Greater Sayville coverage is funded in part by The Shed, your scratch kitchen for brunch and dinner daily at 21 Main St. in West Sayville.
The Sayville Bait & Tackle team is looking to bring that salty feel of a New England seafaring village to North Main Street.
When asked if the bar from The Perfect Storm (2000) was the inspiration for B&T, GreaterSayville was told by owner Drew Dvorkin that we “just nailed it.”
“That’s exactly what we’ve had in mind,” he said. “Think Gloucester, not Nantucket.”
Dvorkin, Mike McElwee and Zach DiGirolomo — the owners of T.J. Finley’s and The Penny Pub, both in Bay Shore — took on this latest project last year. But COVID-19 stopped them in their tracks.
“We were established in 2020,” as the branding indicates, McElwee said. “But we’re going to come out in 2021.”
Construction started Jan. 1.
They are looking at a late May opening.
What was a crumbling Half Penny Pub, a Sayville mainstay, followed by the short-lived Irish Exit, has been reimagined from floor to ceiling.
“The place needed a facelift but we kept as much as we could, because it has a history” said McElwee. “But it took a lot of elbow grease.”
The kitchen will be as open as late as New York State allows, he said.
OTB and Quick Draw will also be available, because what’s a salty bar (yet modern, mind you) without a little gambling?
The bar is still, like the old places, 50-feet long, but it will feature a rotating array of top craft beer choices, as well as a sipping rum menu.
For DiGirolomo, the new place is about owning a heritage, this is the Northeast after all, not Key West.
“I always wanted a place that highlighted our nautical history and celebrate what we already have here on the South Shore,” he said. “So many places go for that tropical, Caribbean vibe and ignore how awesome we have it.
“This is that joint. You can get a piña colada, but you won’t find any palm trees or umbrellas in your drinks.”
The large decks (front and back) are both new and will each feature outdoor dining, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo just announced will soon have no curfew restrictions.
“Sure, it’s nautical; it’s called Bait & Tackle,” said McElwee, “and we’ll have a lobster roll menu, but it’s not a seafood restaurant. It’s more a place for burgers, wings and sandwiches.”
Hiring alert
One thing keeping Bait & Tackle from opening sooner is a lack of help, as is the case with many small businesses across Long Island right now.
If you’re interested in a bartender, server or kitchen job, email sayvillebt@gmail.com.
