Trahanas Hospitality Group recently announced its opening of The General, a members-only club and steakhouse in Eisenhower Park, on Aug. 14, which is quickly becoming a destination for cigar aficionados and upscale dining enthusiasts in a private setting.
The group has selected Chef Tom Gloster as its executive chef to oversee its kitchen, which will serve The General and two other separate dining operations under one roof.
“We’re bringing a modern elegance to our menus, infusing them with their own personalities to make them unique food experiences,” Gloster says.
The Lannin, The Union and The General are three individual properties under one roof at the site of the former Carltun on the Park, which closed last year. The renovations to the property total more than $6.5 million and include full interior renovations, a new kitchen and a roof deck that overlooks the putting green at the Eisenhower Golf Course. Together they comprise a 35,000 sq. ft. facility that also includes an indoor/outdoor wedding ceremony space and fully renovated bridal suites.
“We’re honoring the tradition of what people remember about coming to this location in Eisenhower Park, but the experience will be fresh and surprising,” says Elias Trahanas, co-founder of Trahanas Hospitality Group. “We’re designing each property with its clientele in mind: whether brides on their special day, businesspeople entertaining corporate clients or everyday people looking for a special dining experience.”
Gloster, of Huntington, is the former executive chef at Rustic Root in Woodbury, winner of Food Network’s Chopped (2015) and former executive chef at Opus Steakhouse, the Harbor Club at Prime in Huntington and Rothmann’s Steakhouse in East Norwich. He graduated from Long Island Culinary Institute in 2006.
“Our vision is to honor the tradition of the park and honor Eisenhower with the naming of everything,” Gloster says. “When you think of modern American you think of a melting pot of ingredients and diversity. One of the coolest things about that is that it doesn’t hold us to any confines, not [strictly] to Italian, Mediterranean or Asian; so one night you might come and be able to order a classic pot roast and another night you might come and be able to order a great seafood bouillabaisse.”
Menu items across the three properties will each cater to the character of the dining experience they offer: The Lannin will serve an elegant take on event fare; The Union will be an upscale American dining experience; and The General will cater to the steakhouse crowd.
“We are not cutting any corners with quality [in this group of restaurants],” Gloster says. “When you are in the business market that we are in now that is so diverse and has the challenges that we face, with labor and the price of meat and fish, I think you are starting to see people cutting corners as far as their commitment to quality because they want to tighten up their margins.”
He says having the three venues being able to work together will enable them to provide excellent, quality restaurant-style meals, including the catering menu.
Gloster is taking pride in creating a culinary experience that is fully immersed in being the best it can possibly be.
“We are going to push the culinary envelope,” he says.
The General, The Union and The Lannin are located within Eisenhower Park (1899 Park Blvd., East Meadow).
Visit www.thelannin.com for more details about the catering hall. Details of The Union will be available soon. Membership at The General is by application only and can be accessed at www.thegeneral.club.
