Farmingdale's Harleys American Grille expands to Huntington

For his second act, Michael LoManto chose a challenging venue: His 7-year-old Farmingdale restaurant, Harleys American Grille, has just expanded to a Huntington spot with a history that might test the memory of Huntingtonians.

Old-timers may remember when 326 W. Jericho Tpke. was East Side Comedy Club back in the 1980s. In 1992, it gave way to Conrad’s Bar & Grill, Jim Tonic’s and then Pomodorino, which had a good run from 1995 until 2011. The building was vacant until 2021 when it was the site of a succession of short-lived ventures: Mazi, Skafos, Reserve and, most recently, Catch 25.

LoManto was well aware of the spot’s checkered history but, he said, "we were attracted to the building — freestanding, great parking, right on Jericho Turnpike. With our design and concept, we figured we’d be the guys who are going to succeed here."

His team gutted the old space and looked to Farmingdale for the decor — a comfortably elegant vibe featuring plush chairs and banquettes, modern light fixtures, shiny black subway tiles on the walls and Portuguese-style black-and-white tiles on the floor. The dining room feels more intimate than its 130-seat capacity might imply. (Another 60 seats will occupy a glassed-in, four-season extension, currently in the works.)

LoManto noted that the menu, created by executive chef Keith McConnell, is pretty much "a copy and paste from Farmingdale." Starters ($15 to $20) include Amalfi-style calamari (garnished with peperoncini, tomatoes and olives and showered with Parmesan), whipped burrata crostini with roasted tomatoes and balsamic reduction, rib-eye egg rolls, Caesar, wedge, roast beet and artichoke salads. Mains ($34 to $44) include fettuccine with lobster and tomato confit, rigatoni with filet mignon tips, shrimp risotto, braised short ribs with sweet-potato puree, roast halibut with cauliflower puree.

Steaks range from $44 (for sirloin "frites" with peppercorn-cream sauce) to $69 (for a 16-ounce boneless rib-eye). Your server might also tell you about a special of porterhouse for two or three.

Harleys has the same menu for lunch and dinner but, for the former, you might be drawn to the Southwest or Mediterranean rice bowls (from $22), smashburger ($23), steak sandwich ($29) or chipotle-ranch chicken sandwich ($23).

I didn’t eat anything better than the focaccia that arrived, gratis, shortly after we sat down: tender and slicked with garlic-infused olive oil.

As in Farmingdale, Harleys Huntington has live music on Monday nights, a DJ on Friday nights and a boozy brunch (with a DJ) on Sundays.

Harleys American Grille, 326 W. Jericho Tpke, Huntington, 631-489-3500, harleysamericangrille.com. Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday noon to 10 p.m., Friday noon to 11 p.m., Saturday 11:30 to 11 p.m., Sunday 11:30 to 9 p.m., closed Tuesday.