Review: Tellers in Islip

First impression: Special. The former First National Bank on Main Street retains its imposing presence on Islip's Main Street — impossibly high ceilings and floor-to-stratosphere windows. Inside, throwback elegance sets the tone, from the gleaming copper bar and cocktail lounge to the stately main dining room trimmed with dark leather and luxe.

Opened in 1999, this is the crown jewel of the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, which also includes the waterside Prime in Huntington and H20 in Smithtown. Owners Kurt and Michael Bohlsen's father was a banker, so the brothers approached the renovation with an eye toward showcasing the building's architectural details. (Diners who wander can peer into the original bank vault, repurposed to hold the restaurant's deep wine reserves). More recently, Tellers took over the restaurant next door to host special events and expand its outdoor seating.

Starters include jammy black pepper bacon ($24) and signature duck fat fries ($7). The miniature loaf of sesame-potato bread served with black truffle butter is worth its $5 fare. Seafood ranges from a limited raw bar to steamed lobsters and fish entrees such as miso black cod served with fried rice. But this place is a steakhouse first and last, with plenty of impeccably sourced, 35-day, dry-aged cuts to show for it. 

The service is urgent yet elegant, staff dressed in classic black-vested uniforms. The two-course $29 weekday power lunch is a wonderful, long-standing tradition.

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By Scott Vogel

scott.vogel@newsday.com

Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.