By CLAYTON PARK

The former O'Neill's Pub & Eatery in Lake City, which closed down last summer, has reopened as Lake City Bar & Grill, a new restaurant owned by veteran restaurateur Dino Trapalis.

Trapalis most recently owned a successful restaurant chain called Neapolis Pizza & Pasta, which he sold last year after running it for nearly a decade. The chain had locations in Brier, Lake Stevens, Snohomish and Juanita Drive.

Trapalis, a native of southern Greece who moved here as a teen, got his start in the restaurant business at age 16, working for two years as a bus boy at the Edgewater Inn along the Seattle waterfront before going into the Navy where he served as a cook on a transport ship during the Vietnam War.

Upon completing his military stint, he found a job waiting for him back at the Edgewater, this time as maitre'd. He was later recruited to manage the swanky Latitude 47 restaurant on Lake Union. Other restaurant management stints followed, including a couple North Seattle establishments: Val's Cafe on Phinney Ridge (1977-1980) and Fremont Dock Restaurant in the '80s.

When he sold his Neapolis restaurants, Trapalis figured he was ready to call it a career. He was all set to semi-retire in Palm Springs when he was talked out of it at the last minute by a longtime friend who convinced him to became partners in a new restaurant venture, taking over the recently closed O'Neill's Pub.

They ran the restaurant (which they renamed Mikono's) together for a few months until December, when Trapalis decided to buy his partner out and go it alone. In doing so, he decided to rename the restaurant Lake City Bar & Grill, saying that it's his way of "giving it back to the community."

The restaurant's menu offers an array of American dishes, although Trapalis says he plans to include some special Greek dishes as well. He says his restaurant's specialties are its homemade hashbrowns and omelettes during breakfast and its dinnertime steaks and sauteed seafood. He also plans to remodel the restaurant's cocktail lounge, by adding live entertainment.

"I'd like to bring back the old piano bar atmosphere here," he says, "the old sing-along piano bar-type cocktail lounge that's really needed these days."

Trapalis adds that he believes Lake City is a great place for a restaurant like his to be. "I think the potential is here," noting the plans for new development all around the area. "There are so many things going on that I think Lake City is going to flourish."

He adds: "I have a sign in my house that reads: 'These are the good old days.' We can make them the good old days again."

Lake City Bar & Grill is located at 12725 Lake City Way NE.