Sponsored By

Tom Colicchio opens farmhouse-inspired restaurant on Long Island

Small Batch brings casual comfort food to Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, N.Y.

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

December 13, 2018

3 Min Read
RestaurantHospitality logo in a gray background | RestaurantHospitality

Chef Tom Colicchio, known for his Craft and Heritage Steak restaurants and his role as a “Top Chef” judge, has opened a new restaurant concept on Long Island, marking a pivot from the celebrity chef's primarily urban ventures.

Small Batch is located at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City and has a much more laidback vibe than the other restaurants under his Crafted Hospitality banner, which operate in New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

“People living outside major restaurant areas all want better options,” Colicchio said. “I don’t think the location is a problem. I mean, Per Se and Masa are both attached to malls. … There are definitely opportunities [at malls] for smaller independents to come in. “

Colicchio currently resides on Long Island, living in a nearly-200-year-old farmhouse in Mattituck on Eastern Long Island. Small Batch’s design was inspired by his home and features farmhouse-style touches like oversized barn lights, oak walls and lighting in the bar area made from orchard ladders. The 180-seat, 7,000-square-foot open kitchen-style restaurant was designed by Peter Bentel of Bentel & Bentel Architects, who has worked with Colicchio on most of his projects.

“I wanted him to envision a farmhouse from the inside and outside,” Colicchio said. “The result is definitely that feel without being kitschy.”

The restaurant’s menu — for an average check of $75 per person with alcohol — features approachable, produce-forward comfort food, including appetizers like Honeycrisp apples with squash, smoked chili and country ham; Prince Edward Island mussels in a white wine cream sauce; and such Long Island-centric entrées, including Long Island Crescent Pekin duck with Honeynut squash, Swiss chard, fig syrup and black garlic.

Long_Island_Duck-small-batch.png

Long Island Crescent Pekin duck at Small Batch

Colicchio cited the restaurant’s smoked short rib with polenta and peppers dish as a prime example of the restaurant’s take on familiar comfort food. The short rib is bone-in, smoked, and braised, while the polenta is creamy on the inside with a crispy top. 

Appetizers will be priced between $14 and $22, and entrees will range from $29 to $60. 

“We wanted to do something more approachable and affordable,” Colicchio said. “It’s everyday food.”

Although Colicchio said he’s sure a lot of the clientele will come from the mall, he is also targeting office workers for lunchtime as well as locals from the nearby suburban communities. 

A significant focus of Small Batch will also be its farm-to-table initiatives and partnerships with local spirits purveyors like Long Island Vodka and Rough Rider straight bourbon.

“We’re definitely letting people know that we’re sourced locally,” Colicchio said. “And hopefully they’ll learn more about the farms in their neighborhoods.” 

This will be Colicchio's latest venture into the Long Island culinary scene. He previously served as executive chef of Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton but parted ways with the restaurant in late 2014.

This isn’t the only restaurant project Colicchio has in the works. In May, he announced plans for a 40,000-square-foot food hall set to open in Kansas City in 2020.

Small Batch opened on December 12. 

Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]

Follow her on Twitter: @JoannaFantozzi 

About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.

You May Also Like