Goodbye Crystal Ristorante
Last week the Leader Herald Newspaper in Gloversville NY ran the announcement that the Crystal Ristorante better known as the Crystal Bar was closing.
I along with my friends read the article with disbelieve. It has been a part of our lives in this area for over 60 years and no one I spoke to could believe that in a few weeks it would no longer exist.
The owner Tony Centi, owner of the Crystal Ristorante on Lyon Street, said that they were facing foreclosure proceedings and that will lead to its closing in early May.
Mr. Centi a man of honor continues to make payments on that loan.
I have been going to this restaurant for most of the 23 years I have lived in this area for dinner to play pool or just enjoy a sports night at the bar. Sometimes a few years ago I even helped my niece water the plants that she took care of for the business called “The Garden Of Eve
I have so many great memories of this place!
The variety of the Crystal Bar was unending.
If you were on a date or entertaining out of town guests you could chose to eat dinner in the upscale restaurant with table cloths and fine china and flowers on the table or chose to eat in the lounge that featured knotty pine walls and booths if you were looking for a pizza and maybe a night of playing pool.
Maybe you just wanted to sit at the bar and watch a game on one of the seven different TVs or play the quick pick lotto that most bars offer today and visit with friends.
It depended on your mood and what you were doing that evening but no matter the reason and no matter the mood this was always a great place to go for an evening of great food and fine entertainment.
We all hope that Mr. Centi realizes how much his restaurant will be missed how much we appreciate the fine courteous service we all have enjoyed over the years.
Crystal Ristorante you will be missed and Mr. Centri please don’t take all the blame. You had no idea the economy would tank. No one did.
Believe we all will miss you and wish you well.
Below is the article that was in the Leader Harold and the website for the Crystal Ristorante.
Crystal Ristorante plans to close
March 27, 2012
By JOHN R. BECKER , The Leader Herald
AMSTERDAM - A landmark restaurant in the city will close in the next few weeks.
Tony Centi, owner of the Crystal Ristorante on Lyon Street, said today that foreclosure proceedings against the restaurant will lead to its closing in early May.
BLX Capital, the company that holds Tony Centi MCIDA Executive Director Kenneth Rose said Centi continues to make payments on that loan.
"I felt it was time that I let everybody know [about the closing]," he said. "People with coupons and gift cards will have time to redeem them."
The Crystal Ristorante has been a fixture in the city for more than 60 years.
Tony Centi's grandfather, Anthony Centi, purchased a two-family residence and converted it to a restaurant. Tony's father, Gabe Centi, ran it for several years.
"My grandfather opened the restaurant in 1945, and my father took over in the '50s," Tony Centi said this morning. "I took over when my father retired about 25 years ago."
In the 1980s, Gabe Centi renovated the bar and enlarged the dining room area.
Tony Centi is most concerned about the people he has employed for many years, he said.
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