Strip club chef changes in Melville
Gossip, the Melville gentlemen's nightclub on Route 110 that closed this summer, has undergone a million-dollar renovation that includes an upscale steakhouse separate from the dance floor. Credit: Meghan Giannotta
Char602, the steakhouse inside the newly renovated Gossip Gentleman’s Club in Melville, has lost the three-star chef who created the menu, as well as some of its culinary mojo.
When the restaurant opened in December, it had ambitions beyond providing sustenance to patrons who had come for the strippers. Lending his culinary luster to the kitchen was Vincent P. Michaels, whose two J. Michaels Tuscan Steakhouses (in Northport and Oyster Bay) had both received three stars from Newsday’s Peter M. Gianotti. Both restaurants closed late last year. Michaels says he has been struggling with health issues.
The kitchen is now under the command of Steven La Greca, who studied at the Star Academy cooking school in Syosset and cooked at J. Michaels in Northport.
Michaels characterized his original menu as “steakhouse with South Beach flair and touches of Italian, French and Asian” and it included many of the chef’s culinary flights of fancy. The new menu is more down to earth, and the non-steak items are largely Italian-American: baked clams, fried calamari and sole Francese over grilled zucchini.
Char602 is located on the main floor of Gossip, separated from the lounge and stage only by a glass wall.
Char602 is at 602 Broadhollow Rd., Melville, 631-652-1222, gossipclubny.com.
Most Popular
