Culpers 1778 steakhouse to open in East Setauket

More than a year after Mario’s Italian restaurant closed in East Setauket, the venue has new owners and a new concept. Local restaurateurs Ed Fabian, Scott Brittman and Chris Otero are planning to open a modern steakhouse, Culpers 1778, in the 250-seat space.

The name refers to the Culper Ring which, according to the Three Village Historical Society, was "the nation’s first spy ring [and] operated in secrecy, providing General George Washington with critical information that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution."

The spy ring was based in Setauket and New York City and was, Fabian said, "an important part of local history." (Since the broadcast of the AMC series "Turn: Washington's Spies" from 2014 to 2017, it’s also a famous part of local history.)

Fabian is a partner in Billie's 1890 Saloon in Port Jefferson as well as Artemis, the Prohibition-themed cocktail bar that is due to open later this spring at Station Yards in Ronkonkoma. Brittman and Otero own Port Jefferson’s Whiskey Barrel. All three grew up in the area and, for their chef, they tapped another Three Village native, Ron Ellis, whose resume includes a number of Manhattan restaurants and who served as executive chef at both Esme and Freek's Mill in Brooklyn.

Culper 1778’s menu is still a work in progress but Fabian said that the focus will be prime steaks. "When you get east of Vintage in St. James and Insignia in Smithtown," he said, "there’s really no other steakhouses on the North Shore until you get to ... Europe."

Right now, the team is transforming Mario’s into an upscale venue, ripping up the carpets and laying down wood floors, replacing the bar and all the upholstery. "There’s a lot of dated sponged walls," Fabian noted, "and a lot of brick walls that have been covered up that we are going to expose." The layout, he said, offers a lot of options, with five distinct areas — a main dining room, a bar, a covered porch and two additional rooms for dining or private parties.

"We probably won’t open all the rooms to start," he said, "but we’d love to get the bar open in May."