The Comet Club opens at The Vanderbilt in Westbury

It's opening night for The Comet Club, the new restaurant anchoring The Vanderbilt luxury apartment and hotel in Westbury. The sprawling 5,000-square-foot space blends New York’s Gilded Age with the cocktail-glam of 1920s Miami and Havana. And it has chef Jesse Schenker, whose Long Island restaurant portfolio has, until now, been focused on Oyster Bay.

"If I can't walk to work and it's not in Oyster Bay, I'm not interested," Schenker joked about opening in Westbury after years of revamping Oyster Bay's dining scene with 2 Spring (and its fine-dining chef's tasting sibling, Four), plus the Italian spot Gioia, the fast casual Gimme Burger and the gourmet market Provisions. For The Comet Club, Schenker went "back to Cornelius [Vanderbilt] and imagined him at his prime — 1900, 1910, 1920 — and, at that time, only the wealthy ate out," at supper clubs that served lobsters, oysters — "big drinks, big portions, steaks and chops." Schenker melded that into a space with old-timey touches including captains in pink suits with bow ties, palm leaf wallpaper backing oversized, maroon banquettes, roving bar carts, a full-time valet, even a baby grand piano player tucked in the bar room, to accompany a perfect martini.

Despite the grandeur of the space, The Comet Club’s menu is approachable and familiar. With about 120 seats and a large outdoor patio, Schenker said this is his most affordable concept besides Gimme Burger, costing diners "between $60 and $70 a person."

There’s a raw bar that includes caviar, shrimp cocktail ($24) and oysters (from $21). Or start with deviled eggs with roasted red pepper and pickled onion relish ($13), guacamole ($12) or chicken liver mousse ($10). Light eaters will appreciate the salads ($11-$15) with add-on proteins like shrimp, steak, chicken. There’s a French dip ($34), a Cuban press ($19), and an excellent burger ($26) made with 10 ounces of Schenker’s in-house beef blend, topped with Cheddar cheese on a brioche bun with fries. "But the fries are going to be cooked in beef tallow, placed on a beautiful charger that says ‘Comet Club’ in bright green and you're going to feel like you’re at The Polo Bar. But it was $26 and you can come here three days a week without breaking the bank."

Fish includes grilled local tuna ($39) and whole roasted trout ($33), while there's a range of steaks, chops and a full or half-roasted chicken (from $26). In an ode to The Comet train, from which the restaurant derives its name, dessert carts and trolleys circulate with a variety of pies, cakes and seasonal sweets.

The Comet Club at the Vanderbilt, 990 Corporate Ave., Westbury, thecometclub.com, 516-820-1200; Open daily from 4 p.m.

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com@mariesworlds

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.