Six months after water damage to its roof forced closure and extended repairs, Tulip Bar and Grill plans to reopen in its Welwyn Road storefront with a new name, a new menu and a new emphasis on limiting disturbances to its neighbors.
Harjinder Singh, the brother of the restaurant’s owner, petitioned the Great Neck Plaza board to grant a use permit to Om Bistro – a sit-down French restaurant that will replace Tulip’s Mediterranean grill and live music.
Singh said Om would not replicate Tulip’s past record of late-night gatherings and noisy crowds.
“There’s no live music, no stage any more, no dance floor,” Singh said. “It’s a pure fine-dining restaurant.”
The bistro’s kitchen will be headed by chef Richard Desmond, who earned his culinary stripes serving upscale pub grub at Public House 49 in Patchogue and French-American dishes at Bliss in East Setauket.
Desmond is also an operatic tenor.
“He has a powerful, pleasing voice, and his culinary skills are just as impressive,” wrote the New York Times in a review of Public House 49.
Desmond assured the board his arias would not disturb the neighbors, and vouched for the quality of his comfort food.
“I got the best mac and cheese on Long Island, by the way,” he said.
The board granted the permit after extended questioning of the restaurant’s impact on neighboring residents.
Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celendar said the board would call Singh in for another hearing if there were noise problems.
“The last few restaurant operations have not gone smoothly,” Celender said.
For Trustee Gerald Schneiderman, the promise of good food was worth cheering.
“We could use a good French restaurant,” Schneiderman said.
Reach reporter Dan Glaun by e-mail at dglaun@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow1 and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
