FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 3, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 85
dining out
Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/The Courier
Honeywell talks with a patron at The Stonebridge in Whitestone
New Whitestone bar and cafe
features two distinct brews
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Tucked away on an unassuming commercial
strip in Whitestone is the neighborhood’s
newest watering hole, which is
bringing locals two very diff erent kinds
of brews all day long.
Queens locals and business partners
Diane Honeywell, Lawrence Caruso
Glynn and Helen Lee began construction
on Th e Stonebridge in November.
Lee, who previously operated the storefront
along 14th Avenue as a nail salon,
decided last year she wanted to bring a
new eatery to the area.
Lee approached Glynn, who connected
her to Honeywell, a restaurant industry
veteran. Aft er meeting for the fi rst time
last summer, the trio hit it off immediately,
according to Glynn.
“It was a natural fi t,” Glynn told
Th e Courier in an interview at Th e
Stonebridge. “And the concept was there.
Th is was Helen’s nail salon.”
Originally, the group intended to sell
only coff ee. However, they eventually
decided on a cafe and bar concept, looking
to make use of Honeywell’s valuable
experience in the industry while becoming
the neighborhood’s “local answer”
for coff ee, Glynn said.
“We said, ‘Alright, maybe we can
marry the two. Maybe this can work,’”
he continued.
Th e group got to work in the fall, ripping
out salon chairs and equipment to
make way for a full bar, stools and wooden
tabletops. Working with limited space,
Honeywell focused on making the smaller
space feel large and welcoming during
the design phase.
“I wanted it to be comfortable and
modern,” she said. “I didn’t want it to
look like the same back bar that everyone
has. Th e fi replace behind the bar, you
don’t see that in many places.”
Coming soon, customers can enjoy a
cup of coff ee and bagels, pastries, oatmeal
and other light morning fare in store or
on-the-go starting at 6:30 a.m. At noon,
customers can order from a selection of
beer, wine and mixed drinks at the bar.
Montauk IPA, Founders, canned Pinot
Noir and a rose hard cider are among
unique off erings currently available.
“I want to fi nd a lot of interesting
things,” Honeywell said. “I’ve been in the
business for so long I know many of the
players … And they know that I’m looking
for interesting things.”
In the coming weeks, Honeywell will
phase in a food menu featuring bites like
paninis, salads, pot pies and hot dogs.
She will also look to bring in beers from
Queens-based breweries.
“I always prefer to do local,” she said.
In addition to bringing the area a new
cafe and bar destination, the group saw
Th e Stonebridge as an opportunity to
help revitalize an ailing business strip.
NYC Print & Design, who recently
moved in just a few doors down,
designed the business’s logo: an homage
to the neighborhood’s most iconic
structure.
“I think this block is in need of some
transformation, and it has seen some new
places,” Glynn said. “Th e block just needed
a little TLC. Hopefully we can give it
a jolt here.”
As for the name, the partners are well
aware the Whitestone Bridge is not
made of stone, Glynn joked. A friend
of Honeywell’s suggested the name: a
neighborhood-inspired wordplay.
“Th e name really just resonated with
all of us,” Glynn said. “It’s representative
of the community and it fi ts.”
Th e community response has been
strong so far, Honeywell said.
“Th e people that have been in have
been great,” she said. “Th ey’re really surprised
at how nice the place is and love it
and recommend it.”
Th e Stonebridge is located at 145-04
14th Ave. and operates seven days a week
until 1 a.m.
DRINK SPECIALS ALL NIGHT LONG
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THE SINKING SIDEWALK
Q: On a sidewalk in New York City, a fire hydrant stood close to the
edge of a depressed, irregular asphalt sidewalk flag, next to the curb. There,
my foot became caught in a hole. As I understand it, at one point, the hydrant
had become broken at the base, and the City repaired the hydrant and refilled
the excavation around the hydrant with blacktop. In subsequent years, on at
least four occasions, the City again performed maintenance.
A: Section 7-210 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York
shifts tort liability from the City to the owner of commercial property
abutting any sidewalk for personal injuries proximately caused by the
owner’s failure to maintain the sidewalk abutting its premises in a reasonably
safe condition – so long as you can prove negligence on the part of the owner.
In particular, you must establish that the property owner either
created the hazardous condition or had actual or constructive notice of its
existence for a sufficient length of time to discover and remedy it. Your
attorney is likely to argue that a span of years is certainly a sufficient length
of time.
However, although section 7-210 expressly shifts tort liability to the
abutting property owner for injuries proximately caused by the owner’s
failure to maintain the sidewalk in a reasonably safe condition, it does not
shift tort liability for injuries proximately caused by the City’s ‘affirmative
acts of negligence’, such as when the City failed to finish the job by making
the sidewalk smooth and safe. Your attorney is likely to name as defendants
both the owner and the City.
link
/www.lasmargaritasny.com
