Ruby's Coop opens in Deer Park
The Ruby's Original fried chicken sandwich at Ruby's Coop in Deer Park. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Less than a month after opening Curated Fine Meats in East Hampton, Justin Aronoff has launched another culinary venture — but Ruby’s Coop in Deer Park is 60 miles and 180 degrees away from the stratospherically upscale butcher shop.
Instead of dry-aged prime beef, Ruby’s Coop is dedicated to fried chicken, six fat sandwiches featuring fried chicken thighs in various guises: The Classic is topped with “coop” sauce and pickles; add slaw and you’ve got the Ruby’s Original. Top that chicken with bacon, American cheese and lettuce for the Baco-Mac. Then Ruby’s takes you on an international tour: The Viet-Nashville takes its inspiration from the Vietnamese banh mi with pickled carrots and daikon, roasted peanuts and jalapeño mayo while the Koreatown features the flavors of soy, garlic, gochujang, pear kimchi and lettuce. The Bollywood thighs, inspired by the Indian “chaat” repertoire are rubbed with golden curry, and topped with butter-roasted pineapple, pickled chilies, yogurt and mint ($9.99 to $11.99).
Not into fried dark meat? There are grilled breasts. Not into chicken? There are smash burgers. Not into meat? Have your Impossible burger fried like chicken or smashed like a burger. There are also chicken tenders, popcorn chicken, fried cheese curds, fried cauliflower “nuggs,” fried Brussels sprouts, fried onion rings and fries.
Aronoff, 29, started his butchery career 11 years ago at the short-lived Roslyn Meat House and went on to open Center Cuts in Roslyn and Mattituck. Along the way he came to embrace the age-old adage, “location, location, location.”
Justin Aronoff is the owner of Ruby's Coop in Deer Park. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
“I moved to Dix Hills two years ago,” he said, “I found myself driving by this shopping center all the time. There’s Right Coast Taqueria, Richie’s Pizza, F.A.N. Chinese — I’d pull in, watch all the traffic. I didn’t even know what kind of business I wanted to do, but I decided I needed to be here.”
He and his partners had decided on chicken. “Everyone’s doing Nashville hot,” he said. “I figured we’d do something a little different.”
One of the entrepreneur’s strengths is knowing his weaknesses. “I have the palate of a 12-year-old,” he conceded. To develop the menu, he turned to Will Horowitz, a cookbook author and consulting chef. Horowitz instituted a laborious brining-and-marinating method and manipulating ingredients — frying rosemary or pickling lemons, using a soupçon of nutmeg — to deepen the flavors. Most of this fries under the radar, though; Horowitz did not want to intimidate customers with a lot “cheffy” verbiage on the menu. “I just want people to get that I am making things delicious,” he said.
The team worked with design and branding specialists to make Ruby’s Coop look as slick as the 100th location of a chain. The sleekness of the rustic-chic décor is livened up with whimsical touches like chicken-wire panels on the ceiling.
Ruby’s Coop, 528 Commack Rd., Deer Park, 631-667-2017, rubys-coop.com. Open Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
