The New York Times
Where Steak and Sushi Coexist
By JOANNE STARKEY
Published: September 11, 2005

"This place is a gold mine," said a man at the next table. Blackstone's prime Melville location in the Route 110 corridor does put it in an area in sore need of a good restaurant. And Blackstone, a new steakhouse, is scheduled to begin serving lunch on Monday, a bonanza for people who do business in the area.

But Blackstone has a lot more going for it than proximity to prospective diners. It also has a pedigree. It is owned by Boulder Creek Ventures, which is behind Rothmann's in East Norwich, Burton & Doyle in Great Neck and the Sagamore Steak House in Syosset.

The Melville restaurant has the same prime dry-aged steaks and striking good looks as its siblings, but it has something more: sushi. Yes, a steakhouse with sushi. We sampled it as an appetizer and found it exemplary. It will probably also be a draw for those who want a light business lunch.

About those good looks: The room conjures up a Western lodge as might have been conceived by Frank Lloyd Wright, with stone walls and fireplace; wood beams, floors and columns; and hanging wrought-iron lighting fixtures. Booths are done in black leather and a bold black and white primitive animal print, and chairs are upholstered in black fabric with thin white stripes.

Service was attentive and knowing. We had very few quibbles. One night our waiter forgot to ask which sauces we would like with our steaks, and we received none. (On another night, the béarnaise was commendable.) Our waitress that second night needed a primer on dividing the porterhouse for two. She sparked a near riot at our table when she gave all the tenderloin to one diner.

And those steaks (each $38) are worth fighting over. I sampled every steak on the menu and found consistent cooking, very tender meat and marvelously seasoned crusts. The 28-ounce rib-eye was my favorite, the best I've had in years.

Fish lovers have a good choice in the delicate and flaky pan-seared red snapper. It was given an Asian spin with the accompanying Japanese eggplant sautéed with garlic, sake, red miso and sesame oil.

Another hit was the rack of lamb with a flavorful crust and winning ragout of spinach, white beans, garlic and orecchiette. We were less impressed by the overorchestrated veal chop stuffed with braised chicken and wild mushrooms, topped with melted fontina cheese and served with braised escarole.

Steaks, in true steakhouse fashion, arrived solo. The best of the side dishes ($6 to $8) were the perfectly seasoned and textured creamed spinach and the flavor-packed French fries presented in a paper cone. Brussels sprouts, halved and sautéed with lots of garlic, were another crowd pleaser. Mashed potatoes were standard issue; the hash browns less than that - these fried half-moons mixed with sautéed onions had lost their crunch and had the texture of cardboard.

The shrimp and crab cocktails were both fine, especially the lump crab. For a bit more pizazz, try the Mediterranean octopus salad: a toss of greens, very tender octopus, marinated zucchini, olives and a lemon vinaigrette with a garnish of grilled pita folded around a helping of hummus.

The Caesar salad was an unorthodox delight. It included quarters of romaine in a zesty Caesar dressing with anchovies, a clump of marinated tomatoes and a toast spread with black-olive tapenade. The crab cake also hit all the right notes: a well-flavored, loosely packed disk set upon a sweet corn fondue.

The Kobe beef appetizer, which cost $28 (twice the price of other appetizers), is a novelty number. The beef was sliced paper-thin and presented alongside a hot black river rock. The diner had to cook the beef and then dip it into the hoisin-soy sauce. The meat was as tender as expected, but paying $28 for less than two ounces of meat doesn't make economic sense, not when the marvelous 28-ounce rib-eye goes for $38.

There was a wide choice of desserts, ranging from a tangy lemon meringue tart to a fudgy truffle torte. We liked them all, especially the free-form rustic apple-raisin pie crowned with butter pecan ice cream, and the summer melon carpaccio. This tangle of cantaloupe and honeydew ribbons was topped with raspberry sorbet and a chewy sesame tuile.

There is no cheesecake on the menu, perhaps a Long Island steakhouse first.

Reviewed by The Times Sept. 11, 2005.
RATINGS Extraordinary, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fair, Poor. Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.