New London's Brass Rail to be reimagined by new restaurant owner
New London — It had been the city’s last gay bar. O’Neill’s Brass Rail at 52 Bank St. closed its doors for good in 2020, one of the many establishments that fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic.
Standing outside on the restaurant’s sprawling but obviously aging back deck with a panoramic view of the water, Sal D’Angelo says he sees an opportunity here where others might have hesitated.
D’Angelo, 35, purchased the building earlier this month and has ambitious plans to remake the entire building. Work crews have been busy stripping away years of neglect in anticipation of a full renovation that could see a new restaurant opening before the end of the year.
His initial idea for a theme is a global street food concept, favorite dishes from around the world that could include everything from a falafel and Cubano to a birria taco and lumpia, a crispy Filipino spring roll. He has enlisted chef Anthony Swift, who previously worked at Tony D’s, to cook and plans to run the front of the house.
D’Angelo is calling the new restaurant The Blue Duck Bar and Restaurant. The name is a reference to a line from the 1995 Adam Sandler movie “Billy Madison.” Asked by his teacher why he drew a duck blue, Madison replies that he’d never seen a blue duck “and to be honest with you, I wanted to see a blue duck.”
D’Angelo said the so-called “Blue Duck Philosophy” is about creating something original, like a piece of art or in this case a restaurant.
“I didn’t see a lot of what I’m trying to do around here, something different and original. If you want to see it, you have to create it,” he said.
D’Angelo has plenty of expert support if needed. He is the son of Tony D’s owner Tony Angelo and nephew of Steve “Stash” Schiavone, who runs the On the Waterfront restaurant. Both are celebrated New London restaurant owners.
“I’ve learned a lot, especially from my father and Stash. I watched what they were doing and picked up a few things,” he said.
While he grew up in the restaurant industry and worked at Tony D’s for years, D’Angelo said his focus in recent years had been in real estate. He is the owner of several multifamily homes but said he saw an opportunity to invest in a restaurant. Now seemed like the right time.
Public records show he bought the Brass Rail for $179,000. US Properties brokered the deal and represented both the buyer and seller, ALE Properties LLC. The property had been on the city’s tax delinquency list.
D’Angelo said he considered the purchase price a “fair deal,” considering the investment needed to not only bring it back to life but restore a building in desperate need.
A lot of the demolition is already completed, leaving D’Angelo a blank canvas to rebuild. The building still has good bones, he said in a recent tour, but he pointed out some obvious spots in need of repair, such as the squishy subfloor and hole in the floor left under the bar where water appeared to have been leaking for years.
D’Angelo said he already has ideas on layout of the bar but plans to take his time “to do it right.” While it would be nice to have an opening in time to accommodate summer crowds, he said there is still too much up in the air because of the pandemic to rush an opening.
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