Newest 'Law & Order' spinoff films at LI restaurant

The upcoming "Law & Order" spinoff filmed for a day last week at the Port Washington restaurant Louie's Grill & Liquors.

"Law & Order: Organized Crime," in which former "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Christopher Meloni reprises his role as NYPD Det. Elliot Stabler, shot at the more than century-old establishment on Thursday from about 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., series locations manager Dennis Voskov confirmed to Newsday. The restaurant was closed for the interior shoot, a Louie's manager said.

"Louie's is a great looking space that made sense for our scene," Voskov, whose credits include the film "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and such TV series as "Blue Bloods," told Newsday in an email. "It both has an upscale quality while retaining local hangout charm. I used Louie's for a movie about 10 years ago and remembered it as being a great experience. The same was true this time around."

The scene featured co-star Dylan McDermott's character having dinner with friends.

The new series, also starring Tamara Taylor, Danielle Moné Truitt and Ainsley Seiger, finds the long-retired Stabler, former police partner of "SVU" Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), rejoining the NYPD following a devastating personal loss. Becoming part of an elite task force, he aims to rebuild his life while helping to try to dismantle New York City's criminal syndicates.

NBC in March 2020 gave "Law & Order" franchise creator Dick Wolf a 13-episode order for the series, the latest in a line that began with the 1990-2010 original and has included "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (2001-2011), "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (2005-06) and "Law & Order: LA" (2010-11).

"Law & Order: Organized Crime" debuts April 1 with the episode "What Happens in Puglia," the second part of a two-hour crossover with "Law & Order: SVU."

Louie's began in 1905 as founder Louis Zwerlein's floating bar, a barge called Kare Killer, according to the restaurant's website. With the coming of Prohibition in 1920, the business relocated on land as a seafood eatery near the town dock, and eventually moved to Main Street. It expanded its space in 1954 and underwent extensive renovation in 2002.