FOODIE

A Telling Visit To Tellers Chophouse
By Luann & Jennifer / foodie@longislandernews.com

When the Foodies hit the road, it’s always for a good reason, and we now know of no better one than Tellers in Islip.

Defined as an “American chophouse,” Tellers is where class, elegance and a flare for sophistication meet world-class dining. Brought to you by the same family that owns Prime in Huntington and H2O Seafood Grill in Smithtown, Tellers brings the same exceptional experience – local seafood dishes are fresh and succulent, and the steaks exceptional. The service is impeccable as well – even the care with which water is poured caught our attention.

And all this is enjoyed in a gorgeous dining room, layered with shades of neutrals and browns, with romantic lighting, a high ceiling and 30-foot windows. A curtain drawn on one side gave us a glimpse of fall foliage outside.

The restaurant opened in 1999 and operates in a renovated 1927 grand stone bank. It was in the dining room that the bank tellers conducted daily business. Seated at our table, we had a perfect view of a window high above that overlooked the room. It made us feel that any minute, a king and queen would emerge and give a little wave, but General Manager Dion Raftis explained that, before there were security cameras, it was through that window that the bank manager would oversee transactions.

Across from the dining room and below the window is Tellers’ secret treasure under lock and key – a legitimate vault, housing 10,000 bottles of wine and 1,000 labels from all over the world; you can feel the cooler temperature with a step inside. There are five wine cellars in the restaurant, showing you that when it comes to wine, Tellers means business. The restaurant updates its wine list four or five times a week and has received Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence” time and again.

We started our evening with a glass of chardonnay, handpicked for us by our waiter Luis. All around us, patrons were savoring their rib-eye steaks and sharing a plate of thin onion strings or a bottle of wine. Seated behind us was a man who deals in Bordeaux, and we were happy to strike up a conversation with a local wine enthusiast as we waited to see what Tellers’ new chef, Marc Anthony Bynum, formerly sous chef at Prime and former chef at Rookies in Huntington village, would whip out for us.

Tellers’ raw bar ranges in price from a half dozen of oysters on the half shell ($10) to a lobster cocktail ($25), or, if you’re pulling out all the stops, the Tellers Seafood Tower with oysters, clams, shrimp, crab, tuna, mussels and king crab ($65). We started with a trio of oysters served beautifully over a bed of sea salts. One came poached over delicately creamed spinach, another roasted with rosemary, and the third cornmeal crusted over broccoli rabe and red onion – all tender and plump, all delicious and fresh, all of which made us unsure we would ever be able to order oysters anywhere else but Tellers.

There are a variety of salads, from a hearts of iceberg ($9) to a playful arugula, feta and grapefruit with champagne vinaigrette ($11). We went with the heirloom tomato salad, with goat cheese, balsamic reduction, a lemon vinaigrette and fennel. The dish easily could have been overpowered by the fennel or goat cheese, but Bynum perfectly balanced all ingredients for a palate perfect treat.

The entrees are a delightful combination of continental choices, from crispy skin salmon ($22) to striped bass ($32). Steak from boutique ranches using traditional cattle raising methods range from $36 to $38, while Tellers’ classic USDA Prime 21-day dry-aged meats offer other options, like the Tellers Rib Eye ($49).

We traded in our chardonnay for a glass of “J” Pinot Noir to accompany our entrée – a mouthwatering surf and turf of New York dry-aged sirloin and over mashed potatoes alongside a tender, perfectly cooked scallop wrapped in a shrimp atop mushrooms au jus. Tender and tasty, the steak was among the best we’ve had on Long Island.

For dessert, we sipped on an elegant Barros Colheita port 1950, velvety and rich with a long finish. All desserts are made in house at Tellers. Classic crème brulée ($8) is perfectly prepared, with just the right thickness of infused sugar on top. The Molten Chocolate Cake ($8), described by a patron next to us as “off the hook,” has a warm, rich melted chocolate center surrounded by moist chocolate cake. Pumpkin cheesecake is creamy and festive.

Whether it’s for a romantic dinner for two, a business meeting for many or a night at the “Gold Bar” to enjoy live jazz on Thursday evenings, Tellers is the place to be. The combination of old world charm and sleek contemporary modernism brings an old-fashioned emphasis on quality, class and service into the modern age.

Tellers

605 Main St.
Islip
631-277-7070
www.tellerschophouse.com

Atmosphere: Warm, sleek and sophisticated

Cuisine: Chophouse

Price range: Expensive

Hours:
Dinner: Mon.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m.,
Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m., Sun. 3-9 p.m.
Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sunday brunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Main Menu