Uncle Bacala's In Garden City Park Reopens After Fire

This year, Uncle Bacala was closed for the first time on Thanksgiving, but owner Peter Hewitson had a very good reason. After the kitchen fire in September, he wanted to open as soon as possible the day after Thanksgiving.

This is especially significant because it was the day after Thanksgiving in 2004 that the Garden City Park restaurant opened.

Hewitson said the fire destroyed most of the kitchen, but repairs took more than two months because of insurance and permits, not the restoration process. "I had to sit and wait for them to start working," he said.

Hewitson was one of many partners when Uncle Bacala opened, but in 2009 he bought out all the partners.

Reflecting on his nearly two decades at Garden City Park, he says nothing has changed at the restaurant except for doubling its seating capacity. During the outbreak, he added a large tent that could hold 60 people, then another tent that could hold 25 people, then two more small tents and igloos. “Someone called and tried to book a table for 20 people on a Saturday night and pitching their tents was reasonable. They are very comfortable when it is 15 degrees outside.

Hewitson attributes the restaurant's longevity to good food and service, as well as a familiar concept. "We're a red tablecloth place serving Italian food," he said. "We don't have the best results, but people come back."

Uncle Bacala at 2370 Jericho Tpke., Garden City Park, 516-739-0505, unclebacala.com.

Enthusiastic but skeptical Erica Marcus has been reporting and commenting on the Long Island food scene since 1998.