Bryant & Cooper is also a family operation. Brothers Gillis and George Poll, who learned the business from their restauranteur father, opened the Roslyn establishment in 1987. They chose a name inspired by a photograph of local resident William Cullen Bryant, a poet and editor, and his friend, Peter Cooper, an inventor and politician.

"They were great, and we want to be great," Gillis Poll explains. "We want customers to have an overwhelming experience, with all the senses touched upon. They're greeted well, handled well by their waiter, and they get their food the way they ordered it. It's classy, but casual at the same time."

The meat is dry-aged, which gives it a distinctive flavor. "We're the only ones who handcraft it right on the premises," says Gillis. "We do all the butchering and aging right in this location." The most popular cut is the porterhouse steak, served for two or more. Adds George, "We do nothing to it - just broil it."

Desserts include classics like crème brulée, rice pudding and apple strudel. George oversees the international wine list, which he describes as "heavy on California wines." The wines are priced for affordability.

Then there's the friendly ambiance. "We're a family," says Gillis. "We love to see who's coming to dinner. We walk around and shake hands and buy people drinks. We love to socialize."

Bryant & Cooper's on-site retail operation sells all the food featured at the restaurant. Its mail-order catalog includes certain cuts of meat, as well as Bryant & Cooper's "Famous Homemade Sauce."