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Classic American dishes reimagined with smoke and fire.
That’s how Long Island restauranteur Art Gustafson describes his new eatery Stone Street Wood Fired Grill, which opened this week in Garden City.
The restaurant — located at 630 Stewart Ave. in an old Hurricane Grill & Wings space — features a wood-fired grill with a rotisserie component.
“It’s the best rotisserie chicken you’ll ever have,” Gustafson promises. “It’s well done and amazingly flavorful.”
On the wood-fired grill side, Stone Street is cooking up a 16-ounce ribeye topped with sesame butter; a 14-ounce pork chop with peach jam; and a skirt steak covered in citrus-herb chimichurri sauce, among other dishes.
There’s also pizzas, like the Margherita (fresh mozzarella, basil and crushed San Marzano tomato) and the Pepperoni Cup (Italian sausage, applewood smoked bacon, crushed tomato, mozzarella and hot honey drizzle).
Gustafson, who also owns Primehouse Steak & Sushi in Garden City and Chadwicks American Chop House & Bar and Salsa Mexicana in Rockville Centre, teamed up with seasoned Long Island chef John Brill for this concept.
“We thought there was something missing here, especially since Houston’s closed down,” Gustafson said.
Houston’s, a staple in Garden City for decades, was an upscale chain that served American fare at Roosevelt Field Mall. It closed in 2015.
“We thought it would be a nice sort of replacement for a Houston-style restaurant back here in Garden City,” said Gustafson. “We’re doing a barbecue, up-scale food dynamic but it’s not going to break the bank.”
In addition to the food, the location itself is very Instagrammable.
“It’s quite whimsical in a Willy Wonka type of a way,” said Gustafson, a Setauket native.
The 5,700-square-foot restaurant, which can seat 150 patrons, has an open concept layout. Diners can see right into the kitchen’s action, watching their food sizzle on the rotisserie and wood-burning grill.
Then there’s the decor.
Oversized murals, giant chandeliers, a massive video monitor and a large Statue of Liberty that lights up with a disco ball are all a part of the fun design.
“Wherever your eye lands in the restaurant there’s something cool and unique that makes you feel good,” said Gustafson.
Scroll down to see food pictures and shots of Stone Street’s interior. All photos were taken by photographer Yvonne Albinowski.
