Hush Restaurant & Lounge opens in Elmont
Codfish fritters at Hush Restaurant & Lounge, a new hot spot in Elmont. Credit: Newsday/Scott Vogel
Nothing it seems can kill the sleek and sexy vibe at Elmont’s newest restaurant and lounge. Elsewhere, quiet Sunday evenings are just that, quiet, but not at this place. Which is ironic because, well, the name of the establishment is Hush. (It is not related to Marc Bynum's Hush Bistro, which opened in Farmingdale in 2014, moved to Huntington, and subsequently closed in 2018.)
In some ways, the Linden Boulevard hot spot, which opened in October, seems tailor-made for the Friday-Saturday crowd, although the lighting is just as moody, the cocktails just as intriguing, and the crowd just as interesting on the week’s other five nights. Gray brick walls are barely visible in the gloaming, as are a few booths with burgundy seating and a number of tables beyond. And weeknights, at least, the music is pitched at a sane volume that won’t drown out small talk.
At the bar, an orchid blossom floats idly on a rosy pink Hush cocktail ($12), an easy mix of gin, prosecco, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice. I have never been exactly sure what canoodling is, but something tells me that that’s what I witnessed several couples happily engaging in between bites of codfish fritters ($9) and Jamaican-inspired spring rolls stuffed with saltfish, ackee and callaloo ($10). The latter makes for a fine plate of bar snacks, although the fritters seem a bit bready. Otherwise, the bar menu includes a fine selection of salads reasonably priced ($8-$17), plus a couple of burgers ($15-$16), and a few more sandwiches, a chipotle chicken ($14) and another dubbed “tropical fish” ($16). (Note to Hush menu writers: maybe rethink that name?)
The dining room has its own full menu, of course, with 20 entrees that range from seafood, beef and chicken to pasta and vegetarian. A selection of desserts is also available.
“Food for the soul, let’s keep the secret,” reads a slogan on the Hush website. I’d love to, but the place is just too full of cozy potential, it seems, especially on those quiet nights that aren’t really quiet at all.
Hush is at 24105 Linden Blvd. in Elmont, 516-758-7287, hushlongisland.com. Hours are Monday through Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.
