Anthony Scotto's One North Mediterranean Soul in Jericho to become Opus Steakhouse
Anthony Scotto at One North Mediterranean Soul in Jericho on Dec. 27, 2017. Credit: Daniel Brennan
When Anthony Scotto opened One North Mediterranean Soul in November 2017, it was the biggest (20,000 square feet), the splashiest and, according to Scotto, the costliest restaurant ever to open on Long Island: At the time, he told Newsday it had run $4 million … over budget. The opening also represented the resolution of five years of wrangling with the Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks Preservation Commission since the building had been the historic-though-crumbling Maine Maid Inn.
Now, less than three years later, One North is No More. As of July 17, the restaurant’s Facebook page bears the new logo of Opus Steakhouse. It’s a concept the team knows well: of Scotto’s four current Long Island restaurants, three are steakhouses: Insignia in Smithtown, Blackstone in Melville and Rare650 in Syosset, which is less than three miles east on Jericho Turnpike. One10, which opened in Melville in January, is a slightly lower-priced Italian restaurant whose kitchen is helmed by the former executive chef of One North, Ron Gelish.
While the three steakhouses and Scotto’s One10 in Melville were open for takeout this spring and are now also serving inside and outside, One North hasn’t been open since March.
No one from Anthony Scotto Restaurants was available for comment.
Opus means “work” in Latin, usually connoting the significant work of an artist. The name also seemingly alludes to the cult Napa Valley winery, Opus One, a collaboration between French wine magnate Baron Philippe de Rothschild and California’s legendary vintner, Robert Mondavi. Opus One is one of the most expensive wines produced in the United States — the 2016 vintage is $365 — and is a mainstay on Scotto wine lists.
Scotto also owns Jewel in Melville, which he bought from Tom Schaudel in September 2019, intending to turn it into a modern Asian restaurant. When Jewel closed in March, it had already hired a new chef, Tomo Kobayashi, formerly of 1221 at MFP in Roslyn, Louie’s Grille & Liquors in Port Washington and Toku Modern Asian in Manhasset. From the photos on Kobayashi’s Instagram (@tomokoba1112), he is definitely heading in a modern-Asian direction.
Opus Steakhouse will be at 4 Old Jericho Tpke., Jericho, 516-605-1400
