The James opens in Garden City

The biggest challenge Andrew Affa and Steven Squitiro faced in opening their second location of The James, in Garden City, was transforming an attractive space into a spectacular one.

The James II opens Thursday night in what used to be Primehouse. The partners took over Art Gustafson’s restaurant late last year, served a final New Year’s Eve meal and spent the next six months transforming it into a venue that could hold its own alongside The James in Babylon, est. 2024, the former (and historic) Babylon Carriage House that boasts a capacious brasserie-style bar downstairs and (via a movie-set-worthy spiral staircase) an even grander dining room upstairs, and Arlo in Northport (2022), built into a hillside with magnificent views that compete with a grand piano bar and flaming baked Alaska.

Those two properties were "full of character before we got them," Squitiro said. "Here, we were starting from scratch."

With the help of designer Kerriann Ferrari, they came up with a more intimate version of Babylon — which seats 220 compared to Garden City’s 130. Using the same materials — plush earth-toned upholstery, wood paneling, black-and-white hex tile, retro lighting — they differentiated the one-level space into three distinct areas: a soaring bar near the entrance, a bustling main dining room and a smaller "dining car" room whose seating is mostly large booths.

There’s one holdover from Primehouse: Chef Lenny Campanelli. A veteran of various Tom Schaudel operations (Kingfish in Westbury, Petulant Wino in Aquebogue and Coolfish in Syosset, among them), he’d run the Primehouse kitchen since 2023. Now he is ably executing a menu that is overseen by corporate executive chef Richard Soriano (formerly of the Anthony Scotto group). The menu at both Jameses is the same and features such iconic luxuries as seafood plateaux and caviar service.

First courses ($29 to $33) include tuna crudo with pickled orange, avocado puree and rice paper; beef tartare with cornichons, egg yolk and caviar; grilled octopus with gigantes bean salad and nduja vinaigrette. Mains ($27 to $54) include seared duck breast with blackberry gastrique, parsnip puree and fried Brussels sprouts; miso-glazed Chilean sea bass with portobello mushrooms and poached bok choy; house-made lobster tagliatelle with spicy Calabrian tomato sauce and anchovy breadcrumbs. The "butcher board" features five prime steaks ($72 and up) as well as a classic beef Wellington ($65).

Squitiro and Affa believe Garden City's vibrant business district will deliver more "walk-in traffic" than they are used to. In fact, they are a little nervous about walk-ins as they launch their new venture. "We are trying to limit reservations until we get our feet wet," Affa admitted. "And, at the beginning, we aren’t going to use the 40 seats we have outside."

Looking a little further into the future, he expects to start serving lunch in September.

The James, 910 Franklin Ave., Garden City, 516-776-9051, thejamesli.com. Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 to 11 p.m., Sunday 3 to 10 p.m. Closed Tuesday.