KINGSTON LITTLE ITALY EXPANSION
Completion of Midtown restaurant, including former RJ’s Lounge, expected in early June
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Completion is set for June on a restaurant expansion that included renovation of a closed-up Midtown bar.
Three years after the Kingston Planning Board gave the green-light for the expansion of Little Italy on Thomas Street, an opening of a new banquet facility is expected in early June, according to Mark Guido, a coowner with his father, Frank, of the restaurant.
The work is being performed at the former RJ’s Lounge, a bar closed since 2009, that sits adjacent to Little Italy.
According to a press release, the 2,200-square-foot space in will seat up to 125 guests “for private functions ranging from rehearsal dinners and anniversary parties to post-funeral gatherings.”
The Guido family, which also operates Mariner’s Harbor in Downtown Kingston and Port of Call in Catskill, said the extra space was needed at the popular Midtown eatery known for its family-style dining.
The family bought the city-owned vacant building about five years ago and hired Kingston architect Scott Dutton, who years ago, had also designed Mariner’s at 1 Broadway.
Renovations at the Midtown location included knocking down walls, repairing the roof, adding insulation and installing a new floor.
“The building was in shambles,” Dutton said in the press release. “It was raining in there. The roof should have been repaired 20 years ago, so the first thing we did was stabilize the building.”
RJ’s, which the Guidos purchased for the $52,000 owed to the city in taxes, included a combined kitchendining area and bar.
“We opened it up so it’s one large open room,” Dutton said. “We took the wall down on the end that faces Broadway, so it will be a wall of glass that overlooks a landscaped area. There’s also going to be a patio space outside, which will be going up in the next few weeks.”
The new dining space will be accessible from a hallway inside Little Italy, leading to a covered sidewalk that connects the buildings, Dutton said.
The Kingston architect already had knowledge of the primary building, which has housed several restaurants over the years. In 1998, he designed Kaare’s Roadhouse Grill, which became Carmine’s of Kingston in 2001. The Cosimo family took it over in 2004. The Guidos opened Little Italy in 2007.
Dutton said the new space is designed to blend with the architectural style of the existing restaurant.
“The interior will carry on the theme of the Little Italy space with exposed brick and that rustic, industrial feel,” he said.
One of the walls at the extension will feature a mural painted by a local artist, depicting scenes of Italy.
Local contractors were hired for all phases of the project, including Jeff Lowe Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, J & A Roofing, Herzog’s Home and Paint Center and Ryan Bradley Construction.
The new space already has been booked for a customer’s 90th birthday party in early June, and the Guidos expect to hire additional staff in the coming weeks. They said the room will fill a need for more intimate gatherings.
“It’s almost like having dinner at your family’s house. It’s like going to Sunday dinner at your grandmother’s house. You feel like you’re part of the family,” said Mark Guido in the release.
The restaurant’s growth reflects positive changes in Midtown Kingston, Frank Guido has said in the past.
Local contractors were hired for he project, including Jeff Lowe Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, J & A Roofing, Herzog’s Home and Paint Center and Rian Bradley Construction.