Insignia Prime Steak: Sushi

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Long Island Steakhouse That Plays by Its Own Rules

Insignia Prime Steak & Sushi, Anthony Scotto's flagship restaurant on the Smithtown Bypass, takes the classic American steakhouse and quietly expands its boundaries. The result is a room where a Surf N Turf signature roll — spicy lobster, king crab, seared wagyu, avocado, sukiyaki sauce — can sit comfortably alongside a USDA Prime 45-day dry-aged bone-in ribeye, and neither feels out of place.

The building itself sets the tone before you walk in: cedar shakes, copper roofing, quarried stone, and a architectural turret that evokes a historic Hamptons mansion, while the interior hums with the energy of a Manhattan dining room. Proper attire is requested, and the room rewards the effort.

The Food: Where the Steakhouse Tradition Gets Stretched

Insignia's beef is hand-selected, sourced from what the restaurant describes as the world's best cattle, and dry-aged on premise. The Classic Porterhouse is priced per person and served for two or more; the Filet Mignon and Bone-in Ribeye anchor the prime cuts section. For something rarer, authentic Japanese Wagyu — certified by the Official Kobe Beef Association — is available by the ounce, served with homemade sukiyaki sauce.

The Japanese side of the menu is equally serious. Specialty rolls range from the signature Insignia roll (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado, soy paper) to the theatrical Tornado (spicy lobster, Alaskan king crab, deep-fried crunchy potato, eel sauce). Nigiri includes Toro fatty tuna and black pepper tuna alongside more familiar cuts. Sashimi platters scale from a $69 assortment to a $89 large spread. Seafood flown in from Hawaii and Holland appears throughout the menu, alongside Mediterranean whole fish and a raw bar stocked with colossal crab, East and West Coast oysters, and lobster cocktail.

Appetizers show the same range: Wagyu beef seared table-side on a hot lava stone, applewood smoked bacon torched tableside with bourbon butterscotch glaze, crispy rice spicy tuna with bluefin, and lamb chop lollipops with chili mint honey. Desserts are homemade — the Baked Alaska for two and the six-layer chocolate cake with warm molten mocha are the kind of finishes a proper steakhouse earns.

Recognition and Atmosphere

Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence — earned in 2024 — reflects the depth of a cellar that matches the ambition of the food. The spacious bar opens daily at 4pm and carries its own identity, with happy hour specials, Wine Down Wednesdays, and occasional scotch and cigar dinners that draw a crowd beyond the dining room.

For private events, Insignia handles weddings, mitzvahs, corporate gatherings, and sweet sixteens with dedicated spaces and planning support — a natural extension of a restaurant that describes special events as "an art form."