the Bar
38 AUGUST 2 0 1 8
fine dining and travel, and his love for
food culture increased tenfold.
What began as hosting elaborate
brunches for friends (with dishes like
challah bread French toast with cinnamon
whipped cream and hot apples) turned
into the desire to one day open a cozy
bistro or pub. So, when the opportunity
with his friend and now business partner
Bryan Corbitt came about in Astoria,
Lyman jumped at the chance. It didn’t
hurt that he had already been living in the
community for three years. He even gets
to walk to work every day now.
“I Iove talking to people. I love telling
stories,” he said. “I’m here all the time and
I’m getting to meet all of the people that
live right here in the neighborhood.”
Originally hailing from Massachusetts
— which can be seen in the restaurant’s
decor from sweet acorn centerpieces
to wall art like a John McEnroe tennis
racquet, sailboat keel and old-fashioned
sled — Lyman has fond memories of
spending holidays and summers at
his grandparents’ farmhouse in Ashby,
MA. His grandmother — who had a big
influence on the restaurant — was an
amazing cook and baker who made
everything from scratch.
When huge holiday feasts took place,
Lyman remembers staying back from
playing with his cousins and hanging
out in the kitchen instead. He'd watch
the kneading and the mixing, his
grandmother adding a handful of this, a
FOOD + DRINK