M. Wells Steakhouse launches in Long Island City

Known for serving up hearty helpings of quirk in the unlikeliest of venues—Quebecois plogue (buckwheat pancakes) at a Queens diner, foie gras bread pudding in a museum cafeteria—M. Wells power couple Hugue Dufour and Sarah Obraitis put an irreverent spin on the New York chophouse. A former auto-body garage, the 3,000-square-foot space is divided into a catamaran-building factory and a carne-centric eatery equipped with a wood-fired grill. Meaty offerings include veal-chop marsala and steak topped with sashimi-thin slices of kobe beef. Dufour’s puckish, nouveau answers to steakhouse sides include foie gras–stuffed gnocchi, and charred iceberg with blue cheese and ketchup chips. In another bout of whimsy, the 74-seat restaurant features a ten-foot-long concrete trough full of live Long Island trout, employed in dishes like truite au bleu (poached in a court bouillon). 43-15 Crescent St between 43rd Ave and 44th Dr, Long Island City, Queens (718-786-9060, magasinwells.com)