Daily News from New York, New York • 784

9 CO WELCOME BACK id DWSTTDTriUTDOWAIL1 UJ Qu to OJOSONE Landmark eateries are cultural treasures, too yyv w'V'T -T 'xaL Mttt" Begin with clams on the half-shell Maryland crabcakes. fried oysters grilled vegetables ($6.95) or she-crab soup If you are feeling especially opulent, go for the chilled seafood extravaganza ($35 for two, $65 for four). For your entree, choose the mixed seafood grill soft shell crabs pan roast oysters ($16.95) and Gage Tollner NY strip steak The Edna Lewis legacy includes a chicken menu of such dishes as fried chicken with bacon and corn fritters ($13.95) and chicken and dumplings ($13.95) Gage also orders a prix fixe $18.79 lunch in honor of the founding year. It includes a choice of appetizer, entree, dessert and coffee or tea. Gage Tollner.

372 Fulton Mall (near Bow Hall), Downtown Brooklyn. 718-875-5181. No restaurant in the history of Brooklyn was mourned for as long as Lundy's. Closed for over 20 years, people still got misty-eyed when they recalled the cavernous fortress on Sheepshead Bay. Over the years, there had been rumors of reopening, but nothing ever happened.

Last year, when theTAM Restaurant Group and Frank and Jeanne Cretella quietly began the restoration project on Lundy skeptics again shook their heads. But even the most cold-hearted cynic shed tears of joy when the restau- by Lissa Wyman There is a gastronomic renaissance blooming in Brooklyn. Within the past year, Lundy's and Gage Tollner have been resurrected from the dead. Meanwhile, Peter Luger, the archetype of all steak houses, sticks to the simple feeding formula it invented in 1887. These restaurants are legendary for more than mere food.

They symbolize all that is best about Brooklyn: beauty, charm, history and sensory delight. Gage Tollner in the heart of downtown, is an architectural landmark as well as an historical eating place. Brooklyn restauranteur Joseph Chirico took over ownership last Summer and has modernized the kitchen, electrical and plumbing system and restored the interior to its former gas-lit glory. The restaurant reopened just a month ago. The exterior and interior both have landmark status, so everything looks just about the same as it did back in 1879.

Perhaps Gage Tollner was the original theme restaurant. Victorian patrons entered a fantasy world of a deluxe Pullman dining car. The room was long and narrow, lined with heavy mahogany tables. Laughing diners were reflected in mahogany framed mirrors that lined the walls. These "windows" were surrounded by deep burgundy flocked wall coverings.

Every evening at 6 p.m. the ornate Tiffany gas chandeliers were lit by an official lamplighter. In the early days, all the waiters were black, just as it was on the nation's passenger trains. They wore elegant tuxedo jackets and long white aprons. Their uniforms carried the hash marks of their service: a gold bar for each year, a star for five years, an eagle for 10 years.

Plates were carried "on the arm" rather on a tray. Chirico has masterfully re-invented the past. The waiters use trays now, and of course, they represent every race. But everything else is just the same, right down to the hash marks and the ceremonial lamplighting. Old timers may even recognize Wade Sinclair, who Gage Tollner has been the site of thousands of memorable Brooklyn family traditions.

served as a bartender and maitre d' for nearly 30 years. He's back, too. There is also a period feeling about-the menu. The dishes are listed. in a straightforward fashion, without the modern-day descriptive hyperbole.

The food has been updated to reflect current tastes, and every night there is a list of market-fresh specials. Fresh fish and meat are still the restaurant's mainstay. Chirico has also wisely retained many of the famous southern dishes that chef Edna Lewis brought to the restaurant during her tenure in the 80's. 1 Crown Clothiers "We Made A Big Buy -You Save Big Bucks!" Mewly Arrived Sport Jackets Today's Latest 3 Button Double Breasted Classic 2 Button Sport Coats Blazers Can the new Lundy's take the place of ft's treasured predecessor? UJ (SIZES 36-52 NOT ALL SIZES IN ALL COLORS) OUR PRICE ject. They had to produce a group of dishes that was reminiscent of the old days, but palatable to today's tastes.

(Never fear, there are still shore dinners and flaky biscuits). The Summer is a perfect time to visit the new. Lundy's. You can dine outside at the newly-opened Clam Bar while you enjoy the stunning (Continues on page 16) rant re-opened late last year. Some people will swear it's the old Lundy's, back again and magically restored.

Actually, the only original piece in the place is a small part of the stairway. After more than 20 years of abandonment, nothing was salvageable. Using old photographs and memories of former patrons, the new owners literally re-created the decor. The menu was another delicate pro 8 49 Jg9 1145-S275 (0 3 0.