Pine Grove Inn reopens its doors Tuesday night in East Patchogue

Mike White | August 15, 2016

After months of renovation work, the historic Pine Grove Inn will open its doors to the public once again Tuesday night in East Patchogue.

Michael Goberdhan of Manhattan purchased the vacated, Sandy-damaged building at 1 1st St. from investors in December.

He then had the walls sanded and painted, floors raised and leveled, and the wood flooring replaced with water-resistant concrete and ceramic tile.

see prior coverage and more photos below

“I’m very tough with cooking and perfection,” Goberdhan told greaterpatchogue.com Monday, the day before launch. “I critique almost anything in the kitchen and what we’re doing is great. The crab cakes are great. Our steaks are on point and cooked to perfection.”

He and executive chef Robert Young started working on the menu this summer and had a private tasting event for about 30 people last month.

Young, who spent 25 years at fine hotels and restaurants in Florida, grew up just a short walk from the Pine Grove. He moved home recently to care for his mom.

He and sous chef Matt Falco of Selden, a former cook for the New York Jets when the team trained at Hofstra University, described the fare as New American, consisting mainly of steaks and seafood.

But the menu will feature some of the traditional German dishes that put the old Pine Grove on the map, such as sauerbraten, german sausage and wiener schnitzel.

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“I used to work for Andre’s Lakehouse many years ago in West Sayville, which was German-French,” said Falco, touching on his experience with cooking German.

“My specialty is crab cakes, which I’ve been known for for years,” he said.

Falco said he was familiar with the Pine Grove Inn just from growing up in Suffolk County.

“My parents would come down here when I was little,” he said. “We are going to keep a little bit of the old history of the restaurant alive with the German fare, but it’s going to be New American pub style. Steaks. Chops. Seafood.”

“And a bar menu,” he added. “It’s going to be great.”

“It’s an awesome menu,” said Goberdhan, delighted with his new chefs, noting he hired 24 people in total and was still looking for more bartenders, servers and kitchen help at the Pine Grove.

As for pricing, he said it’s not too expensive but not inexpensive, either.

“Just right for the people in the neighborhood,” he said.

The Pine Grove Inn opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, for dinner and will be open six day a week. Lunch hours and a Sunday brunch will likely come later.