American Times Restaurant & Tavern opens in Oakdale

Oakdale’s newest restaurant, American Times Restaurant & Tavern, is ready to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.

The Montauk Highway eatery, which used to be the Village Idiot Pub, opened last month. There was approximately three weeks of downtime to convert the space into the new concept, said John Sarno, of the Silver Lining Restaurant group, which also owns Castaways in Port Jefferson, Chops Steakhouse and Drift 82 in Patchogue.

"It’s not a bar rescue by any stretch of the imagination," Sarno said. "It’s a bar upgrade from what we had here prior."

The interior of American Times American Times Restaurant & Tavern has a modern take on the classic tavern look, with wood finishes, lighter wallpaper and new leather seating. The bar also has 1920s-style milk lights over the bar. The attached enclosed patio has also been renovated to keep up with the classic tavern ambience.

While the menu now features more entrees and upgraded cocktail and wine offerings, some Village Idiot Pub favorites remain, such as the steak tidbits ($21) and chicken wings ($26 for 25 wings). My choice was the hot honey deluxe handheld ($18) served on a toasted bun and made with buttermilk fried chicken, drizzled with hot honey and topped with pickles and coleslaw.

The cocktail menu includes the melon drop martini ($16) made with Cîroc summer watermelon vodka, watermelon puree and fresh lime and an American old-fashioned ($17) made with great jones bourbon, maple cinnamon syrup and orange bitters.

This is the second Village Idiot Pub to have been revamped. Last fall, Lake Grove’s was transformed into Rockefellers Kitchen & Cocktails, a Prohibition-inspired eatery. The Patchogue and Riverhead locations of the Village Idiot Pub will remain the same, Sarno said. Coming soon: Saturday and Sunday brunch.

"We just needed to up our game," Sarno said. "We had a great run, 10 years here as the Village Idiot, but you need to evolve. You can’t get stagnant."

American Times, 1487 Montauk Hwy., Oakdale; 631-573-6633; Instagram: @americantimesny; Kitchen open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Bar open: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.