4, over and out!
Just like the Elmhurst LIRR station,
the Richmond hill stop was closed probably due to a decrease in ridership.
It's likely that the declining level
of expendable income in RH
lead to the purchasing of fewer and fewer
monthly commutation tickets
and a switch to the cheaper NYC transit service.
The subway has always been called
"the poor man's railroad".
RH was already beginning
to get frayed at the edges earlier in the game
and starting to lose its former status
as a fine residential neighborhood.
Unfortunately,
the "coupe de grace" is about to be administered
by the "change" that is now occurring.
Its amazing how people have blamed the historical society for the losses of these establishments. The energy of the work they put in as volunteers over the last ten years is astonishing, just to get swallowed into the system, and the Landmarks Commission and other supportive groups turn the other way.
People who should have written letters, attended rallies, made calls, pushed and pushed till their voices were heard, now complain.
Richmond Hill does not have ONE political ally.:it is split into numerous assembly (fat seminerio, nettie mayershon and rory lancman) and city council (katz and gallagher and some third stranger) , who do not see enough votes come out of there to give a crap. It is sad that all the work that people put into this area goes down the drain,
and can never be recovered.
And all the new construction of 1 million dollar attached townhouses, about 100 of them scattered around are UNSOLD and not even being RENTED!
The businesses (Jahns and Salerno's) at hand were horrible, the food was way below par..service just as bad, the people that ran these businesses never got involved with the community. how many times can you be loyal to restaurants that continuosly do not deliver? The reason they closed is because people could not stomach the food and bad service. Believe me, if a good restaurant opened in RH, people would be rushing to it. They do not exist!
If Richmond Hill has been divided into multiple voting districts, then that's a sure sign it's been redlined.
It was the RH hysterical society
that was first lulled into believing that
the QHS sponsored "Queensmark" program
of awarding meaningless bronze plaques
was going to promote awareness
and save their neighborhood!
You lost valuable time clinging to false hopes.
It's funny how there was NO historical information
on each of these "Queensmark" plaques....
only a repetition of the house number of each recipient and the obligatory
"Queens Historical Society" logo.
H-m-m-m-m,
some advertising gimmick for QHS.
You RHHS guys should have yelled louder.
Now it's too late. Nobody will hear you!
Many overly polite historical societies,
that often balk at any thoughts of
getting up on their hind legs
and making some noise,
become accomplices in the demise
of their own beloved neighborhoods.
It's like the silence of the lambs.
Now the wolf
has tucked his dinner napkin beneath his chin
awaiting the feast to be placed before him!
First off, I'm glad I stumbled upon this blog...I'm passionate about the "well-being" of RH. After reading through the comments, I think there are some very vaild points that are made from all parties involved.
I'm a lifelong resident of RH. Without question the neighborhood isn't what it used to be, however some of the comments that are made would lead you to believe that the neighbood has fallen into "slum" status practically overnight. The Hofbrau closed 20 years ago. As for Jahn's, it's a testiment to RH that this ice cream palor lasted as long as it did...other that Eddie's Sweet Shop, I can't name another old fashioned ice cream palor. (back in the day they used to be everywhere!!!) As for Salerno's, talk to some old-timmers in Richmond Hill, they'll probably tell you that the place was never that good to begin with. Besides, the place lasted like 30 years...how long do you expect it to last? Don't get me wrong, I'd love for The Hofbreau, Jahn's and Salerno's and the RKO movie theater to be back in business...but I don't think we can look to the decline of these establishements and conclude that RH is going down the drain. As for Simmons funeral home, who knows, maybe Fox funeral home made him an offer he couldn't refuse or maybe Leahy McDonald just offers a better service and he could no longer compete.
I agree overdevelopment is the biggest problm with RH and ultimately poses the greatest threat to destroying everything that's great about the neighborhood. Single family homes are being replaced by 2 family townhouses that are absolutely heartbreaking to look at. I especially love it when these developers pave over the front lawn and make it into a parking lot. Also, the huge walls that are built in front of homes are equally as offensive. It makes your home look like a freakin' jail...horrible!
As for the changing racing profile of RH...I really don't care what color you. All I ask is that you sweep in front of you home, don't transform the side property of your house into a junk yard. Black, white, Indian, Mexican, whatever, there is NO excuse to have you property look like crap...other than no caring at all. Get a broom and start sweeping!
Ironically the LHC was created by Mayor Robert Wagner Sr. in 1965 who in fact frequented the Triangle Hofbrau.Many of the defunct historical landmarks mentioned are within that "triangle" of streets in which the name Triangle Hofbrau was derived.Chris ( Corinth,TX.)
Please allow me to correct my recent post to be in reference to the LPC and not LHC.
I'm happy to announce that Salerno's is back...well, sort of.
The restaurant is still there but under a new name and manager. It's now called Sarrento's.
Rumor has it that the grandson of the original Mr. Salerno was running the place and didn't know (or maybe care) too much about the restaurant business and eventually ran the place out of business.
The place is OPEN and running just as wonderfull as ever.
Same chef, some of the old wait staff. I went three times in the last three weeks. Take the price fix for $35.
BEST DEAL IN THE CITY.
AWESOME FOOD.
PLEASE GO BACK INT IME AND ENJOY THIS WONDERFULL PLACE.
I LOVE IT, AND WANT IT TO STAY
OK...on your suggestion I'll give Sarrento's a shot.
However I have to admit, the $35 price fix it a little steep.
I really hope the place is able to survive too!
Sorrento's has closed, It has changed ownership once again and now its strictly a indian/carribean nightclub. The italian part is gone as well as the hisroty and famous countless names who ate there. So goes another landmark.
VERY SAD THAT SALERNOS IS CLOSED, WAS NOT THE BEST ITALIAN FOOD IN QUEENS BUT PRETTY GOOD, WAS GREAT, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, HAD NO DRESS CODE, DID NOT HAVE TO WEAR A JACKET OR TIE LIKE OTHER RESTAURANTS. ONLY OTHER DECENT ITALIAN RESTAURANT I KNOW OF IN THE RICHMOND HILL/KEW GARDENS AREA IS ALBERTOS ON METRO. AVE. SAD TO SEE SALERNOS IS NO MORE.
My mom used to take me there as a kid, all the way from Flushing.
I used to work there as a busboy back in the early 80's (1st. job) for nick and joe pappalardo as a young teen..im 50 now...best time of my life great italian food great memories to cherish and wish i knew what happened to staff..love to here from someone. I was treated like a son by them..thank you guys for the life lessons and wisdom that i carried on through my life w/ my own family! miss you salernos family.........joe
SALERNOS CLOSED WAY BEFORE JAHNS DID, JAHNS CLOSED LATE 2000 s. SALERNOS WAS WAY BEFORE. AND THE TRIANGLE HOFBRAU CLOSED BEFORE ALL OF THEM. MISS SALERNOS AND HOFBRAU!!
WHAT IS THE REAL REASON SALERNOS CLOSED?? WILL WE EVER FIND OUT?? WAS IT LACK OF BUSINESS?? POOR MANAGEMENT?? SALERNOS WAS PRETTY WELL KNOWN, AS A KID, I WOULD PASS BY ON A WEEKNIGHT, THE RESTAURANT WAS PRETTY CROWDED, ON A WEEKNIGHT. THEN OVER THE YEARS, CUSTOMERS GOT FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, I THINK IT WAS POOR MANAGEMENT THAT CAUSED ITS DEMISE. WILL NEVER KNOW, WHICH IS SAD. I ALWAYS LIKED EATING THERE, NOT BAD FOOD OR SERVICE. WISH IT WAS STILL OPEN.
Reading a comment from 2008, wow...Queens is not what it was. Covid Epicenter Elmhurst is not NYC. Stop with the diversity lol diversity ain’t having streets crowded with food vendors under the train. 2 movie theaters closed years ago idky cause those ppl there love having lots of kids. Movie theater in forest hills gone too, it’s a pediatric place now, I think. I don’t look at stuff, I can’t stand seeing the unpleasant changes. Wait, coming to America 1988 (don’t care for the 2nd one)how nice it was not having tall empty cheap buildings. The Italian place on the corner, is it still there ?
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