Bellmore's Bluebird Kitchen closes
The braised lamb shank, cauliflower puree with roasted root vegetables and cauliflower salad at Bluebird Kitchen in Bellmore. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
One of Long Island's top bistros will shut its doors June 28 after nearly five years in business. In a former Red Robin at 405 Merrick Rd. in Bellmore, Bluebird Kitchen has been a critic's favorite since it opened and was on Newsday's list of Top 100 Long Island Restaurants in 2022.
Co-owner Al Di Meglio announced the closure on Instagram Wednesday, thanking the staff, guests, friends and supporters for "being part of this journey." During a phone conversation Thursday morning, he said the restaurant was just not making enough money, and that he and partners Louis Silverman and Adam Mann wanted to end it on a high note.
"It was a good five years, but it’s just been tough. It’s a big space, and to fill that up consistently is an issue," Di Meglio said. "The parties were good, but Tuesday through Thursday was a struggle."
A former chef at high-end Manhattan restaurants, Di Meglio tried to bring an artisanal sensibility, similar to his Southern Italian restaurant, Barano, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But he found that the customers often struggled with the high prices, like a woman who he said once looked at the menu, saw a $20 burger and walked out. Some people, he added, had trouble differentiating Bluebird between another nearby bistro, Blackbird, while others assumed it would be a fancier version of Red Robin, the previous tenant.
"The hardest thing was telling the staff. You hire kids. There’s not many professionals out there who are willing to take a risk on a new place," he said. "We brought on [high school] seniors and taught them how to bus, serve people and host. And then they went off to college and came back."
Di Meglio said he would try to get his staff jobs at his other restaurant in Williamsburg. Bluebird's last day of service will be Sunday brunch and early dinner, June 28. It will stay open until around 7 p.m.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
