Long Time, No See

Now, I don't want to bring any trouble or unwanted attention down on the head of the owner of any landmark restaurant or bar, but, after having waited patiently for months, I have to ask: What is going on with the Long Island Restaurant on Atlantic?

The iconic, Art Deco Brooklyn diner, which was founded in 1951 and looks like 1951, pulled down its roller shutter in early September. A note on the door said it was closed, listing a number to call in case of emergency. The shuttering alarmed some regulars, so The Brooklyn Paper did some sniffing about and discovered that the owner, Emma Sullivan, whose people came from Spain, had closed the place to pay visit to the Iberian peninsula to celebrate the birth of a new baby in the family. The Paper published something to this effect on Sept. 15 and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But now it's Nov. 11, two months later, and that roller shutter is still down. I (perhaps rather rashly) called the phone number posted on the door, but received no response. Then, recently, I was talking to someone who lives near the restaurant and they said Sullivan had somehow injured herself in Spain, and it was this mishap that was delaying her return. I have no way of knowing if this is true. But it would explain a lot.

I suppose I could run down to the Montero Bar and Grill, which sits just down the street and is run by Sullivan's sister-in-law, Pilar, but, after reading this article in the New York Times about the two sisters bizarre, cryptic, lingering feud, I'm hesitant to mention the name of Sullivan inside the walls of Montero's, as much as I might want a $2 Rolling Rock.

Again, I don't want cause Sullivan et al any undue stress. But, if anyone out there can shed any light on the matter, please direct the info this way and cool my fevered imagination.