The Marker Restaurant Co-Owners Eric Telese and Kent Monkan celebrated their ribbon cutting with City of Glen Cove officials, business leaders, family, friends and community members.
Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce
The Marker, at the City of Glen Cove Municipal Golf Course, was buzzing with excitement as hors d’oeuvres and cocktails were served behind a stretch of windows that showcase the course during its grand opening celebration on Jan. 4.
Before the party, the crowd braved the cold winter weather in front of the restaurant for the ceremonious ribbon cutting. Though the restaurant has been open since June, it was a nice way for co-owners Kent Monkan and Eric Telese to welcome the community.
“We never officially did the ribbon cutting,” Telese said. “So it felt good to do that, to get recognized, get proper photography with the ribbon out front. It was nice.”
Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce Vice President Dr. Eve Lupenko Ferrante called The Marker’s ribbon cutting a spectacular event that attracted “Glen Covers” and people from outside the city.
“You could see that there was a lot of great buzz and excitement,” Lupenko Ferrante said. “I think everyone was impressed with the quality of food that they served and the creative cocktails, and it’s really a fine addition to Glen Cove, which is home to a very wide array of restaurants.”
Telese worked for Monkan as a general manager at The Brass Rail in Locust Valley when the two heard that the location was up for a Request for Proposal (RFP) by the City of Glen Cove back in 2023. The space was previously home to The View Grille, owned and operated by Jeanine Dimenna, who now owns Jeanine’s American Bistro at 242 Glen Cove Ave.
“[Monkan] called me up one day and asked if I’d be interested in going in on it together, and it just made sense,” said Telese, a Glen Cove resident himself. He added that he enjoys teeing up at the city’s golf course with Monkan, who lives in Sea Cliff.
In November, the Glen Cove City Council voted to award Monkan and Telese a license to operate at the golf course.
After approval, the pair began renovating the restaurant, updating the interior design and layout so that the classic Long Island Sound view could be visible in almost every part of the restaurant. The outdoor area also received renovations, including a fresh paint job, a new front portico, and a replacement to the front and back patio, among other additions.
The Marker offers modern American cuisine with an affordable three-course prix-fix lunch and dinner menu, starting at $24 and $39, respectively.
Monkan, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and well-established restauranter on Long Island’s North Shore, owns and operates The Brass Rail in Locust Valley, Heirloom Tavern in Glen Head, The Wild Goose Restaurant & Pub in Port Washington, and Choppers Burger Bar in Glen Head. With his experience in the region, he knew what the local dining scene was looking for when crafting the brunch, lunch, and dinner menus, which are diverse offerings with something for everyone.
“I was looking at the products,” Monkan said as he explained what went into creating an affordable and sundry menu for The Marker. “As a chef, you want to use every crazy ingredient – micro this and baby that. But you have to make it affordable because all those things add up. So it’s about keeping the quality there and making it affordable for people.”
The Marker opened for business this past June, serving diners in the outside seating and bar area, which accommodates 150, until the indoor seating, which accommodates 100, was opened the following September.
With the space serving as Glen Cove’s meeting spot for community events and fundraisers for decades, Monkan and Telese are excited to keep that tradition alive. The Marker has already hosted several golf outings, fundraisers, reunions, and other events, with more gatherings coming soon.
Though ways away, Monkan and Telese also look forward to providing an excellent place for golfers to relax and unwind this upcoming golf season. If golfers want to eat on the go, they have options through a snack bar and take-out service that can be ordered through QR codes displayed in the golf carts and holes near The Marker.
One thing’s for sure: Glen Cove is excited about this new spot.
“They’re local residents, so they have a fine understanding of what residents are looking for,” Dr. Lupenko Ferrante said. “I think they’ve really made a big effort to respond and to build an establishment that everyone is going to want to go to. Glen Cove is really proud of its golf course, and The Marker is a phenomenal bonus.”
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