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Louis Selvaggio Jr. will certainly get his steps in come spring.
Selvaggio is branching out to open the Birdie Bar within walking distance of Robke’s in Northport, which he owns with his parents and siblings.
He hopes his solo venture can open this May. Whenever it does, Selvaggio will be busy heading back and forth between the two joints.
“I have a really good crew at Robke’s, which makes me comfortable enough to do something else,” he said. “I think the town could use something like what we’re looking to do over there.”
While he said people should not read too much into the name, Selvaggio hinted the restaurant’s decor will lean into a golf vibe, a nod to his pro-golf brother Paul Selvaggio.
As for the menu, Selvaggio said he does not want to pigeon-hole Birdie Bar into a cuisine category.
“It’s kind of just a place me and my friends would want to go eat and drink at,” he said. “It’s going to have a little bit of an American steakhouse vibe, but we’re not a steakhouse. There’s going to be a lot of meat and fish, a lot of specials, a lot of fresh local stuff, homemade desserts.”
The Robke’s menu also appeals to the steakhouse crowd with its prime cuts and also offers plenty of Italian specialties.
The family venture is known not only for its food, but for its celebrity clientele. The eatery has drawn stars of the stage and screen, such as Kevin James and Theresa Caputo and pro athletes the likes of Daryl Strawberry and Nate Archibald.
“I would imagine the a majority of the people that come to Robke’s are definitely going to check it out,” Selvaggio said of that possibility that Birdie Bar may also attract celebrities. “Who knows who some of these customers might bring in there, or who might swing by. You never know. We’re looking to get a lot of people in there.”
Top: Louis Selvaggio Jr. with Nate Archibald, courtesy of Louis Selvaggio Jr.’s Instagram.
