“Women are not in love with me, but with the picture of me on the screen. I am merely the canvass on which women paint their dreams.”
Rudolph Valentino, 1923.
Giorgio Kolaj and his partners in Valentino’s on the Green, the much-anticipated restaurant and banquet hall on the grounds of the Clearview Golf Course in Bayside, are creating a canvass on which you can paint your perfect intimate dinner, gathering of a few friends or an event with all those you hold dear.
From the Valentino Room, the familiar hideaway for up to 60 people that features the well-remembered mahogany paneling, well-stocked bar, baby grand piano and fireplace – to the bridal suite and banquet hall for 250, the partners are sparing no expense to assure that in Kolaj’s words, “everyone will feel that it was worth the wait.”
When the Parks Department first offered the site for franchise in 2008, they insisted that the new operator invest over $800,000 to upgrade the facility to meet modern standards. “We’ve gone far beyond that,” Kolaj assured.
In fact, nearly $3 million has been invested in improving or restoring every aspect. “Every pipe, wire and fixture is new,” he remarked. A recent tour of the nearly-completed facility reveals the extent to which Valentino’s is a labor of love by the management.
Outside, near where workmen complete the elevator enclosure, several pallets of stone lay near the driveway entrance. “They aren’t what we ordered,” Kolaj sniffed. “They’re going back.”
Within, the carpenters, painters and electricians at work are attending to details under the watchful eyes of the project manager and the partners, in anticipation of a mid-July opening – they’ve begun taking reservations at 718-352-2300 and are constructing the website, www.valentinosNYC.com.
Although The Queens Courier was asked not to extensively photograph the interior – “We want returning guests to be surprised”– during a recent tour of the nearly-completed facility, Kolaj, Chef-partner Don Pintabona and chef d’cuisine James Canora provided some tantalizing insights into what you can expect when they say “The romance is back.”
Valentino’s promises exemplary Italian cuisine – Pintabona helped Robert Di Niro launch Tribeca Grill in 1990 and supervised the menu for a decade. Canora joined him there in 1993. With Kolaj and others, they have been weaving regional Italian influences into the menu and wine list.
“Don is Sicilian and Jimmy is from Naples,” said the Roman-born Kolaj, speaking of their parentage, as they are not only American-born but Queens residents, from Bayside and Ozone Park, respectively.
Pintabona was one of the earliest to introduce Chilean Sea Bass to New Yorkers and promised that “popular dishes that people expect to find” will be offered, along with stuffed pastas, all baking and desserts created on premises.
“We want to be a local restaurant, appealing to local tastes,” the three agreed. They also said that the incoming pastry chef was a local resident and would be coming on board from a renowned Manhattan venue, as well as several staffers from the locale’s previous incarnation.
Gesturing to the men at his elbow, Kolaj said, “I have two of the best Italian chefs in the world right here, and one of the best pastry chefs on their way.”
The greatest challenge in breathing life into their vision has been preserving the prized details of the local landmark, while creating a state-of-the-art venue that will make long-time visitors to the site overlooking Little Bay and new visitors feel equally at home.
“We did an enormous amount of work strengthening the building and isolating any noise or vibration from the second floor,” Kolaj explained. Yet there is little trace of the extensive structural improvements. The only telltale hints are that the old mahogany-looking ceiling beams have been replaced by new ones – made of real mahogany – awaiting stain and finish.
Between the Valentino Room – lushly decorated in colors of red wine, leather, wood and velvet – and the completely renovated dining room for 70, named after New York’s beloved Mayor and onetime resident Fiorello LaGuardia, patrons will notice innovations like the wine wall and antipasto table as they pass the wine room.
This cozy space for up to 20 people brings together elements of earth and sky, from the stone floor to the lattice work ceiling, with illumination above casting a pattern of light and shadow. “We want people to get that feeling of sunlight and shadow as if they were dining al fresco at an Italian villa,” Pintabona said.
“If I wanted to have a relaxed business lunch or get together with some guy friends, this is the place I would want,” Kolaj added.
More formal, the LaGuardia Room will be at once familiar and yet wonderfully new to returning patrons, with its grand windows and a view of the improved grounds, patio and a new, larger gazebo.
“We got rid of the mundane concrete block and I think people will be impressed with what we’re doing outside,” Kolaj said, unwilling to divulge more – though confessing that “we’re trying to figure out a good place to put a bocce court.”
Familiar traces of the original place reveal themselves at every turn, amidst the splendid new features that are sure to endear Valentino’s to a whole new generation of diners.
The moldings, statuary alcoves and landings of the stairway are still there, but they lead to a second floor so thoroughly improved as to seem like a whole new venue. “We’re talking to a very accomplished artist about some sepia-toned work in the alcoves,” Kolaj mentioned in passing.
The legion of patrons with fond memories can take heart in the fact that the mural in the West room is preserved. “Of course the mural stays – I like the mural,” Kolaj said, as if surprised anyone would think of obliterating it.
Again, without altering the dimensions, the banquet facility seems larger, lighter and more airy, thanks in part to a painstakingly selected white-on-white paint scheme. “Actually, it’s Mascarpone and Navaho,” said Pintabono. “It’s amazing how the tones come alive at night and enhance any color within.”
The idea here is to guarantee that prospective brides can realize their dreams without making concessions to the venue. “The designer and artist are still exploring some finishing touches – fabrics and details,” Kolaj said. Soon however, they’ll be blocking out the windows, so that the ultimate result will be a surprise.
What is definitely larger is the bridal suite – now a true suite of over 800 square feet – with a dressing room, lounge and full bath. “No bride should have to feel like she’s waiting in a closet for her grand entrance,” Kolaj said. “She and her attendants should feel like royalty.”
Less obvious but even more welcome to those with elderly or infirm family members, the new elevator opens to a wider, more navigable hallway leading to the two levels of the banquet hall, as well as the improved service access, lighting and other utilities.
Even the banquet manager’s office, now on the third floor, is expansive and welcoming, so that prospective patrons can plan their special event in comfort. Kolaj announced that Antonio LaCarbonara, the former banquet manager, has agreed to “join the team.”
The office currently serves as the onsite design center, filled with plans and swatch boards that can be evaluated in real-world, real-time conditions. It is here that they are honing in on the final details – subtle differences in color and shape for dishes and glassware between the banquet and restaurant service, for example.
“Our goal is to meet and surpass the expectations of those who knew and loved this place, while keeping our prices at a level they were used to,” Kolaj said. Only an international master-team of designers, food and wine professionals could accomplish this and that is what Kolaj and his partners have assembled.
But make no mistake, “This place is part of Queens, not Manhattan or anywhere else,” he declared. “Valentino would be proud of what we’ve done to his place.”
