Long Islanders who’ve been bemoaning the June closing of The Jolly Fisherman can smile once again as Pietro’s, a bastion of Italian fare in midtown Manhattan since 1932, just opened a second restaurant in this spectacular Roslyn waterside setting.
Named for Pietro Donnini, Pietro’s was originally run by Donnini and two of his brothers, one of whom was Billy Bruckman Jr.’s grandfather.
Marrying into the family, Bruckman’s father, Bill Bruckman Sr., was invited to join the business.
“He started off as a busboy, moved on to waiter, and worked his way up,” says Bruckman. “Eventually, my grandfather and two other partners wound up controlling the business.”
For about a decade or so, the Bruckman family had been looking to expand to Long Island. The recent Covid-19 pandemic, which led to many of their Long Island patrons no longer venturing west to dine at their city restaurant, cemented the idea.
A Serendipitous Meal
A friend of the Bruckman family was having dinner with an investor friend of his at The Jolly Fisherman when they heard a rumor that its owners, Lori and Steven Scheiner, were considering selling it. The investor said he’d love to buy the location but only if a solid tenant would occupy the space.
“Our friend said, ‘I have the perfect guys for you: You’re going to love them,’ says Bruckman. ‘They’re regular guys. I go to their place in the city all the time and I love them.’’’
The deal came together very quickly, with both parties barely discussing numbers.
“The investor said, ‘We know you guys. We would love for you guys to be the tenant in our location.’ He says, ‘I’m only doing it if it’s Pietro’s. Otherwise, I’m out: I don’t want the deal.’”
As an ode to the Scheiner family, Pietro’s will create an appetizer called “The Jolly Pietro,” though Bruckman won’t disclose exactly what it is: People will have to order it to find out.
“They’ll be proud to see that on the menu when they come in,” Bruckman says. “Steve said he’ll be a regular here. He frequents our restaurant in the city. He loves it and he seems very proud that the restaurant is being taken over by third-generation operators, like The Jolly Fisherman was.”
Renovating the space to attain a more elegant, up-to-date look, was, again, a family effort – done by Sylvia Bruckman, Billy Bruckman Jr.’s mother.
To increase the floor space, they’ve removed the banquettes and will be able to comfortably accommodate 200-plus diners.
“It’s beautifully decorated by my mother,” says Bruckman.
Subtle Changes to the Menu
About 80 % of the menu will be the same as the original Pietro’s, notes Bruckman.
“We trimmed the fat,” Bruckman says. “We took some items off of the city menu that didn’t sell. We didn’t see a need to bring them over to Long Island.”
Louis Jara, the chef from Pietro’s in New York City, will serve as executive chef of the new establishment.
“He’s going to bounce back and forth between locations, but his primary location is going to be Long Island,” Bruckman says. “So this is why people can expect the food to taste exactly like what it does in the city. We’re using the same vendors, the same recipes.”
The menu will include some new items not available in the city, such as lobster, which in the city, is only available when you make your reservation. On Long Island, it will be a staple of the menu.
“We’ll do a nice 2- to 2 1/2-pound lobster,” Bruckman says. “We’ll cook it Fra Diavolo or however they want it.”
Each night there’ll be at least a quartet of soups to choose from: minestrone, lentil, onion soup gratinee and pasta fagioli. Other starters include antipasto, scampi, prosciutto with melon, and roasted peppers.
Seafood appetizers include clams (casino, sauteed or on the half shell), shrimp or crabmeat cocktail, smoked salmon and seafood salad.
Salad offerings range from chopped to Caesar, arugula and endive, caprese, mixed greens, tomato, asparagus, broccoli, string bean, and beet.
For pasta, there’s spaghetti with a choice of Bolognese, marinara, Fra Diavolo or alla vodka sauce, spaghetti with meatballs, meat ravioli, cannelloni with spinach or meat, eggplant Parm, linguini with clam sauce, ziti Siciliana (with chopped broccoli, garlic and oil), lasagna, and Pietro’s original shells a la Nat – named after one of the Donnino brothers – which is gratineed pasta cooked in bone marrow sauce.
Steaks and chops come courtesy of the highest-quality meat.
“The best that we can buy,” says Bruckman, noting that Pietro’s preparation really stands out. “People love them. We get rave reviews about our steaks. Some people consider us a steakhouse.”
Chicken dishes include Provençal (roasted half chicken garnished with garlic and oil); Tetrazzini (boneless chicken with mushrooms in a brown cream sauce with Parmesan cheese over fettucine); scarpariello (pan fried with sausage in white-wine garlic, lemon and rosemary sauce), and the house special, chicken Pietro (a half chicken pan fried with mushrooms, onions and peppers).
“Most of the dishes are traditional Italian dishes done with excellent ingredients,” says Bruckman.
Veal specialties feature Marsala, scaloppine, Parmigiana, saltimbocca, cacciatore, piccata, Francese, Milanese, and veal and peppers.
Personally, Bruckman recommends the veal chop Parmigiana Fra Diavolo.
“It’s delicious, if you like spicy,” says Bruckman. “It’s pounded out around the bone, Parmigiana-style with some kick.”
Seafood specialties include Dover sole, filet of sole, red snapper, salmon and swordfish, and shrimp Parmigiana, shrimp marinara and shrimp salad.
Some things, like sauteed clams, will be available nightly – though not on the menu.
“It’s kind of an inside thing,” says Bruckman. “The same with the steak Tartare. If you’re in the know, you order it and we’ll have it for you.”
For desserts, there’s ice cream, tiramisu, Italian cheesecake, crème brûlée cheesecake, red velvet cake and cannoli-flavored cake.
“We’re going to continuously add on and improve the dessert menu,” says Bruckman, adding, “We’ll continue to rotate things, bring some new things in, just to keep it fresh.”
Located at 25 Main St., Roslyn, Pietro’s is open Tuesday to Thursday, 4:30 to 9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 8 p.m., and closed on Monday. Phone: 516-407-3255; pietros.com By spring 2024, Pietro’s LI will also open for lunch.
PARTNER CONTENT
