Myles on Main opens in Riverhead's Preston Hotel

And now for something completely different.

For its first four years, the restaurant at Riverhead’s boutique Preston Hotel was an expensive, ambitious, chef-driven venue. When it opened in 2018, the kitchen at Preston House was helmed by Matthew Boudreau; he was succeeded by Kyle Koenig, Drew Hiatt and Dmytro Guydash. All of them were veterans of high-end East End restaurants; none stayed more than two years.

But now the eatery, located in a 119-year-old home that connects to the hotel, has changed directions. Myles on Main, which opened in June, aims to be a casual crowd-pleaser.

The Preston properties (like the Long Island Aquarium and Hyatt Place hotel across the street) are owned by the Petrocelli family. According to general manager Alberto Longhi, the new operator, American Resort Management, wanted to "cater specifically to the Riverhead community." (Richard Coleman, owner of American Resort Management, named the restaurant after his grandson, Myles.)

Longhi said that while the original restaurant concept was designed more for weekenders and day trippers than "for the people who actually live in Riverhead, we want to serve family-oriented comfort food, for children but also for their parents."

The restaurant retains its chic interior, with seating on the main floor, upstairs, on a wraparound deck and in the front courtyard. But burgers ($14.95 to $16.95) are front and center on chef Hector Oviedeo’s menu: There’s a classic cheeseburger, a brunch burger (topped with bacon, egg, cheese and red-pepper aioli), a black ‘n’ bleu burger (blue cheese) and a vegetarian black-bean burger. All half-pound patties are served with excellent homemade fries.

Sandwiches ($14.95 to $17.95) include grilled chicken or sirloin, a Reuben, a meatball hero and a classic turkey club. Crowd-pleasing starters ($12.95 to $24.95) include chips with salsa and queso, a giant meatball, fried cheese, raw shellfish and shrimp ceviche. Mains ($15.95 to $24.95) range from meatloaf, steak frites and braised short ribs to lasagna, penne with chicken and eggplant rollatini.

The kids menu ($6.95 to $8.95) features hot dogs, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, chicken tenders and meatball sliders, all served with fries. And, for the month of August, kids under 13 eat for half price (for every main entree ordered). Care for a side wager? Sign up to receive marketing emails and you will be entered in a lottery for a weekly prize (free dinner for four) or monthly prize (dinner for four plus tickets to the aquarium and a night at the hotel).

Myles on Main, 428 E, Main St., Riverhead, 631-775-1550, mylesonmain.com. Open noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday.