Louie's reopening in Port Washington after renovation

For 120 summers, Long Islanders have flocked to Louie’s in Port Washington. From its beginnings in 1905 as a cocktail-serving barge owned by the Zwerlein family through its move shoreside during Prohibition to subsequent owners and variations on the name, it has attracted fair-weather diners looking for a good meal on a great deck with peerless views of Manhasset Bay. Winters were another story.

When Jerry Sbarro bought the place in 2022, he began plotting to transform it into a year-round destination.

Sbarro, who also owns Rothmann’s Steakhouse in East Norwich and Matteo’s in Huntington and Roslyn Heights, observed, "It’s not like we’re in the Hamptons — we’re 10 minutes away from the Americana in Manhasset."

Sbarro and his partner, Jorge Madruga, renamed the place Louie’s Prime Steak & Seafood and operated it for two years before closing it in October and embarking on a stem-to-stern renovation. They’ve sunk a boatload of cash into the property, betting on its viability as "a 12-month restaurant." It reopens Tuesday and the public will determine if the gamble pays off.

While the views from Louie’s were always spectacular, the visuals inside were less so. Now there's no more brick walls or wooden chairs or old-fashioned light fixtures — it’s all sleek leather and brass and glass-fronted fireplaces. Interior walls have been minimized so you can see every room — and the new bar — from every room, and almost every seat has a view of the water. On the second floor, a little-used "attic" room has been transformed into an aerie from which you can make out Co-op City in the Bronx and beyond. The whole place is surrounded by dining decks and total seating capacity is more than 330.

Diners won’t see it, but the kitchen was also expanded and renovated. To run it, Sbarro hired Gregg Lauletta, a veteran fine-dining chef who had a long run at Prime: An American Kitchen & Bar in Huntington, another big, ambitious waterside eatery. Lauletta had spent the last few years as executive chef at Cherry Valley country club in Garden City but, he said, "now that the kids are in college, I’m back to the craziness of restaurants."

The kitchen’s brief was not an easy one. Sbarro was determined to upgrade his ingredients and presentations to the level of Rothmann’s, one of Long Island’s best steakhouses.

But he did not want to alienate longtime customers with an entirely new menu and so you will still find an extensive raw bar, a corned-beef Reuben with aioli ($26.50), burgers (prime short rib-brisket blend with American cheese, tomato and bibb lettuce, $26.50, or Wagyu with bacon, egg and Cheddar, $36.50), a butter-poached lobster roll (market price; you can also add caviar) as well as fish and chips (made with beer-battered cod, $29.50).

The selection of dry-aged prime steaks — from Asian-marinated skirt steak ($58.50) and filet mignon ($59.59) to porterhouse for two or four ($69.50 / person) and tomahawk rib-eye ($79 / person) — will be familiar to Rothmann’s customers. Seafood mains include Alaskan halibut with wilted spinach and saffron emulsion ($44.50), whole red snapper with spring vegetables and Champagne vinaigrette ($43.50), charred head-on prawns with frisée salad ($39.95) and 2- or 3-pound Maine lobsters (market price). There are six elaborate sushi rolls and six salads including heirloom beet and radish with arugula, fennel, pistachio and goat cheese ($19.50) and chilled seafood ($29.95).

Service is the third leg of hospitality stool Sbarro is trying to steady. "One of the problems with being busy only during the summer," he explained, "is that your best servers don’t stick around. Then, every spring you have to rehire." It’s a chicken-egg situation: Only by having great food and ambience will you be busy enough to attract the best staff.

After eight months and untold dollars invested in the new Louie’s, Sbarro is nevertheless prepared to hear variations on "We miss the old Louie’s" as he makes the rounds through the dining rooms. But the Port Washington resident believes he is ensuring the future for this 120-year-old restaurant. "I knew there was an opportunity to take it to a different level," he said, "and I had to take it."

Louie’s Prime Steak & Seafood, 395 Main St., Port Washington, 516-883-4242, louiessince1905.com. Open Sunday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.