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18 The Courier sun • october 3, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com O’Neill’s is back REOPENS TWO YEARS AFTER BLAZE BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com Just about everyone in Maspeth remembers when O’Neill’s restaurant and bar was reduced to ashes after a five-alarm fire in 2011. It was a devastating moment for the community, as the popular eatery has been a staple in the neighborhood since 1933. After extinguishing the blaze, local firefighters found within the rubble the American flag that had flown over the watering hole. They held on to it for more than two years and encased it in a plaque that was presented to the owners of O’Neill’s during the bar’s grand reopening on Friday, September 27. “It’s nice that we are able to give a little something back to them,” said Captain Joe Gandiello of FDNY Rescue 4, the company that recovered the flag. “This place has been here for forever it seems and it’s just a nice touch. It’s all we can do.” This past summer the owners were hinting at a comeback. They eventually had a soft opening for the bar a few weeks ago and delayed the full ceremony for September 27. But even during the soft opening, the bar was packed. “I’m not only happy for myself, I’m happy for the community, because evidently they have been waiting for us to open,” said owner George O’Neill. “The night we opened, when we opened the door you couldn’t get in here.” Most came to the bistro because it was their favorite spot before it closed and to see old friends. “It’s been gone for a long time,” said Tommy Young, a resident of Middle Village. “A lot of people used to get together here so I got to see a lot of people that I haven’t seen in a long time.” Except for the fact that all the furniture and equipment is new, nothing has changed at O’Neill’s. There is still an area for fine dining, but also booths with mini TV screens for sports fans to watch games while they eat. And of course the main bar anchors the center of the restaurant. The menu hasn’t changed much either. There are still steaks, the popular Buffalo wings and brick-oven pizza. There are more than 45 flat screen televisions around the bar and the owners have added a catering room that can hold up to 200 people. They’ve also installed a sprinkler system in the basement. “Everything is pretty much brand new,” said manager Danny Pyle. “We’re thrilled to be able to serve the neighborhood. And they seem to feel the same way we do.” THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre O’Neill’s celebrated its grand reopening after a devastating fire burned the bar and restaurant down two years ago. BER HERE Glendale set to get brewery BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com Something’s brewing in Glendale. Craft beer makers Kevin Stafford and Basil Lee, Brooklyn residents, are building Finback Brewery in the Queens neighborhood and planning to open in November. Lee, a Harvard-educated architect, and Stafford, an art designer, were frequent home brewers, but finally decided to take the leap a few years ago to open a full brick-and-beer location. “I like it, because it’s creative. Making beer is like an art,” Stafford said. “There are so many different variables and so many different ingredients that go into the beers. It’s a fun art.” After deciding to open the brewery they searched for a location throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Finding the large building at 78-01 77th Avenue was akin to the “Goldilocks and The Three Bears” tale, they said. “One thing or another wouldn’t work, it’s too expensive, it’s too small, the ceiling is too low,” Lee said. “We didn’t know Glendale well, but we Kevin Stafford and Basil Lee are building Finback Brewery in Glendale. loved the space.” When completed, the brewery, named Finback Brewery in tribute to the finback whale that washed up on the shores of Breezy Point last year, will have a tasting section and catering room for special events. They already have many ideas for favors and some craft beers lined up, including a hops-filled American India Pale Ale, which is citrusy, and “double sess,” which is flavored with ginger and peppercorns. They also hope to barrel age and THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre brew various sour beers. The brewery is only now beginning to take shape. The brewing vats are in place and most of the walls have been carved out, but there is quite a lot of work left to be done. The pair is also hoping to raise $28,000 through the crowd-funding site, Kickstarter. The money is for extra equipment and the pair has already garnered more than $18,000. The pair will host a grand opening party, with a date to be announced. REMEMBERING GEORGE Maspeth street co-named for beloved resident BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com For the past few years teary eyes and frowns were a familiar sight when talking about the hit-and-run murder of Maspeth resident George Gibbons. Gibbons, who owned Gibbons Home bar on 69th Street, was killed in a 2011 traffic accident and it took a month-long manhunt to catch his convicted murderer, Peter Rodriguez. But at a ceremony on Saturday, September 28 to co-name the street where Gibbons grew up in his honor, there was a different emotion. Smiles and laughter spread throughout the crowd of family members and friends as Gibbon’s father, George Sr., tugged numerous times at the white sheet covering the new street sign, but failed to pull it off. And then, with a big final heave, he jerked the sheet off the brand new George Gibbons Jr. Way -- to a roar of cheers from the audience. “It’s a very special day for us, we’re very excited,” said Gibbons’ sister Siobhan McEntee. “We hope that this sign will be a reminder to people of a good community leader as well as the importance of traffic laws.” Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley, who drafted legislation to get the street co-named, the Gibbons family and more than a 100 attendees paid tribute to the memory of the late Gibbons, who many said had one of the kindest hearts the world had ever known. Gibbons was killed on October THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre 60th Drive was co-named George Gibbons Jr. Way for a beloved Maspeth resident who was killed in a hit-and-run accident. 15, 2011 when the livery cab he was traveling in was struck by a car that Rodriguez was driving the wrong way on the Long Island Expressway service road. Gibbons was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. But Rodriguez left the scene of the accident and was on the run before being apprehended in Connecticut. Rodriguez was sentenced to three-and-a-half to seven years in prison in May 2012 after he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crime and negligent homicide. Gibbons’ death brought the Maspeth community together and exposed dangerous loopholes in New York’s traffic laws. Since then the family and Crowley have been fighting for tougher laws for leaving the scene of a crime. Gibbon’s bar was closed down temporarily after his death, but reopened under family management. His memory runs through it and now his street sign as well.


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