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By Sean Curry The passing of Tony Mazzarella, a pillar of a man in Long Island City, was deeply felt in the early months of 2015. A retired boxer and relentless giver, Mazzarella’s contributions went far beyond charity or money. His restaurant, Waterfront Crabhouse, provided a place for the community to gather, for fellow former pugilists to catch up, and for local families to mark moments in their lives. The old Waterfront Crabhouse was as beloved by the people of Long Island City as Mazzarella, and when it followed its founder into the great beyond just a month after Mazzarella’s death, its absence was felt keenly. Thankfully, local restaurateur Joseph Licul and his partners, known for their work at Skinny’s Cantina and SHI, saw an opportunity to rescue a cherished neighborhood institution from the fate of being turned into another Hunter’s Point high-rise. Working closely with the Mazzarella family, their team gave Waterfront Crabhouse a modern update while preserving elements from the previous iteration: the iconic street lamp in front of the restaurant, the ivy hanging from the chandeliers—and the dedication to seriously good crabs. Rebranded as Crabhouse and reopened in August, the restaurant offers both a crabhouse and a steakhouse experience. Fried soft-shell crabs share table space with luxuriously tender rib eyes, while diners clink glasses of dry red wines or fruity whites over lobster arragiata. If you like chicken, beef, pork or fish, you’ll find something you like here. General manager Sean Cummings provided us with the ultimate Crabhouse experience, starting with the Ringside Tiki cocktail, a tribute to the previous restaurant’s important place in New York City’s boxing scene. The delightfully fruity rum drink was perfect for that extra warm week or two when summer always manages to sneak into fall. After that, we proceeded to sample from the beer taps, all dispensing local Queens beers. We sampled drafts from Singlecut and the LIC Beer Project, but there were also entries from IcoNYC, Big Alice Brewing, Rockaway Brewing Company and more. While I’m more than content with a frosty pint in front of me, Cummings was eager to share his wine list with us — and let it never be said that a BORO writer turned down an opportunity to be plied with more booze. Cummings prioritized quality and value in the curation of the restaurant’s wine list, and he made a point of including a plethora of New York state offerings. We sampled Sauvignon Blancs, Sancerres, Bordeaux and more, and were just as impressed with the wine as we were with the beer. We showed up hungrier than we were thirsty, and we weren’t left unsatisfied for long. Our first course, roasted garlic-chili blue crabs and fried soft-shell crabs in a mind-blowing butter sauce, graced our table quickly. After one bite of the soft shell, we knew we had to place our next order immediately—these babies were going to go fast. There was an unexpected (yet welcome) subtle sweetness to the softshell crab that played nicely with the butter sauce. Grab an order for the table when you go. REBOOTED OCTOBER 2016 I BOROMAG.COM I 51


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