Roslyn Approves Farm-to-Table Restaurant for Old Northern Boulevard Location

The Village of Roslyn Board of Trustees approved a new farm-to-table restaurant for Old Northern Boulevard during its Feb. 17 meeting, according to village records.

Chef and owner Pasquale Abbatiello received approval for Griffon Restaurant, which will occupy 1512 & 1514 Old Northern Blvd., the former site of Limani Mezze. Abbatiello told trustees the restaurant will feature a “contemporary American” concept emphasizing seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and elevated brunch offerings.

The restaurant will operate seven days a week from noon to 10 p.m., according to Abbatiello’s presentation to the board. He explained that Long Island’s agricultural landscape makes Roslyn an ideal location for the farm-to-table approach.

“There are a lot of farms. You can buy milk in Riverhead. You can get local ingredients from the North Fork,” Abbatiello said during the meeting. “There’s plenty of farms around here where you can find those things. So those are the things that I want to bring to the restaurant — kind of use what’s available, what’s fresh.”

The establishment will employ approximately 20 people, with roughly 10 working at any given time, according to Abbatiello. Total seating capacity will be 94, including bar seating — a reduction from the previous restaurant’s configuration. Abbatiello said the tables will be larger than normal for customer comfort.

“We want to put out a great experience,” he said. “We don’t necessarily want people walking into a packed restaurant.”

A Long Island native, Abbatiello previously managed multiple restaurants in Westchester County but decided to return closer to home following the recent birth of his twin children. He told trustees he aims to create an owner-operated establishment where guests regularly see both the chef and front-of-house partner on-site.

“Now that I have a family, I want to be close to home,” Abbatiello said. “This opportunity came up over here in Roslyn, and I felt like it was the right time.”

Mayor John Durkin said the board’s primary concerns centered on parking and traffic flow in the area, particularly given ongoing congestion issues in the municipal lot serving the building. Abbatiello addressed these concerns by explaining that employees will park in the lower garage rather than the main lot, according to his presentation.

Most deliveries will be routed to the building’s rear and received in the basement to avoid blocking traffic or fire lanes, Abbatiello said. The restaurant will operate primarily on a reservation-based system to better control customer flow and minimize parking impacts.

The board also reviewed minor kitchen layout adjustments, including the use of natural gas equipment and a single 24-inch grill. No major structural changes are planned, according to Abbatiello.

Following the discussion, trustees approved the application. Abbatiello said he hopes to open within about a month, pending final cosmetic work.

In separate business, the board voted to amend the village code to expand snow emergency parking restrictions to all village streets. Currently, vehicles must be removed from East Broadway, Main Street and Old Northern Boulevard during snowfalls to allow plows to operate effectively.

The amendment requires vehicle owners to remove cars from all village streets during snow events, enabling the Department of Public Works to clear roads more efficiently, according to village officials.

Durkin said repeated storms this winter have made snow removal more challenging, with some cleanups taking up to a week. He said the change is intended to improve safety and speed up plowing operations.

Trustees also appointed Sohita Mehra as a new member to the Village Board of Zoning Appeals, though one vacancy remains on the board.