Amityville Cellars coming from Massapequa's Salumi team
Taking over the site of the former Bulldog Grille, the sprawling Amityville Cellars, a winery-restaurant, is slated to open next year. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Something big is coming to the former site of Amityville’s Bulldog Grille, which was shuttered by a fire in 2018 and demolished in 2022. And it’s a project spearheaded by some of Long Island’s most accomplished restaurateurs.
The team behind Salumi in Massapequa and Bar Plancha in Garden City — Lilly Kanarova, Josh Kobrin, Jonathan Labossiere and Andrew Isaacson — is erecting a sprawling 7,000-square-foot building that will house Amityville Cellars, a winery-bar-restaurant that is slated to open by summer 2027. In addition to a bi-level dining area, U-shaped bar and tropical "atrium," there will also be outdoor dining.
"We’d been looking at the building since Bulldog Grille closed," Kanarova said. "Finally, we got a chance to purchase the property last year."
Josh Kobrin and Lilly Kanarova stand in what will be the atrium of Amityville Cellars, a winery-restaurant slated to open in 2027. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Fifteen years ago, Kanarova and Kobrin were on a roll: In 2011 they opened Salumi in Massapequa, a tapas bar whose food truly embodied the spirit of Spain and whose wines challenged customers to drink out of their comfort zones. Two years later, a sibling spot, Bar Plancha, opened in Garden City. And two years after that, Salumi expanded into the adjacent storefront to add a casual market-cafe to the mix.
Then, the couple settled down to solidify the reputation of both establishments as two of the most reliably excellent on Long Island. (Both restaurants are on Newsday’s Top 50 list.) Labossiere, the general manager of both places, and Isaacson, the sommelier, also assumed leadership positions.
Isaacson, a great wine buyer and teacher, gradually added winemaker to his resume. For the last five years, he’s been making his own wine on the North Fork and selling it to area restaurants and wine shops, including Salumi and Bar Plancha. Now, he’ll be bringing the production in house, in full view of Amityville Cellars customers.
Kanarova said that about half of the wine list would be their own, with the rest coming from New York State, as will all the beer and spirits. As for the food, the menu will favor "American comfort classic," especially dishes that have fallen out of favor such as Waldorf salad, prime rib, Parker House rolls and old-fashioned pies, not to mention steaks, burgers and a raw bar.
