Italian restaurant Butera's to close in Smithtown
A baked ravioli dish at Butera's restaurant in Smithtown, which is closing. Credit: Adrian Fussell
Butera's in Smithtown, a local spot known for its ample portions of Italian-American favorites, will close on Saturday.
And a new Butera's, with "a little more contemporary" approach, said co-owner Martin Butera, is expected to open early next year in Bay Shore. "We try to keep ourselves fresh."
He added that the Bay Shore restaurant would continue the restaurant group's focus on value and neighborhood dining, while updating the menu. "It's not a static industry," Butera said. "If you are static you go away." Planning for the Bay Shore establishment started in 2016.
There also are Butera's restaurants in Woodbury and Sayville. But they have their own distinctive styles attuned to the community's preferences, as will the Bay Shore destination.
Family-owned and operated Butera's began in 1991 in Massapequa. "We still want to evoke but not recreate what we did in 1991" at the Bay Shore restaurant, where the menu currently is being designed, Butera said.
Diners can expect, for example, veal chop Caprese and grain bowls with farro and quinoa as Butera's expands its niche. "Instead of chicken piccata we'll do pecorino Romano-crusted chicken, pan fried with capers and white wine," Butera said.
Moderate prices, as at its predecessors, will prevail. Butera's also has expanded into supermarket sales with its popular chicken meatballs.
Butera's in Smithtown is situated at 65 E. Main St.; 631-979-9113. The Bay Shore restaurant, which will include outdoor dining, is rising on Third Avenue, off Main Street.
The Woodbury Butera's is at 7903 Jericho Tpke, 516-496-3633; the Sayville Butera's, at 100 Main St., 631-563-0805. buteras.com
