FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com OCTOBER 27, 2016 • The Queens Courier 29 Bayside restaurant and catering hall poised for upgrade BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF editorial@qns.com @QNS For decades, the historic mansion CUTLER’S LIGHTING Over 50 Years Experience REPAIRS • REWIRING • RE-FINISHING • LAMP SHADES FALL SAVINGS TAKE 20-50% OFF LAMP SHADE SALE on yellow and red tagged items 10% OFF ANY PURCHASE With Coupon. Not combinable – New Orders Only. Limit 1 per customer. $150.00 max for discount. Excludes Repairs, Refi nishing, Rewiring. Exp. 11/30/16 CUTLER’S LIGHTING CUTLER’S LIGHTING LYNBROOK 817 Sunrise Hwy (2 Blocks west of Peninsula Blvd.) 516-887-1300 GREAT NECK 120 Northern Blvd. 516-482-1919 12 years from now, this LED bulb will still be saving you money. OFF overlooking the Throgs Neck Bridge once owned by silent film star Rudolph Valentino and Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia has served as Bayside’s favorite watering hole and fine dining spot. Now, the Parks Department is about to franchise the mansion to a new group poised to make this site even greater. Whitestone resident Paul Nicaj plans to upgrade what is currently Vivaldi restaurant. He was trained at the Plaza Hotel and the Pierre and now runs Battery Gardens, a restaurant and catering hall in Battery Park City that, like the mansion, is a Parks Department franchise. In a recent interview, Nicaj explained, “I live in and love the neighborhood. My family belongs to St Luke’s and we are very active in the school and church community. I understand the needs of the community. I want to bring a Mediterranean cuisine with healthy ingredients at prices that people will want to eat here two and three times a week.” Nicaj also wants to add “a crystal ballroom to offer a better space for parties” and connect the mansion’s upstairs rooms. He said he’s willing to invest more than a million dollars to make that happen. Nicaj and his partner, cousin Gitto Nicaj, are planning a facelift for the entire building. Growing and changing is part of their DNA; Paul Nicaj has made an extraordinary journey, coming alone and almost penniless from Croatia to America at the age of 16. He found a job as a busboy at the Plaza and worked his way up the ladder to success, NEED A DIVORCE? MEDIATION MAY BE FOR YOU. Do you need a divorce? Are you dreading a long drawn out ght? Marino Mediation might be your answer. Mediation can be easier on you, your kids, and your wallet. Make the transition into your divorce as smooth and painless as possible. Call or click today. Marino Justice / Marino Mediation Law Of ces of Nora Constance Marino 175 East Shore Road, Suite 230 • Great Neck, NY 11023 516-829-8399 info@marinojustice.com http://marinojustice.com/marino-mediation/ becoming the hotel’s executive director. Years later, he took over the famous Battery Gardens. “We have been through many storms at the site in Battery Park City, but we never missed a beat,” he said. “Whether it was a train strike making it chaotic to get our staff to work, or Hurricane Sandy and the damage done, we delivered for our clients.” “It’s my passion to be in the service industry and I’d like to make the Bayside property one that provides 80 to 100 jobs and doesn’t take a mortgage to eat at regularly,” he added. As a recognized leader in the community he was knighted by the Catholic Church at a ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He was repeatedly honored by the Hotel and Catering Association and received Man of the Year honors from the Church for his community service. Nicaj said any change in leadership of the site now operating as Vivaldi will be seamless and enable him to do improvements while still serving the community. The final decision as to who will operate the mansion rests with the Parks Department, which sent out a request for proposals for the restaurant months ago. “Parks is currently reviewing proposals, and we are hopeful that an award will be made in the next few months,” a spokesperson from the NYC Parks Department said. “Proposals are being evaluated based on the operator’s experience, planned operations, capital investment and financial capability, in addition to their fee offer. Parks will also give favorable consideration to proposals that integrate the facility within the surrounding community.” Paul Nicaj plans to upgrade what is currently Vivaldi restaurant.
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