Toku Press
A trio of three-star restaurants open in Nassau
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…The contemporary Italian eatery in East Hills is one of three new restaurants in Nassau to earn a rating of excellent in Newsday in the last month, a rare trifecta. Sometimes, there aren't three in a year.
Brivo joins the modern Asian-style Toku in Manhasset and the New American Café Diane in Woodbury in a high-powered constellation of sleek, very of-the-moment restaurants. Each fills a big niche in its neighborhood, and each already has become an Islandwide destination. Café Diane is the meticulous offspring of Trattoria Diane and Diane's Bakery in Roslyn; and lively Toku comes from the owners of Bryant & Cooper in Roslyn, Riverbay in Williston Park, and Cipollini, which, like Toku, is situated in the Americana Shopping Center.
“We decided to come up with a different concept… and having a different concept sends an energy to the area,” said Gillis Poll, co-owner with his brother George of Toku.
Citing the inventive cuisine and spirit of Nobu and Morimoto in Manhattan, Poll said: “We didn't have anything on Long Island” with a similar combination.
An affluent spot
When the space opened in the area's most affluent shopping area, “We thought it was the perfect spot.” These days, Toku is packed for dinner, very busy for lunch.
Toku's eclectic approach takes in sushi rolls, sashimi, short ribs, crisp whole fish, teriyaki-marinated sliders with wasabi dipping sauce, and red wine to sake.
From idea to opening: about two years.
Toku took over the site of Millie's in the Americana Shopping Center. About $6 million later, the address boasts a fiber-optic-illuminated, white onyx sushi bar; chain-mail curtains; a skylight; dark woodwork and slate; and antique monastery bells from China. “A lot of details,” Poll said…