New in town: Bullfish Grill Opens its Doors

There's a new place in town for the seafood lovers. Bullfish Grill, located in the former space of the Armadillo Grille, opened its doors on West Main Street this past Thursday. Earlier in the week, the restaurant had a few invitation-only preview nights to get the staff and menu in sync.

"We went door to door to the shops in town and also sent out some e-mail invitations," said Carlo Bruno, owner of Bullfish Grill. "We gave them all suggestion cards after their meal to help us get some feedback. It was jam packed every night and very successful for us." The first weekend has been a busy one, he added.

Seafood is the featured item at Bullfish but there are a few non-seafood items for land lovers, such as steak, roasted chicken and a veal porterhouse. The concept of the restaurant is healthy, fresh cuisine.

"I come from a family of diabetics and I have been following the South Beach diet for about eight years," Bruno said. "I'm trying to bring that healthy concept to this restaurant. There's nothing fried on the menu, and you won't find any white, starchy carbohydrates or even ketchup. There's whole wheat and grain selections and the fish is available blackened, grilled or sautéed."

This is Bruno's first foray into restaurant business and he is relying on head chef Ray Lovell to bring his concept to fruition. So far, Bruno said he is impressed. "He has been amazing and has gone beyond my wildest dreams in taking what I wanted for the menu and delivering it," Bruno said. All of the sauces and salad dressings are made from scratch. Also on staff is Corrina Lovell, an award-winning pastry chef.

There will be seasonal specials, and daily fish selections on top of the 11 different types of fish offered everyday. There have been a few unsuccessful restaurants in the space now occupied by Bullfish over the past few years, most shuttered after a year. But Bruno said he not worried about that. "I feel like I know the town of Sayville and what it needs fairly well," he said. "The residents have said what they wanted and I have heeded their advice. I want to take the input from the people who live here. I'm confident that I can offer a great product."

Bruno signed the lease for the space back in July and began the interior décor work. He commissioned an artist, Michelle Rial, to do a glass-fusion mural of different fish for the dining room. Bruno later found out that Rial's family is from Sayville, which made him fall in love with the artwork even more. All the remaining art, with the exception of the mural, is for sale and the price list and artist's information is available at hostess station.

Future plans include adding a full enclosed awning on the outside front patio. In the summertime, there will be live acoustic music featured. There will also be a raw bar set up soon but for now, raw items are available on the menu.

Bullfish Grill is open seven days a week, until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; midnight Friday and Saturday; and 10 p.m. on Sunday. Right now, they are only serving dinner, with a bar menu available during the day on weekends. The lunch menu is still in the works and should be ready next month. There's also a craft beer selection on tap that features some unique selections.