Hempstead Tpke. , new restaurant row?
An aerial view of Hempstead Turnpike, facing west. The tall building at right is the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. (Nov. 3, 2010) Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin
First, RUB BBQ, now this. Rick Laakkonen, who starred at The River Cafe in Brooklyn, restaurants Ilo and Delmonico's in Manhattan, and trained in France under Alain Ducasse, is the chef at East Meadow's just-opened Jake's Steakhouse.
Hempstead Turnpike — Long Island's new restaurant row?
East Meadow — a dining hub?
Jake's Steakhouse moves into the former location of Runyon's, an establishment known more for imbibing than dining. The owners of the original Jake's, in Riverdale, knew the owners of the site, liked the demographics and the space, deal done.
Laakkonen is the executive chef at Jake's, where the menu differs from the Riverdale restaurant's. Laakkonen's fare goes from crabcakes, clams casino and a major raw bar to seared sirloin-and-scallion rolls; 28-day aged steaks and half-pound burgers to crisp red snapper with eggplant, olives, capers and spicy tomato sauce and a family-style brodetto di mare for up 20 people.
Jake's Steakhouse is at 2172 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow; 516-222-8400.
The turnpike.
