The closing of Pentimento was hard on the Stony Brook community. When longtime customers learned that the 27-year-old Italian restaurant lost its lease, they picketed and petitioned — though to no avail.
Now, four months after Pentimento served its last meal, the space has been taken over by prolific Long Island restaurateur David Tunney, and he’s hoping to give the town another spot to love.
“I grew up around here,” said the Ward Melville High School graduate, “and I’m excited to make something great for my hometown.”
Tunney owns Old Fields restaurants in Greenlawn and Port Jefferson, Old Fields Barbecues in Huntington and Setauket and, most recently, Ella’s in Huntington. Along with his brother, John Tunney, he was a founding partner in Besito, the upscale Mexican restaurant in Huntington, Roslyn and West Islip.
The Stony Brook restaurant, which he hopes will open by late spring, has no name yet, but Tunney has already settled on a concept. “It’s going to be upscale, modern Italian with homemade pasta and bread, a small menu but killer food.”
His team has gutted the space and is working on a clean, contemporary décor. “No more reclaimed barn wood,” he noted.
Tunney isn’t worried that the unpleasantness surrounding Pentimento’s closure will color potential customers’ feelings about the new spot. “We are going to make it great.”