New Haven Independent

Pren Tushag and his son Nicholas (pictured) were drilling away at the site of One Grand Ave as the sun shone on the Quinnipiac River Thursday afternoon.

Nicholas, wearing a camouflage shirt that covered up an arm of tattoos, stood in the sun outside the 1885 Roland T. Warner building at the foot of the Grand Avenue Bridge. With walls dismantled, its historic innards stood bared to the traffic. Pren stood inside in the shade for a moment before hauling the next board on his back.

The Tushags work together every day.

“We’re partners,” explained Pren, “father and son.” Originally from the Bronx, they now live on Lenox Street, right across the river. They run their own construction company, P N C Home Works.

Developer David Vieau, who’s turning the former hardware store into a mix of condos and street-front retail, hired the local contractors to do the framing on the rehab job. The swings of their hammers are the final chapter to a year-and-a-half-long battle over how the space should be used. (Click here and here for background stories).

A banner advertising condos by the river hung over their heads as they drilled.

When would the project be done? The Tushags didn’t know. Vieau hadn’t replied by press time. And the man on the roof could not be reached for comment.

Lanterns Hung On New Bistro

Across the river, workers swarmed inside Martin’s Riverside Restaurant, the newest waterfront dining spot in Fair Haven Heights. After getting approval from the zoning board last Thursday to create two adjacent eateries, restaurant owner Martin Ferrari paced between cell phone calls, overseeing the scene.

Joe Dunleavy, who used to run the Stillwater Bistro and now will become top chef of the two spots, is pictured (at right) with Ferrari (at left) examining his new digs. The new menu? Raw oysters, clams, seafood, and grille fare. And a good oyster stew.

The theme of the decor is decidedly nautical.

A string of jellyfish-themed lanterns (like this one, pictured) lay ready to be hung on the new bar.

“Too blue?” asked Ferrari, examining the new seats, which matched the color of his shirt. He put them on a raised platform, to maximize river views. Next door, where the bistro used to be, the space will be rented out for private parties, seven days a week, said Ferrari. There’ll be valet parking down the street. And landlord Joel Schiavone has promised a new driveway out front.

The grills will be fired up, and the restaurants opened, in the first week of April, Ferrari said. Meanwhile, the web site’s already cookin’.