The Hideaway at the Seaport closed on August 15, after 10 years at that sweet corner location, and when I went to write it up, I figured it’d be more fun to shine the spotlight on the original Hideaway on Duane Park — still going strong after 18 years.

I checked in with Gael Delehanty, who started there as a waitress in 2007, a year after they opened, and is now the general manager. The owners are anonymous — Gael is the real face of the place (that’s bartender Erik Denitz with her, above) — so the answers below are all her. (The Spotlight feature is reserved for the businesses that have been around awhile and don’t get the coverage they should.)

Who opened The Hideaway?
It was a bunch of finance guys from the Chesapeake Bay area, hence the Maryland blue crabs that we serve every summer. They took the lease in 2005, and opened in early 2006. And The Hideaway was the name of a bar that used to be on the Duke campus, so this is a tribute to that.

So does it feel like your bar?
Well, I don’t have official ownership but I have a sense of ownership. The owners are hands off. I started as a waitress in 2007 — I can mark that because I was here when the market dropped in 2008. I am behind the stick [slang for bartending!] on Thursday nights and Saturdays, because now I have kids [she lives in Dumbo and her kids are 5 and 9] and I am here in the morning to do fun things like paperwork.

What are you known for?
I think for being a place for local regulars. We know our customers — our staff has been here for a really long time as well. We don’t have a lot of turnover. That’s our thing. We also have really good food for a bar! We are absolutely a bar – we are not a restaurant – but we have a great menu.

What happened at the Seaport?
It was just the usual circumstances. The Hideaway Seaport loved being a part of that community for the past 10 years. With our lease expiring, it’s great timing for us to focus all our energy on our flagship location in Tribeca.

What’s the most satisfying part of what you do?
Honestly, the sense of community. I love it here. I love the bar. I love the customers. I love my coworkers. The passage of time hasn’t changed that, even though my life has changed. A bar job is surprisingly a great job for a mom. I am available to my kids during the day and I can have a flexible schedule.

What’s your most popular food order?
We started out strong with our burger, so I would be remiss not to mention it, but I personally think the quesadilla is something special. There is a lot of love that goes into that. It’s so consistent. Our cooks – Berto and Saloman – have been with us for a decade. They were at Tribeca Pizza and when it closed, we brought them here.

Tribeca has obviously changed a lot since you started….
Oh, there have been several different eras! I’ve seen people who were newlyweds when I met them and they are now sending their kids to college. There was a little boy who used to come behind the bar with me and now he’s ordering drinks. We got through covid, we got through the 2008 market crash, we got through a lot of changes.

Lately it does feel a little a little bit younger than it used to? But maybe it’s because I am getting older.

Do you have any good customer stories?
For sure, but none that I’d be willing to tell here. Maybe over a drink sometime.

Where do you eat/drink/shop around here?
Our neighbor forever was Max, and on the rare occasions I go out, I just go back to Max. Some of us have been known to spend some time in Terroir. The bartenders here all prefer tequila or wine. Oh, and I visit Madeline next door at Duane Park Patisserie as often as I can.

What does the future hold?
You know, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary soon and I am hoping we just keep staying the same. A reliable spot with good food and a decent hangout. There’s nothing new on the horizon and that’s kind of the point.