Wednesday, February 18, 2015

End of an era

From LIC Post:

The Waterfront Crab House, one of the last vestiges of Long Island City, closed for good Sunday.

The closure comes just three weeks after the owner of the long-time establishment Tony Mazzarella passed away. He had owned the Crab House, located at 2-03 Borden Avenue, for decades.

The Waterfront Crab House first opened its doors at in 1977 and Mazzarella quickly filled it with boxing and historic memorabilia dating back to the early 1900s. On Monday, the sporting memorabilia still hung from the walls.

A sign was placed on the front door of the Crab House Sunday that read: “It is with deep regret and heavy hearts that we inform you that due to the passing of Tony Mazzarella we must close the Waterfront Crabhouse.”

One of Mazzarella’s children was at the restaurant Monday but did not want to discuss what his plans are for the restaurant or the real estate.

16 comments:

Jerry Rotondi said...

Little by little the gritty human vestiges of NYC. which make it unique, pass into memory. It has been said, by some, that the chief architectural influence upon the USA is the Walt Disney Corp. I'm inclined to agree. The Disneyfication-purification of New York...with its faceless glass curtain wall construction models rising everywhere.....has left its stamp upon our residential and commercial architecture. Eventually we will be left with theme park New York. In the long term scheme of things, losing this unique tiny corner cannot be compared to the loss of the late and great Pennsylvania Statio. Yet, there goes another chip off the old block. I'm sorry for the long treatise. Think about all of our little loses and what it does to our sense of place. This restaurant survived the flooding of Sandy. Has it now fallen victim to over development greed? In the end, money talks and it looks like local history walks. A parting thought...if the Disney Corp. runs New York ...it might, at least , prove to be more efficient than our city council.

Anonymous said...

ate there one time with my wife during restaurant week. nothing special and never came back but i ate at the thai and pizza place in the area more than once.

it was a restaurant for old people

Anonymous said...

The restaurant was stuck in the '80s. It was cramped and dingy. Once went there for lunch and the shrimp were bad. We left and never went back.

Anonymous said...

I used to work right next door. I have a lot of great memories of eating and drinking there with my friends and coworkers. I haven't been there in years and I really miss going there. Thanks for the memories!

Unknown said...

This has been planned for a long time. The kids had other things in their lives to do, so the idea of taking over the family business was not something they wanted. Now with a bunch of cash they could fund their own business or be set for retirement.

But Jerry is right it will become some steel glass faceless dime a dozen looking building, and that really is sad.

Joe said...

Its the same shit all over, white kids don't want to work.
Only cash out what their familys worked generations for and expect making a living doing some kind of art!!
True true about Disney and company's like Viacom etc. They have poisoned everything including our youth!!
Almost every kid under age 25 wants to be some kind of artist, dancer, singer musician.
NOTHING anybody will pay them for !!
Partly because lazy dumbass parents let them grow up watching TV. All that fake scripted Disney, MTV, Time Warner, Viacom shit they have been spoon fed since birth has taken its toll and given us a generation of idiots !! All who are going to loose everything, end up on welfare and blame everybody else !

Anonymous said...

Its the same shit all over, white kids don't want to work.

No, not everyone wants to go into the family business. Not everyone wants to run a restaurant - it's not easy, and it's not a job for someone who's not committed. Why shouldn't people work in a field that they're interested in?

Anonymous said...

The food sucked, the atmosphere was, well ordinary with a forced randomness thrown in.

Anonymous said...

Same thing happen to Mc Reillys Pub.
I will miss them both...

georgetheatheist said...

Just drove through LIC getting off the Queensboro (Fuck you Ed Koch) Bridge. These glass behemouths have made LIC totally soulless.

Anonymous said...

Man, I miss Flessel's, in Whitestone.

Ken Atkinson said...

Hey, Anonymous!
Flessel's was in College Point.Get your facts straight!

Joe said...

"Why shouldn't people work in a field that they're interested in"

----------------------
Well, for one to support yourself and have a fallback option !
NOT that crock of shit Clinton, Obama & Nancy Pelosi have repeatedly dished out telling kids Quote:
"be who who want to be"

"take out all the college loans you need"

"DONT WORRY if things dont work out we will make somebody else pay for it"

Well- now we are fucked as Asians, Indian and Jewish (who studied useful things) continue to mop up, buy and own everything !!
Liberal science, music & arts (all the shit most kids want to do) is about WHO YOU KNOW to get paid in 2015!!! The "professors" wont tell you that because its a job security and special interest issue!!
BTW: These words are coming from a former photographer, musician and actor MYSELF who has actually actually IN THE FIELD and seen PLENTY !!

Why should the hard working middle class or homeowner continue to pay for other people mistakes in life !!




Anonymous said...

"it's not easy"

Yeah these brats and hipsters want instant gratification, expect $200K a year jobs without climbing or chipping a fingernail.

Ipod generation brats all of them ! Grandma & Grampa are spinning in the grave. And that's exactly what our NYC politicians want. As in DUMB, STUPID FUTURE DEMOCRATS 100% COMPLIANT TO THE GOVERNMENT THAT FEEDS THEM !!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
"Yeah these brats and hipsters want instant gratification, expect $200K a year jobs without climbing or chipping a fingernail."

Believe it or not but many folks toil away at labor-driven jobs (including restaurateurs) so that the next generation can have better options...what if this owners child already was already a doctor, lawyer, businessman, engineer, or someone with a job which he/she enjoys--do you expect him/her to leave it all to maintain a family business which is no longer relied upon to support a family???

Not everyone from a business owning family is spoiled, lazy, and/or feels entitled...

Jackson Heights Johnny said...

I agree with JERRY ROTUNDI....

Just turned 67 and having lived all those years in Jackson Heights, you can imagine the changes I've seen.

Some were for the good and some were for the bad. Maybe I'm just stuck in "nostalgia" mood, but I so miss all the old things that are no more.