After closing in August for a refresh, the longtime Roslyn restaurant at 21 Bryant Ave. has reopened this month with a French-inspired menu, a new executive chef and a redesigned dining room — though the restaurant's exact new name depends on who you ask. Owners Diane and John Durkin say they are overseeing the kitchen personally, working alongside new executive chef Ryan Macuska on a menu built around Dover sole, rabbit confit and chanterelle mushroom puffs.
According to Newsday, the restaurant has reopened as Bistro Diane after shuttering in August for the overhaul. But the restaurant's own website tells a different story: it describes the relaunch as Milroy Bistro, saying the spot reopened its doors “as Milroy Bistro, featuring a new name, a refreshed atmosphere, and an entirely new menu inspired by the flavors and traditions of French cuisine,” per the Trattoria Diane website. The discrepancy leaves Roslyn diners with two names in circulation for what is, by all accounts, the same reinvented restaurant at the same Bryant Avenue address.
New Chef, Familiar Owners
Whatever it's ultimately called, the restaurant remains under the stewardship of Diane and John Durkin, who say they plan to stay hands-on in the kitchen. “Diane and I will be here as well overseeing the kitchens, working on food and desserts,” John Durkin said, per the Newsday report. Macuska steps in as the restaurant's new executive chef, bringing fresh direction to a kitchen the Durkins have run for decades.
Despite the overhaul, the Durkins emphasized continuity on the staffing side. “One thing that will not change is our great staff,” John Durkin said. Newsday's report notes the restaurant retains its upstairs private dining room even as the main floor has been reworked, with a brightened white dining room up front and a darker, wallpapered back bar where light jazz plays. The space also displays artwork by local artist Mark Milroy.
A Menu Built On Local And Imported Ingredients
The new menu leans into French bistro staples alongside local seafood. Diners can expect Peconic escargot for $23, coquille St. Jacques with Jimmy Nardello peppers and creamy sorrel for $16, and leeks with hazelnuts in beet vinaigrette for $18. Bigger-ticket items include filet au poiver for $72, a roasted half chicken for $44, and Dover sole for $75, the station's report details.
Raw bar offerings round things out, with Oyster Pond oysters priced at $48 a dozen, Long Island clams at $36 a dozen, Montauk shrimp cocktail, and seafood platters that start at $110 and include lobster. Mussels with Pernod and fries run $36, while the kitchen's chanterelle mushroom puffs go for $32 and rabbit confit for $30, according to the same account.
Sourcing From Local Farms To French Imports
The kitchen is drawing ingredients from a mix of nearby and overseas suppliers. Food is sourced from Rottkamp Farm in Brookville, East End fishermen and upstate farms, while the restaurant is also importing butter and specialty items directly from France, per the same account. Bread comes from Bicyclette Bakery in Brooklyn, and that same Bicyclette Bakery bread is set to debut in Diane's Bakery Cafe, the sister business the Durkins also own.
A Restaurant That Has Reinvented Itself Before
This is not the first time the Bryant Avenue address has changed its culinary identity. Newsday reports that the restaurant operated as a French restaurant called Diane's when the building first opened in 1989, and that the Durkins took over the existing restaurant in 1992. A New York Times article dated March 28, 1993, said Diane's was scheduled to open the next day, after the project had originally been intended to open in 1988. The article described the planned restaurant as a two-story, 60-seat spot to be run by Diane Margaritis and John Durkin, as detailed in the New York Times archive.
The restaurant shifted again in 2000, becoming, in Newsday's words, “the local standby for pastas,” before later rebranding as Trattoria Diane. A New York Times report from April 1997 marked that pivot, declaring: “Say au revoir to Diane's and buon giorno to Trattoria Diane. This highly thought of Roslyn restaurant has gone Italian.” Over the following years, Newsday's own restaurant coverage traced the menu evolving further still, from French to Tuscan to Roman influences and eventually into what one review called a “Roman-pan-Italian-New-American fusion.”
John Durkin said he and Diane wanted to reinvent the restaurant once more, a decision that fits a pattern stretching back more than three decades at the same address. The Durkins have worked at the bakery and restaurant for 45 years, and John Durkin also serves as the mayor of Roslyn. Diners looking to see the latest version for themselves can visit 21 Bryant Ave. in Roslyn, open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 9:30 p.m., Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 5 to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
