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Nocturne
(631) 482-9909, Babylon

Don’t be deceived. An empty restaurant is not necessarily a bad restaurant.

Nocturne in Babylon was deserted when we visited. On a Sunday night earlier this spring, only our table of four diners was occupied. Why numerous mediocre spots do a consistently brisk business while exceptional eating-places sometimes struggle is a mystery, especially in what is an increasingly hot restaurant spot like Babylon. In short, Nocturne deserves much more notice.

From the get-go all signs at this unpretentious, little family owned American-French bistro are positive. Diners are served sophisticated amuses (don’t be surprised to find caviar in yours). Not one but two baskets of warm French bread and butter pats in the shape of rosettes follow. They are delivered to the table by the very affable hostess Suzanne Hrisho, her husband Mark is the chef and their son Mark Jr., is the bar manager.

Physically Nocturne is anything but a big deal restaurant nor does it pretend to be. Its small bar and slip of a dining room are joined by a narrow corridor but the little touches that illustrate concern (in addition to the amuse and bread) are evident. The flowers on the tables are real and there are flickering candles on the paper covered white tablecloths. Desserts, pommes frites and even pickles are made on premises and there’s both a beer and a wine list. On Sundays half price bottles of wine, available with any two prix fixe dinners, are an added attraction. There’s also an outstanding nightly $32 three-course prix fixe menu.

And the food? It’s exceptional. The powerfully flavored French onion soup studded with sweet onions ($7) ranks among the Island’s top five. The escargot, while not in the usual garlicky snail butter, offers an interesting alternative: Truffle parsley butter that was a delightful surprise ($9). Spreadable duck rillette reminiscent of rich foie gras arrived with an impressive array of plate mates like celery root slaw (thin celery remoulade) and toasts ($9). Why don’t more restaurants liven up very ordinary green salads with figs? Nocturne does with both the fruit and fig vinaigrette ($8).

Entrées continued the winning streak. The hanger steak was as usual, chewy, but it was tasty and juicy as well and came with crisp, world-class pommes frites and a lip smacking bordelaise sauce ($29). Three tender, jumbo pan seared sea scallops also boasted lively, creative accompaniments like spaghetti squash, lime jam, cava vanilla sauce and oyster mushrooms ($24). A fanned out Long Island duck breast, offset by tart little cranberries, offered braised Brussels sprouts with pancetta that even sprout haters loved ($28). Finally the entrée that could be (and often is) the most boring dish on the menu, the pan roasted half chicken, turned out to be absolutely delicious ($25). It was moist, smooth, succulent chicken at its best.

Finales were a decadent, dark chocolate cake with strawberry sauce not particularly influenced by its espresso mousse and Kahlua ganache ($8), a generous oval of crème brûlée with a perfect crackly surface ($7) and a French, skewed sweet strawberry crêpe with champagne sabayon, strawberries and melted chocolate ($8).

It remains to be seen what kind of foot traffic Nocturne will attract but it deserves much more than it was getting when I visited.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Thai Coconut
(516) 900-1168, Wantagh

It’s not unusual or particularly attractive, yet the modest new 36-seat storefront Thai Coconut in Wantagh is popular and often packed. There are four reasons those seats are frequently filled: Food, prices, service and location. The food is tasty, prices are in the bargain basement category, the service is sweet and caring and the location across from the LIRR station doesn’t hurt a bit.

On a Friday night about a month after the restaurant’s February opening, a parade of LIRR riders and young locals looking for inexpensive eats poured into this barebones, plain Jane spot while the takeout counter was the scene of brisk activity. Seated at bare tables they perused the predictable menu, plunked down their BYO bottles of wine and proceeded to order a couple of dishes of spring rolls for $3.95 each, generous portions of pad Thai for $8.95, some Jasmine rice for a dollar, heaping plates of mango chicken for $10.95 and finished with three orders of long fried bananas crowned with honey and sesame seeds for $3.25 each.

Thai Coconut’s owner, in a telephone call prior to my visit, said there were five dishes that weren’t on every other Thai restaurant’s menu. That might have been stretching it a bit—one of them was chicken spring roll—nevertheless we ordered all of them, the spring roll, fried tofu, pork vegetable dumplings, black pepper fresh noodles and spicy Thai lo mein (the last two with beef or chicken). We proceeded to dive into the spring rolls, a bowl of that fried tofu, eight pork vegetable dumplings, the two noodle dishes, mango chicken, coconut jumbo prawns (the best dish of the night) and three orders of those fried bananas. The whole shebang cost $98 for six hungry diners.

Aside from the soggy, bland, half filled fried tofu nubbins, with their anemic peanut sauce ($5.25), there were no strikeouts. The standard chicken-flecked spring rolls were crisp and delicate ($3.95), the eight pork vegetable dumplings tender, tasty and admirably moist ($6.50).

The hot and spicy symbols on the menu mean what they say, as is illustrated by both the black pepper fresh noodles and spicy Thai lo mein with their onions, scallions, sweet and sour sauce and discernable kick ($8.95). Tamer is the abundant, diverse portion of mango chicken and the buttery fried coconut jumbo prawns, miraculously soft and light.

But don’t limit yourself to the few dishes that are not duplicated on every Thai menu in the universe. Some of the best picks here are the golden oldies available elsewhere.

An appetizer of four gang sarong, or shrimp wrapped in deep fried noodles, generates an interesting, crisp exterior, soft interior contrast ($7) while six curry samosas, or deep fried crescents, are filled with a welcome diversity of potatoes, onions, carrots and mushrooms sprinkled with curry powder ($6.50). Garlic chicken earns both its hot and spicy designation and its garlic listing ($9.95). Finally the pad Thai, Thailand’s signature dish, is one of the more respectable versions on the Island. It’s neither too sweet nor too spicy.

Desserts are the usual three unnecessary suspects: Fried banana, coconut cake and mango and sticky rice.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Opera House
(516) 484-7456, Roslyn Heights

The words Asian fusion are magic on Long Island. (Small plates are also). The Opera House in Roslyn Heights, like every other new Asian restaurant calls itself Asian Fusion. There are Chinese, Japanese, a few Korean, Malaysian and Thai dishes, but almost none of them are fused or combined with one another.

The Opera House, just south of the LIE on Willis Avenue is a building that obviously was once a Howard Johnson’s before it became To Fu. It bills itself as a sushi-Asian-fusion-lounge and indeed upon entering there is a long sushi bar and some smiling sushi chefs who welcome newcomers. Inside are two sizable dining rooms both with discrete, calming ceiling lighting, bare tables and floors. The first is a spare, Spartan, barely decorated affair but the one farther in has a wall of interesting, appropriately Asian pottery and art-studded walls.

The dinner menu is huge—too huge to itemize here. Service is sweet but far from refined. The smiling young women no doubt mean well but were clueless about who ordered each of the dishes they were delivering. Used silverware wasn’t replaced and dishes arrived on a staggered basis, usually three for four diners, then after a substantial wait the fourth would appear.

Yet, warts and all, most of the food was satisfying, some of it even better than that. Starters sampled: Six or seven thin, crisp, pie-shaped pieces of scallion pancake ($5); a fresh snappy Japanese green seaweed salad ($5); four duck wraps or rice pancakes stuffed with minced duck and scallions ($9) and a sensational circular, small pizza-sized king crab tortilla replete with an oddly satisfying amalgam of king crab, guacamole, caviar and a mild scallion spicy sauce that provided a welcome subtle kick ($15).

The Opera House special roll topped with pepper tuna, avocado and caviar that harbored king crab was tempered and enhanced by its honey wasabi sauce ($17). The moist, even juicy Thai crispy duck was, as with most of the entrées, appealingly presented in a fanned out configuration ($17). The sweet miso glazed Chilean sea bass, with Asian baby greens was a pristine, ivory hued piece of fish that tasted as good as it looked ($24). But the timidly seasoned Singapore Mei Fun noodles lacked any of the spiciness listed on the menu and very little of the promised curry flavor as well ($12).

Desserts were a downer, especially if you don’t opt for the many (or most) that focus on ice cream. Avoid the large, hard, overly dense chocolate brownie ($7) and the nothing-special fried cheesecake ($5). After that it’s all ice cream and sorbet in one guise or another.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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The wine world is complex and marketing creates even more ways to muddle the facts when actually, at its core, wine is pretty simple and almost makes itself. The right temperature, a bit of yeast, some sugar and off the fermentation goes. The results wouldn’t be much to write about without a good balance between all the other natural components of wine along with the grape sugars that turn to alcohol creating wine.

After World War II, agriculture embraced all the new farming techniques that included fertilizers and pesticides to increase the yields and quality of produce. Winemakers also took to these new methods, many of which allowed bigger grapes, more clusters per vine and thus more juice. But more isn’t always better. The result was more mass-produced styled wines and both the land and the wines suffered. Some wine producers reacted and began farming more naturally, most of which started in the early 1980s. At first it was done quietly, but they gradually began to announce that they were farming naturally, using several terms all with slightly different definitions. These include organic, biodynamic, sustainable, eco-friendly and even just plain natural, all of which is a bit convoluted for the end-user of wine.

Originally the reason wine farmers embraced more natural methods was to create more interesting and higher quality wines. Along with farming advances technological advances also began to take place in the winery, some of which are not exactly natural. Refrigeration allowed winemakers to control the speed and temperature of the winemaking process. Ways to increase or decrease the acidity, or alcohol or color of the finished wines have also become available. Both of these tactics and others affect taste, not necessarily for the better. Besides being an alcoholic beverage that changes social behavior (for better or worse), wine is also a mechanism to bottle the taste of a place and the best way to do that is with as little intervention as possible. The region of Burgundy learned the hard way that too much technology in viticulture and viniculture can suffocate the terroir that make their great wines so distinct and valuable.

The most important contribution organic (et. al.) farming has provided is more distinctive wine. Grapes are seeds, aka the children of the vine and when the vine is happy with plenty of nutrients and water it produces fat and lazy grapes. If the vine is struggling to survive, the offspring are small but very strong and distinctive. Fat and lazy grapes produce boring wine. Small, distinctive and powerful grapes produce wines with great character and the taste of the terroir (or place). If a wine is organic or self-applies any of the other similar lexicons but is boring, then it’s missed the point and is really just a victim to a marketing ploy. Great wines come from vines that struggle a bit, so very fertile soils with plenty of irrigation can produce plenty of wine, but the opposite produces distinctive and potentially great wine. Like most things, it’s quality, not quantity that counts. I’d rather drink better but less, it might even be healthier for me.

Despite marketing labels of organic, biodynamic, sustainable etc., these wines come from soils and climates that make the vine struggle. The rewards are worth the taste:
2006 Château de la Selve Serre de Berty, Coteaux de l’Ardèche, FR
2010 Figge Cellars Paraiso Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, CA
2008 Tertulia Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, WA
2010 Henri Richard Gevrey-Chambertin “Aux Corvées”, Burgundy, FR

Need some wine answers? Follow me on twitter @noblewines or my blog noblewines.com

STATION Inauguration
Rafe Worthington and Marina Rutherfurd are promoting simplicity with STATION, which opened in East Quogue on Memorial Day. The duo’s concise dinner menu (lunch hours are forthcoming) offers “what’s growing in Amagansett and coming through Shinnecock Inlet,” Worthington said. And they’re not adding anything too complicated or pretentious; stem glassware isn’t available, for example. Lucia Soria, who owns two restaurants in Uruguay, is the Executive Chef, which explains dishes with an international bent like ajoblanco, a cold, Spanish soup with garlic and almonds.

Made on Long Island: Gentle Brew Coffee
Bryan Baquet, Patrick Luyster and Michael Shcherbenko started roasting organic coffee in Hicksville in 2010, selling small bags of beans and brewed-to-order cups. The trio now operates a coffee shop in Long Beach, roasting 200-250 pounds per week and offering six single-origin varieties (depending on availability), housemade desserts and waffles. “There are people who dedicate their lives to coffee,” Baquet said, who recently traveled to Peru to establish a direct-trade relationship with a coffee farm. “We want to expose people on Long Island to the culture.” gentlebrewcoffee.com

Cook’s Cooks From Scratch
Josh and Dave Cook are aptly last-named as owners of Cook’s Scratch Kitchen & Bakery, a dedicated presentation of house-made and Long Island-sourced eats that opened in April. The fraternal duo renovated 1014 Coffee Shop in Northport and installed a kitchen to roast, cure and smoke all meat, poultry and fish. The bakery menu (excluding sandwich breads), pickles, potato chips and sauerkraut are also created entirely in-house. “The last place was serving microwaved egg sandwiches and frozen pastries, but we’re all about doing things correctly,” Josh said. cookskitchenny.com

1st & 2nd - “Spring Fling” Arts and Music Festival
Babylon
Take in a bevy of local musical and artistic talent at this festival/sidewalk sale throughout Babylon Village.

6th - Martha Trachtenberg and Stuart Markus
Yoga and Polarity Center, Malverne
Once a month the yoga mats are rolled up and the lights are turned down to welcome acoustic music into the Yoga and Polarity Center. Check out these folk veterans.

9th - Woodstock Revival
Sands Point Preserve
This music and art tribute to Woodstock is a great outing for the whole family, featuring live painting and local music from Wonderous Stories, Half Step, Jellyband, and more.

15th - Tribute to Johnny Cash with Tom Cavanagh
Dix Hills Performing Arts Center
Long Island favorite Tom Cavanagh takes on a new project: “Walkin’ the Line,” a tribute event that is not to be missed.

19th - Lil’ Cliff and the Cliffhangers
Northport VA Medical Center
The signature blues sound swings its way over to the Northport VA’s summer concert series.

Plattduetsche Park Restaurant
(516) 354-3131, Franklin Square
parkrestaurant.com

Though an array of German beer styles are offered at Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, including hefeweizen, pilsner and Oktoberfest, General Manager Matthew Buck wanted a unique story for the establishment’s first house beer in its 54-year existence. After nearly three years of waiting for “the right candidate,” Buck opted for a local source and selected Long Ireland Beer Company in Riverhead. The two parties chose kölsch, a crisp, subtle-flavored style designed for refreshing. 

“It’s something we’ve never offered before,” said Buck. “The guys at Long Ireland brewed some test batches and we sampled and critiqued until it was perfect. The beer is great on a hot summer day in our expanded biergarten, which is another project we’re proud to debut this year.”

The project, which involves the renovation of an early-1900s building on Plattduetsche Park Restaurant’s property, will create a year-round indoor biergarten (a bowling alley was unearthed beneath three layers of floor, which will be used to construct tables). The expansion opens in June.

The Country Corner
(631) 751-2800, East Setauket
facebook.com/thecountrycorner

After his father’s death in 2010, Ben Saraydarian, a Port Washington native, left Boston and returned to operate the East Setauket-based tavern. Though unexpected, the decision was easy; Saraydarian was committed to his family’s dream.

“It was the right thing to do,” Saraydarian said. His father, Sahak, purchased The Country Corner in 1990. “He worked really hard on the bar and it was something he loved. He was friends with everyone.”
Since entering his new role,

Saraydarian has craft-converted the bar’s 12-draft system and “focused on supporting as much local beer as possible.” The latter includes Port Jeff Brewing Company White’s Beach Wit, a quaffable witbier with orange and coriander notes.

“The only time I don’t have their beer is when they don’t have any left,” laughs Saraydarian.

Brewery Hoppenings
A crooked ladder is not dysfunctional; it leads to beer. After two years of construction and license delays, Stephen Wirth opens the Crooked Ladder Brewing Company in June. Wirth, who owns Digger’s, renovated the Riverhead bar’s adjoining space (formerly Crystal Bar) and installed a seven-barrel brew house with brother, David. Duffy Griffiths, owner of Duffy’s Deli in Riverhead and Jamesport, is Crooked Ladder’s third partner and brew master. The brewery will start with “around eight beers” says Wirth and use a modified 1970s-era Jamesport Fire Department truck to dispense beer at events.

Follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, at lipulse.com where you can find more craft beer on Long Island.

Photo by Stephen Lang

Ainsworth Park
(212) 673-2467, NYC
ainsworthparknyc.com
Not often do the words “chic” and “sports bar” appear in the same sentence, but Ainsworth Park, at the center of the Gramercy/Union Square area, pulls it off. While there are 65 flat screens the interior design is impeccable with expansive, artfully curved wood ceilings, comfy brown leather seating and dramatic chandeliers. Here a bucket of beer feels just as right as a classy cocktail, like The Park Avenue, a blend of Nolet gin, pimms, lemonade and ginger ale. It is a sports bar, though; expect crowds and an ear-jarringly loud experience.

Ginza
(516) 882-9688,  Massapequa
ginzali.com
Ginza grabs your attention before you even walk into the door. The building, inspired by eateries in the most fashionable section of Tokyo, is a striking sea of mirrored glass with instantly recognizable Japanese architectural details. Inside are sparkly adornments and monolithic statues and standard seating, but sitting up straight is boring—chill in the lounge on red leather seating or cozy, oval pods dangling from the ceiling. The big combo here is the lauded sushi menu and drinks. The menu is rife with wines and spirits, but it’s the sake and creative cocktails that draw the crowds. Across the glowing granite bar, experience the range of possibilities with the Sake Flight, a selection of Junmai, ginjo, dai-ginjo, unfiltered and plum. Or get wild and order the Aquamarine, a blend of Stoli Vanilla, Malibu rum, pineapple juice, sour mix and a splash of blue curaçao. Note that Ginza is a slice of modern Japan, if you’re looking for a traditional Japanese dining experience, walk on.

Left Coast Kitchen and Cocktails
(516) 868-5338, Merrick
lckny.com
Go for the food (it’s definitely burger time here), stay for the beer and entertainment. Left Coast is run by a California transplant/New York native couple and that Cali vibe permeates. The dinner menu is an adventure in its own right, but for a night out, gravitate to the craft beer menu, which has something for every taste. For the uninitiated, each flavor profile is extensively described. Different beers are thrown into the rotation regularly, so repeat visits won’t turn into a predictable retread, but bear in mind that craft beer generally has more alcohol than the mainstream stuff, so plan accordingly.

The Surf Lodge
(631) 668-1562, Montauk
thesurflodge.com
It’s summer in Montauk on Fort Pond. That’s all you need to know. The outdoor vibe rightly steals the show here and their backyard draws the typical lively Hamptons party crowd, for better or worse. The firepit nestled in sand and the projection screens showing surf videos may draw attention, but Mother Nature will definitely steal the show: Nothing beats watching the sun set over glassy water. Add a beverage and the moment is perfect. There’s live music for every taste during prime season, from singer/songwriters to reggae acts, and a DJ if dancing is more your speed. Claustrophobics need not apply when it’s really bumping—the crowds get pretty tight.

Ask a southerner to describe barbecue and you’ll likely hear it called comfort food. They’ll label it a party, centered around a secret family rub or sauce or point to a joint just down the road serving simple, honest food. Press them to describe the food itself and the answer will be as varied as the states that comprise Dixie. You’ll hear about spare ribs covered in a glossy, sticky-sweet sauce in Kansas; dry rubbed, sliced brisket in Texas; vinegar-based, biting sauce covering pulled pork on a bun in the Carolinas. Long Island pitmasters are changing the idea of a barbecue in these parts through the competition circuit. Smoked hunks of pork butt, racks of ribs and dozens of chicken thighs are replacing grilled burgers and franks. It’s not fast and it’s not easy, but it may just be the best damn thing you put in your mouth this summer.

Inside the BBQ Brethren 8 1/2 x 15-foot trailer Phil Rizzardi and his teammate Scott Owitz take turns prepping chicken and brisket. While one works the other looks on from a nearby stool because there isn’t enough room for both of them at the counter, which is cluttered with all the accouterments of a meat rub: Opened containers of brown sugar and spices and commercial mixes with Emeril Lagasse’s face on the label. “You could make your own, but most of the commercial ones have the same stuff in there so it’s a time saver,” Owitz said. Behind them is a fridge and restaurant-style stainless steel sink, next to which is a futon that’s seen better days. The white walls are covered with stickers and ribbons from previous competitions and the whole trailer serves as a rolling trophy case, a testament to previous successes.

They are prepping for WilliePallooza, the two-day long competition named after local barbecue guru Willie Breakstone. For Rizzardi it represents the culmination of weeks of legwork: Making and returning calls, responding to e-mails, coordinating vendors, permits and teams from his home in Nesconset. The results of all that effort are 30 teams crammed into the Brentwood VFW’s parking lot on a bright, crisp Saturday morning in April. Most are local crews, two-to-five member teams made up almost entirely of men, dragging their trailers from Oceanside, Babylon, Glen Head and as far away as Woburn, Massachusetts. While a few elite pitmasters travel around the country living off competition purses, barbecuing is mostly a hobby for these weekend cooks.

Most of the competitors this weekend are part of the BBQ Brethren. Rizzardi founded the Brethren, now a 38,000-member international online community, where barbecue enthusiasts discuss smokers, recipes, techniques and competition results. Rizzardi, Owitz and the other teams are here to shake the rust off a long winter when there is a lull in the competitive cooking circuit.

Though that doesn’t mean they haven’t been working at it. Some here have prepared for the season by taking a barbecue class—think of it as a continuing education requirement. Cooking techniques, sauces and rubs are constantly changing in an effort to impress judges.

The teams scatter around the perimeter and each is assigned a 25x34-foot area to cook in and most teams will spend the night sleeping just a feet away from their slowly smoldering pork and beef. They huddle in sleeping bags and lawn chairs to protect them from that night’s 30-degree chill. After arriving they unloaded trailers, erected 10x10-foot tents, rolled out red or black metal, mechanic-style toolboxes filled with the thermometers, tongs, knives, aluminum foil and other tools they’ll need over the weekend. Then the smokers came out: Some tall, upright and stainless steel, others low, long and painted black. All will be belching out smoke soon as crews mingle while preparing appetizers before the serious competition starts Saturday night. In the meantime, they walk around proudly showing off new rigs like a car buff opening the hood to his ’69 GTO.

While competitions are most certainly about the food, it’s also part campout, part networking opportunity and part festival. There is camaraderie among the teams and this weekend is the first time a lot of the cooks have seen each other since last fall when the season wrapped. Naturally there is plenty of joking, gawking at equipment and opposing teams’ collections of trophies, ribbons and—if the team is any good—its number from the American Royal barbecue competition, where teams from all over the country compete.

They come packing all sorts of smokers, from trailers holding thousand-dollar automated versions to a group of Weber Smokey Mountains to a custom made grill that spent its previous life as a propane tank. Before teams can trim a single thigh, judges must inspect the meat to verify cuts are proper for the competition—generally pork shoulders and ribs, chicken thighs and beef brisket—that nothing has been cooked or seasoned ahead of time and that it’s stored properly. Then the teams put into action the game plans they decided on weeks ago. A regimented list of steps that unfold over hours of prepping, trimming, rubbing, injecting marinades, smoking, resting, carving, tasting, more carving and more tasting, then presentation.

Barbecue competitions push the cream of the pitmasters to the top—these are not the pizza-tossing sort that merit showmanship over taste. These competitions come with monetary prizes, which sometimes barely cover the expense of the meat. This weekend’s purse was about $5,000, which was split up between winners in each meat category. The overall winning team took home $1,000. They battle for trophies and certain competitions are a stepping-stone to a bigger stage. The competitive barbecue circuit in New York has grown to 11 events sanctioned by New York State. WilliePallooza is sanctioned, win it and it’s your first step into the big leagues of competition barbecue. Most of the major, national barbecue competitions like Kansas City’s American Royal (the World Series of Barbecue) or the more selective Jack Daniel’s Invitational in Lynchburg, TN require a state-sanctioned win to qualify. Come spring, teams on the Island dust off their rigs, visit their wholesale clubs to secure their meat or have it flown in from the Midwest if they want top quality, grass-fed protein and put to work everything they’ve learned in the “off season.”

Some teams tweak their rubs over years, not unlike Keith Dorman who sells his No. 117 rub at his Port Washington restaurant Harbor Q. “It took me years to get this right,” Dorman said. “I tweaked it probably every weekend or every other weekend until I got it just right, which was on version 117.” And even though Owitz uses a store-bought mix with brown sugar, cayenne, paprika and garlic, the wall in front of the cutting board he’s working on has more than a dozen shakers on it. The team is constantly interrupted because Rizzardi plays part organizer and part competitor, so friends and competitors constantly pop in asking questions, like what time is turn in, the official time on Sunday when the four major categories will have to be turned in. Outside their trailer is the Fast Eddy FEC100, a $4,000 stainless steel cooker that looks like a more substantial version of a dorm room refrigerator than a means of making humble food. Many teams use the Fast Eddy because the computer and auger bolted to its side automatically drops food-grade wood pellets into a fire, which keeps the temperature at the 225 degree sweet spot. It belches smoke from a rudimentary steel vent stack as it starts cooking the moinks: Meatballs (moo) wrapped in bacon (oink) which are handed out to teams to sample; a friendly gesture of sorts before things get serious on Sunday.

Brentwood neighbors start to filter in, attracted by the smell of the wood smoke, the tents and commotion, but while there are dozens of teams slated to cook, the only barbecue a visitor can buy is from the sole vendor who has the necessary license to sell food; he’s across from the pickles and ice cream vendors and next to the local distributor trying to sell Big Green Egg smokers. Competitors don’t have a license to sell the food they cook, which allows the organizers to draw in vendors to help cover the cost of the event. To accompany the moinks several teams prepare the only vegetarian option this weekend will see—halved jalapeños filled with cream cheese and sometimes wrapped in bacon. Each team can produce about 30 pounds of meat over the two days, most of which is given away to a food bank or to family and friends who come down at the end of the competition. “We cook the insurance,” said Frank Sacco of Blazin’ Buttz BBQ. What starts as a 10-pound brisket cooks down to 8 pounds after 10 or so hours of attention, from which the team looks to harvest eight worthy slices to present to the judges.

The Blazin’ Buttz trailer the morning of the second day of cooking is a beehive of activity. The trailer, required to haul two Fast Eddy smokers, sits on the asphalt next to a small generator. Beneath two tents bungee corded together all the prep, resting and cutting happens. Managing all of the chaos is a medium sized dry erase board that outlines, in 15-minute increments, where the team should be with the meat at any given time. A few minutes before their brisket entry is scheduled to be submitted, Bob Schwarz turns to his wife and teammate Laura and asks for the “brisket slicing music,” which accompanies Schwarz from a docked iPhone near the cutting station. He carefully slices a brisket with long, measured strokes of a serrated knife to the tune of The Allman Brothers’ “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” As the slices fall away from the mass Sacco picks up each one, letting it flop over his pointer finger to gauge how done the meat is. “A thermometer will only tell you so much,” Sacco said. “You really have to feel the meat.” The two will slice until they find the eight perfect sections they need.

On the far end of the lot is Eric Johnson’s trailer, inside which is a smoker capable of cooking an entire hog. But for this competition they’re firing up two smaller units, one handmade in Maine using aircraft-grade insulation. Johnson, part of Mr. Bobo’s Traveling BBQ Allstars, goes by the moniker the “Sultan of Swine.” While he’s not competing this weekend, he’s helping his friends, the Purple Pork Masters. Johnson and the Bobo team have won numerous awards though he rarely swallows what he cooks. “I’ll taste it but then I spit it out,” he said. It’s a notion that many share at the event. After spending 48 hours handling, prepping, cooking and cutting meat, most would be quite happy eating a salad. The affinity for salads aside, “most barbecue clothing starts at 2x,” Johnsons said, referring to the size of the shirts many teams have made for the competitions.

As Sunday morning rolls into mid afternoon teams are loading in chicken thighs, which is the first category to be submitted though it hits the smoke last because it cooks the fastest. The other meats are in various stages of resting. The pace picks up as teams have a scant 10-minute window to submit each of the meats. The lot fills with competitors walking quickly, but purposefully, into the VFW’s hall to submit their efforts in a 9x9-inch white foam take out container. After hours of prep, attention to detail and carefully selecting the perfect cut, the meat of their labors find their ends in the most nondescript of vessels.

Scott Owitz
BBQ Brethren
Scott competes with Rizzardi all over the Northeast. It’s not unusual for Owitz, a nurse, to spend an hour breaking down chicken thighs so they are uniform and will cook evenly. In the cramped BBQ Brethren trailer Owitz trims and debones the chicken while continuing the conversation with a stream of other competitors who pop in and out of the trailer. The competition’s first day is a casual chili cook-off where teams meet and greet each other. “The atmosphere is friendly for the most part but tomorrow it’s going to get hectic because we have a ten minute window to turn in each of the four categories,” Owitz said. He picks up a printout with a list of what happens when—like pork goes in at this time and check the beef at that time.

Bob (pictured) and Laura Schwarz, Frank Sacco
Blazin’ Buttz BBQ
After six years of competing, this team operates with the efficiency of doctors in surgery, but that’s during the run up to submission. Before that, they are happy to discuss the hallmarks of good barbecue: What it should look like, what it should smell like and what it should taste like. They would know, the team placed 12 out of 480 teams at the American Royal in 2011; 32 out of 525 teams the year before that. Each member has a role to play. Laura handles chicken (the team finished third in chicken) while Frank and Bob prep, rub and endlessly fond over the pork and brisket. Their tent looks like a well organized, pop up triage unit with rolling cabinets, folding tables raised to countertop height with lengths of PVC pipe slipped over the legs and a portable fireplace. All the work pays off as the team takes seventh overall, seventh in pork butt and sixth in brisket. At the competition following WilliePallooza, they took the grand prize in the NYC BBQ Cook Off in Staten Island, a sanctioned event, which means the team has a shot at competing for the American Royal and The Jack.

Evolution of the ’cue
By the time barbecue made its way to the New World by way of present day Colombia the technique changed little and consisted mostly of cooking deer, pig and fish over a wood fire. Barbecue, from the Taino Indian word barbacoas, is the name for the arrangement of sticks the food was placed on. It has always been a social event enjoyed by every class, from the poorest slaves to the wealthiest landowners. George Washington once attended a barbecue that lasted three days and some historians believe he lost the first seat he ran for in Virginia because he did not host a barbecue to court potential voters. After the Civil War freed slaves who manned kitchens as pitmasters took their style of cooking to Kansas City and as far north as Chicago. Barbecue grew from there like a regional dialect, each style distinct though sharing the same root. But nearly every region cooks with pork (shoulder or ribs) and chicken, though Texas still eschews pork for local and abundant beef. Whatever the kind, traditional barbecue is cooked for hours overnight, hovering at the 225 degree mark over wood, which perfumes the meat while the low and slow heat breaks down the grisly connective tissue.

BBQ Island
There is no way around it—barbecue is time consuming. Thankfully you won’t have to wait eight hours for pulled pork at these local spots.

Smokin’ Al’s
Massapequa Park
Big eaters unite: In addition to smoking “que,” Al’s is home of the Two Mile High burger challenge.

Bobbique
Patchogue
Great BBQ, but also great blues, bourbon and beer. It’s a time capsule to Memphis by way of St. Louis.

Harbor Q
Port Washington
If there were such a thing as “haute que” this would be it, an almost upscale bistro-like barbecue haunt.

Townline BBQ
Sagaponack
Where else but in the Hamptons can you get authentic, rustic bbq delivered to the beach? Yeah, exactly.

Dixie’s Smokehouse
King’s Park
If you love Texas, you’ll love Dixie’s. If you are a fan of the “slow and low” style, you’ll love Dixie’s.

Big Daddy’s Restaurant
Massapequa
You gotta love a place that counts down to Fat Tuesday 365 days a year. You know what you’re stepping in to.

Smokers
While the act of cooking tough cuts of meat for long periods of time over smoldering wood hasn’t changed, the rigs used in the competitive cooking circuit have. The more you spend, the more consistent the cooker maintains the temperature and the less work the pitmaster has to do. In a competition, that means more sleep.

Auger fed smoker:
This is the most popular kind of smoker on the competitive circuit though it requires taking a generator along to power its electric burner. A computer on the side feeds food grade wood pellets to provide flavor and color.

Kettle style:
A variation of the popular Weber grill, this bullet shaped smoker uses mostly charcoal as the heat source and wood chunks or chips for flavor and color. Most competitors fit this style smoker with a computer that uses probes to control a tiny fan to increase or decrease the heat level.

Offset smoker:
Shaped like a barrel, this smoker burns wood in a separate box off to the side. The smoke is pulled into the main compartment where it works its magic on the meat before being pulled up through a stack on the far end.

My parents emigrated here from lands where the sheep roam free and the goats know very little about YouTube. They knew full well when crossing the Atlantic that, in the great metropolis of New York City, life would be a far cry from the motherland’s pastoral living. They obviously didn’t know about The Queens County Farm Museum.

Long Islanders east of the shellacked ’burbs know a lot about farms for sure. The fields of corn and grapes are practically a calling card for our region. But very few of us know or expect that the slick gent next door would have a pair of overalls hanging in the mudroom. The Queens County Farm Museum might pop up on a Google search for an unusual place to get married or find its way into someone’s phone as a fun space to hold the next business event, but it’s also one of the most remarkable historic landmarks around…and oldest. 47 acres are primed for your imaginative inclinations, exemplifying Queens County’s “300-year history of agriculture and farming as a way of life.” There’s the ambience of the centerpiece farmhouse around which pigs oink, chickens cross the road and alpacas literally eat stalks of grass out of your hand while whispering sweet exotic utterings into your ear if you let them (funky breath). There’s also the possibility of taking home honey from the farm’s colony of authentic Italian honeybees. (What’s New York City without a few Italian honeybees, eh?). And there are farm-fresh eggs, wool and other farmy goods waiting to be bought at the end of the perusal and nostalgia. All in all, it’s a full afternoon that could parlay into a day if you check out the Farm Museum’s summer programming schedule. There is a lot to see and do—for the kiddies too—throughout the season and into the fall.

So why is a farm in New York City important? We do, after all, have several great farms with rides, attractions, llama-like creatures and fruit smoothies all over Long Island that are great places to take the kids on a Saturday afternoon. All that is true, but where else will you find a slice of agrarian history alive and well in the greatest city in the world? Where else will you and the youngins see the strange juxtaposition of rooster and skyscraper and subway and stalk that blows away Rousseau’s “mind-forged manacles” and opens up the possibility of a better, more-balanced tomorrow?

Few things compare to a simple cocktail enjoyed under summer’s sun, or sunset for that matter. When entertaining moves out onto the deck, patio or poolside the beverage experience should likewise take it easy. That means a little curating will go a long way to avoid the entire liquor cabinet from ending up outside. It requires a plan.

The bar car is the start. It not only holds a selection of booze, but it tells guests where to head when they arrive. This handsome cart’s body is made up of weather-resistant teak and marine-grade stainless steel. Cart designs with two wheels stay put better than those with four casters, which never seem to lock, meaning most of your libations stay on the cart at least a little longer. The 48-inch long and arm’s width wide, scratchproof top is a perfect work surface. The bottle racks keep the essentials close at hand while the two pullout trays make serving the crowd a snap. A pair of drawers holds the bevy of napkins, kitchen towels, bottle cap openers and the like to keep clutter to a minimum.

Martini, rocks and wine glasses should all be waiting on the cart’s lower shelf. Elevate the summer cocktail shaker experience with a pewter version that adds heft while the matte finish reduces glare. The best summer drinks are the ones that require a little of this and a few glugs of that, but for precise measuring a one ounce fox head jigger is a hip way to get a drink just right. Make a perennial favorite like sangria or a soon-to-be favorite like Philly Fish House punch ahead of time and it becomes a vertical eye-catcher, as well as self serve station in a tall, narrow pitcher.

The neutral, smooth taste of a premium vodka is the cornerstone of any bar, cart or otherwise. With no effort it can be poured into a vodka and tonic and garnished with a fresh lemon wedge. Cart mates should include Campari, because it really isn’t summer without this Italian bitter. A basic mixing rum earns a spot because it pairs so well with fruit, but if space allows a premium version for sipping neat slides afternoons effortlessly into early evenings. And Champagne, or a fruity sparkling wine, is on board to aid in airiness.

A stocked bar cart should welcome everyone, drinkers and drivers alike. Step up beyond ordinary bottled water into some infused waters. For those looking for carbonation, sparkling cider keeps things light and a good ginger beer is a quick reminder of the days when the stuff actually tasted like ginger.

Editor’s Choice:
The classic Americano: Campari, sweet vermouth and ice. Splash of soda optional.

Shown Here:
Bar Cart by Barlow Tyrie available at Hildreth’s, $3900

Accessories available at Brooklyn-based kaufmann-mercantile.com:
Cocktail shaker: 8” pewter “vintage,” made in Lombardia, Italy, $349
Fox head measuring jigger: 3oz pewter, handmade in Sheffield, England, $65
Pitcher: 1.5liter crystal and hand cast pewter bottom, handmade in Italy, $219
Stirrer: 13.6” pewter cocktail stirrer, handmade in Italy, $75

High on the list of attributes for a good summer cocktail is simplicity. Somewhere between the easy, yet ubiquitous gin and tonic and the extensive ingredient list of a Long Island iced tea is the Bank Robber. Created by bartender Devan Van Eyck at NYC’s The Marrow, on Bank Street, and “robbed” from the boulevardier, the drink’s smoky body comes from Bulleit bourbon. Bitter flavor and color come from two Italians: Campari and Punt e Mes vermouth. Originally conceived for a martini glass, we think it works best in a laid-back rocks glass.

Ingredients:
2oz Bulleit, or your
favorite bourbon
1/2oz Punt e Mes
1/2oz Campari
2 dashes orange bitters
Instructions
Add all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a glass. Cut a large swath of orange with a vegetable peeler, fold and float on top.

Balance, critical to Filipino cooking where sweet coconut milk often tempers acidic vinegar, is something Jeff Uguil has to face both in and out of the kitchen. And he’s learning to focus on that everyday—his life depends on it. His is a story of hard work rewarded, made sweeter by Uguil’s roots as a first generation American born to Filipino parents.

Uguil worked his way from prepper to sous chef to chef de cuisine. He even paid his dues making strawberry shortcakes for Starr Boggs, which “Adam [Lovett], my business partner likes to tell everyone since that was my first job cooking and he got me my start because he was the general manager there at the time.” Like many chefs, venturing out on his own followed the natural progression of his career. Today, he captains the kitchen at A Lure, where the menu is seafood heavy, reflecting both its location within the Port of Egypt Marina and Uguil’s interest in the cuisine. And the chef is balancing both the front and back of the house as well as being an employee and a partner in the operation.

It wasn’t a straight line east for the Long Island native, though. After the East Flatbush kid finished the CUNY hospitality management program, he held a variety of positions in the kitchen, from the pastry chef at Piccola Venezia Ristorante in Astoria to the sous chef position at the Buccaneer Hotel in the US Virgin Islands. Along the way there were stops at Fire Island, Manhattan and Westhampton. The latter is where he met Adam who, along with Long Island chef and restaurateur Tom Schaudel, later became partners with Uguil at A Lure.

While none of the dishes at his restaurant alludes to his Filipino background, he tries to incorporate some of it behind-the-scenes: “Part of our everyday routine is doing a family meal for the staff,” Uguil said. “I’ll do a stew or a chicken or pork adobo with onions and coconut milk with some vinegar—it’s something the staff doesn’t get to eat too often.” For customers left out of the staff meal, there is a grilled swordfish with a spicy Thai green curry topped with a pineapple mango salsa and black rice.

But the pressure of managing the books, hiring and training staff and all the responsibilities that take a chef’s attention away from the stove had their way with Uguil: He suffered a heart attack last summer at the age of 36. “Both my parents have heart conditions so I knew it was coming but I didn’t expect it so young,” Uguil said. “I should probably take it easy now…but I really want to be in the kitchen.”

Because the menu changes about every two months during the season new additions are constantly being worked on. If you’re dining on a special, chances are that’s the chef’s way of testing a new concept on you. “We did the crab and avocado salad with passion fruit soup and it was received so well it became a menu staple.” Coming into his third season manning the kitchen, Uguil, health concerns and all, isn’t leaving anytime soon. “I want to be in the kitchen, it just feels right.” 

Mussels in Red Thai curry broth:
2 large onions diced
1tbsp minced garlic
1tbsp minced fresh ginger
1tbsp minced lemongrass
2oz. Sesame oil
1 small can Red Thai curry paste
1 can Coco Lopez
2cans Coconut milk
1cup Soy sauce
3cups Vegetable or chicken stock
5lbs.  Fresh pei mussels

In a large pot, sweat onions with the sesame oil
Add minced garlic, ginger, lemongrass along with the curry paste and continue to sweat another 5 mins.
Add all the liquid ingredients and bring to a boil.
Let simmer at least 30mins.
Add mussels,cover with lid and cook just slightly after mussels have opened.
Garnish with freshly chopped basil, cilantro and parsley.

“Eat your fruits and vegetables” is a mantra ingrained in our brains as a simple way to fuel a healthy lifestyle. Precious berries have long been the darlings of the fruit world. In a dried form they come from as far away as the Himalayas packing antioxidants into every shriveled fruit. Weave them into your diet via trail mix, salad, yogurt or ground up in a smoothie.

1. Goji Berries (wolf berries) are native to China. Research suggests they may help prevent cancer, heart disease and protect against age-related diseases. Taste: Similar to a bitter, dried cranberry. $1.50 per oz; navitasnaturals.com

2. Sea Buckthorn, from the Himalayas, offer a long list of health benefits including treating arthritis, ulcers and lowering cholesterol. Another perk? Anti-aging components keep skin looking youthful and radiant. Taste: Tart and crunchy. $1.18 per oz; sunburstsuperfoods.com

3. Black Chokeberries (aronia berries): These domestic berries can help treat symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome, reduce blood glucose levels in diabetics and aid in maintaining a healthy weight by preventing the storage of too much fat. Taste: Sour and crunchy. $1.18 per oz; nuts.com

4. White Mulberries: Direct from Turkey, these are an excellent source of plant protein. Some of their antioxidants help with anti-aging, strengthening the immune system and preventing cancer, diabetes and infection. Taste: Like a sweet, chewy fig. $1.50 per oz; navitasnaturals.com

5. Maqui Berries: Studies have found these Patagonians slow down the aging process and most significantly, reduce inflammation. Taste: Tart, crunchy and hollow. $4 per ounce; sunfood.com

6. Golden Berries (gooseberries) from South America are rich in phosphorous, which aids the growth and strength of bones and teeth. Plus, golden berries are a great source of protein that helps build muscle and burn energy. Taste: Like a plump raisin, but with a pleasant sour finish. $1.75 per oz; navitasnaturals.com

Food labels are required by law for most packaged food. They provide the familiar nutrition facts (serving sizes, nutrient content), various descriptors, a list of ingredients starting with the most prominent by weight and sometimes FDA-approved health claims. Although they’re supposed to enable consumers to make healthy choices, manufacturers often turn the information into a legal con game. Consumers therefore need to learn how to detect misrepresentations by Big Food in order to make informed decisions.

One popular con is the vanishing serving size. Manufacturers sometimes manipulate serving sizes by suggesting unreasonably small servings to reduce the apparent amount of unhealthful ingredients such as added sugars and trans-fats. A box of cookies might, for example, indicate that one serving equals half a cookie.

Also popular is the rounding con, often used in conjunction with the vanishing serving size, to falsely indicate that a product is free of trans-fats. We’re all familiar with the evil trans-fat: A synthetic hydrocarbon often erroneously equated with saturated fat, and now known to be sugar’s partner in crime behind heart disease. The FDA allows the number of grams of an ingredient to be rounded up or down to the nearest whole number. For trans-fats, manufacturers use the vanishing serving size to round down fewer than 0.5 grams per serving to zero. Thus, the claim “trans-fat free” or reporting zero grams on the nutrition facts label, is permitted on foods that have less than half a gram per serving. Instead, check the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oil.

Manufacturers also like to play “hide the sugars.” Added sugars have no nutritional value and can harm health. They go by many names such as sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, evaporated cane sugar, Florida crystals, agave syrup or honey, allowing Big Food to use smaller quantities of different sugars so they can appear separately in the ingredient list. If you don’t recognize Florida crystals and the others as sugars, it won’t be obvious. Again, you should check the nutrition facts label for “sugars.”

Big Food also likes the association con. “Multi-grain” has a connotation of being healthful, but the first ingredient is usually wheat flour, which is simply refined white flour. It is indeed a grain, just not a whole one. Look for 100 percent whole grain instead. A comparable trick is for the label to state, “made with whole wheat.” It generally means that the product is mostly refined white flour with a little whole wheat added. Again, check the ingredient list.

Here’s a surprising variation of the association con. The term “not from concentrate” on the container of your favorite orange juice would seem to indicate that the product is fresh squeezed, right?
Well, have you ever noticed that every container of juice tastes the same?

The manufacturer accomplishes this by stripping the juice of oxygen, which also removes flavor, for long-term storage in big vats. At the time of packaging, chemically manipulated flavor packs are added to the liquid. This makes a mockery of the term “all natural,” but it is legal at this time.

The best way to avoid Big Food’s con game is to prepare your own meals whenever possible using fresh, organic and whole food ingredients. Most of the products found in supermarkets should not really be considered food at all, but Frankenfood!

OTHER WAYS IN WHICH BIG FOOD DECEIVES YOU

• Front Label Logos: For example the American Heart Association’s endorsement that a food supports cardiovascular health. These claims are based on outdated science and usually disguise undesirable ingredients, like sugar.

• The Low Fat Bait and Switch: There is no real evidence that reducing dietary fat is better for you and the fat is generally replaced with sugar and thickeners. They also have little satiety value.

• Natural Flavoring: Usually covers up the hidden MSG in the ingredient list in the form of autolyzed yeast extract or hydrolyzed soy protein.

• Artificial Sweeteners: Such as sucralose (Splenda) and Acesulfame-K hiding in foods such as cereals.

Five.Five 2
(631) 584-4600, St. James

Five.Five 2 in St. James continues to come on strong since it exploded onto the Long Island restaurant scene late last year. Among its attractions are a Sunday Jazz Brunch, live music Fridays, Sundays and some Saturdays, and the diverse menu of tapas, first courses, second courses, accompaniments and desserts created by Executive Chef Adam Pitré. Mr. Pitré presided over kitchens at Ruvo in Greenlawn and Chop Shop Bar & Grill in Smithtown before taking the top toque reins at Five.Five 2, where he seems to have come into full flower.

The 98-seat, new American spot (where O’s Food and Wine Bar had been) is divided into a multitude of small, almost nook-and-cranny-like rooms, with cloth table covers, candles everywhere, wine bottle decorations and somewhat cramped seating. When the restaurant is swamped, as it was on a busy weekend in March, there can be too much discussion and delay before newcomers with confirmed reservations are finally seated.

Yet most of Mr. Pitré’s creative cooking tends to erase the few negatives encountered (including a rather pricey wine list that starts at $35 a bottle and $10 a glass). Outstanding warm pillowy rolls delivered one-by-one make for a promising prelude to the meal. The seven sizable tapas are entrées in disguise. They can be substituted for appetizers or eaten as meals in the lounge. Try the super-tender short ribs ($12), the three jumbo Angus sliders covered with caramelized onions ($12) or the lobster-infused Gloucester deviled eggs ($11).

Among the first courses, we encountered two impressive dishes: Large, grit-free PEI mussels resting on ethereal shallot herb nage ($10); and a substantial “Peeky Toe” crab cake studded with corn that gave it an interesting texture and a coulis of piquillo pepper that further enhanced it ($12).

The menu’s description of “fork tender” short ribs is accurate. The meat in this lovely, luscious presentation separates from the bone at the mere touch of a fork while its simple, rustic flavor pervades the dish ($26). Earthy flavors can also be found in the generous slabs of the superior Kurobuta pork chop and its refined accompaniments ($30). Speaking of accompaniments, super rare Ahi tuna merged perfectly with its baby bok choy and coconut rice. Its soy ginger glaze added another welcome note though a bit more of a crust around the fish medallions would have made it even better ($32).

The menu’s heavyweight Black Angus filet mignon, perched on a Yukon Gold potato purée that’s enlivened by a welcome veal reduction, is all it should be: Sizeable, well-presented, homey and straightforward. It was ordered and indeed came medium rare ($36).

Among the sweets, the rich salted chocolate mousse, the smooth vanilla gelato and the pistachio crème brûlée are recommended (all $8).

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Antonette’s Classico
(516) 764-1900, Rockville Centre

Looking for Sicilian food on Long Island? You might owe me a thank you. That’s because after going to Antonette’s Classico in Rockville Centre in search of Sicilian dishes featuring sardines, raisins, fruits, pine nuts and tripe and finding none of them on the menu, among the specials or mentioned by our waiter, I called Nick Cobi, the restaurant’s genial manager to find out why. He indicated that patrons only need to ask in order to receive the Sicilian specialties while acknowledging that diners, especially newcomers might not know to make such a request. As a result of our conversation, he indicated he would expose the Sicilian offerings to future diners without prompting. That’s good news if Antonette’s Sicilian possibilities are in the same league as their more familiar mainland-Italian fare.

Antonette’s Classico (where Da Ugo was for 18 years), with its crystal chandeliers, long luxuriant copper-colored drapes, fresh flowers, white tablecloths, tuxedoed waiter and fine China, generates an unapologetic old-world image. It also boasts a spirit of generosity. Diners are greeted with a plate of warm, outstanding bruschetta and exceptionally tasty caponata to spread on noteworthy crisp bread. Upon departing, complimentary after-dinner drinks are often proffered.

If the Sicilian choices are up to the level of the more frequently seen dishes that dot Antonette’s menu, many diners will be understandably pleased. Most of the food here is fairly priced and amply portioned. The bountiful Caesar salad is indeed a classic example. Its vibrant, fresh ingredients stamp it as a sumptuous success ($10). So too are the impeccable PEI mussels in a rich white wine sauce ($11). A big bowl of pasta fagioli, dense with stubby pasta and cannellini beans needed some shakes of salt to bring it to life ($7), while the vongolette in brodo marechiarra (clams in an addictive, natural broth with a hint of tomato), delivered a bright, earthy flavor, but the “small imported clams” the menu promised turned out to be jumbo-sized fellows ($11).

Fillet of sole meunière often considered a cliché dish was the single best entrée sampled. It’s a perfectly turned-out amalgam of butter, white wine, lemon, spices and soft, pliant fish ($25). A peppy rendition of thinly spiced New England conch “fra diavolo” displayed a subtle spiciness from its marinara sauce ($25). The penne alla Antonette, heavy with peas, mushroom and asparagus, but light on pancetta arrived in a bland tomato cream sauce, yielding little taste ($20).

Two house-made and one brought-in dessert had no such problems. An airy Napoleon was luscious. The soft creamy tiramisu is one of the Island’s best and the chocolate mousse pie holds its own with the house selections (all $7).

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Om Bistro
(516) 487-1070, Great Neck

I didn’t hear a single note from Richard Desmond, the so-called Singing Chef when I visited Om Bistro in Great Neck, so I can’t attest to his vocal ability. But he sure as hell can cook. With few exceptions every dish that emerged from his kitchen was impressive. Mr. Desmond, who we are told sings in the kitchen and at times entertains patrons in the main dining room with an aria or two came from Bliss in East Setauket to Om (which opened in February where Tulip had been). Prior to that he cooked and crooned at Public House 49 in Patchogue, Village Bistro in East Setauket and Dandylion’s in Westbury.

Om’s good-sized dining room is a subdued, rather bland room that is conducive to civilized conversation (unusual for Long Island restaurants) because of its carpeting, tablecloths and recorded music that plays at a moderate volume. While the room is characterless, the restaurant’s new American menu, with some Italian and Mediterranean touches, is diverse and sophisticated. Not a single entrée reaches the $20 mark. Diners get off to a very promising start with a basket of noteworthy, warm, onion-studded focaccia with hummus and cucumber dips, accompanied by an amuse (a tiny spring roll filled with filet mignon on the night we visited).

The winning streak continued with appetizers like a stylish, light trio of tart, terrine and ginger-glazed carrots ($12); two hefty smoked trout cakes with a rugged crust, enhanced by their tangy horseradish remoulade and tomato marmalade ($13); and a couple of rich slabs of pan-seared foie gras paired with a ripe cinnamon Riesling-poached pear ($18). The gently-priced soup of the day was a tasty, delicate, slightly non-traditional, off-white New England clam chowder harboring few if any clams ($5). Only the lamb dumplings disappointed. The menu failed to indicate they were fried, not the layered, smooth-skin Asian dumpling anticipated and their filling had an anonymous, could’ve-been-anything character ($10).

A main course of roasted cod was soft, feathery and fresh, as were its vibrant eggplant, carrot, zucchini and winter veggie cannelloni plate mates ($19). Beef brisket slow roasted in red wine and herbs boasted a big blunt flavor and arrived with carrots and two crisp potato cakes rather than the one on the menu ($18). A generous scattering of medium-sized grilled shrimp in a white wine reduction on a bed of polenta offered a handful of wild mushrooms ($19).

Desserts sampled included: An airy, delicious apple tart; an above-average crème brûlée; a red velvet cake with lots of cream cheese frosting and just a little cake; and a colossal dinner plate-portion of chocolate Napoleon featuring layers of chocolate crème brûlée and rice crisps and crunchy chocolate phylo flanked by a puff of whipped cream (all $10).

Photos by Stephen Lang

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ResiLIAnce 
Lia Fallon is back. After a serious automobile accident last fall, she was forced to close her restaurant Amarelle in January. But she has returned as the new executive chef of Jamesport’s Jedediah Hawkins Inn. “I was looking for something similar to Amarelle and we were on the same page,” says Fallon. The menu offers land, sea and farm selections as well as half portions on certain dishes. Fallon will also handle off-site and on-site catering.

3 Brothers and a Vegan
Don’t worry: Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg did not open 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe in Farmingdale. Andy Astafa did, with a vegan menu designed by his son. “I’ve been vegan for over five years and it inspired me to become a chef,” says Astafa who created vegan foodstuffs for the original 3 Brothers in Rockville Centre. “When I started, there was no place on Long Island to get vegan appetizers, pizza, pasta and entrées.” The non-meaty menu includes: Orecchiette with housemade seitan sausage and broccoli rabe; eggplant parmesan with cashew-tofu ricotta, Daiya mozzarella and soy parmesan; and a pizza dressed with grilled seitan, tempeh bacon, tomatoes, Daiya mozzarella and vegan ranch, which won the Best Vegan Pizza award from PETA in 2011.

FEATURED FOODIE: Mark “The Big Cheese” Cassin
Mark Cassin is a purveyor of New York cheese and supporter of “small farms raising their own animals and putting real care into their product.” The handpicked inventory of his roving cheese stand known as The Big Cheese features cheeses from 25 local farms, including exclusives like Danascara Cheese’s Dulcinea, a Footehills Farms-sourced raw sheep’s milk cheese rubbed with cocoa and olive oil. Cassin regularly sells at farmers’ markets across the Island including in Baldwin and Huntington. Visit thebigcheeseny.com for upcoming locations.

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I may consume a beer in May. I may paddleboard across Lake Ronkonkoma with a gang of nuns, too. Crazy month.

The Local Ale House
(516) 992-0073, Island Park
thelocalalehouse.com

After performing a “ceiling to floor” renovation, Chris Motisi tackled his beer portfolio, adding 35+ bottles with a focus on diversity. “We installed coolers and added some larger bottles of different beer styles, which weren’t here with the old place,” says Motisi who opened The Local Ale House last September, replacing Island Park Ale House. “There’s good beer in Island Park and Long Beach, but it’s in the beverage centers. I wanted to change that and have a solid list for a bar.” If one prefers keg-flowing liquid, Motisi also pours 12 drafts, including Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos, a spicy, fruity Belgian pale ale.

Blackwells at Great Rock Golf Club
(631) 929-1800, Wading River
blackwellsrestaurant.com

Brian Curtin recently replaced Guinness with Long Ireland Beer Company Breakfast Stout and was not assaulted with a sand wedge. “There was a huge uproar until people tried it,” says Curtin, general manager. “It was amazing to see their reaction turn from anger and dismay to pleasure.” Curtin has promoted craft beer at Blackwells for three years, pouring 10 drafts with most “made only miles away.” Though plagued with false preconceptions, Curtin wants people to know they can stop in without golfing or wearing a collared shirt. “Our biggest disadvantage is that the bar is so beautiful and our property is so well kept that people think it’s a private club. We want everyone to know that nothing is pretentious or formal here.”

Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage
(631) 588-3320
Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage on Facebook

John Swaine Jr. debuted a 21-draft growler station last year. While pours are primarily local, exceptions are granted for some non-Long Island exclusives including Tröegs Brewing Company Nugget Nectar and Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales 120 Minute IPA. The latter is dry-hopped daily for one month and then aged for another on whole-leaf hops. Back to the locals, sometimes they try to move in: Larry Goldstein and Anthony LiCausi of Holbrook’s Spider Bite Brewing Company are longtime customers of Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage and even attempted to operate their brewery within the store. That’s love.

Brewery Hoppenings
There is a new brewery growing on my face. Moustache Brewing Company secured a location in Riverhead (joining Long Ireland Beer Company) and is preparing for an autumn-ish open. Owners Matt and Lauri Spitz raised $30K+ for the brewery on Kickstarter and will start with two beers: Everyman’s Porter (a smooth porter with chocolate and coffee notes) and One Drop Pale Ale (a citrusy sessioner). Oyster Bay Brewing Company is not growing on my face, but it will open in May. Gabriel Haim and Ryan Schlotter, homebrewers for two years, are starting with Amber, IPA, 2xIPA, Wheat, Raspberry Wheat and Stout. Haim’s cousin was brewmaster of Indiana’s Broad Ripple Brew Pub for 23 years, so beer is in his blood.

Follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, at lipulse.com where you can find more craft beer on Long Island.

The Local Ale House Photo by Stephen Lang
Moustanche Brewing Company Photo by Niko Krommydas

Four Food Studio & Cocktail Salon
(631) 577-4444, Melville
fourfoodstudio.com
The seasons are built into Four’s décor where you’ll usually find a trendy crowd for happy hour or an evening of dancing. The main bar is bustling with well-dressed men and high-heeled woman jostling for pricey drinks. Lately Four has played host to everything from a 50th birthday party to a fashion show within their “rooms” which range from colorful spring, flirty summer, woodsy fall, and stark white winter. If your plans include a small crew around a bottle, the contours of the igloo-like winter room bounce conversations off the wall, which might keep things interesting. The outdoor space, ensconced in greenery, will make you forget you’re on Route 110.

American Social: Kitchen and Cocktails
(516) 557-2788, Massapequa
americansocialkitchenandcocktails.com
Come for the beer, stay for the technology. Two of the bar’s booths (expanding to four) are fitted with a four-tap system that can be stocked with any of the bar’s 25 different beers, most of which are craft. Reserve the booth for a $300 minimum then you and 11 of your closest friends can drink without getting up to hit the bar—bathroom visits still require the use of your legs however. In a few months their self-serve beer wall will be finished, then just swipe your credit card and pour. The soft, brown leather booths, glossy wood tables, wood floor and stone bar encourage the relaxed vibe here. After families eating dinner file out, a casually dressed, late 30s to 40s crowd comes in for rock music and live acoustic sets on weekends.

Cabo
516-255-0065, Rockville Centre
caborvc.net
Who needs Mexico when you can just go to Rockville Centre? This local, laid back fiesta spot serves up tropical ambiance and just about every flavor of mojito and margarita known to man. Summertime is welcomed into the joint when they open the big doors, blurring the line between indoors and out. The golden-throated can try for fame at Tuesday night’s Cabo Idol karaoke night. Jam out to the sounds of live Caribbean music on Wednesdays with tropical drink specials and check out Happy Hour on Thursdays and Fridays for two-for-one drinks. The only thing missing is the beach.

Hudson Terrace
(212) 315-9400, NYC
hudsonterracenyc.com
Situated less than 500 feet off the Hudson River, this club’s main draw is the view it provides to its mostly professional crowd, with the occasional hipster tossed in, who also come to move to dance and hip-hop music and guests DJs. For the best views walk up two flights to the Rooftop Garden where a transparent covering retracts to let the fresh air in while walls of windows provide water views and a peek at the Intrepid. Surrounding the dance floor are private, curtained cabanas with sofas, tables and individual temperature controls if you want bottle service. A floor below is the Salon Club where guests, which often includes a birthday party or two, dance surrounded by sleek, Asian-inspired décor with lattice, red couches and tables, columns finished with salvaged, hand-hewn wood all under massive chandeliers. The Garden Terrace, just outside is a concrete and wood-paneled patio with plants, pillow-accented benches and speakers; it’s nice for fresh air but don’t expect much of a view.

7th - Robert Bruey
Suffolk Theater, Riverhead
His haunting vocals will pair well with this newly reopened historic landmark.

11th - Jay Scott Band
Blackbirds, Sayville
Jay and his band will rock your socks off with their unique blend of new originals and old-school hippie covers.

18th - “Bare Music”
The Zebra Club, Copiague
This stripped-down, acoustic concert will feature Robin Eve, Joe Piket, Dave Christian and Dana Smith.

26th - The Grey Horse Tavern Anniversary Party
Bayport
Celebrating five years, the Grey Horse presents local favorites including Jellyband, Easy Chief, Soundswell, Cassandra House and Tom Groney.

31st - Pamela Betti Band
89 North, Patchogue
Kicking off a monthly series, Betti and her band take the stage with bluesy pop to please your ears.

Anything but Chard (ABC) has afflicted the wine drinker for a couple of decades and the trend deserves some perspective. Chardonnay is one of the most notable grapes and pairs well with so many cuisines; it can be crisp, clean and refreshing or deep, rich and complex. When I started seeing articles about the demise of chardonnay and social media took the message viral, I gave the evolution of a wine drinker some thought.

While it’s true that wines made of chardonnay are so common many of the popular ones taste similar, this type of wine can actually be as nuanced and special as any other. It’s possible those within the industry (like restaurant sommeliers and wine store owners) are responding to what they believe is demand and supporting the demise of chardonnay in favor of new and interesting whites that are catching consumer attention. But chardonnay is still one of the most popular grape varietals in the wine world. What probably happens is similar to how we experience other food, drink and even culture for that matter.

Certain chardonnays do in fact taste a bit boring. These are often the lower grade versions (that are also cheaper) and more ubiquitously distributed. Because the grape is so malleable, it can grow in virtually every condition thus almost every winemaker produces it, whether or not he should. An uninformed consumer tries a run of these types of chards and eventually becomes bored by this white altogether. But like most wines, this variety is site specific. It thrives in cooler climates, like Burgundy where it originated. Chardonnay from this area like Premier Cru Meursault and Hudson Vineyard from California’s Carneros district are quite different. Long Island can also produce distinct Chardonnay, such those from Peconic Bay Winery or Wölffer Estate Pearle. None of these wines could ever be considered boring.

At the pinnacle of this wine lies Le Montrachet. The vineyard is just twenty acres within the Puligney-Montrachet commune of Burgundy—the heart of the heart of chard, so to speak. The twenty six or so producers here create what many consider to be the world’s best dry whites: Montrachet averages about $700 per bottle. At that price, you’d expect an exceptional wine, but this is where ABC comes in. Like most things, price is not a guarantee of excellence. There are always mediocre wines at every price, even a few expensive Montrachet can sometimes underwhelm. At several hundred dollars a bottle that would be a major turnoff. What’s a wine lover to do, especially if s/he can’t get a four-digit chardonnay worthy of four digits or more?

Don’t give up. Rather than turn to other grape varieties, find wines made from chardonnay that are proud to be chardonnay, “P2bC” instead of ABC. Values are more difficult to find in the P2bC wines, but they are well worth the discovery. Along the way some interesting non-Chardonnay wines may even pop up to help shape an overall perspective on whites. Consult a wine retailer or sommelier at your favorite restaurant and start the conversation.

Other areas known for good chardonnay include the Chablis region in France, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Anderson Valley in northern California, Casablanca Valley in Chile and northern Italy’s Alto-Adige. A few of my favorites include:

2011 Salomon Gruner Veltliner Von Stein Reserve (Wachau, Austria)
2011 Russiz Superiore Friulano (Friuli, Italy)
2010 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru, Domaine Jolly & Fils (Burgundy, France)
2009 Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru, Domaine Michelot (Burgundy, France)

Need some wine answers? Follow Chris on twitter @noblewines or his blogs at noblewines.com.

Beyond the celebrity hoopla, political rancor and semi-epic hubris of partial owner Mikhail Prokhorov, Brooklyn’s new mega arena and über entertainment complex is actually a pretty cool place that will undoubtedly become a little cooler in 2015 when the (Long Island) Islanders set up shop. Most of us are not old enough to have felt the reverberations, but we’ve all probably heard that the Great Dodger Departure of 1957 left a huge hole in the figurative heart of the city’s grittiest borough. And while the Barclays Center won’t bring back the glory days, it looks like it’s primed to create more than a few glorious nights before its tenure is through. And we ain’t just talkin’ sports here.

Let’s start with the rugged, weathered steel façade of its distinctive shell that somehow straddles the line between blue-collar toughness and a modern chic aesthetic. This is totally Brooklyn. Then there are the old-school Beastie Boys tracks blaring through the sound system and MC’ed t-shirt tosses at the Nets games. Also Brooklyn. What about the thirty-seven local
vendors brought in to create Brooklyn taste? And the drum corps outside the center that looks like it’s made up of a bunch of local high school kids who could play the hell out of their instruments? The lineup of super pop and edgy rock? Jay Z, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and The Postal Service? Even a circus for the family? All Brooklyn. It’s all about reaching for the stars while keeping its feet planted firmly on the ground in an ever-evolving downtown Brooklyn scene.

Despite all the money and swank and attitude, this place manages to keep it real. It may not be Madison Square Garden (what, dear reader, ever is?), but the Barclays Center is certainly its own kind of special. If the Garden is a kind of Superman replete with an ostentatious history of capes and tights, then Barclays is the city’s dark knight. The anti-hero. It’s Manhattan’s perfect foil, the moon to our metropolis’ burning sun. And just like the moon, it brings out the primal howl buried in all of us when high up among the stars in full bloom. Be warned, good people of our fair Island. Barclays begins and the sky, albeit a dark and modish hue, is the limit.

Top Two coming up
The Nets and their playoff run in their new city is just the start of the Barclays Center.

The Killers
» May 18
Touring behind their Battle Born album, The Killers bring their brand of rock around and you can bet “Runaways” will be on tap—it was voted best summer song last year by Rolling Stone readers.

The Postal Service
» June 14-15
Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard’s most substantial side project reunites after a near decade-long hiatus, behind the re-release of Give Up.

It’s not what he expected when he took a job manning a salad station in Northport. All James Tchinnis was looking for was a break from the frantic life of a cook who’d bounced around the boroughs for years. After the last NYC restaurant he worked in closed, the Commack native considered it a sign he should slow down, move back in with his parents in Northport and recharge. He figured after six months—a year tops—he’d save enough cash to head back. But on his first day it became less about cooking and more about a girl.

After spending the better part of the 90s living the “pirate life” of a cook, a lifestyle described in Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, the lower pressure job at what was then called the Bayview Bistro was perfect. “That place changed my life,” Tchinnis says. “It’s where I met my wife who was working as a waitress.” That “year max” turned into nine and he eventually bought the place with partners and changed the name to Bistro 44. But the trouble with being a part owner—even when your part is that of the chef—is compromising. “Them telling me what to cook was the demise,” Tchinnis says. “Let me do what I want to do and it will work. But they didn’t believe in it.” Fortunately Julie, his wife, did so they went restaurant shopping.

They bought an 800-square-foot soup joint in Huntington. Tchinnis walked in, made the owner an offer and two days later he owned the bones of what became Swallow. “I wanted to do small plates because that’s how my wife and I eat out,” he says.

“When we go to a restaurant we just get a bunch of appetizers.” The concept is simple yet radical: A cozy neighborhood space where guests sit around the small exposed kitchen and talk with the chefs who are cooking their food. “While people are waiting I’ll take a spoon out of a pan and say ‘open your mouth’ and stick mac and cheese in their mouth,” Tchinnis says. The menu is a mix of his Italian (osso buco ravioli) and Greek (moussaka) background with twists on American dishes like chicken and waffles, tuna tartar, mac and cheese and steaks with chimichurri sauce, but all on a smaller scale.

The experiment worked, though he’s not surprised. “We’re going to cook the food we want and we’re going to do what we believe in. And when you believe in something, it’s passion, it’s not going to fail,” Tchinnis says. Vindicated, Tchinnis is working harder than ever opening Swallow East in Montauk while expanding the Huntington location to 50 seats. Still the key remains the same: “With Swallow [Julie] believed in me—that’s all I really needed was her to believe in me.”

Where the Chefs Eat:
Living and working in Huntington Village, one of the busiest restaurant scenes on Long Island, has advantages: You never have to walk too far for a good meal. When he eats out, Tchinnis usually finds himself with a plate of sushi at Kashi Japanese or tacos at Besito.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a bucket full of Corona and some lime certainly follows tradition. But that’s what you did last year. This time kick May off with—dare we say—a healthy margarita. For a “headache-free” morning after, start with high-quality tequila. Make the watermelon and cucumber juice in the blender and remember to spring for seedless versions of both in order to spend less time straining.

Ingredients
Kosher Salt
2oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco
(or any 100% Agave Tequila)
1oz Watermelon Juice
1oz Cucumber Juice
1½  Tablespoons Lime Juice
1oz Cointreau
1 to 2 Teaspoons Light Agave Nectar
 
Instructions
Pour a layer of salt onto a small plate that is slightly larger than the top of your glass. Rub a lime wedge along the rim of the glass then dip it into the salt. Combine the other ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into the glass with ice and garnish with a slice of cucumber. For a frozen version, mix ingredients with ice in a blender until smooth.

Enjoy this healthy margarita all month long at The Palm Court at The Carltun in East Meadow. Ask for the Cukeamelon Margarita by name.

Heirloom Tavern
(516) 686-6633, Glen Head

Kent Monkan, one of the Island’s most gifted and underrated chefs, provides simple, rustic eating at his new Heirloom Tavern in Glen Head. Although his menu lacks culinary pyrotechnics, it does deliver dynamic flavors at largely affordable prices. Aside from its bite-sized bar plates ($6), its fare is full bodied and generously portioned.

Monkan’s current venture at the Glen Head Railroad Station, where Fork & Vine had been, is a cozy, convivial venue with a vintage dark wood bar up front illuminated by pale yellow drop lighting. Its narrow, mirrored dining room, with snug seating, candles, paper-over-cloth tables, leather banquettes and black industrial ceiling, was understandably packed during a visit in the early going. Unfortunately at such times its mellow, upbeat milieu is often derailed by the clamor of piercing noise (absorbent fabric over the hard surfaces could be useful).

Monkan, best known for his efforts at The Brass Rail in Locust Valley, an exceptional restaurant he has operated for some years, calls his new digs an American gastropub. The first sign here is a good one. It’s his warm, crusty, rough-hewn peasant bread. The menu choices feature a batch of small plates ($12), bar plates ($6), salads ($8) and soups ($7), traditional starters, entrées ($15 to $33) and dessert ($8).

Most, not all, of the bar plates are trifles and barely sufficient for four diners to get more than a tiny bite of each. Yet they did serve as a tease that encouraged us to order more substantial dishes. Only a portion of plump, rustic veal meatballs offered easy sharing, yet the pork cheek steamed bun boasted a perfect ratio of meat to bun and the rarely encountered crisp, browned chicken fried steak slider was true to its Southern roots. Two more generously portioned soups, a snappy seafood gumbo and a thick, tasty, substantive black and white bean purée, hit the spot.
Among the small plates, four soft buttery Wagyu beef skewers were boosted by their sesame and spicy grilled surfaces and the thumb-sized sweet and sour veal short ribs yielded plenty of meat.

The only main course sampled was a soup bowl-sized serving of fettuccine lobster carbonara ($24) studded with gobs of bacon, peas, arugula and plenty of lobster shards. Its parmesan cream sauce was rich without being overwhelming.

The last bites were among the best. A gooey, deeply chocolate mash of flourless chocolate cake, chocolate sauce and vanilla gelato and another soup bowl-sized portion, this one of banana nut bread circled by caramelized bananas and drenched in spiced rum and melting vanilla gelato.

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

Topping Rose House
(631) 537-0870, Bridgehampton

The Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton is Exhibit A in what it takes to open a sophisticated, high-end restaurant in the Hamptons. Its emergence began eight years ago when Bill Campbell, the former chairman of Visa International, plunked down $5 million to purchase the Topping Rose House, a somewhat rundown 1842 Greek Revival mansion at Bridgehampton’s main crossroads. After five years of negotiations with the town he took on a partner, Simon Critchell, another high roller who once ran Cartier. Together they ploughed $12 million more into rejuvenating the property and making it a 75-seat restaurant and 22-room inn. Last fall they brought in Tom Colicchio, star of TV’s Top Chef, and made him the face of their new venture. Mr. Colicchio in turn installed the talented Ty Kotz from the well-regarded Tabla in Manhattan as his everyday chef.

After assembling an impressive array of local farm and seafood sources, the elegant inn opened last September at the tail end of the East End season. Now as an ultimate big deal restaurant, it prepares for its first full season and official grand opening in early May (it’s open in April Wednesday through Sunday).

Certainly after all the time, money and energy, it’s reasonable to assume a special result. That expectation has been fulfilled. The sparkling Topping Rose House boasts barrel-shaped lighting, candles, crisp white tablecloths, original art, gleaming polished wood floors and an elevator to the downstairs restrooms. The menu changes almost daily and features farm-raised and handmade ingredients like in-house pastas, sausages, ice creams, sorbets and a harvest of seasonal produce from its one-acre farm out back.

Creative dishes unavailable elsewhere abound here. Mr. Kotz combines disparate ingredients rarely envisioned, much less realized at most other Island restaurants. For instance, the three perfectly fried oysters may be standard fare, but not intelligently combined with the subtle, balanced add-ons of braised chili bacon, horseradish and molasses jus as they are here. They, by the way, are a typically priced first course for a high-end establishment at $24. Another initial course displaying admirable creative variants is the sunchoke risotto ($25) whose topping of fried sunchoke chips adds a welcome crunch that gives way to the easy warmth of the rice with its black truffle specks and spirited Bordelaise sauce. Lighter openers are the fresh, abundant sunflower greens, pea leaves and micro purple radish ($14) that’s an imaginative step up from most tossed greens. A non-traditional, no-tomato sauce, no-meat lasagna ($20) is a simple square of rolled egg dough pasta harboring broccoli and parmesan. The roasted veal sweetbreads with honey, walnuts, olives and brulée orange were somewhere between lightly anemic and bland.
We sampled three of the menu’s five main courses and liked them all. Best were three husky slabs of Niman Ranch pork with three well-thought-out platemates: Pink Lady apple purée, Brussels sprouts and Riesling choucroute. A maritime fantasy of two fish dishes satisfied the seafood lovers at our table. Especially noteworthy was the delicate, tasty roasted tilefish ($38), while the heftier grilled monkfish ($39) was accompanied by an agreeable blunt housemade linguiça sausage. If you order any sides, opt for the warm, wonderful chickpea sticks ($11) energized by black pepper and paprika.

The gifted pastry chef Cassandra Shupp turns out a puffy, light, apple tarte tartin ($12) highlighting super-ripe apples, and an exemplary lemon meringue tarte ($12) with a pomegranate reduction. Both are refined delights, though her brioche donuts are a bit dry.

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

Sacramone’s
(516) 513-1919, East Meadow

“Authentic Italian restaurant” the sign outside Sacramone’s in East Meadow proclaims. That declaration should earn a “truth in advertising” award. The two-tiered, nearly year and a half old eatery on Hempstead Turnpike where Puglia had been, is a homey, friendly, family-oriented place of bare floors and tables. Its menu is studded with parmigianas, marsalas, pizzas and raviolis. This is a loudish, down-to-earth spot (rather than a fancy, luxurious destination) appealing to no-nonsense diners who value a restaurant that emphasizes food (as it should) rather than décor. It is not a venue for those who seek culinary surprises or cutting-edge cuisine.

Sacramone’s prices are modest and its portions are large. Glasses of wine cost as little as $6 and bottles can be purchased for $22. A thin-crusted, exceptional, first-class, ten-inch Mama’s Old Fashioned pizza pie ($9.50), harboring fresh hand-cut mozzarella, ripe crushed San Marzano tomatoes, basil and virgin olive oil served as a low-cost, high-value starter for a table of four. It provided a slice for each diner and two leftover.

A heaping basket of bread appeared quickly, well before that pizza pie. So too did a pervasive sense of informal warmth. The staff, from the hostess to the bus boys, waiters and manager, seem genuinely glad to see newcomers. When that manager makes the rounds asking if all is well, there is a sense of real concern rather than a perfunctory inquiry. Our competent, fast-moving waiter observed “when everybody is quiet the food is speaking for itself.”

That food is a combination of the ordinary and extraordinary. In the first category was an almost tasteless, pallid, minestrone ($5.95) and a pappardelle amatriciana ($15.95) that was absent of almost all the prosciutto and bacon the menu promises and the flavor the dish demands. On the plus side was the gnocchi quattro formaggio ($15.95), creamy, cheesy housemade pasta, rich with four cheeses, and a special of pan-seared pork tenderloin ($20.95) in an unexpected but welcome blueberry and merlot reduction accompanied by peas, mashed potatoes and sautéed broccolini. Another special of slow-cooked lamb, unfortunately not available on my visit, is said to be outstanding. Also worth more than a nod: Another housemade pasta, manicotti ($13.95), packed with an agreeable meld of ricotta and mozzarella; earthy portobello mushrooms ($9.95) sautéed in a noteworthy garlic and white wine sauce; and pollo Napoletana ($16.95), or chicken breast, eggplant, mozzarella and prosciutto in a heady francese sauce.

Desserts here are made elsewhere. The best of them are the two chocolate options: The gooey lava cake ($7) and the intensely flavored chocolate mousse cake ($6).

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

Bandana On My (River)Head
Tom Schaudel is the culinary director of Riverhead’s newly-restored Suffolk Theater. The art-deco’d playhouse closed in 1987 but reopened last month. Schaudel, with his signature bandana, is serving “small plates/American tapas…for lack of a better term.” He was also named consultant for the forthcoming revamp of Syosset’s Christiano’s Italian Restaurant. suffolktheater.com

Up In Smoke, Down In Flames
Al Horowitz has closed Smokin’ Al’s Famous BBQ Joint’s original space in Bay Shore, citing an inability to “legally operate out of this location any longer.” There were rumors of sewage issues. Doesn’t matter. You can still grab slow-smoked ribs and pulled pork in Massapequa Park while Horowitz searches for another spot in Suffolk County. smokinals.com

West Meets East Meets Meats
West East Bistro is now West East All Natural Bistro & Bar. Wait. There’s more change. The Asian-style restaurant has switched to hormone- and antibiotic-free meat and sustainable seafood. “My wife is a holistic health coach and I’ve always cooked this way,” says owner and executive chef Jay Jadeja. “I have the same philsophy for personal and business, and want to feed our guests the same food I would feed my child.” West East hosted a wild game event last month featuring alligator tail stir fry, Szechwan wild boar stew and marinated-grilled kangaroo medallions. westeastbistro.com

Made on Long Island: Sweet Andy’s Cookies
Andrew Terry of Westhampton Beach left Wall Street for other opportunities and started baking cookies for helpful hands during his post-work struggle. The positive response sparked the launch of Sweet Andy’s Cookies, which currently offers 12 chunk-rich varieties. Triple Chip and Oatmeal Raisin are recommended. sweetandyscookies.com

The beauty of New York City is that there is a place for every occasion, taste and mood. But there is something to be said for imbibing somewhere that isn’t for everyone—a place that requires more than a wad of cash in your wallet and dapper clothes on your back. Sometimes the best bars are harder to find. They’re exclusive, they’re mysterious and they’re often tucked away in unexpected locations. Endeavor to peek behind the curtain, you’ll never look at the local pub the same way again.

Please Don’t Tell
(212) 614-0386
113 St. Marks Place

If you can find Crif Dogs then you’re halfway to PDT (Please Don’t Tell). No signs, no flamboyant entrances, just pure mystery and maybe some frustration. Once inside the hot dog joint, under the sign that reads “eat me,” you’ll see an old-fashioned, bi-fold telephone booth. Pick up its red phone, dial 1—no quarter necessary—and give the voice on the other end your name and cell number. Then hang up and wait…for up to two hours (we said it was frustrating) before you’re called back and invited to enter PDT through the phone booth’s back wall. Dark strips of wood line the ceiling, bricks line the walls, accentuated with the occasional mounted deer and bear heads, raccoon and owl. The lights on the mirrored liquor rack brighten an otherwise purposely dim spot filled with a bar, stools and four black, semicircular booths. Alternative rock music hums subtly through the speakers and the list of rules on the front door—including no phone calls at the bar and no hitting on strangers—keeps everyone in line.

Blind Barber
(212) 228-2123
339 East 10th Street

Even if you don’t make it to this barbershop’s hidden speakeasy, you can still have a drink and a trim from the chair. Behind the large, plate glass windows and spinning barber pole across from Tompkins Square Park sits this two-chair barbershop that celebrates the grooming habits of a 1920’s gentleman. Hipsters make appointments for $40 haircuts or $30 shaves that come complete with a cocktail. But that’s just a façade. At the back of the barbershop is a sliding barn door that glides open, revealing a dimly-lit, speakeasy-like bar that comes to life after the shop closes at 9. Checkered tile flooring, button tufted leather couches, a dark, bronze bar and funky lanterns contribute to the vintage vibe here—the DJ playing in a raised cove is one of the few signs you’re not in the Roaring 20s. For larger parties, a room at the back of the lounge, called Grandpa’s Den, sports yellow wallpaper, bookshelves and comfortable seating including a large leather chair. Nicely pickled after your fresh cut you’ll leave through a side door, exiting onto 10th a few doors down from the barber’s entrance. Your next shave and haircut will never be the same.

The Back Room
(212) 228-5098
102 Norfolk Street

When you first arrive you hesitate, look at your phone’s GPS and wonder why you’re standing at what looks like the service entrance to the Lower East Side Toy Co. But just through the metal gate and down a sketchy alley that seems to lead to nothing but murky water and eerie noises awaits a bouncer. Relieved, you cross the threshold between present day and a place you never knew existed. The bones of the building date back to a legitimate speakeasy named after Meyer Lansky, who worked for the likes of Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Here cocktails come in oversized teacups and bottled beers are handed across the bar in brown paper bags, while the tap versions are poured into mugs. Guests relax in a room with rich tapestries, plush rugs, tin ceilings, vintage seating and period-appropriate chandeliers. Dim illumination complemented by tea lights scattered on the bar and the lounge tables convey a gentle, sensual atmosphere and trendy DJs are replaced by classic and contemporary rock. To add another layer to the mystery The Back Room has a back room, tucked behind a moving bookcase, a space strictly for VIPs.

Pink Elephant
(212) 777-1511
40 West 8th Street

The discrete entrance isn’t hard to find but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get through. The temperamental doormen are known to split up groups of women (based on looks) and fellas should come well dressed and with a date for any chance to get in. The Pink Elephant does not practice restraint, but it does promote a jetsetting scene with locations in the US, Brazil and Mexico. This is the place where bottle service is the norm, with the house-brand French vodka starting at $400. Inside, the décor succeeds at confusing guests in a blur of loud house music, mirrors, LED lights and a maze-like floor plan. DJs rule here as you enter the retro-glam, Studio 54-esque club down a black and silver staircase into either of the two rooms. The main room fills with 20-30 somethings dancing in a flurry of sound and lights. VIP tables and plush booths make up the Memphis room where the music encourages ordering more superfluous bottles of champagne.

People and places make wine alluring. It’s also what distinguishes it from most other beverages. It’s special to visit wine country or have a winemaker come to your area. Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Winery is a unique and iconic winemaker in Santa Cruz, California, home to many fifty-year-old surfers and skateboarders, hence he refers to it as “Neverland.” In a recent philosophical conversation centering on the business of wine, he discussed many things that ail the industry: Critter wines, consolidation, commercialized bland wines and the big dirt(y) word terroir (the French term that wraps soil, climate and culture into one ball to describe why wine tastes like a place).

Randall loves wines with that sense of place. He calls them vin de terroir and is adamant that none exist in the new world. Yikes. I also love vin de terroir but happen to believe there are some new-world wines that express the idea pretty well. The only possible exception Randall gave for a California wine with terroir was Ridge Monte Bello, a blend from a mountain vineyard between the Pacific Ocean and Silicon Valley. Vin de l’effort is what he calls the rest of the wines in the new world, meaning they have been manipulated to taste a certain way. Randall thinks of those as bland and commercial and he has a point, but there are fine examples throughout the so-called new world of vin de terroir.

The most fascinating part of the conversation was Randall’s interest in planting a vineyard from seed and using a product called biochar to enhance the natural terroir of the soil. Biochar is essentially charcoal used as a soil enhancement. It’s usefulness was first discovered in the Amazon where villagers who buried their fires had far better crops that those who didn’t. Biochar has shown three great agricultural benefits. The first is its ability to store water and release it when a plant needs it. The second is the boosting of terroir characteristics. The last benefit is its ability to sequester carbon in soil for hundreds of years without degrading. Randall believes that biochar has the capacity to reduce and combat climate change and help save the planet as well as provide us with better wine. Now that’s a vin de terroir we could all raise a glass to.

New World Wines (some with Old World names) that offer terroir
2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel, Paso Robles, CA
2008 Domus Aurea, Alto Maipo, Chile
2008 Le Cigare Volant Reserve en Bonbonne, North Coast, CA
2009 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA

2-7th - South by South Shore
Various Venues, Patchogue
Giving Austin a run for its money, this roving music festival features local talent at venues all over downtown Patchogue. Details at southbysouthshore.org.

4th - New Life Crisis
Long Island Alehouse, Medford
For a different musical experience than the usual, check out this electronic mashup band.

12-14th - 3rd Annual Folk-2-Funk Festival
Long Beach Public Library, Long Beach
“Musicians’ musicians” Danny Kean and Donny Celenza kick off this three-day, free music festival in Long Beach.

20th - Retrofest 34
The Blue Parrot, Massapequa
Local bands come together in a tribute to the Monterey Pop Festival to raise money for charity.

27th - Connie Rae Aldrich, Jillian Rae & Debra Lynne
New Light Sanctuary, Sayville
Female singer-songwriters light up this new listening space.

Kiss & Fly
(212) 255-1933, NYC
kissandflyclub.com
This whimsical and chic club in the Meatpacking District is worth the wait to get inside—if you can swing the pricy cover, mandatory coat check and expensive drinks. As you enter it’s clear you’re in a world of booming dance music, models and the occasional celebrity, but everyday folks comprise most of the undulating horde. Between the blue, purple and pink accent lighting, raised VIP tables and grand columns, it feels like a fairytale. Situated just behind the Spice Market, Kiss & Fly is owned by the same people who run Brasserie Beaumarchais and RdV Lounge.

Library Café
(516) 752-7678, Farmingdale
lessings.com
This Lessing’s-owned restaurant focuses on local beers, but also boasts a liquor shelf that extends nearly to the ceiling. A quirky and functional rolling library ladder helps the bartenders navigate the wall in what was an old neighborhood library. It’s now a fun local bar with a great happy hour that satisfies any craving. The hefty wood bar stretches nearly the entire length so there is plenty of elbow space.

Vero Italian Kitchen & Lounge
(631) 608-4340, Amityville
verorestaurant.biz
A fire a few months ago shut Vero down, but it reopened with relaxed, intimate décor. While the restaurant is solid, the bar scene won’t disappoint with hard-to-find ciders like J.K.’s Scrumpy Hard Cider from a family-owned farm in Michigan. The creamy white stone bar is outfitted with comfy stools under attention-grabbing lighting in a room wrapped in textured wallpaper with dark-wood millwork and floors.

Minnesota’s Restaurant and Tavern
(516) 432-4080, Long Beach
minnesotaslb.com
Long Beach and summer are predictably linked, but the city could use a shot in the arm this spring as it continues to recover from Sandy. Last winter Minnesota’s, a staple for nearly 20 years, underwent renovations with new chandeliers and rich, red curtains on the walls, capturing a glamorous but laid-back aesthetic. Live bands or a DJ keep the crowd moving with covers or current dance music, respectively. Just a block from the beach, they throw quite a party for Long Beach Irish Day in the fall.

Red Zone Three-Bottle Recommends

1. Lagunitas Brewing Company Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga’ Substitute Ale is a mega-hoppy dose of self-deprecation. Created as a one-off apology for a production error that sidelined Brown Shugga’, the Substitute contains sticky-icky grapefruit and pineapple flavors and is now a seasonal release. The Petaluma, California-based brewery definitely doesn’t suck.

2. A silky-soft blend of chocolate, coffee and vanilla, Sixpoint Craft Ales 3Beans combines Brooklyn-based Mast Brothers Chocolate cacao husks, Stumptown Coffee Roasters cold brew and Romano beans (the latter was an ancient substitute for barley). The oak-aged Baltic porter embodies the experimental and exploratory spirit of local craft culture.

3. Budweiser Black Crown. Kidding.

Black Forest Brew Haus
(631) 391-9500, Farmingdale
blackforestbrewhaus.com

California native Joe Hayes traveled cross-country after brewmaster stints at Sudwerk Brewery and Red Rock Winery & Brewery before joining Black Forest Brew Haus in 2003. The German-style brewpub’s model of on-premises brewing and no outside distribution was perfect for Hayes who could focus on quality recipes, not marketing. “I’m a traditional brewer and I’ve always enjoyed the idea of going somewhere in your immediate area for a specific brewer or beer,” says Hayes. “I didn’t want to fight for shelf space and worry about how my IPA is selling compared to the others, so the brewpub atmosphere was ideal.” Hayes brews Amber, Hefeweizen, Pilsner and 18 various seasonals in a copper-clad, ten-barrel system situated amongst customer tables (like hibachi, but undoubtedly hipper). The seasonal collection includes Maibock, a malty, smooth-finishing beer balanced by light hopping and completed after six weeks of lagering. “It’s our true first sign of spring,” says Hayes.

Cliff’s Elbow Room
(631) 722-3292, Jamesport
elbowroomli.com

They offer a free charging station for electric vehicles. But that’s not all. The third-generation restaurant now operated by Cliff Saunders III also features Greenport Harbor Brewing Company Harbor Ale and Long Ireland Beer Company Celtic Ale. Both are considered easy-drinking brewery flagships. Which is a better fuel source? Electricity? Beer? You decide. 

Brew News
Blind Bat Brewery is officially leaving the nest, er, cave. Paul Dlugokencky operates the nanobrewery in a shed behind his Centerport home, but is now expanding to a space in Farmingdale. Dlugokencky launched a beer club to raise funds for the transition and will reward members with beer. Perfect. blindbatbrewery.com. Blue Point Brewing Company hosts Cask Ales Festival on April 13, featuring 30+ breweries and the first appearance of their Mosaic IPA, which contains Mosaic hops and will pour from a 1,250-gallon cask. Swimming anyone?

Follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, at lipulse.com where you can find more craft beer on Long Island.

Photo by Stephen Lang

Death and taxes. At least we can take the edge off the latter with this tropical concoction from the British Virgin Islands. Rum, which started in the Caribbean, forms the backbone and the usual suspects of the umbrella-drink crowd fill it out. The pineapple contributes sweetness to counter the orange’s tartness while the creamier coconut gives it body. The nutmeg is optional but adds a nice warm note as you sip. Beats an aspirin every time.

Ingredients
4oz Dark Rum
3oz Pineapple Juice
1oz Cream of Coconut
1oz Orange Juice

Add all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain over ice. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Ease Your Pain
Enjoy the Pain Killer at View in Oakdale all month

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: An aspiring chef with nary any culinary experience walks into a beloved French restaurant to inquire about a job. While it’s not the road most chefs travel, it worked for Nesconset-native Jonathan Contes. The original Mirabelle in St. James epitomized fine French dining to many Islanders including Contes who ate there on special occasions with his father. After traveling around Europe he thought he’d fit right in. “I pestered Mirabelle for 36 hours until they said, ‘Come in, you start on Saturday,’” Contes says.

During that interview the chef de cuisine asked if Contes went to culinary school or had any previous kitchen experience. He didn’t, but what the then-21-year-old had was smarts, persistence and a passion to get his foot in the door—but just in case those didn’t work, he said he’d work for free. While at Mirabelle he befriended chef Tate Morris and the two opened eatMOSAIC in St. James where their envelope-pushing creations wouldn’t be restrained by classic French protocol.

The idea behind the restaurant is unique: A five-course tasting menu composed of smaller but satisfying portions that focus on global flavors. And it’s changed daily. The food is more sophisticated than the standard suburban strip-mall fare with items like smoked filet mignon, bourbon-braised pumpkin and vanilla roast celery root. Contes avoids repeating dishes; even a recent success like a seafood risotto with tarragon, strawberries and cornichons with a side of lemon and truffles made only a one-night stand. When eatMOSAIC originally opened it operated like a traditional restaurant until creativity and the bottom line suffered. “The decision to go to a tasting menu came out of necessity,” Contes says. “We literally had no one in the reservation book for Tuesdays and Wednesdays and had a minimum amount of stuff. Four people walked in and we’d say, ‘If you don’t mind we’d just like to cook for you.’”

eatMOSAIC’s success foisted a common question to Contes: Are you moving to New York City? “We know it’s a bad idea,” Contes says. He and his partner are content with the relatively intimate restaurant. “It wasn’t always the case, but I’d say we’re at about 50/50,” he says, referring to the number of regulars. “Half our clients are here because it’s part of their routine and we see them once every week and half. And the others are here because it’s a special occasion.” Part of the restaurant’s success is teaching diners about their tasting menu concept. Contes wants to educate foodies about new flavors and also introduce them in unexpected ways like a foam, jam, sorbet or gastrique. The student has definitely become the teacher.

Where the Chefs Eat
When he’s not cooking, Contes appreciates the very fresh tuna at Smithtown sushi spots Aji 53 and Hotoke. And if he’s in a Mediterranean mood, he finds the extensive whole fish menu at Limani worth the drive to Roslyn.

Lately, you’ve been stealing nervous glances at the rich amber cocktails around you at the bar. You’ve been noticing you are the only one hoisting a dainty, candy-colored libation and you’re wondering what you’re missing. It’s time to find out. We introduce your break from the flavorless to the world of the textured and distilled. The whiskey renaissance.

Vodka is a means to an end, whiskey is the journey. Wine is a vista in the mind’s eye, but whiskey is the road there. Beer is a place to go, whiskey is the reason you stay. Whiskey actually begins its life as beer—a brew of humble cereal grains, water and yeast—and now it’s taking its turn on the trail blazed by its craft brew brothers. Small-batch producers are creating artisanal spirits that are enjoying a fashionable (cultish) ubiquity. Because whiskey is about whiskey.–the editors

TASTING NOTES

The GlenRothes
Select Reserve
(Scotland) The Speyside region is know for enticing vanilla, citrus and rich fruit flavors. No peat smoke is used to dry the barley during the malting process in this Scotch, so these qualities shine through. The spicy finish is loved by connoisseurs and beginners alike. theglenrothes.com

Balcones Brimstone Blue Corn Smoked Whisky
(Texas) Hopi Indian blue corn is the base and the distillate is smoked with Texas Scrub Oak. Unique is not descriptor enough. Barbecue in a glass, buttery corn bread, burnt ends and campfire all come to mind. balconesdistilling.com

Nikka Yoichi 15 Year Old Single Malt
(Japan) Peat aromatics and a creamy, palate-covering dram delivers great fruit, nut and spice flavors with a sneaky, smoky finish. Considered one of the great whiskies out right now, it’s new to the US. nikka.com

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye
(West Virginia) Smooth Ambler distills “wheat-ed” style bourbon. This is 95% rye and 5% malted barley and is blended from seven- and eight-year-old barrels. A honeyed and minty nose has touches of black tea, which are revisited in the sweet creamy palate that finishes with baking spices and mint. smoothambler.com

Breckenridge Bourbon
(Colorado) This high-rye content bourbon is produced in Breckenridge, Colorado, basically on top of the world. The velvety texture carries flavors of caramel, corn and cinnamon spice (like Red Hots candy) in a dangerously drinkable balance. Mineral-laden water from the mountain’s melting snowpack gives it distinct character. breckenridgedistillery.com

Hudson Baby Bourbon
(Gardiner, NY) Distilled by a pioneer in the craft whiskey movement, the sweet flavor comes from 100% corn fermentation. It fills the nose with cereal aromatics and the mouth with caramel corn. This is the bourbon to try if you think you don’t like bourbon—or if you think only decent ones are made in Kentucky. tuthilltown.com

Redbreast 12 Year Old Pure Pot Irish Whiskey
(Ireland) Take 12 year old Jameson before it’s watered down with grain whiskey and you have something similar to this pure pot whiskey. Lighter in style thanks to triple distillation, citrus and gooseberry aromatics, notes of butterscotch, nuts and spicy coriander all come through on the palate—a quintessential Irish whiskey. singlepotstill.com

Rough Rider Bourbon
(Baiting Hollow, NY) On the heels of the well-received Pine Barrens single malt whisky comes this high-rye, straight bourbon. American oak barrels, which once held the Island’s finest cabernet and merlot, are rinsed with high-proof brandy before being filled with the bourbon and aged. The result is an added layer of dark red fruit and honey notes. lispirits.com

True or False: Rocks are bad.
False: Aromatics are not sullied by ice (or a splash of water). It dilutes or “opens up” the whiskey, creating a moving target of texture and concentration.

Bourbon is a recipe and can be produced anywhere in the US. Not just Kentucky.

It doesn’t really matter how you enjoy your whiskey, just that you do so in the spirit of adventure. Whiskey offers a world of variation, it’s all about the multitude of flavors and textures each one brings to the table. When mixing drinks, always use the best ingredients in your cocktails. The quality of the whiskey makes a big difference. So too does the shaking. Shake hard until the shaker is very cold to ensure proper mixing, chilling and diluting of the drink. Don’t be afraid to use liqueurs in the cocktails, either. Luxardo Maraschino, cherry brandy liqueur and Amer Picon, as well as the different Vermouths and Benedictine are delicious and essential to good drinks. Keep Vermouth in the refrigerator and don’t buy a full-sized bottle unless you will use it within a month. Vermouth is wine so it does go bad. Whiskey is whiskey and if stored properly, it will not go bad. Sláinte.

ORIGINS

The beauty of unmixed whiskey does not preclude the existence of serious mixed drinks. Cocktails were invented in the United States and whiskey was an important part of that development. Decades of bad quenchers have led drinkers to associate them with sweet, unbalanced or ill-conceived concoctions. But great cocktails are the opposite—they balance the sweet with the acid or bitterness to yield a sum that is greater than its parts.

The Old Fashioned is the most basic and, some argue, the original cocktail. It also shows off the quality of the whiskey. Don’t be afraid to use the good stuff.

Ingredients
1 Sugar Cube, preferably a dark,
flavorful sugar like demerara
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
Club Soda
2 oz Rye Whiskey
Glass Type: Old-fashioned
Place the sugar cube (or ½ teaspoon loose sugar) in an old-fashioned glass. Wet it down with 2 or 3 dashes of Angostura bitters and a short splash of water or club soda. Crush the sugar with a wooden muddler. Rotate the glass so the sugar grains and bitters give it a lining. Add a large ice cube. Pour in the rye (or bourbon). The Classic doesn’t use the orange wedge and cherry, though you can. A modified Old Fashioned adds just an orange peel to the sugar for muddling. The oils from the peel add a lovely taste to the drink.

The Manhattan, the most iconic whiskey cocktail is made with rye. Using bourbon has become very common and makes a sweeter drink. However, a good rye makes a Manhattan amongst the best cocktails out there.

Ingredients
2 oz Rye Whiskey
1 oz Italian Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Glass Type: Cocktail
Stir the rye, vermouth and bitters well with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with twist or, of course, a cherry. The original Luxardo Marasca cherries are the perfect choice. “The Brooklyn,” a variant of The Manhattan, uses the same 2:1 ratio, but substitutes French vermouth for Italian and adds a dash of Amer Picon and one of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur.

Beggars Banquet, created by Aisha Sharpe, co-owner of Contemporary Cocktails Inc., starts life like a whiskey sour with maple syrup and then gets topped with beer.

Ingredients
2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
¾ oz Maple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters
Orange Slice
Top with British Cask-conditioned Ale
Glass Type: Highball or Collins
Shake first four ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass. Top with beer. Garnish with orange slice. It also works topped with hard dry apple cider.

Show me the way to the next whiskey bar…

Corry’s Ale House, Wantagh
50 bottles of whiskey, mostly from the Emerald Isle.

George Martin’s Strip Steak, Great River
A Scotch and bourbon heaven with dozens of selections for sippin’ neat or as a specialty mixed drink.

Rothmann’s Steakhouse, East Norwich
30-plus single malt Scotches and a dozen small-batch bourbons from the steakhouse that dates back to 1907.

Tellers, Islip
More than 45 whiskies on hand, including Scotches from Highlands, Islay and Speyside.

LONG DISTANCE APPLAUSE

Òran Mór, Nantucket
An untouchable spirits program. It’s worth the trip as much for the food and ambiance as for the bar’s whiskies and handcrafted cocktails.

EVENTS & TASTINGS

Irish Whiskey Tasting
March 13
Vitae, Huntington
A specialist will take you through four kinds of Jameson, including a limited 18 year old. vitaeli.com

Whiskey Live
April 3
Chelsea Piers
A great chance to sample and learn about 250 of the world’s greatest whiskies. whiskylive.com

Whiskey Dinner with Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits
April 14
eatMosaic, St. James
Taste a wide range of whiskey, tequila and brandy with dinner.

Ruby
(516) 224-4660, Woodbury

The opening of Ruby, an Asian fusion restaurant and sushi bar in the Woodbury Common shopping center highlights two important Long Island restaurant trends. The first is volatility. The Asian Bistro Next Store and Graffiti preceded Ruby at this location. The second is the rapid proliferation of Asian restaurants. Although Italian restaurants are still the Island’s culinary mainstay, relatively few new ones are opening while the number of Asian spots continues to surge.

Ruby, which opened late last year, is a sleek, snazzy, high ceiling spot with a sharp looking sushi bar, bare tables, wall candles, a bit of bricks here and a splash of red there. Oversized windows make Ruby look larger than it is. Its reasonably priced menu is nicely balanced between sushi, sashimi, rolls and Asian kitchen (or cooked) dishes.

Although most of the food here is commendable, the service by the fast moving Asian waitstaff often staggered. It certainly did on a busy Saturday night in January. We could have eaten an entire dinner in the time between the appetizers and entrées. There were also gaps within the courses, with the staccato arrival of dishes. The waitresses delivering them never knew who ordered what. We ordered white rice and got brown. Nor were we offered a sake menu. We had to ask for one.

Having said all of that, it should be noted that the six tender, moist shumai for a modest $5 were exemplary. The mushroom soup ($4.50) was thick with tasty ingredients. A couple of shrimp pops (eggroll-like cylinders on sticks, $7) passed muster while four individual pieces of sushi—striped bass, crab, egg and octopus—were all as they should be.

Mango shrimp sporting soft, ripe strips of fruit and five plump shrimp ($18) was a rewarding triumph. Both combo teriyaki ($18) and General Tso’s chicken ($15) were mixed bags. The lightly crusted, tender chicken was fine but its accompanying broccoli was room temperature and while the heavenly beef in the combo teriyaki was buttery tender, its jumbo sea scallops were a bit gritty. The gently priced and abundant chicken mei fun ($12), or Singapore noodles, was laced with plenty of substantial ingredients but it was a bland dish, lacking almost any seasoning, spices, taste or pizzazz.

The western style desserts ($6) aren’t made at Ruby. They are package by Bindi and are on a separate color menu with no prices. The results vary. The soft, delicious chocolate chip studded cheesecake was something I’d order again, but the coppa caramel and coppa stracciatella were still semi-frozen when they arrived at our table making them difficult to eat and taste.

Ruby, as with many new restaurants, seems to subscribe to the noise-is-fun formula. In short, if the restaurant is loud, upbeat, even rollicking, it means diners are enjoying themselves. Unfortunately it also means people at the same table often have problems hearing what one another are saying.

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

Ting
(631) 425-7788, Huntington

Yu-Mei Zheng has guts. She is the owner of Ting, a relatively new Asian restaurant at a site that’s been an absolute graveyard for a long and disastrous parade of eating places of every stripe. Ms. Zheng, a first-time restaurant owner follows the likes of Scotty’s Corner House, Al Dowds, Il Tulipano, a few Chinese restaurants and more recently two Asians (Legacy and Dao) at 92 East Main Street in Huntington.

Only time will tell whether she succeeds where so many have failed, but she sure is giving it an all-out try. Her task is especially daunting because she is serving essentially the same Pan Asian-style food as her two immediate predecessors. The restaurant’s rather exotic décor has wisely been left intact, with just a little tinkering. Now the front door opens automatically and on cold nights newcomers are greeted with a welcome blast of warm air. But the striking saltwater fish tank centerpiece remains as does the sushi bar, the calm, appropriate dinnertime music, the high tile ceilings and the large panoramic front windows. So too does the efficient, almost-instant service.

Probably the most significant innovation is the addition of a noon to 3:30pm dim sum lunch. It’s not the authentic Chinatown version with carts of small dishes wheeled through the dining room, yet the fourteen-choice dim sum menu is relatively unique for Long Island. We tried only half of the four-dollar dishes, most of which were what they should be. Unlike so many Chinese restaurants where all the dishes arrive at once, when we requested gradually paced service we received it. Only a dish of virtually tasteless sticky rice was a waste of time. Two lotus leaves wrapped around sticky rice with chicken, pork and shrimp is a recommended pick. Just dig to their bottoms for the meat. Too-thick, gelatinous wrappers diminished four steamed dumplings with watercress and dumpling sauce. An interesting, ambitious steamed crabmeat and pork soup dumpling was true to those encountered in Chinatown. Three plump bacon rolls, stuffed with floured crab meat and served with horseradish aioli sauce were top of the line, as were three thin spring rolls with a mayo dip, four steamed crystal shrimp dumplings and a semi-sweet dessert of three steamed egg custard rolls.

Dinner was also a mixed bag. On the plus side was a delicately breaded seven piece (two shrimp, five veggies) tempura appetizer ($10), a substantial unaju roll ($14) that artfully combines its soft shell crab tempura with a topping of eel and eel sauce. The crabcake appetizer ($13) is enhanced by its bonito crust and spicy aioli. The half Peking duck ($27), the most expensive dish sampled, was disappointing. It was somewhat overcooked and only its skin and Hoisin sauce produced much flavor.

A mango cheesecake ($8) finale yielded velvety texture and admirable taste but its thin gelatinous layer of mango contributed little flavor.

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

Vintage Bar & Grill
(516) 364-4641, Jericho

Whether you knew it or not, you’ve been to the restaurant at 399 Jericho Turnpike. More accurately many, perhaps most, of you have. That’s because it’s been a restaurant forever—for thirty-five years as Capriccio, then for shorter runs as Palio and Philippe Chow. Now it’s the Vintage Bar & Grill and much like its predecessors it’s a noteworthy spot boasting superior kitchen and dining room crews. Only time will tell if this new venture will fare any better or longer than the appealing operations that preceded it.

Yet if it fails it won’t be because of Vintage’s flaws, for there are few, if any. Vintage is an instant Long Island dining destination restaurant. Its crystal chandeliers, candles, dark wall panels, handsome scalloped white curtains, cow skin upholstery, white tablecloths, huge peacock mural, appropriate music played at a discrete volume and polished professional service all stamp it as a serious contender. And why not? It’s owned by two veterans of the Island restaurant wars: Michael Cacaro (its chef) and his wife Victoria, who for twelve years have run the successful Vintage Prime Steak House in Saint James and operated Syosset’s Maneros Steakhouse, which became Fulton and Prime before it closed recently.

Despite its red meat roots at the original in Suffolk, the Vintage Bar & Grill isn’t a steakhouse. There are just a few steaks on the menu with many more chicken, veal, fish, lamb and pasta picks. If they are all as excellent as the New York sirloin ($39) with its rugged charred surface and all around red meat perfection, they shouldn’t be neglected. Other sizable, well-presented entrées were three hefty, luscious lamb porterhouse chops ($36) on a bed of earthy cremini mushrooms, roasted asparagus and red potatoes and a bountiful, too-big-to-finish farfalle and chicken pasta ($24), rich and complex with spinach, sundried tomatoes and very fresh mozzarella.

King sized too was a grilled pear salad ($12) that achieved a pleasing balance in its mix of lettuces, strawberries, walnuts and gorgonzola enrobed in sweet, but not too sweet, balsamic dressing.

A husky, rather than refined puréed French onion soup ($10) sans cheese cap, was accompanied by a welcomed grilled cheese sandwich. A creative, distinctive, Asian-Latino Peking duck taco fusion appetizer ($12) harboring tender, vibrant Chinese barbecued duck was the hands-down number one starter.

Speaking of bests, the non-traditional bananas Foster ($12) with its banana bread, vanilla ice cream, rum sauce and ripe bananas led the dessert choices while an apple cobbler ($9) was standard stuff.

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

MADE ON LONG ISLAND: NOFO Crunch
Deana and Dan Reyburn started the Mattituck-based granola company last spring using Deana’s grandmother’s recipe. NOFO Crunch’s organic granola uses only seven ingredients: Rolled oats, walnuts, almonds, vegetable oil, wildflower honey and freeze-dried fruit. A stark contrast to commercially produced granola. Retailers include Sang Lee Farms in Peconic and Greenport’s Vines & Branches and The Market. nofocrunch.com.

PIZZA PAR-THREE!
Pizza topped with cauliflower and breadcrumbs. ‘Nuff said. Last January Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza opened its third Long Island location. The new Wantagh spot will soon be joined by others in Commack and Greenvale, which are also in the works. Franklin Square-native and owner Anthony Bruno’s restaurants use an 800-degree, coal-burning oven to cook pizza to perfection in four minutes.
anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com.

THE OL’ SWITCHE-FOO(D)...
Keith Luce, former White House sous-chef during Bill Clinton’s presidency, left Jedediah Hawkins Inn and its restaurant Luce & Hawkins. He is currently raising free-range animals, including a herd of Mangalitsa pigs, at his Jamesport farm and recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for a North Fork-based smokehouse and meat curing/aging facility. “It’s something the region needs, and it’s a way to use my family farm while using the skills I went into the world to learn as a chef,” says Luce. “It is also a sustainable means of maintaining the farm while setting nutrients for future crops.”

La Notte
(631) 683-5595, Huntington

The name over the restaurant’s door at 15 New Street in the heart of Huntington Village has changed quite a few times over the years but the food served there hasn’t. With one exception it always was and still is Italian. The present occupant opened quietly late last year. La Notte is owned by Joseph Competiello who comes from a restaurant family in Queens where his father Michael is the chef/owner of a Forest Hills restaurant and where Joseph learned the business. Competiello hired Joseph Cacace, who grew up in Lynbrook and has seen previous service at a number of top-flight Manhattan restaurants, as his kitchen commander.

Their menu features eye-popping portions of no nonsense Italian golden oldies like clams oreganata, fried calamari, spaghetti marinara, spaghetti and clams, grilled sausage and chicken cacciatore. This is a darkish, white tablecloth restaurant that will be most appreciated by hungry diners who seek basic Italian food rather than fussy, cutting edge cuisine.

The result of all this is the proverbial mixed bag. It’s possible to have either a satisfying or less than satisfying meal here. A recent dinner for four underscores that point. The diner who ordered the generously portioned winter salad ($9), an imaginative mix of greens, roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds and toasted pine nuts covered with a pear Dijon vinaigrette that was followed by a fresh, flaky, fine pistachio crusted salmon ($25), was a happy camper. But there were no smiles across the table from the woman who ordered the hearty sounding Tuscan white bean and garlic soup ($8) that seemed to be the perfect hair-on-the-chest winter time brew, but was instead a thin, pallid pick. Her dusty dry, rather chewy grilled veal rolls were also dull and uninspiring.

Similarly a mountain of potato and zucchini chips ($10) baked with melted, crumbled gorgonzola was a crunchy, formidable starter sufficient for four diners. The absolutely gigantic serving of chicken cacciatori ($20) kept the winning streak going. Its tomato ragu, garlic, olives, red onions and capers provided an amalgam of spice and depth to the husky, agreeably blunt chunks of chicken.

Diner number four also went one for two by first devouring an oversized pile of crisp, crunchy, tender calamari fritti ($10) accompanied by a snappy marinara dip and a subtle lemon aioli, but then leaving a tangle of drab spaghettini and Manila clams ($20) with a disappointing lack of flavor. Its olive oil, garlic and white wine sauce was confined to the bottom of the bowl rather than adhering to the pasta.

That same split occurred when the desserts arrived. The midnight mousse ($8) with a puff of whipped cream was an ethereal, dark chocolate treat, but the less than moist red velvet cake ($8) was at best, ordinary.

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

Craft beer is hot these days and the wine industry is jealous. Two giant companies (AB InBev and MillerCoors) control 77 percent of the US beer market. Add in the rest of the giants (Pabst, Heineken, Guinness, Boston Brewing) and big beer accounts for more than 90 percent of the market. But craft beer has been taking a bite out of that in recent years. It might be a reaction to the dominance of the big guys or that savvy beer drinkers are looking for more authentic brews. But I am a wine writer.

Wine appears to be heading in the same direction. A handful of wine companies controls the marketplace, shrinking diversity. The giants control 85 percent of the market, with three wine companies (Gallo, Constellation and The Wine Group) accounting for 55 percent of the market share. It might take another couple of years for wine to reach the height of dominance and depths of diversity that created the craft beer phenomenon, but leave it to the wine marketers to celebrate this statement: “Reflecting an environment where Americans choose brands over appellations, E. & J. Gallo Winery and Constellation Brands have been named Wineries of the Year for 2012,” according to Jon Fredrikson, the keynote speaker at this year’s Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California. That statement along with the accompanying article by W. Blake Gray really hit me hard—this is a battle for the soul of wine and passionate wine drinkers need to take heed.

Hopefully we won’t wait until two companies control the wine industry to begin a craft wine movement. It can start right now. There are already thousands of small wineries that offer excellent value and they need our attention—many right in our backyard. There are more than 7,000 wineries in this country, so that leaves a good 6,500 that aren’t big brands and come from a place you can visit. Engage with a wine professional to explore wineries beyond big wine and you will find many reasonably priced alternatives to Barefoot, Cupcake and Cavit.

Non-branded non-commodity wines worthy of attention:
2010 Domaine Font Sarade Ventoux, Rhône
2011 Suhru Pinot Grigio, New York
2011 Les Galets de Sauveterre, Côtes du Rhône

3/7 - Frank Walker & Joanne Amante
Eleanor Rigby’s, Mineola
Two Island music veterans kick back and play your favorites.

3/9 - Michael Jazz Trio
Macari Vineyards, Mattituck
A tasty jazz and wine pairing with this family band of three brothers.

3/15 - Cassandra House
La Tavola, Sayville
The best wine pairing for Italian food is Chianti or Valpolicella. And the best musical pairing is a lady singer with a great big voice.

3/23 - Patchogue Folk Festival
Patchogue Theatre, Patchogue
The Kingston Trio, Gathering Time and Claudia Jacobs will take the main stage at 8 after an assortment of Long Island’s favorite acoustic acts perform in the lobby starting at 2pm.

3/30 - Jay Reilly
The Cup, Wantagh
Down home blues under the railroad tracks.

SUFFOLK

Revolution Bar and Music Hall
(631) 264-7712, Amityville
revolutionli.com
What once was Ollie’s Point is now bigger and better. Live music trumps atmosphere here: Worn wood floors, minimal décor and plenty of hang-out or dancing space in front of the stage. The main bar, which keeps true to the dive-bar theme, is set away from the stage so you can actually have a conversation. But chances are you came to hear live music, with good sound, acoustics, lighting and dancing with 300 of your closest friends. The outdoor patio adorned with trees, standing tables and holiday lights fills with a rotation of smokers and fresh-air seekers. Linger past your bedtime and you’ll be rewarded with egg sandwiches after 2am—very rock ‘n’ roll. John Nolan (3/14) of Taking Back Sunday and Orgy (3/22) will rock out this month as well as Lita Ford (remember her?) on the 29th.

Horace & Sylvia’s Publick House
(631) 587-5081, Babylon
horaceandsylvia.com
Townies, couples and the happy hour crowd fawn over the barroom at this Babylon Village gastropub. Sidle up to any of the benches beneath the front windows overlooking Deer Park Avenue or join a circle of friends around the comfy leather chairs by the gas fireplace. When it’s quiet, you could easily spend your afternoon watching a game on the flat screen or discussing Yeats with someone who also doesn’t have to be anywhere in particular. Sheer curtains separate each of the booths, providing privacy without feeling restricted, and devotees love the short wait to get one.

NASSAU

Cannon’s Blackthorne
(516) 594-1222, RVC
cannonsblackthornli.com
Usher in the weekend at this classic happy hour pub so close to the LIRR platform you can read the schedule. Grab a pumpkin porter, a plate of hot wings and a seat near the large, sliding windows and watch RVC stir as after hours spills into evening. That’s when the vibe skews younger as the older crowd gives way to 20-30 year olds looking for a night out and a DJ to get them moving. Booths handcrafted and imported from Ireland line the walls inside and the outdoor patio’s bar is a quiet alternative to the crowd inside.

NYC

Cienfuegos
(212) 614-6818, NYC
cienfuegosny.com
This LES lounge is named after the famous Cuban city and feels just as exotic with its sexy, funky atmosphere. Keeping true to Cuban style and colors, you’ll find a shiny, teal ceiling and walls, white cushioned benches and chairs, and a gold plated, wrought iron fence along the staircase. Rum punch bowls, with names like Isle of Manhattan Fizz or The Funky Old Man from Martinique make this place worth a visit with a gaggle of friends. The latter is made from Rhum Saint James Royal Ambre, lime, mint, Angostura and champagne for parties of 2-3 or 10-15 people.

Photo by Stephen Lang

April has showers. May has flowers. But March? Neglected. Unfairly. March deserves something. A beer, perhaps. Actually…

Hoptron Brewtique
(631) 438-0296, Patchogue
hoptronbrewtique.com
To Infinity…and Beer-yond! If you’re craving a BUZZ faster than a LIGHT YEAR…

In the middle of the craft beer Mecca that is Patchogue, two ladies have opened a new establishment that defies classification. Inside this hybrid of a bar, bottle boutique and home-brew depot, 16 drafts (available for in-house consumption or take-home growler fills) mingle alongside all the equipment needed for fledgling home brewers. Though oozing with options, Hoptron Brewtique’s objective remains consistent: Educate patrons within an intimate environment. “We’re not trying to reinvent the beer wheel, but there is room for something quieter, with light, where people can have a conversation,” says Amanda Danielson, who opened Hoptron Brewtique with Sue Lara last November. “This format exists in the city and Brooklyn, but hasn’t really been done on Long Island. We want to really inform our customers and that can’t be done in a loud setting.”

Prost Grill & Garten
(516) 427-5215, Garden City
prostgrill.com

After extensive brainstorming and an expedition to Berlin and Munich, Jim McCartney and Bill Daly opened their own biergarten. “We initially wanted to do just a sausage and beer spot, but the modern feel of Berlin was really appealing,” says McCartney. “Garden City is an upscale location, so we wanted to cater to the people and offer a neat design, and a full menu for lunch and dinner. But we have that classic biergarten atmosphere, too.” While their 24 drafts are mostly Germany-birthed, including Weihenstephaner Vitus, selections from Long Island’s Barrier Brewing Company (Frau Blücher and Icculus) have also poured. A cool tidbit: Prost’s bar and communal tables were constructed with reclaimed wood from a Syracuse bowling alley. 

Drink The Seasons

Beer: Biere de Mars
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Style: Biere de Garde
Availability: February-May
Profile: Okay. I fibbed. March does possess its own beer homage: Biere de Mars. A special version of Biére de Garde, a France-birthed style traditionally created during late-winter/early-spring and cellared for warmer temperatures, Biere de Mars was brewed March-specifically and intended for right-now consumption. Southampton Publick House’s version is malt-accentuated with subtle fruit and spice. Drinkability is prominent. Farewell, seasonal affective disorder!

I POUR THAT…by Brian Karp, Owner of Press 195, RVC

Beer: Barrier Brewing Company BulkHead Red. Barrier refuses to offer seasonal releases, so this piney-hopped amber ale is almost always available at bars, beverage centers and the Oceanside brewery’s growler sessions (Wednesday and Saturday).
Why: “I heard murmurs of a brewery in the Rockville Centre area, so I went to Oceanside with my partner, Chris Evans. When I walked in, I knew this was my brewery!”

Follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, at lipulse.com where you can find more craft beer on Long Island.

Photo by Stephen Lang

There are various sounds one might hear in the Russian & Turkish Baths Health Club that may remind one of ecstasy or provide evidence of some lucky guy or gal in a state of euphoric bliss, but most of them would be hard to spell and difficult to really get right for the page. Most likely, the cause and effect at work here has something to do with that rapturous blend of hot and cold that lies at the heart of this swimmingly pleasurable experience of the old world variety. And when I say hot and cold, I’m not talking about waffles and ice cream here, people. This is the varsity version, replete with hot rock saunas and buckets of ice water for temporary relief, suffocating catch-your-breath heat and exhilaratingly orgasmic cold. And when I say old world, I’m talking about 1892 and sultans and czars and shvitz (oh my!). The Russian & Turkish Baths Health Club employs a template that has facilitated relaxation and cleansing for a long time.

Juxtaposition is key here. While it’s true that going from a hot room to splashes of frigidity does wonders for the circulation system, not to mention healthy skin and clear breathing, it’s not just the contrast of temperatures that makes this place so special. It’s the big bear from Moscow in his underwear with a towel wrapped around his head next to the cute and capricious downtown hip folk. It’s the woman in need of platza (oak leaf whipping/massage, orgasmic) after a hard week of work next to the boy who visits everyday and reads Nazim Hikmet’s poems on the sun deck. It’s the aromatherapy next to human entropy, manmade tiles next to what feels like volcanic rock. It’s having a bit of the 19th century in urbane modernity. It’s taking your clothes off and not feeling the least bit self-conscious because everybody is allowed to be free here. And who doesn’t need a place to feel free right now?

The Russian & Turkish Baths Health Club is in many ways therapy for the body and soul. When all that is heavy feels like it’s about to come crashing down on you (or already has and you’re bearing its weight), the Bath House, as its frequenters affectionately call it, is here to help. It doesn’t matter if you’re in pursuit of money or love or fame or the meaning of life—every pursuit needs a break in the form of a good sweat. Well, actually, not a good sweat…you can get one of those at some of the more fancy places in town. I’m talking about an epic sweat, one for the ages, one that ain’t pretty because true transformation and healing usually ain’t pretty. A sweat that will rock you to your core and prompt you to consider mercy as a new stratagem for life. russianandturkishbaths.com.

Mention Colorado and you might think snow, Peyton Manning, mountains and Coors. Now you should add bourbon to the list. Above Tree Line was created to celebrate Breckenridge Bourbon, distilled with mineral-rich water at 9,600 feet, the base of the eponymous mountain. It is served in a wine glass, acknowledging the fruity Lillet Rouge and the peach, orange and pear notes of the St-Germain. The sprig of rosemary represents the tree and gives you a fresh, woodsy scent with every sip. Developed by Kelley Slagle, bartender at Hearth restaurant in NYC.

Ingredients
1 ½ oz Breckenridge Bourbon
¾ oz Grapefruit Juice
½ oz Lillet Rouge
½ oz St-Germain Liqueur

Instructions: Add the ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into wine glass with ice and garnish with rosemary sprig and grapefruit wedge.

Heads High!
Enjoy Above The Tree Line at Tellers: An American Chophouse in Islip all month

It’s never been a problem for Italians; their food has always been approachable. But Greek cuisine has to work harder to prove it’s not only for Greeks. Chef Michael Psilakis’ goal is to take Greek mainstream, and it starts at Roslyn’s MP Taverna.

Before earning accolades from Esquire, Food & Wine and Bon Appétit magazines Psilakis was born into an immigrant Greek family living in East Northport. He grew up tasting the flavors his mom created and watching her prepare meals every night. “I was the oldest son of this traditional Greek family that had 30 people over every weekend and parties of 200 five or six times a year,” Psilakis says. “I was making sure people had a drink, making sure everyone was happy, making sure we fed people. I was built to do that job.”

Given this background, maybe it’s no surprise that Psilakis earned the industry’s praise without formal culinary training. He rose to the national stage by elevating his mother’s flavors and in the process forced modern Greek food into the national conversation by earning a Michelin star at NYC’s Anthos.

Had his father not passed away in 2007 Psilakis would probably still be experimenting with modern ingenuity. “After my father’s passing I had an epiphany,” Psilakis says. He describes a vivid scene at his mother’s house when he, his then two-year-old son and his brother gathered to prepare the traditional spit-roasted lamb for Easter. “We’re getting ready to put the lamb over the charcoal. Right before we did, as my father taught us, we wet our hands with water, rubbed the animal down and then seasoned it with salt and pepper.” It was a moment he recalled sharing with his father at a young age. That’s when Psilakis decided to turn away from high concept food to bring traditional Greek cuisine to the masses. “Food no longer was art; that didn’t matter to me anymore,” Psilakis says. “What made sense was this idea of planting seeds for memories. Showing people how food can be used as a catalyst to bring people together and start memories.”

And that’s the idea behind MP Taverna. A comfortable, casual place where families are introduced to Greek flavors at a slower pace. The food is straightforward—meatballs, bulghar salad, hanger steak, roasted lemon chicken—with a focus on traditional flavors. Psilakis hopes Greek becomes the answer to the proverbial “What do you feel like having tonight?” Soon, it won’t be so Greek to you.

Signature dish 
Grilled Branzino: A grilled Mediterranean sea bass over a warm salad of fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, olives, peppers and feta cheese, finished with lemon and garlic.

Ingredients:
4 Branzino’s 1-2 lbs. each, scaled and gutted
24 cherry tomatoes, halved
24 kalamata olives, pitted
24 green olives, pitted
2 sweet onions sliced into rings, grilled, and reserved
10 fingerling potatoes, par cooked and reserved
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
½ Cup feta cheese
2 lemons
EVOO
Salt & pepper
1 Tb. dry oregano
1 Tb each of fresh chopped parsley, basil, and dill

Method:
Pre-heat a grill to med-high. Paint fish with EVOO season with salt and pepper, and place on the grill. Char on each side for approx 8 min.

For warm salad, in a large heavy-bottomed pan add 2 Tb. EVOO and heat through. Brown garlic and potatoes. Then, add tomatoes, olives, onion rings, dry oregano, and feta cheese. Transfer to a serving platter and place the fish on top of the warm salad. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top, then drizzle with EVOO, and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

The Cook’s Note:

Few things are more romantic as the Tango in Argentina, which serves as the inspiration for this Valentine’s Day menu.  The centerpiece is a steak marinated in the classic Chimichurri and then topped with a mayonnaise of the same flavor profile, my spin on the horseradish condiment served on prime rib. 

I served this steak on garlic toast at 2012 Hicksville FD BBQ competition and won first place in the beef category. Here it accompanies a number of dishes I created that are quick to make and require no special cooking skills.  I hope they inspire you to experiment with the flavors and ingredients of Latin America.

While I would normally make this over a charcoal grill, this recipe has been modified to make in your home oven.

Mike, Buenos Diaz BBQ

Spring Green Salad with Chorizo Bits and Manchego Cheese
Chorizo and Manchego Cheese are classic Spanish ingredients and readily available in most supermarkets.  I use the chorizo like one would use bacon bits to add a salty smoke accent, while Manchego compliments with is buttery texture and flavor.

1 Package Spring Salad Mix (or you favorite)
1 tbls White Balsamic Vinegar (substitute apple cider vinegar)
3 tbls Olive Oil (extra virgin)
½ Chorizo diced into ¼” bits
1 tsp capers
Manchego Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Over medium low heat, cook the diced chorizo to render the fat until the pieces are crunchy, set aside.  Whisk the oil and vinegar dressing and toss with the salad   Sprinkle capers and chorizo bits over the top with a few shavings of Manchego cheese.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

Chimichurri Marinade

1 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper flakes are traditional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Chimichurri Mayonnaise

Same as above except use white wine vinegar instead of red, omit the olive oil and add the juice of ½ a lime. Mix with 1 cup of mayonnaise to desired consistency and flavor, and set aside.

Argentinean Chimichurri Steak

2 Prime aged sirloin steak
Chimichurri marinade
Chimichurri mayonnaise
Montreal steak seasoning (or salt and pepper)

Prepare the Chimichurri marinade and mayonnaise. Marinade the steak 1 to 4 hours in advance or overnight.  Remove the steak from the marinade and lightly season with Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Grill in your oven’s broiler or your barbecue for 4 minutes on each side (medium rare).  Remove from grill and rest 10 minutes.  Garnish with the Chimichurri mayonnaise using a squirt bottle or dollop with a teaspoon.  Sprinkle finely chopped parsley about the plate as garnish.

Roasted Potatoes With Spanish Pimento Olives
Olives stuffed with pimento is added to potato salad by the Argentinians.  Here I add them to roasted red potatoes. 

4 Red Potatoes (about racquet ball size)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
3 tbl olive oil
2 tbl sliced Spanish olives stuffed with pimento
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes into quarters and coat with olive oil, thyme and rosemary in a microwave safe small casserole dish.  Microwave for 5 minutes.  Place under broiler for 5 minute to brown the potatoes being careful not to burn.  Add olives with pimentos, salt and pepper to taste, toss and serve.

Note: you can also roast in oven at 350 for 40 minutes in lieu of the above method.

Guava and Queso Blanca Empanadas
Guava paste and jelly are available in the Latin section of most supermarkets and quesa blanca will be in the refrigerator section.  Empanada disc can be found in the frozen cases, but usually in a market catering to Latinos.  They are available on line as well. 

This simple dessert combines and exotic sweetness of the guava with a mild saltiness of the quesa blanco in a delicate puff pastry empanada. 

1 pkg Guava Paste
1 pkg Queso Blanca
1 pkg Frozen Oven (para Horno) Empanada discs, thawed but chilled
Guava Jelly

Place one slice of guava paste (1/2” x 1” x ¼”) and an equal size slice of queso blanca in the center of an empanada disc.  Fold in have and seal by crimping with a fork, or folding over the edges in tiny triangles to create the fancy edge (there are number of you tube vidoes to show this method).  Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and place empanadas in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes (until golden brown).  Remove from over and while hot,  brush with guava jelly. 

Enter the water snake, 2013. A creature marked as highly intelligent, enigmatic, motivated and lucky in business is the one who will guide the Chinese lunar year commencing February 10th. Snakes are known for their poise, beauty, elegance and cunning (Jackie O was born in the year of the snake), but this year is compounded by the water element. Stay alert! Deception abounds. Snakes are graceful and exciting but dark, intriguing and fascinating. They are cultured and enjoy life, but they keep their cards close. You will never know a snake’s true feelings if s/he does not want to tell you. In business, a snake will always make things work out, no matter what scheming is required. But beware! If entering into partnerships or deals this year, count the dollars and keep them safe.

The 15 day celebration
It is said that the first Chinese New Year occurred to banish the monster Nian, who was attacking crops, livestock and children. According to one version of the Legend of Nian, villagers first kept the monster at bay by leaving plates of food outside for him to eat. When they realized he was fearful of the color red, they began to dress and decorate in glorious crimson as well.

Whatever the origins, the Chinese New Year celebrations seen in modern New York and elsewhere include a rich display of red decorations, red clothing and lighting firecrackers. Celebrations last for different lengths of time, but a typical schedule associates a particular activity with a certain day. In China, this means 15 days. Parades or lion dances are held both on the first and last weekends. The start of the festivities changes every year, depending on when the lunar and Western/Gregorian calendars start to overlap. Above all, the new year is primarily a time for family and fresh starts.

Each day plays a unique part in the festivities. A typical Chinese New Year celebration agenda might include:
Eve: Pre-spring cleaning to get rid of old bad luck and make room for new good luck, getting new haircuts for a fresh start, getting all the decorations and flowers, paying debts and sending gifts. A big family reunion dinner is also common.
Day 1: Welcome gods and spirits to earth with fireworks, celebrating the good spirits while chasing the bad away. Honor the older generation.
Day 2: Businesses are blessed, dogs’ birthdays are celebrated and married women visit their parents and friends.
Day 3: Visit a temple, have your fortune told.
Days 4-6: Reopen closed businesses.
Day 7: Turn a (symbolic) year older during a communal birthday.
Day 8: Employers treat employees to a big meal as thanks for the year’s work.
Days 9 and 10: For some Fujianese and Taiwanese, it’s a day of prayer and presenting food like sugarcane, noodles, six vegetables, cakes, wine and more to the Jade Emperor on his birthday.
Days 12-14: Cleanse with a vegetarian diet.
Day 15: Culminate the New Year with the Lantern Festival.

The world continues to modernize, changing how individuals adapt new year festivities to suit their lifestyles. The basic traditions hold strong, but things like what to eat and when to perform certain rituals and gatherings may vary from family to family. Above all, the new year is primarily a time for family and fresh starts.

Five Can’t Miss Kung Fu Movies
Enter The Dragon might have been your first introduction to kung fu, but these foreign action flicks go beyond that prerequisite, delving deeper into the genre. Put them in your queue and get ready to read some subtitles, but skip the General Tso’s chicken which, unlike these flicks, isn’t really Chinese.

The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)
A pioneer in an era of gore and violence.

Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
Many moments of lunacy with characters running on walls and ceilings. Bonus: A man with extendable arms.

Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
A dying teacher sends a student to track down former disciples. Each has a different fighting style based on a scorpion, snake, centipede, toad and lizard.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
On the short list for best fight scene ever.

Drunken Master II (1994)
This is one of Jackie Chan’s masterpieces. He does his jaw-dropping stunts (literally) without a net. —RE

The Lion Dance
by Nada

Cymbals shatter with the speed of a bird’s wings against window panes. Drums gutter the low beats of thunder…Enter the Lion.

The mighty, agile, fringed mystic stomps and preens, his motions are part thoroughbred, part playful dog. Shaking, flickering, blinking. At once setting the beat and following it. This is the wild, tamed power of the lion dance. Our breath is suspended in the flashes of red ribbon and shakes of gold cymbals around him. This is his command of the space, taking every inch. He is steward of the energy here, banishing evil through the purity of his dance, his intent, protecting villagers from the monster Nian since the Third Century BC.

It is a new year, it is a grand opening, it is joy, prosperity and happiness. The lion first appears slowly, scouting, stalking his space. A festoon of lights and fireworks around him. His pace quickens. And with it, the glittering of his movements becoming acrobatic, rolling, turning, kicking, jumping. Two dancers beneath the costume move as one, only their fringed legs showing. Syncopated, staccato. Animating the lion’s ornate face and colorful flowing mane, the ticks and twitching ears captivate the audience’s imagination. This creature is alive. The design of two hearts beating as one. Leaping across pillars, one on the other’s shoulders. Shaking the beast’s rump, blinking his eyes. The magical mirror on his forehead banishing evil spirits. Drum roll, another leap. A leg lifts, waves to the applause. The beast leaps on hind legs to the next pillars and then down to the ground, somersault to all fours. A wash of gold, black, green, red and white—the elements of earth, water, wood, fire and metal—rolled together as in the tumbling of life. Five cymbalists and one drummer culminate a finale to tame the beast. He returns to his belly at their feet, for now.

Where to Celebrate
Charles B. Wang Center and Confucius Institute at Stony Brook University
Annual spring festival on February 17, including local talent performing traditional Chinese dance and instruments.

Chinese Center on Long Island, West Hempstead
Take classes in traditional Chinese dance or lion troupe dancing.

Monsoon, Babylon
Authentic modern Asian cuisine amidst sophisticated red and black décor makes for a unique experience. Annual lunar new year celebration on February 10.

Pearl East Restaurant, Manhasset
Mark the new year with special holiday dishes from February 9-17.

Ward Melville Heritage Organization, Stony Brook
February 10 features a lion dance by Ten Tigers Kung Fu Academy and performances by Stony Brook Taiko Drum Ensemble and Spotlight Dance Academy.

West East Bistro, Hicksville
Taste the lunar new year traditions of Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as China, at this Asian fusion restaurant that serves things like rainbow sashimi salad and pork banh tet.
—HC

Field Guide to Chinatown
There is more to Manhattan’s Chinatown than the souvenir shops on Canal Street and the restaurants of Mott Street. The neighborhood is steeped in culture, commerce, family and food that are as beloved as they are evolving.

The Museum of Chinese in America at 215 Centre Street is an ideal first stop for information about Chinatown past and present, with multimedia exhibits on everything from fashion to film and current events to comics (on display through February 24). It is also home base for regular walking tours of Chinatown’s history and eateries. mocanyc.org.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor at 13 Doyers Street has been in the Tang family since 1974, but opened in the 1920s as a bakery and tea parlor. It’s also NYC’s first dim sum parlor. Its vintage, mid-20th century feel, along with fantastic dim sum and tea, continues to attract long-time customers, tourists and TV/film location scouts alike. nomwah.com.

The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is a must on any tour of Chinatown. An unofficial landmark and one of Chinatown’s oldest businesses, the shop at 65 Bayard Street is a family affair in its second generation of Seid family ice cream makers. There are cakes and t-shirts, in addition to unique flavors such as almond cookie, black sesame, lychee, taro, red bean and green tea. chinatownicecreamfactory.com.

Aji Ichiban is a candy store at the intersection of Mott and Pell Streets that features universal favorites like jellybeans and gummy-anything next to distinctly Asian treats, the likes of dried mango strips, wasabi peas, salted plums, various cola-flavored candies and milk candies. There are also medicinal treats and everything sells by the pound.

Chinatown Restaurant Week is an annual event that takes place every March and the diverse array of dishes—from traditional to fusion—provide an affordable way to chow down on multi-course meals (often for $18.88, the number 8 is an auspicious number) and delicacies that have something for everyone. —HC

In the Red
“Hong bao” literally meaning “red packages” are perceived as being good for business and warding off evil spirits. The money within the envelopes—which are given by married couples to unmarried individuals, usually children—goes towards that good fortune and should usually be an even numbered amount, preferably including the good luck numbers six or eight.

The color red is the predominant color in Chinese New Year celebrations. It is used in lanterns, clothing, money envelopes and decorations to bring good luck, prosperity, good fortune and happiness to those within the home. But the color also symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity, which is why it’s so commonly used in Chinese décor throughout the year.

Bright colors such as gold, orange and purple are also worn during celebrations to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune for the coming new year. Not surprisingly, gold represents wealth and good fortune. As this is a springtime holiday, the bright colors and new clothing represent rebirth and new beginnings. Green, representing springtime and flowers, is naturally a big part of any spring festival. Homes and stores are decorated with sprigs of plum blossom, narcissus and sunflowers, as well as sticks of bamboo and leafy bunches of kumquats and oranges. The blooms and fruits symbolize good fortune and life.

The Chinese can be pretty superstitious people, so how a color or other symbolic item sounds when spoken in Mandarin or Cantonese often plays a part in how lucky it is. For example, “red” is spoken as “hong,” a variation of which sounds like the word for “prosperous.” However, beware the number four, as the sound for “four,” roughly “si” in Mandarin and “sei” in Cantonese, is similar to the sound for “death.”—HC

The start of the year 4711 will commence with festivities steeped in ancient rituals, myth, numerology and the natural world. The lunar new year, a festival based on the seasons instead of religion, marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. A time for family reunions, lots of food, paying respects to ancestors, superstitions, the rampant exchange of cash and giving thanks for the past year while welcoming a new beginning are all part of the celebrations and intrigue. Legend has it the lunisolar calendar began when Buddha called for the animal kingdom to gather. Only 12 animals showed up, the snake in the 6th position, thus the basis for the Chinese zodiac. When the 12 turns of the calendar are compounded by the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth—the zodiac cycle extends to 60 years.

Children born in the year of the snake may share characteristics of awareness, cunning, intelligence, introspection, charm, passion, gracefulness, serenity and materialism. These traits apply for everyone born in the year of the snake, including the years 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989 and 2001.

Babies born this year between February 10 and January 30, 2014 are also water snakes. The water element means they are great organizers and managers, are motivated and insightful, and have the potential to be influential. The last year of the water snake was 1953, remember anything significant?

Playtime can be a solitary pursuit and snakes may hold grudges longer than other kids do. They don’t do acquaintances, ending up instead with a few friends for life. However, they have a quirky sense of humor and can gossip and retaliate with the best of them.

Snakes are fashionable, enjoying luxury and comfort. They are great at business, but can spend money too impulsively. They are good with details and are quick problem solvers, but not great communicators and do not do well in noisy work environments. They like structure and calm, preferring relaxing music and earth-toned décor.

Snakes make great friends with oxen and roosters, but do not get along with pigs. Romantic relationships work best with rats, oxen, rabbit, sheep, roosters and dogs.—HC

There is perhaps no better symbol of sharing and good will than inviting friends and family into the home for carousing. It is in fact a touchstone of traditional celebrations. To help you create an authentic meal, there are several markets across the Island that carry wet and dry goods, live seafood, preserved meats and vegetables, kitchen appliances and sometimes a buffet of prepared hot and cold foods.

V&T Market in Hempstead was Long Island’s first Asian supermarket, taking over a former Waldbaum’s on North Franklin Street in 2001, and it is still a one-stop shop for loyal fans and newcomers alike. Other popular markets include H&Y Marketplace on Plainview Road in Hicksville, known for their fresh seafood, kimchi market and organic shop. Korean supermarket H-Mart offers appliances, food and a savings card program for repeat customers at both their Williston Park and Great Neck locations. Asian One Best Grocery on Portion Road in Ronkonkoma serves sit-down breakfast, lunch and dinner menus focusing on Filipino, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. And the less overwhelming convenience-store atmosphere of Oriental Groceries and Crafts on Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook offers relief from other hectic, ethnic food markets, but a good assortment all the same.

Lula Trattoria
(516) 747-5100, Mineola

Italian small plates! Why didn’t someone think of them long before Lula Trattoria came along? They are a combination of the Island’s all-time favorite food (Italian) and the relatively new small plate concept. The traditional and the trendy, the new and the old, have forged a very successful alliance at Lula Trattoria in Mineola where Circa Enoteca had been.

A number of experienced, veteran restaurateurs are behind this inspired venture. Among them are Lula Dalipi, who is its managing director and an owner, along with Adam Haber of Roslyn, the part owner of Aldea, a nuvo Portuguese spot in New York City. The chef, Tom Gloster and wine director Sean Gantner are both known to Long Islanders from previous service at Rothmann’s in East Norwich. Two principals from the former occupant, Joe DeLorenzo and Jerry Sbarro, also have had input that contributed to the creation of Lula Trattoria. Mr. DeLorenzo still owns Abeetza in Greenvale while Mr. Sbarro owns both Rothmann’s and three Matteo’s on the Island.

Lula Trattoria is a warm, convivial, modestly priced kind of place that’s all about sharing. Newcomers are enthusiastically welcomed. There’s a fireplace at the center of the main dining area. The floor and tables are bare throughout while brick and wood paneled walls and a pressed tin ceiling can be found in various rooms. Diners, especially frugal ones who enjoy eating at Chinese restaurants for their family-style portions that offer far more than one dish per dinner, will respond to Lula’s interesting, diverse menu (antipasti, pizza, salad, cheese, pasta, seafood, meat, vegetables) with most choices in the $7 to $9 range. Only one dish, a substantial slab of steak pizzaiola ($13) blanketed with peppers, onions and pomodoro, tops the $12 mark.

A recent dinner for four began with a complimentary steaming hot, hollow loaf of bread coated with a sheen of herbed olive oil (we gave an enthusiastic “yes” when asked if we wanted another, but it never materialized). That was followed by a crisp, sturdy, rectangular brick oven Margherita pizzette ($9) that yielded two or three tasty slices for each of us.

After those two outstanding first impressions, portion sizes varied greatly. Pastas are almost regular entrée size, but a table of four ordering scallops or sliders, for instance, needs two portions.

The menu’s emphasis is on classic Italian mainstays like gnocchi Bolognese ($11), mushroom risotto ($12), calamari ($6), bruschetta ($8), beef braciole ($11) and clams oreganata ($9). Among the recommended starters are a straightforward grilled octopus ($8) enhanced with fried capers, fennel and parsley and a lush pear salad ($7) alive with a medley of crushed walnuts, mesclun, goat cheese, julienne pears and pear vinaigrette. The fresh beet salad ($7) is a keeper as well. But the pan-seared scallop ($8) is burdened with tasteless, under-seasoned pepe pasta and the juicy meatball slider ($3) is hampered by a stiff, dry roll rather than a soft one.
Among the entrée sized offerings, the grilled branzino filet ($12), cooked with lemon, spinach, pine nuts and EVOO and the slightly spicy, earthy chunks of lamb sausage on a bed of white beans and Swiss chard ($11) are recommended as are pastas, especially the hearty, homey papardelle all’Anatra ($12).

Among the generally diminutive desserts ($6), a silken panna cotta is the best bet.

Rough spots in the early going include a noise level (when full) that makes normal conversation impossible and a tendency by runners to deliver dishes to the wrong tables (it happened to us three times).

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

Havana Central
(516) 739-7900, Garden City

And now there are three. Until recently there has been only one Cuban restaurant in each of the Island’s two counties. Though still underrepresented, that changed in early December when Havana Central came roaring into Roosevelt Field Mall outfitted with an authentic island vibe and festive environment. The expansive, 13,000+ square foot, standalone Havana Central, with its overhead fans, massive plants casting shadows on its high ceilings, Cholula hot sauce on every table, waitresses each wearing a tropical flower in her hair and salsa music at a civilized level, looks like Havana via Miami’s South Beach.

Once inside the restaurant’s splashy, flashy exterior, diners are instantly greeted by a warm, well-trained waitstaff. Throughout the meal they know who ordered each dish every time. As flamboyant as the surroundings are, they have nothing on the elaborate tableside production involved in the serving of sangria ($40). A pitcher filled with fresh citrus fruits is encircled by shot glasses filled with multi colored ingredients like Hennessy, passion fruit purée, blackberry purée, agave, Grand Marnier and orange and pineapple juice, all topped off with a powerful Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cuban food is earthy, not fancy. Similar to other crossroads like Sicily and Thailand, many diverse influences (Caribbean, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and African) are fused into the comfort-style dishes most Cubans eat. Much of it (empanadas, tamales, ceviche, tacos, plantains, mofongo, flan, tres leches, churros, etc.) is available at many other Caribbean and south of the border spots. The Cuban versions are often either sautéed or slowly cooked over a low flame until they are fall-from-the-bone tender. Spices common to Cuban cuisine are garlic, oregano, cumin and sofrito (garlic, ground pepper, oregano, onion and green pepper fried in olive oil). All are well represented at Havana Central.

The corn on the cob ($5), is a cob cut into four mini pieces coated with an inspired marriage of those spices infused into melted cheese. The rich, thick, puréed black bean soup ($5.50) is smooth and vibrantly flavored. Three guava pulled pork taquitos ($9.95) with mango coleslaw are a Latino version of a familiar southern specialty, while a croquetas ($7.95) starter is the usual meat-stuffed breaded pastry.

A half rack of guava-glazed baby back pork ribs ($16 for half rack, full rack $24) marinated in adobo was tasty and tender but not that different than ribs commonly available. Pineapple chicken ($15.50) or chicken breast marinated in pineapple purée, garlic and olive oil passed muster without being particularly exciting. Better was a roast pork mofongo ($15.50) with garlic and pork mashed plantains that delivered pleasing heft. The numero uno entrée was vaca frita ($19.50), a mountain of shredded beef that had been marinated in lime, peppers and garlic and is laced with crunchy onions in a dish sautéed into a crispy delight.

The three-tier dessert sampler ($14) of three warm churros, an ethereal flan and a dense delicious tres leches cake is an appropriate way to say adios to Havana Central.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Stresa
Manhasset (516) 365-6956

Do they know who you are? It’s the most frequent question asked of restaurant critics. Almost always the answer is “no.” Among the many precautions I take to prevent being given any special treatment while reviewing a restaurant are to make reservations in the name of the couple accompanying my wife and me, never placing a special off-the-menu order, always answering “how is everything?” by saying “fine,” whether it is or not, and paying with my wife’s credit card with her maiden name on it.

Having said all of that, I have a confession to make. Giorgio and Tony, the partners behind Stresa, a 22-year-old upscale Italian restaurant in Manhasset, know me. Over the years the Scholem family has celebrated birthdays and anniversaries there.

I am attracted to Stresa because it is just about everything a fine restaurant should be. The place operates like a well-oiled machine. Consistency is the hallmark of top-notch restaurants and at Stresa if you order a dish three times, it will always taste exactly the same. The tuxedoed waitstaff is impeccably trained, none of them will ever ask who gets a dish—they know. One waiter wanders the dining room doing nothing but filling water glasses. The owners check to make sure that every course at every table is as it should be; their inquiries are brief, but warm and sincere. They never fawn over patrons. The butter here is soft and ready to spread, not brick hard as it so often is elsewhere. And that butter can, and should, be spread on breadsticks that are thin, slim, exemplary specimens, not the usual thick, gross ones frequently encountered.

The two owners who vigilantly prowl the dining room watching over every detail are hands-on operators. Tony D’Arcangelo purchases and artistically arranges a massive ever-changing bouquet that’s a visual highlight of the restaurant and Giorgio Meriggi gets in at 7:30am and personally prepares all the desserts (the soufflés are the best on Long Island).

Stresa isn’t a trendy restaurant and most of the dishes on the menu are familiar to diners (beef carpaccio, bisque, spaghetti alla Norma, scaloppini of veal, scampi, Caesar salad, vegetable soup, etc.). Yet some dishes display creative twists. But everything traditional and non-traditional, solid and delicate, is knowingly cooked and served.

Typical was a meal we had late last year. Appetizers included: A large portion of sautéed wild mushrooms ($14); an absolutely perfect Caesar salad for two ($15); jumbo, tender pan-seared diver sea scallops with chick peas and chick pea purée ($15); and beef carpaccio festooned with chips of Parmesan ($15).

Among the main events were: A Fred Flintstone-sized, slightly chewy sautéed veal chop with wild mushrooms and Savoy cabbage; six plump shrimp scampi with a turret of puréed black beans and six soft baby artichokes ($33); sautéed veal scaloppini ($27) bathed in a tangy, citrusy white wine; and a sautéed filet of beef ($38) crowned with rich foie gras and napped in a luxuriant port wine sauce.

Two nine-dollar desserts, the chocolate cake and the lemon cake, lead the parade of sweets. While there may be better lemon cake (and Caesar salad) on Long Island, I haven’t tasted them.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Start the new year with a promise to live cleaner, but not so clean that you forget to imbibe a bit. Aim to drink smarter and drink less, but better. The best way to do this is by educating yourself. Knowledge requires devotion and time, but there are simple ways to learn and explore the world of wine.

Finding a great, branded wine and comparing it to one that is not branded is an example of how knowledge can save you money and lead you to more enjoyable vintages. Famed wine producer Silver Oak Cellars has vineyards in both Sonoma County and Napa Valley. Compare the price and quality between each location. Both are good, but the Napa is almost 40 percent more expensive. The key is to find exactly where that less expensive (but still very good) wine comes from. Within Alexander Valley, Silver Oak Cellars has vineyards on Chianti Road and has neighbors worth knowing about. One is Blue Rock Vineyard (a vineyard that abuts Silver Oak Cellars), where the wine costs another 40 percent less than the wine produced in Sonoma County.

A fast way to learn is to think each time you taste a wine. Ask yourself: Do I like it? Where is this from? Why does it taste like this? What grape or grapes go into it? Was it worth the money? Of course, it’s easier to get answers when you taste with a sommelier, but no one can tell you whether you will like a wine or think it’s a good value. Those are personal and don’t require training—just pay attention.

Information is far more accessible than it was a decade ago with the internet, social media and mobile phones. The easiest thing is listening to a critic and checking the wine’s score, but I don’t believe in this exclusively because those are someone else’s opinions. Where it comes from, how it’s made and what it’s made from are facts that define a wine before our opinion deems it good, bad or somewhere in between and should guide the drinker’s preferences.

A few wines to experiment this method with:
2008 Gruet Pinot Noir Cuvée Gilbert, New Mexico
2008 Viña Aquitania Sol de Sol Chardonnay, Traiguen, Chile
2009 Antonin Guyon Hautes Côtes de Nuits Cuvée des Dames de Vergy
2009 Russiz Superiore Cabernet Franc, Collio, Italy

Need some wine answers? Follow me on twitter @noblewines or my blog noblewines.com.

A new year has arrived! If your resolutions included some form of food neglect, I must gently slap you with my pearl-colored, aristocratic glove. Sah-lap. Happy New Year!

Smooth As… Butta’ Cakes, a Greenport cupcakery demolished by Sandy, reopened as Lucharitos on December 21. Marc LaMaina, who launched Butta’ Cakes in May 2009, dropkicked desserts and instituted a “fresh menu of Mexican food with tacos, burritos and nachos.” He’s also compiled 800-plus hours of Lucha Libre cinema (Santo y Blue Demon contra el Dr. Frankenstein screened in early January), so one can watch masked wrestlers battle Aztec mummies while consuming a pulled pork-stuffed taco. Bliss.

Toast For Breakfast… Rick Gusmano has partnered with Huntington’s Toast And Co. and converted Syosset’s 516 Americana Kitchen & Bar into Toast & Tapas, a “neighborhood bistro with a creative vibe.” Toast & Tapas offers Toast And Co.’s breakfast menu while serving dinner too (“I realized tons of places were doing dinner-only in the Syosset area, so we wanted to add something new,” says Gusmano). A tapas menu by Zane Smith, former owner and executive chef of Oyster Bay’s Wild Honey, is available on Friday and Saturday.

FEATURED FOODIE: Lisa Harris 
Harris, the third proprietor of Northport’s Caffe Portofino, describes her coffeehouse as “funky, with the same comfortable vibe as your grandmother’s house.” She began baking a health-conscious breakfast cookie in 2009 and, following constant demand, shopped the low-sugar product to similar-sized coffeeshops on Long Island. Now Morning Sunshine Breakfast Cookies, baked with oats, bran, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds and agave, are nationwide and online at morningsunshinebreakfastcookie.com.

You’re certainly clear about one thing, and that is the fact that you will see for yourself what all the fuss is about. You make your way on foot after maneuvering your car into a makeshift spot, rereading the street signs and crossing your fingers for good luck. Inside there’s a buzz, a curiosity that radiates when, say, a bona fide celebrity—more Dalai Lama than Brad Pitt—is about to enter a room you’re in.

When you get there and are finally standing in front of it, there’s only one thing that you can think about, but the truth is no one knows what has gotten the figure so upset. It might be the reaction to a terrible dream or forgetting to take the kettle off the fire. It might be the end of Romanticism (“the horror, the horror!”) or a glimpse of the coming of the twentieth century’s most mischievous thieves, those dastardly cubists. It might be the stench of a putrid passerby. It might be the faint hint of sadness juiced up and jailed and bursting at the seams. It may be a memory relived, a monster revived, the wrecked dimensions of a lost chest of treasure bubbling gently at the bottom of the sea. It may be the miles of lines traversed to get to wherever we’ve gotten to, the realization of that and the dissatisfaction that comes with getting there (wherever “there” is) as well. It may be ending itself that troubles the creature. And it, in turn, troubles us. Deeply. And we can’t resist it.

The world’s most famous treatise on the debilitating effects of anxiety is on display right now in the world’s most bustling city of orderly disorder. It’s behind glass and its childlike deadly brilliance beckons you to lean in for a closer look. Spend some time staring at its sinuous shock. Study the strange men in the background. Hunt for meaning in this peculiar mirror for modernity that, remarkably, still resonates a hundred years (and some) after its inception. It still reflects our fears. It still shakes us to the core, though we laugh at it and pose in front of it and make funny faces and create new memes to mask our reverence.

If a god were to take the shape of a painting for a while, then Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” might be the perfect temporary residence. Call it a kind of artist’s retreat. What better way to get familiar with the architecture of one’s work? Frozen in between the sky and the land is a bridge, and on that bridge is that which we run away from and everything we can’t leave behind.

Edvard Munch’s famous painting as well as other related works are on display at MoMA through April 2013. Moma.org.

7th/21st - The Muse Exchange
The Velvet Lounge, East Setauket
Catch this bi-monthly extravaganza and enjoy drink specials and a train car art gallery along with featured music and poetry acts and an open mic.

9th - Songwriters in the Round
Homegrown Music Café, Port Jefferson
Three songwriters, Jon Preddice (Miles to Dayton), Aaron Palmadessa (The Corduroy Sky) and Jean-Paul Vest (Last Charge of the Light Horse), in a stripped down listening room.

16th - Sweet Suzi & Sugafixx’s Valentine’s Bash
Bobbique, Patchogue
If Valentine’s Day gives you the blues, you’re not alone. Sweet Suzi’s got ‘em too, and she’s got a set of pipes to sing out your sorrows. If you’re bringing a date, try not to gloat too much.

21st - Cathy Kreger & Steve Robinson
The Hard Luck Café, Huntington
Inside the Cinema Arts Centre’s Sky Room Café, the Folk Music Society of Huntington presents The Hard Luck Café. This month features two Long Island favorites who know how to infuse folk songwriting with bluesy licks that speak to the soul.

23rd - The Folk Goddesses
Last Licks Cafe, Huntington
Self-described as “three snarky middle-aged women on a mission,” the Folk Goddesses Martha Trachtenberg, Judith Zweiman and Hilary Foxsong will make you laugh, cry or both, depending on their mood that night.

SUFFOLK

XO
(631) 549-7074, Huntington
Huntington’s hidden gem makes you feel engulfed in a warm embrace. Multiple levels of intimate camaraderie allow for a perfect night out. The first floor, adorned with a small, wood bar, a dining room wrapped in exposed brick and accented with candles, is ideal for a more private and conversation-filled evening. Tables surround an enchanting fireplace, a long unpretentious bar sits in the back and a small platform where bands play is lined with long leather couches. XO is known for their chocolate. Their signature chocolate martini and their house-made chocolate truffles and fondue should not be passed up. Take your date here and you’ll be sure to end your decadent night at XO with an X and an O.

The Emporium
(631) 627-8787, Patchogue
Think Hard Rock Café meets mega nightclub. Stationed in the heart of Patchogue, this spot attracts guests from all directions on the Island. Emporium is the perfect combination of a rock ‘n’ roller’s and a club-goer’s dream. It presents diverse entertainment with exotic food selections and drinks you won’t be able to resist (one of the bars is in front of a shark tank). 48 beer taps in the beer garden and indoor and outdoor dining areas complete this awesome venue. If you’re not into rock, visit on Saturday when a DJ spins dance music while guests mingle around elevated VIP tables that overlook the bustling dance floor.

NYC

230 Fifth
(212) 725-4300, Manhattan
Sexy. Chic. Irresistible. These are just a few words to describe one of Manhattan’s most talked about multi-floor clubs. The Penthouse Lounge is where you instantly feel like a million bucks. Couches and curtains in shades of purple, pink and gold garnish the venue, along with flirty and funky company. It’s impossible to miss the colossal floor to ceiling penthouse windows, which give the space an opulent flair and guests something to look at while they dance and mingle. The Rooftop Garden sits right above the Penthouse Lounge. Here, visitors can enjoy dinner and dancing among the stars while taking in immaculate views of the Empire State Building. Although magical on a hot summer night, the Rooftop Garden can be enjoyed during the winter months thanks to heated lamps and Snuggies that guests can purchase at the club.

NASSAU

Novitá wine bar and trattoria
(516) 739-7660, Garden City
Happy hour or late night, Novitá satisfies. The spacious restaurant is filled with round, red leather booths, metal dining tables, oversized hanging lamps and a long bar that stretches all the way to the back. The spot is bustling with trendy couples and outgoing singles who dance to swanky beats while still being able to converse over the music. Wine is the main attraction here. Novitá offers over 100 bottles of wine by the glass thanks to their coveted fridge system. Don’t skip out on their popular events like Thursday ladies night with bar and lounge area specials or their once a month wine and cheese tastings with knowledgeable sommeliers.

Photo courtesy of The Emporium

The eschatological scholars predicting humanity’s violent demise on December 21, 2012 were incorrect. We are alive. Beer, too.I

Crazy Beans
(631) 403-4954, Miller Place
facebook.com/crazybeansmillerplace

Opened in the former location of Beanberry Caffe in Miller Place, Crazy Beans offers a potpourri of Callie Brennan’s interests, highlighted by the owner’s appreciation of bean and beer. Says Brennan, “I decided to combine everything I loved under one roof. We’re highlighting local artists, brewers, bakers and anything else I can think of. We want to put a lot of creativity in the space.” Crazy Beans introduced a two-draft kegerator in November and has featured several beers from Rocky Point Artisan Brewers. Located only four miles away, the brewers are constantly impressing Brennan’s patrons. “I love seeing people come in and discovering a new brewery with awesome beer in their backyard,” says Brennan. Crazy Beans’ love for local business isn’t confined to beer, as Brennan recently added Tend Coffee, a Center Moriches-based roaster, to incorporate within her portfolio. She also offers vegan desserts like cream cheese-centered whoopie pies from Huntington Station’s Love Thy Baker.

Jackson’s
(631) 462-0822, Commack
jacksonsrestaurant.net

Shelby Poole remained uncertain of her establishment’s identity…until an introduction to craft beer. “I went to The Lark Pub & Grub for trivia and had a lot of fun,” says Poole, who owns Jackson’s with Harry Poole and Artie Bloom (husband and father, respectively).

Poole began Jackson’s reconstruction by tackling its bottle portfolio, adding Dogfish Head Craft Ales Chicory Stout and 14 others. She followed with a five-draft addition (eight currently) in December. Stone Brewing Company Double Bastard Ale and Green Flash Brewing Company West Coast IPA were amongst the inaugural pours. Though Poole was initially concerned about Jackson’s switch to micro-brand breweries, which are often accompanied by higher sale prices and lower customer recognition, her patrons have embraced the shift. “I’m shocked at how many people know and appreciate good beer,” says Poole.

A & R Beverage
(516) 785-2920, Seaford

Mark Sinobio opened A & R Beverage in 1985 and noticed a shift to craft “about four years ago.” He adjusted accordingly. His 1,000+ brand establishment expanded to a 24-draft system in 2010 (the largest growler station in Nassau County) and converted his original six to Long Island-only pours. He selects “beers that wouldn’t normally be available in bottles, so people can constantly have options.”

POUR THAT…with Peter Mangouranes
(The Good Life)
Beer: Delirium Tremens
Why: “I was in a bar in Boston called Bukowski Tavern and ordered my first Belgian craft beer: Delirium Tremens. It introduced me to Belgian-style beers and after three of them, I soon understood the meaning of the name. The elephant is a trademark now, too. It’s an easy sell.”

Red Zone Three-Bottle Recommends
1) The final installment within Stone Brewing Company’s twelve-year series of Belgian-inspired beers created for cellaring and side-by-side sampling, 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale is a dark ale brewed with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove, orange peel and rosehips. Expect spice, yeasty esters and a dry finish.

2) Boris The Spider, a tar-colored stout with roast and chocolate, is Spider Bite Beer Company’s second bottle release. The brewery, which currently contracts at Butternuts Ales & Lagers in Garrattsville, New York, is constructing a facility in Holbrook.

3) Brewed for Founders Brewing Company’s fifteenth anniversary, Bolt Cutter is a 15.0% ABV barleywine with oodles of complexity. The beer is divided and fermented within different vessels (bourbon barrels, maple syrup-bourbon barrels, and standard) before reunited and bottled.

Follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, at lipulse.com where you can find more craft beer on Long Island.

Photo by Stephen Lang

In Chinese culture, red symbolizes good luck and during the Chinese New Year red clothing is worn, red decorations cover homes and red envelopes filled with money are given to friends and family. Unlike most syrupy red cocktails that are all about the sweet, this one includes spiced rum to cut the saccharine and give it a kick. Pulse staffers tried it and found that it put a spring in their steps, making it a good aperitif. Serious dragon slayers would probably shoot it. Ask your favorite Chinese New Year haunt to mix one, the ingredients should be readily available.

INGREDIENTS
2 oz spiced rum
1 oz Alizé Gold Passion liqueur
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz grenadine

Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then pour over ice into a rocks glass.

>> Ask for pulse dragon dance at Insignia Steakhouse, Tony Scotto’s place in Smithtown. They’re featuring it all month long.

It happens every February. The small storefront of Huntington’s Bon Bons Chocolatier fills with men brandishing credit cards. Some are calm, most are not, because they’ve only recently been reminded that Valentine’s Day is near. Eric Lobignat, the head candy maker and consummate Frenchman, takes it all in from the back of the store and laughs. “For me, Valentine’s Day is every day,” he says. “I don’t know why you’re forced to bring something to someone you love on one day.” That’s easy to say when you work around chocolate and truffles.

Lobigant, never one for schoolwork, enrolled into École Jean Quarre in Paris after high school, where he focused on savory dishes. He trained for six years, bouncing around from restaurant to hotel kitchen before joining famed French chef Marc Meneau at L’Espérance. Just two weeks into his new job the head pastry chef quit and Lobigant was left running a five man team, forced to memorize different dough recipes for croissants, brioche and other French breakfast staples.

Around that time he started working with Fernand Borne, a pastry chef who specializes in chocolate. Lobigant, growing tired of the restaurant business, absorbed everything from Borne for 18 months before taking a position at the prestigious chocolatier La Maison Du Chocolat in Paris. There he met Susannah Meinersman, a visiting American whose parents owned Bon Bons Chocolatier. Lobigant asked about working in the US and six months later he found himself living in a basement apartment in Huntington. “It had only one window, but I didn’t care,” Lobigant says. “I was so happy to be here.”

Using recipes perfected by Bon Bons’ owners, Lobigant doesn’t stray much from tradition. “I’m using the same recipes now that Peter [founding partner] developed before I started here 1991,” Lobigant says. But things have evolved too. “The chocolate here is a lot creamier than in France,” he says. “But tastes are changing. Years ago, 85 percent of our business was milk, now it’s roughly 65 percent. So we’re selling more dark.”

He’s seen an appreciation for handmade, quality candies grow. “A lot of our customers travel and when they eat they taste new flavors,” he says. “When they come to us they expect higher quality and they’re willing to pay for it.” But chocolate doesn’t always have to be a high end, premium experience. “When I’m not at work and want chocolate, I reach for M&Ms,” he says. That’s fine for him, but don’t think you can get away with giving a bag of M&Ms for Valentine’s Day.

CHOCO-TIPS: Eat chocolate at room temperature. If it’s tempered correctly it will snap cleanly when bitten. Leave it in your mouth to give the chocolate and the filling time to mix and register on your palate. Breathe in through the nose to aerate your tongue and bring out additional flavors.

There’s nothing like gathering around a decorative holiday table, or en français, table d’Hôte, with family, friends, and… food! No matter which holiday you are celebrating, a big meal is usually center stage. Our Winter Issue’s Table d’Hôte featured an earthy theme. View it here: http://www.lipulse.com/dining-nightlife/article/table-dhote/.

But what’s in your kitchen? We want to know what our readers are cooking up! Think you’ve got the culinary skills—and secret recipes—worthy of seconds or even thirds? Are your recipes so good they’re worthy of sharing with tens of thousands of Long Islanders? This is your chance! We are interested in everything from appetizers and side dishes to the main course and dessert. See below for the rules and regulations for this contest.  May the best chef win!

Rules:

• You must be our follower on Pinterest and check out our board “TABLED’HÔTE”: pinterest.com/pulsemag/

• Create a board on your Pinterest page and title it “TABLED’HÔTE” so that we can find you. Now begin pinning your best recipes to your board!

• Only original recipes are eligible to win, which we will verify! However, you are more than welcome to pin some of your favorite holiday dishes to our board, but please be sure to include the source from where you got the recipe, otherwise we will have to remove it.

• Participants will have from Monday, December 3rd until Monday, December 10th to get other people to pin to your board.  We will select the top 5 pins, by popularity, as our winners, and will announce the winners on Tuesday, December 11th.

Now for the exciting part…

Winners:

• Our five winners will be featured on a blog on our website titled “TABLED’HÔTE: DEUX”.

• Five winners will be chosen, and we will choose various recipes to create a new “holiday table.”

• Winners get the opportunity to be featured on our site. And if you have a your own food blog, we will include a link to that as well!

• Winners will also receive a restaurant gift certificate to enjoy letting someone else do the cooking, or other culinary related prizes!

Let the battle begin! Happy Holidays!

Like most things from the land of the Magyar, this Hungarian Apple Soup is hearty, has a kick and goes well with winter foods. Use Yukon Gold potatoes and Gala apples, with the skin on both, for an extra stockier version. Leftovers? Float some shrimp or crabmeat (or improvise with leftover ceviche ingredients) for a satisfying one-bowl meal tomorrow.

Ingredients
Serves 4, about 3 cups each

4 teaspoons canola oil
2 medium Gala apple, finely chopped (peels optional)
1½ cup diced Yukon Gold potatoes (peels optional)
⅔ cup finely chopped yellow onion
½ cup thinly sliced celery
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried sage
Pinch of paprika, preferably hot Hungarian
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 tablespoons sour cream (or plain yogurt)
Marjoram and plain Greek yogurt for garnish

Preparation
Prep and cook time 35min

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add apple, potato, onion and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, sage, paprika and pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and gently simmer until the potato is tender when pierced with a fork (about 10-15 minutes). Transfer the soup to a large blender or food processor, add sour cream (or yogurt) and process until smooth. Use caution when puréeing hot liquids. Pour evenly into serving bowls and float plain Greek yogurt in the center sprinkled with marjoram for garnish.

Shown here with bread for dipping. For extensive bread recipes go to lipulse.com/bread.

Recipe source: eatingwell.com

Ceviche is a South American staple that is fast, delicious and requires no cooking. Cut the fish into generous cubes and let the citrus juices do the rest. The taste is crisp, zesty and fresh, a perfect treat to reset the palate between courses.

Ingredients
Serves 4-8

Always serve ceviche the same day the fish is purchased.
2 lbs of red snapper, deboned
or firm-fleshed fish, squared into ½ inch cubes
½ cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
½ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ red onion, finely diced
1 cup of tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 Serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
2 teaspoons of salt
A dash of ground oregano
A light pinch of cayenne pepper
Cilantro
Avocado (optional)

Preparation
Prep time 15min, chill time 3-4hrs

In a non-reactive casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, cayenne and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juices. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic juices. Let sit for several hours, giving time for the flavors to blend. During the marinating process the fish will change from pinkish grey and translucent, to whiter in color and opaque.

Serve with chopped cilantro and avocado in small dessert cups or martini glasses.

Recipe source: simplyrecipes.com

Pheasant is the true old-school winter bird. The proof is in the original version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Today, it’s considered a rare treat, a delicacy almost, and it’s making a comeback. Pheasant is best roasted whole, like a chicken, but cautiously. Like most game birds, it will dry out very quickly, especially if the brining is skipped (don’t skip the brining). Check your local Whole Foods or meat emporium to purchase a whole pheasant.

Ingredients
Serving: 4 normal eaters

2 whole pheasants
4 cups water
¼ cup kosher salt
5 bay leaves, crushed
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter, softened
½ onion and ½ apple for stuffing, diced
Fresh herbs for stuffing
Recommended: Dill and marjoram

Preparation
Prep time 5hrs, cook time 60min

1 Brine the birds. Make brine by bringing 4 cups water, ¼ cup salt, 5 crushed bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of white sugar and a tablespoon of crushed juniper berries to a boil. Cover and let cool to room temperature. When they cool, submerge pheasants in the brine and keep them in the fridge for 4-8 hours. The longer you brine, the saltier the pheasants will become.

2 Bring the birds to room temperature. After the soak, take the pheas.ants out and dry them off. Let the birds rest, breast side up, uncovered in the fridge overnight. This is not a necessary step, but one that will help in crisping the skin. When you are ready to cook, take the pheasants out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.

3 Heat the oven. Get it to 500 degrees if possible, but at least 400 degrees. Temperature is very important. Allow at least 15 minutes of preheating and up to a half hour. Oil the birds with either olive oil or by liberally smearing butter all over them.

4 Stuff and salt the birds. Salt the whole birds well, then gently stuff with diced onion and apple and fresh herbs. Do not pack the cavity!

5 Roast the pheasants for 15 minutes at high temperature. Take the pheasants out and lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Leave oven door open to speed the process. OPTIONAL: Baste the birds with a glaze of boiled-down butter and maple syrup or port.

6 Return the pheasants to the oven and roast for 30-45 minutes. When ready, the internal temperature of the birds should be about 150-155 degrees and the juices should run pretty clear. A little pink in the juice—and in the birds—is ideal.

7 Remove the pheasants, cover loosely with foil and let them rest for 10-15 minutes. This resting time is vital, as it lets the juices redistribute within the pheasants. It will also finish off the cooking process through carry-over heating.

Shown here with deconstructed vegetable lasagna and potato polenta.

Recipe source: honest-food.net

Deconstructed Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients
Serving: 4

4 bell peppers
1 yellow squash
1 smallish eggplant
1 zucchini
½ pound portobello mushrooms
3 garlic cloves
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons flaked basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Israeli salt
Ground pepper to taste

Preparation
Prep time: 20min

Hollow bell peppers and set aside. Chop squash, eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms into ¼ to ½ inch cubes and gently mix together in a bowl. Heat olive oil in pan and sauté onion and garlic. Toss in cubed vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes until slightly browned. Return to bowl and let cool 4-5 minutes. Add cheese, basil leaves, Israeli salt and ground pepper to taste and gently mix. Scoop into bell peppers, cover and set aside. Serve warm.

Carciofi alla Giudia

Ingredients
Serving: One per person

4-6 Artichokes large, round and firm, 2-3 inch stems preferred
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Half a lemon and the juice of a second lemon for acidulating the water

Preparation:
Prep time: 5-7 min, 10-15 min to sauté

Trim leaves away from artichokes. Start at base, removing the tough, darker outer layer and leaving the tender inner part. Trim less of each ring as you work your way up. Remove the top ¼ inch or so of the artichoke—not the stem! Make a vertical incision into the top to remove any spines left in the heart of the flower. Trim away just the tip of the stem (which is probably black). You should see a ring in the middle of the cut part. Remove the tough outside of the stem and rub the artichoke gently with a partially squeezed lemon wedge. Rest the artichoke in water with lemon juice to keep from blackening while the rest are prepped.

Heat 3 inches of olive oil in a deep, 12 inch diameter pot. While oil heats, stand artichokes on paper to drain and prepare a bowl with fine sea salt and pepper. Dip artichokes in salt and pepper mixture. Place artichokes in hot oil and cook for about 10 min, turning to cook evenly. Remove and rest on absorbent paper. Reheat oil and return artichokes to oil, laying them horizontally. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes until stem is browned. Using tongs, upend the artichoke, stem side up, and press gently to stand the flower. Apply pressure until the artichoke opens. Continue to brown the artichokes in this position.
Line a plate with fresh absorbent paper. Remove blossoms from heat and arrange on paper to drain. Serve warm.

Source: La Cucina Romana e del Lazio on italianfood.about.com

Potato Polenta
Serving: 8

Ingredients
4 lbs Idaho potatoes
½ teaspoon salt
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces Montasio cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup polenta (uncooked corn meal polenta flour)
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup onion, sliced

Preparation
Prep time 20min, cook time 40 min

1. Prepare the mash. Peel the potatoes and in a heavy bottomed saucepan, cook them covered with water until soft. Drain most of the water, leaving about one cup with the potatoes. Mash the potatoes thoroughly in the remaining water. Add salt and corn meal mix and blend until smooth. Return to medium heat and cook for 20-30 minutes stirring often with a wooden spoon.

2. In the meantime, sauté the bacon and onion in the olive oil until rendered and the bacon is crisp.

3. When the polenta is cooked and begins to pull off the sides, remove from heat and toss in the cheese cubes as well as the onion and bacon sofritto. Mix well and serve.

Recipe source: food.com based on the dish by the great Lidia Bastianich.

Dessert is a crucial step in completing the palate of a meal. Chocolate Mousse has never done anyone wrong and Sweet Potato Dessert Squares are a toothsome finale to the earthy theme of this menu. After everything you’ve been through to put this meal together, don’t give up with some store bought pie. Offer this twofer and end on a high note. (This Easy Chocolate Mousse can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. Recipe at
lipulse.com/holidaytable.)

Sweet Potato Dessert Squares
Serving: 16 squares

Ingredients
1 package yellow cake mix (regular size), divided
½ cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling:
3 cups cold, mashed sweet potatoes (without added milk or butter)
2/3 cup milk
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Topping:
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup chopped pecans
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whipped cream and pecan halves (optional)

Preparation
Prep time 15min, bake time 1hr + cooling
Set aside 1 cup of the cake mix. Combine the remaining mix with butter and egg until crumbly. Spread into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Whisk filling ingredients until smooth and pour over crust. For topping, cut butter into reserved cake mix until crumbly. Stir in the pecans, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream and pecan halves if desired.

Recipe source: tasteofhome.com

Easy Chocolate Mousse
Servings: 8

Ingredients
1 envelope gelatin
¼ cup cold water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1¼ cups milk
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preparation
Prep time under 30min

In small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in butter until melted. In blender or food processor, process milk, sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla until blended. While processing, gradually add gelatin mixture until all is blended. Pour into bowl and blend in whipped topping. Turn into dessert dishes, mini teacups or shot glasses and chill until firm. Garnish as desired with additional whipped topping and chocolate curls.

Recipe source: cooks.com

CRUISES

An elegant way to pass the evening, whether it’s a group, the whole family or just the two of you, is via cruise. These ships circle Manhattan while guests enjoy a formal dinner and dancing (black tie optional). The skyline is part of the décor as the vista changes shape outside the windows or viewed in the open air on deck. Any ship worth its salt positions within view of Liberty Harbor to capture the midnight fireworks. Cabana Yacht, Harbor Lights, Jewel Yacht and NYE Cruise Circle Line 42 all offer a three-hour open bar or better, with general admission tickets starting at $135. Check websites for specific itineraries, menus, suggested attire, prices and details.

DINNER & DANCING

Long Island’s hotspots ratchet up their standard excitement to bang in the New Year with big crowds, big menus and big bar options. Guests will range from young and single to married forever depending on the venue. Dress to impress, but stay on this side of formal (gowns not required).
Specifics were limited at time of printing, check venue websites for details.

Deco 1600
Round Swamp Road, Plainview
Top DJs will spin danceteria from house to Top 40 to accompany the open bar (also all night) and passed hors d’oeuvres. VIP tickets available for priority entrance and seating area.

Four Food Studio
Broadhollow Road, Melville
The trendsetter “resto-lounge” is always doing something sophisticated, and New Year’s Eve is no exception. This is where the sexy and hip go when they can’t get a flight to Miami. Expect a five-course meal, a DJ and counting the ball down on a massive 12-foot wide screen.

Hendrick’s
Old Northern Boulevard, Roslyn
If a place could be an event, Hendrick’s would be a swanky, old school, Rat Pack sort of bachelor party (one that is good for ladies, too).

Honu
New York Avenue, Huntington
A den-like, sexy place. Think Batman (and Catwoman). Then nosh on eclectic, inspired fare before dancing the night away beneath dramatic chandeliers and red velvet drapery.

Jewel
Broadhollow Road, Melville
This newcomer balances posh and laidback perfectly. Bubbly in your glass and bubbly lights overhead. Lamps hanging upside-down over the bar, wine, wine wine, cognac room (for a private party of 20) and first-rate sea and steak on the menu.

Kpacho
Union Turnpike, New Hyde Park
Warm things up by partying south of the border, figuratively, at this Mexican-influenced restaurant and bar. Set the mood with margaritas and continue the festivities at their lower level bar, which features top shelf open bar and a DJ.

Monsoon
Deer Park Avenue, Babylon
Prix fixe dinners of authentic modern Asian followed by DJ and dancing with champagne toasts at midnight. A victory in red in black; you’ll be transported.

Rare650
Jericho Turnpike, Syosset
A triumph in contemporary design is the backdrop for a venue that makes every night feel like New Year’s Eve. You can imagine how much more intense the big one will be. As the name suggests, this is the place for steak and sushi celebration.

Tellers
Main Street, Islip
Elegant dining room, woodsy lounge and Gold Bar area in a stunning 1927 grand stone bank are the backdrop for prix fixe dinners followed by DJ and dancing with champagne toasts at midnight.

NIGHT OF CHANCE: CASINOS

An oft-overlooked option for the big night is the thrill of a casino. It may not be a tony scene of white tuxedo jackets à la Monaco, but the area casinos offer the excitement of gaming tables, first-rate dining, concerts and dancing. And suggested attire is whatever you want it to be. No introduction should be needed to Connecticut’s Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, or to Atlantic City’s Grand Dames (who shouldn’t need your help post-Sandy, but do). But your best bet may be on Long Island’s own Resorts World Casino. The venue is brand new, with the backing of world-class Genting Group behind them, and dinner at RW Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar is outstanding.

GALAS & GOURMETS

Stepping up from the local restaurant, but not quite crossing over into formal affairs, are the events being staged by the Island’s great halls. Classic, elegant affairs that are likely to draw a more mature crowd (don’t expect to see throngs of college kids) to enjoy music, dancing and dinner. Virtually all offer premium open bar all night, multi-course sit-down dinners, champagne toast at midnight and dancing to either live music or DJs or both. Party favors, including funny hats, are usually supplied and some are family-friendly. Cuisine is among the best available. Others venues exist, but these are Pulse’s Picks based on reputation, service, standard of execution and, in some cases, first-hand experience. Ticket prices vary, check venues for details.

Carlyle On The Green
Quaker Meeting House Road, Farmingdale
A standard bearer for the island’s fetes, the Bethpage State Park venue delivers the country club atmosphere to galas of all flavors. This is their first foray into New Year’s Eve, expect them to outdo themselves.

Chateau Briand
Old Country Road, Carle Place
The island’s foremost Art Deco masterpiece. Stepping into the recently renovated lobby is the start of something special and the feeling continues through all of the ballrooms.

The Inn at New Hyde Park
Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park
A classic venue boasting cream and white tones. Understated and perfect for a large group of friends to gather around a table.

Lombardi’s
On the Bay, Patchogue
On the Sound, Port Jefferson
The eponymous venues live up to the family name. Stylish and first-class with a personal touch, their annual “Candlelight Ball” will take place on the bay and the sound (and also at Villa Lombardi’s) with an open bar, champagne, great food (of course) and a live simulcast of the ball dropping.

Watermill
Smithtown Bypass, Smithtown
A setting of lacquered woods, crème walls and rich tapestries. The room is set for a festive banquet and ready to be filled by understated sophisticates.

LAST ACTS: Concerts & Shows

For those not into the party scene, NYE could be a night to ring in 2013 with great musicians or sharing laughs with a group of friends. Select performances are annual repeats of Pulse people favorites augmented by a few newcomers. Whatever your fancy, expect these last shows of the year to be memorable.

Dark Star Orchestra
The Paramount, Huntington
The ultimate Grateful Dead cover band
Tickets $40-125, show begins 8:30pm

Gov’t Mule
Beacon Theatre, NYC
The perennial southern rock jamband
Tickets $60-85, show begins 9pm

Long Island Philharmonic
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Brookville LI
The Great American Songbook
Music from Gershwin, Porter, Ellington and more
Tickets $57-87, show begins 7:30pm

Nancy Atlas Project
The Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett
The East End indie singer/songwriter
Tickets $25, show begins 9pm

Phish
Madison Square Garden, NYC
Yet another NYE MSG run for the kings of the jam
Tickets $230+ on StubHub, good luck finding them cheaper, show begins 8pm

NEW & DIFFERENT

If you’re looking for something you haven’t done on NYE before, look no further. We’ve never even heard of some of these before. Well, actually, we never thought of them as an
option for the big night, that is.

Bay Ridge Pub Crawl,
one of the world’s largest, fun people, $21

Big Apple Circus (Legendarium)
at Lincoln Center, $25-175

Custer Institute:
New Year’s Eve Under the Stars at Southold’s legendary observatory

Murray Hill’s annual variety show at The Knitting Factory, ticket range: $25-100

Ring in the Swing NYE swing dance party at Jazz at Lincoln Center with The Harlem Renaissance Orchestra
Tickets $308-325

THE MORNING AFTER

Whether you wound up somewhere, having stayed for the night, or you wound up staying somewhere you shouldn’t have, it doesn’t matter—it’s time to eat. Brunch is calling. Text the friends you missed last night to meet up so you can compare notes and New Year’s resolutions over tequila sunrises and bloody marys. Reserve early to avoid getting shut out. The options are actually endless. Our advice is that you figure it out now, you’ll be too hazy by then and the waits will be ridiculous.

CELEBRATE & STAY:
Hotel Parties
The ideal celebration is one that has you partying till you drop—and hitting the sack is just a few steps away. Long Island’s timeless inns and hotels offer dinner parties packaged with an overnight stay, turning the standard evening into a mini-getaway. Be honest, you don’t want to have to drive that night anyway. Attire is often semi-formal to black tie, dinner offerings vary and perks to staying over can be very enticing. Prices and specifics should be checked on venue websites.

The American Hotel, Sag Harbor
The East End classic presents a semi-formal dinner dance, live trio of musicians and dancing.

c/o The Maidstone, East Hampton
The nifty New Year’s package includes access to their lauded dining room (for the food and the décor), lounges, garden and quaint guest rooms. Dog friendly.

Danfords, Port Jeff
Casual buffet dinner and DJ Joey JAMMZ to keep the party moving in the nautical setting.

East Wind, Wading River
All-inclusive package of dinner for two and an overnight stay, plus there is a fabulous spa on premises.

Gurney’s Inn, Montauk
The End’s hideaway is going James Bond for an hour and a half cocktail party, sit down gourmet dinner, open bar and dancing. Spa on premises offers a king-size indoor seawater pool and other bennies.

The Inn at Fox Hollow, Woodbury
Pre-party at their Vintage25, two tickets to the Fox Hollow Gala, then enjoy a luxurious overnight stay for two as well as breakfast at the Inn.

Montauk Manor
A castle-like escape tucked between dunes and rock—she is grand and she is intriguing. A range of amenities accompanies tickets to the fete.

MANHATTAN JETSETTERS

For a dazzling night on the town, a Manhattan lounge is the way to go. Expect fashionable crowds, dancing and throbbing basslines pumped out by world-class DJs. Dinner is typically not served (it’s not about the food anyway), but (mostly) open bars are fairly standard. Ambiance ranges from Eurotrash to chic and cozy to vaulted and glamorous. Listed ticket prices vary considerably, from general admission to higher levels for longer open bars and VIP perks. A good resource is newyearsevecentral.com, but check venue websites for specifics.

Ah, bubbles. They are light, airy and flirty as they stream up the flute. Drink them and your senses respond.

Sparkling wines are bubbly but can only be called champagne when made in the Champagne region of France. Styles vary greatly and while my favorite is more yeasty and toasty, a crisp, livelier one lends itself to a larger variety of foods. Pricing varies depending on vintage, availability and marketing. A $500 bottle is not necessarily “better” than a $100 bottle but often, an older vintage will be more expensive because it is more rare.

When pouring, notice how the bubbles play in the glass. Better champagnes form intricate trails of tiny bubbles from the bottom or sides of the flute all the way to the top. Bubbles of lesser quality spumante cling to the sides. Champagne and sparkling wines can be paired with many foods, but avoid acidic salad dressings and wine’s nemesis, artichokes, which will make even the most expensive wines taste like metal. For fun pairings, try truffled popcorn, Chinese egg rolls or duck fat fries with rosemary.

Philipponnat Réserve Rosée | Champagne, France
This elegant rosé is dry yet fruity with hints of strawberries, red currants and candied mandarin oranges. | Pairs well with smoked meats and fish, or pork, as well as desserts made with red berries. Avoid excessively sweet desserts. | $50

Sparkling Pointe Brut Séduction 2003 | Long Island
Deep gold color with aromas of brioche and toasted almonds. Extremely tiny bubbles that tickle your nose and make you giggle. | Try this with LI duck, lamb or mature cheeses. | $60

Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne 1999 | Champagne, France
Classic crisp style with a long luxurious finish. Delicious hints of coffee, flowers and toast. |  Great with light starters like crab meat and cucumber with dill in a light mayo/crème fraîche on toast. | $149

Krug Grand Cuvée NV | Champagne, France
Full, rich, elegant, lively and fresh. A little something for everyone and my all-time favorite. |  Pure love with anything. | $172

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998 | Champagne, France
64% pinot noir, 36% chardonnay. Delicate, silky smoothness. Part of a rare breed of champagnes. |  Amazing with sushi, but go easy on the wasabi and soy. | $160

Louis Roederer “Cristal” Brut Champagne 2005 | Champagne, France
Saturated with flavor, from floral notes of rose to limestone and fruit. The flavors go on and on. Hints of honeysuckle and toast. | Open it now with scallop crudo. | $250

Knife. Grater. Pan. Whisk. All are necessary for any chef, but Joseph DeNicola’s first culinary tool remains the staple he uses to prepare every dish: His hands. 

DeNicola, co-proprietor and executive chef of Ruvo’s two locations in Greenlawn and Port Jefferson (nicknamed “East” and “West”), registered his hands as culinary weaponry during adolescence, scattering flour and pounding dough on his family’s kitchen table with his mother and grandmother. While preparing ravioli, braciola and various sauces every Sunday for their communal dinners, DeNicola learned the importance of crafting food—not only with fresh ingredients, but with passion, as well.

“I come from a big Italian family and we would just make everything from scratch,” says DeNicola. “I also remember carrying fresh leg of veal and learning how to butcher at 16, when I worked for Ristorante Venere in Westbury. There was real love put into these things. It’s what I wanted for my restaurants.”

DeNicola owns and operates “East” and “West,” as well as La Tavola in Sayville and Del Fuego in St. James, with his brothers, Jim and Leo. Each Ruvo location has its own head chef—Anthony D’Amico (Greenlawn) and Wilmur Bedoya (Port Jefferson)—who work to bring DeNicola’s handmade philosophy to each dish and also help craft the restaurants’ down-home family vibe. “Anthony and Wilmur have worked as my head chefs since Ruvo opened. I couldn’t do it without them,” he says.

Many of the dishes come from vintage DeNicola recipes, including spaghetti with white clam sauce, which is the “true test of quality for any Italian restaurant,” according to DeNicola. He uses a personal vendor from Huntington to secure batches of littleneck clams. “I’ve been using my clam guy for 12 years, so we don’t even have to say much during the order,” says DeNicola. “I know that I’m going to get fresh stuff with my vendors, all the time, and it’s a must for me. If you start with quality, you’ll end with quality.”

And for DeNicola, quality is a reminder of his grandmother’s recipes. “Every time I see the ingredients on our butcher block, it brings me back to making it with my grandmother on my parents’ kitchen table.”

Signature Dish
Gnocchi Bolognese: Described by DeNicola as a “true labor of love,” gnocchi bolognese is more than a union of pillow-shaped dumplings in a thick, meat-based (beef and pork) sauce; the dish also represents family tradition.

Bolognese Sauce Ingredients                                                            
½ Lb. Ground Beef                                                                        
½ Lb. Ground Pork                                                                        
½ Lb. Ground Veal                                                                        
1 Carrot, Pureed                                                                        
1 Onion Purred                                                                                  
1 Celery Stalk Purred
1 Cup Chianti
6 Lbs. San Marzono Tomatoes Hand Crushed
1 Lb. Garlic Purred
1 Bay Leaf
1 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley Fresh
1 Tbsp. Chopped Basil Fresh
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Method
Brown all meat well in a wide pot.

Add Purred Vegetables and Garlic to the meat and let caramelize.

Deglaze with Chianti and let reduce for 5 minutes.  Add crushed tomatoes, basil, parsley and bay leaf and let simmer for 1 hour.

                                                                                                                                                           
Gnocchi Ingredients     
3 Idaho / Russet Potatoes, Boiled & Mashed                        
1 Egg Whipped                                                                        
3oz Ricotta Cheese                                                            
4 Cups Flour, 3 for the dough, 1 for table            
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil                                                                                    
1 Tsp. Salt                                                                                    

Method
Place 1 cup of flour spread out on work surface.  In a stainless steel mixing bowl combine all other ingredients.  Knead by hand until dough is formed.  Add additional flour until dough comes off bowl clean and is easy to work with, without being sticky.  Transfer dough from bowl to floured work surface.  Working with small amounts at a time, roll into long narrow rows, keeping the width of each consistent.  Cut rows of dough into 1” segments and toss with additional four to prevent sticking.  Layout even on a sheet tray.  Do Not stack or overcrowd the tray.  Bring salted water to a boil, place Gnocchi in water, wait for them to float to top, wait 1 more minute.  Remove from water with a strainer or slotted spoon and layout on a lightly oiled sheet pan.

To Assemble:
Combine pasta with sauce.  Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with shaved Romano cheese.

George Martin’s Strip Steak
Great River, (631) 650-6777

The George Martin Group has made a deserved name for itself since 1989 by emphasizing top-quality ingredients and polished service. But until a year or two ago all their many successes and rare failures were in Nassau County. At that time George Korten, the astute, accomplished restaurateur who owns and operates these expensive, upscale spots and the more modestly priced George Martin’s Grillfire American Grill chain, decided to cross the county line into Suffolk.

Somewhat surprisingly, he didn’t choose restaurant hot spots like the East End, Huntington, Babylon or Port Jefferson, but decided on Great River, hardly a top restaurant destination. Outside, Strip Steak is a country house with a rustic little porch. Inside are three small, sophisticated, clubby rooms of white-clothed tables with tiny candles at the center. Vintage photos, including an impressive collection of nudes, stained-glass panels and an up-front wall wine cabinet add to the elegant atmosphere.

Newcomers are warmly welcomed and bread and water appear almost instantly. When full, the interior noise level is tolerable though not ideal and the center-of-the-room tables for four are barely large enough to hold all of the dishes. Portions are sufficient but not bountiful. When the restaurant is crowded, the kitchen struggles and service lags despite the best efforts of an attentive, well-schooled waitstaff.

Any such limitations are forgiven and forgotten when the food arrives. The texture and density of flavor, especially of the steaks, stamp Strip Steak as an unmistakably superior establishment. Although steaks occupy only a small section of the menu, the 21-day, dry-aged, certified Black Angus red meat selections are a must. There are no better steaks on Long Island than the 20-ounce strip ($44) and 24-ounce “Cowboy Cut” rib eye ($45). They both boast appealingly charred surfaces and juicy, flavor-packed, perfectly-covered interiors. Close behind is the equally tasty prime rib ($42), although it was thinner and smaller than its “king sized” billing implied.

The jumbo Pacific shrimp skewer ($29), plump crustaceans on a bed of interesting spinach-lemon scented risotto is a safe middle-of-the-road pick for non-meat eaters. Little neck clams ($12) on a vivacious pool of luxuriant white wine sauce, alive with smoked bacon, sautéed peppers, shallots and garlic, with a whiff of cream is the hands-down outstanding starter. The “colossal” lump crab cocktail ($18) tastes fresh and fine, but is skimpy, not colossal. Jumbo crab cakes ($16/$27) with a lively red pepper remoulade are a bit better than average, and the four husky oysters Rockefeller ($14) were bland rather than rich and without their promised herb crumbs.

There are no wrong dessert choices here. The $8 crème brûlée duo (vanilla and chocolate) boasts exemplary caramelized sugar, the brownie sundae ($10) is chock full of everything from M&M’s to caramel, chocolate sauce and fresh cream. So too is the banana split ($14) with all the above plus spiced walnuts, whipped cream and a cherry. The hot apple turnover ($12) is like a super apple fritter loaded with Granny Smith apples, golden raisins, cranberries and streusel and topped with cinnamon ice cream and whipped cream.

Photos by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

516 Americana Kitchen & Bar
Syosset, (516) 364-0516

The building at 4 Berry Hill in Syosset has been the scene of several restaurants. Asian, American and Belgian eating places among others have held forth at what was originally a Friendly’s.

Earlier this year, first time restaurateurs Rick and Gin Gusmano took over from the Reststar Group and have (appropriately) been giving it the all-American try ever since. Among the initiatives they’ve introduced in an effort to pump new life into this location are live (too loud) music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays, occasional Sunday musical brunches and a Monday through Friday Happy Hour that features wine and draught beer twofers. They also hired Helmer Velasquez (formerly at Cirella’s in Melville) as Executive Chef. One thing that hasn’t changed is the restaurant’s name. It was “516 an American Kitchen & Bar.” The Gusmanos have retained the 516 interstate highway logo and changed just one letter in the name to Americana Kitchen & Bar.

Their menu still offers American comfort food as their predecessor did, but about half of the dishes were added to the listings after the Gusmanos took over. Inside, the Americana looks almost exactly as the American did with a copper u-shaped bar upfront, leather booths along the walls, marble-topped tables in the middle and a variety of photos, license plates and street signs on the walls. Service was earnest but careless. The busboys were alert and on top of everything, but our pleasant waitress didn’t give us the wine list without being asked and didn’t seem to notice we were out of butter.

The kitchen did better. Three out of four starters were impressive. Both of the salads we ordered fell into that category. The large Caesar ($12) boasted a properly tangy dressing and admirably crisp crunchy croutons. The excellent Cape Cod ($12) with its harmonizing meld of spinach, apples, walnuts, goat cheese and raisins was at least its equal. The three mini Reubens ($10) on sturdy rye bread generated as much taste punch as their big brother. Only the relatively bland Baja fish tacos ($11) with sour cream and pico de gallo disappointed.

The same positive equation prevailed among the entrées where only a blah fillet of sole ($24) delivered little excitement. A homey hunk of meatloaf ($19) in a snappy barbecue sauce and a sizeable, tender marinated skirt steak ($26) on long-cut panko crumb and flour coated Tuscan fried potatoes more than satisfied. That tangy barbecue sauce also made a welcome appearance in a half rack of meaty baby back ribs ($15).

Two housemade desserts ($7), a delicious, fluffy carrot cake and a dense, flavor-filled key lime pie were the big news at dessert time, but there were no complaints about two chocolate sweets: A brownie sundae and a moist, rich chocolate cake. Nor were there many about the Americana Kitchen & Bar.

Photo by Stephen Lang

Read more Food Reviews from Long island Pulse!

This edition was crafted during the merciless wrath of Hurricane Sandy. Candlelight. Beer. Serenity. But I really, really miss electricity.

Local, Seasonal Beer Spotlight

Beer: Old Howling Bastard
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
Style: Barleywine
Availability: November-February
Profile: A nickname for your incoherent uncle during Michael Bolton-themed holiday karaoke sessions? Nope. Well, maybe. The 10.0% ABV, ruby-hued ale possesses flavors of caramel, pine, vanilla and a hot powerbomb of booze. A syrupy slow-sipper, consume Old Howling Bastard while wearing tweed. I demand it.

NASSAU

Tavern 18
(718) 347-4846, New Hyde Park
tavern18.com

Our country’s Eighteenth Amendment attempted to ban the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol. Though Prohibition was an epic fail, its perpetual influence on décor is undeniable. Example? Tavern 18, a shadowy, Dick Tracy-style restaurant was opened by Roger Bajana in 2009 (he also owns Luigi’s Restaurant & Bar on the same street). Bajana attempted to structure Tavern 18’s alcohol menu with a similar, wine-forward focus, but his patrons desired variety in styles and brands.

“Our customers weren’t gravitating toward wine, so we had to go in a different direction,” says Bajana. “I researched and started bringing new things like Belgian beer and smaller whiskey brands. People loved them, and our menu continues to grow. If I had more refrigeration space, trust me, I would have more beer.”

Tavern 18 pours five drafts and offers several large bottles. Though an avid supporter of local fermentables, as well, Bajana maintains every liquid’s quality must be identical, New York-birthed or not. “I can easily get produce from down the block, but if the quality isn’t there, and my customers aren’t happy, I don’t see the point,” says Bajana. “We make sure everything on the menu is at a certain level. I won’t serve something if it’s anything less.”

SUFFOLK

Mirabelle Tavern
(631) 751-0555, Stony Brook
lessings.com

Within Mirabelle Tavern’s warm-wooded, pastoral interior, an exclusive society gathers regularly to develop and exchange ideas, perform members-only rituals and express immeasurable appreciation for the organization’s deity. Is it a form of Freemasonry? Nope. Scientology? Nu-uh. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? Um, hell no.

The aforementioned activities are conducted within Mirabelle Tavern’s Secret Beer Society, an expanding assemblage of beer enthusiasts on an eternal quest to obtain abstruse philosophical truths—and consume quality brew.
Currently possessing 310 individuals, Secret Beer Society requires members to tally 60 different beers (Mirabelle Tavern currently offers 10 drafts and 90+ bottles) and successfully complete seven consumption challenges for exclusive off-menu releases and discounts (includes shotgunning a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon). Adventure!

Terence Daly, who manages Secret Beer Society and any beer-related activity for the establishment, aspires to “showcase awesome New York breweries, like Barrier Brewing Company and Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, and build a tight community of people who share crazy beer and want to try new things.” Since his promotion to Beer Director in January, after three years as a server, Daly notices the organization’s potential for growth. “Two people will come one week and ask for new stuff, and they’ll each bring four friends next week,” says Daly. “Beer has been a communal society for thousands of years, as something everyone could enjoy. We don’t want to keep this as a secret.”

North Fork Tasting Room
(631) 727-9513, Riverhead
northforktastingroom.com

Upon initial surveillance of North Fork Tasting Room’s interior, a warm congregation of original wood beams, pastel hues and windowsill-chillin’ bottles of vintage Long Island wines, I encountered no visual evidence of Lithuanian trapeze artists, elephant breakdance squads or M&M’s.

Perfect. No circus. And Frederick H. Terry Sr. agrees, too. “You don’t need to be a three-ring circus to serve beer and wine,” says Terry, who opened North Fork Tasting Room in August. “I’ve constantly refused bus tours and loud music, because it attracts the wrong crowd. I wanted a warm, intimate atmosphere with North Fork Tasting Room, and I feel like it’s a perfect extension for The Lobster Roll.”

Terry, who entered businessdom with Amagansett’s The Lobster Roll in 1965, presents a collection of Long Island-based craft liquids from 20+ wineries and six breweries. The latter, available via bottle or 10-draft system, includes Port Jeff Brewing Company Boo Brew, an autumn-themed ale using pumpkins from Pantaleon’s Farmstand in East Setauket, and Southampton Publick House Double White Ale, a hazy-pale pour of coriander, lemon and wheat.

Know This: North Fork Tasting Room was one of Rocky Point Artisan Brewers’ initial non-Rocky Point accounts. The six-month-old brewery’s Oktoberweisse, a copper-toasty blend of Oktoberfest and Hefeweizen, poured in late September. “I want to introduce the North Fork to our small boutique breweries and wineries,” says Terry. “When we can grab something unique, we do it right away.”

Follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, at lipulse.com where you can find more craft beer on Long Island.

Photo by Stephen Lang

The DL
(212) 228-0909, Manhattan
The DL doesn’t just stand for the “down-low” anymore. A bustling three-story restaurant and club, The DL sits on the corner of Delancey and Ludlow in the LES. This is a place where unusual cocktails, tasty small plates, trendy urbanites and good times amalgamate. The DL has not one, not two, but three floors of congenial commotion, suitable to please almost any vibe. The first floor, adorned with rustic architecture and mini chandeliers, is where guests get to enjoy the exotic selections of eats. Take a quick trip up a flight of stairs and hit the nightclub. The second floor hosts a DJ and a small lounge area for those who want to dance in an intimate setting. Continue up one more flight and you’ve arrived at the rooftop. It’s the icing on the cake for this fabulous venue. With a multicolored water fountain surrounded by a glass roof enclosure, palm tree and vines, and bumping dance music, you feel as though you’ve stepped into a retro rainforest. The DL won’t be on the “dl” for long.

Aura Light & Sound Suite
(516) 794-3091, East Meadow
Aura Light & Sound Suite goes beyond your typical nightclub. Known for their wavy LED display screen ceiling that syncs colors to the music’s beats, Aura unites aesthetics and functionality. Designed to indulge the senses the venue has state-of-the-art lighting, crystalline sound and vividly colored architecture. The space houses two levels and three bars, elevated LED-illuminated VIP tables, curved, upholstered walls and DJ booth, and a soundproof curtained entrance and exit. “Classic Wednesdays” feature bands and DJs with half priced drinks until 8pm and two buffets throughout the night. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are a bit more posh. DJs spin while guests enjoy bottle service and transcend the standard nightclub encounter. With all that drinking and dancing, one may build up an appetite, so think about the selective, but tasty, tapas varieties.

The Vine Wine Bar
(516) 812-7883, Merrick
Look no further for a cozy, unpretentious and downright relaxing scene. The Vine Wine Bar has the authentic touches of an Italian wine cellar while maintaining a contemporary style. Cozy lounge seating, high-top tables and a small, sleek bar make up the interior. Sip wines from nearly every country, and munch on plates of meat and cheese for the full wine bar experience. The restaurant hosts drink specials almost every night, and whether you’re there for a business event, a private party, a wine tasting or for sheer recreation, The Vine will satisfy your taste buds and your appetite in a modest fashion. Don’t forget to check out the intimate back lounge, perfect for a private party or your next book club gathering.

The Folk-Groovin’ Café
(631) 368-1920, Dix Hills

This community-based traveling acoustic concert series is run by veteran folk-rock artist Jim Frazzitta. Performances are primarily held at the St. Lawrence of Canterbury Church in Dix Hills, although they occasionally migrate to other locales such as the Conklin Barn in Huntington. All concerts feature local, original acoustic artists and start with an open mic. The crowd is close-knit and welcoming, so if you’re into folk music and you’re looking for new friends, this is where you want to be. Visit The Folk-Groovin’ Café on Facebook to learn when and where the next show is.

Tap and Barrel
(631) 780-5474, Smithtown

Tap and Barrel has made a name for itself amongst beer enthusiasts by virtue of having 52 craft beers on tap at any given moment. With plenty of space and dim pub lighting, you may or may not lose your friends at some point in the evening—and you may or may not choose to join a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament (every other Wednesday) rather than go look for them. Live blues and rock bands perform on Friday and Saturday nights, along with a sprinkling of weeknight music events including jazz jams and smaller local acts.

Gallery Z
(631) 651-8949, Rocky Point

Gallery Z is one part fine art gallery, one part event space. With an open mic night divided into “low key” (acoustic performers, comedy acts, poetry) and “high key” sections (rock bands, hip hop acts), this venue-gallery-meeting place is so inclusive it hurts. Though Gallery Z has not been on the radar for long, it has quickly gained a following of artists, poets, musicians and the rest of eastern Suffolk’s bohemian crowd. Check out open mic night on Thursdays, and avant garde art and music happenings during the weekend.

Last year at this time, I wrote about Prohibition to celebrate the anniversary of its repeal on December 5th 1933! This year I’ve got my eye on another big date: December 21st. Yes, the day of the end of the world. Or so said the Mayans. Even though they never made such a prophecy (the date simply coincides with the end of a cycle in their calendar), I’ll take any excuse to work on my vinous bucket list. It’s as good a time as any to start pulling the corks on wines that we’ve been saving for a special moment. Wine has been produced for thousands of years, so there’s no shortage of worthy contenders any wine enthusiast would want to taste before facing mortality.

As a nod to my wife, I’ll start my bucket list with champagne and the famed Krug Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs. It is only produced in the best vintages so the particular year doesn’t matter, but the 1985 is one of the greatest chardonnays I’ve ever had. Next up is one of the greatest dry rieslings: Clos Sainte Hune. This unique wine is from the Trimbach family in the town of Ribeauvillé in Alsace, but the vineyard is in the Rosacker Grand Cru of Hunawihr. I prefer this wine fairly old; the 1996 and the 2000 are both stunning.

While my list of whites is concise, my bucket list of reds could go on and on. Vintage is important for all wine, but with reds, the best can age for a very long time, I’ve had 100-year-old ports that were still awesome. Of course, I wouldn’t mind revisiting the 1945 Léoville-Las Cases I tasted recently, but for Bordeaux I’d seek out a 1945 (or ‘47 or ‘49) Château Calon-Ségur. This château has one of the longest histories, going back to the Roman Empire. Red Burgundy is also a tough category to narrow down, so I’ll pick the village of Volnay and look to either de Montille, Comte Armand or Marquis d’Angerville in a great mature vintage like 1990 or 1999.

No matter what makes your final list, remember that the wines you’ve been saving for special moments should be shared with special people. Don’t be a Miles (of Sideways fame), drinking 1961 Château Cheval Blanc by himself. Tragic.

More Bucket List Worthy Wines
• Vega Sicilia Reserva Especial: Greatest non-vintage red wine.
• 1949 Inglenook Cask: Any vintage before the 1970s will be interesting.
• 1992 Dominus: This is the same vineyard as above and first great one from this producer.
• 1995 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape: A nod to Grenache. Any great older vintage.
• 1999 J.M. Gerin Côte-Rôtie: A nod to Syrah. Again, any great older vintage will do.

Our hearts, and stomachs, are with every restaurant and food-related establishment on Long Island. Hurricane Sandy was paralyzing for business, and, well, everything.  We support you. Always.

Start with the new. The trio of Peter Mangouranes, Anthony Oliva and Paul Oliva continue expansion of their Nassau-based circuit (other establishments include The Good Life in Massapequa Park and Seaford’s The Phoenix) with two Massapequa Park forthcomings: Jam, a 40-seat breakfast nook offering house-made jams and funky items like a pulled pork breakfast sandwich, and The Greek, a traditional Hellenic takeout joint. The latter establishment “won’t have a frozen pre-made log for gyro,” Mangouranes says. Both open in January 2013-ish.

Reopening in early 2013, The Eatery at Tullulah’s in Bay Shore has been closed for renovation that will increase the total space to 3,600 square feet. Owner Steven Scalesse partnered with Sean Nolan and Ryan Sipp as co-proprietors, and will reopen with a 16-draft bar and a maximum occupancy increase of 60 humans. Or 60 mouths.

Let’s shellabrate with oysters, clams and scallops! Greenport presents Shellabration, a seafood-style restaurant stroll to benefit the Southold Project in Aquaculture Training and the renovation of Greenport’s American Legion Skating Rink, on December 8-9. Wristbands are available for $10 and procure one pint of Greenport Harbor Brewing Company Harbor Ale, a raw bar of Peconic Bay shellfish and a map of participating restaurants (e.g., The Frisky Oyster, First And South, and Butta’ Cakes).

Wienerbrød! Visit Copenhagen Bakery in Northport for Scandinavian-authentic pastries like tebirkes, a buttery, poppy seed-sprinkled roll and several kringle varieties. The bakery opened in 1998 by Flemming (a Denmark native who began his apprenticeship at 16) and Stacé Hansen, and expanded to a 30-seat café earlier this year.

I want to bend the rules of this column a little bit in the hope of turning you on to a small little cafe I’ve got a crush on. You see, the problem is this column, West of LI, is about people, places and things that exist, well, just outside the (516) area code and within the five boroughs of New York City. Swing the Teapot (named for a family tradition of sharing a pot of tea in communal fashion) is nestled in that sweet zone of cross-pollination called Floral Park right on the border of Nassau County and Queens…on this side of suburbia. But who can really tell where one thing truly ends and another begins, right? So you’ll have to forgive me, dear reader. I hope you know by now that I wouldn’t steer you wrong anyway.

Swing the Teapot does have Irish roots that go back to Woodside though, and that counts for something. And so do the Irish Breakfast and Corned Beef Hash. In fact, a taste of the old country lined up next to scrumptious brunchy items, paninis, salads, wraps et al make for a pretty terrific menu that has a little something for everyone. And I haven’t even mentioned the teas and coffees and beer and wine.

But it’s not the menu that makes me think about this place every time I pass Tulip Avenue while cruising Jericho Turnpike. It’s the spirit of the place. The first time I stepped into Swing the Teapot, I did so based on the recommendation of one of my students. She thought it would be a cool place to hold a showcase for our school’s Songwriting Club. When I walked in, I was greeted with a great cup of coffee, a warm smile and a comfy spot to think and write in the midday sun. A similar thing happened on a late afternoon visit and date with a burger. The third visit sealed the deal. I walked into a sold-out concert by James Maddock, a critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter who is finding his way onto some of the best stages in the area right now. Amazing. A tiny intimate venue with great food and drink and friendly service that exceptional singer-songwriters like to come out and play at. Maybe they too are bewitched by the idea of crossroads and great small businesses and can’t tell where one kind of beauty ends and another begins. 

Live @ Swing the Teapot
December 14-15—Marshall Crenshaw
December 29-30—Mike Barry

Exotic meat will never inflict intentional physical harm or cause you to exhibit schizophrenic behaviors (puppy-biting, incoherent Stallone mumbling, etc.), though it is a black-turtlenecked, be-spectacled, avant-garde sister to Joe Americana’s backyard bbq burger and dog. Exotic meat, quite simply, is your friend. Your slightly bizarre, but undoubtedly intriguing, confidant. Embrace. Understand. But do not fear.

Café Buenos Aires

At Café Buenos Aires, a Huntington-based venue that combines Argentinean and Spanish fare, sweetbreads are strictly throat, originate from calves (veal) and are sautéed with leeks, sundried tomatoes and white beans in a garlic sauce.
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Big Daddy’s Restaurant

I am served a spicy-ass skewer of Jefferson Parish Blackened Gator at Big Daddy’s, a Cajun-cuisined homage to New Orleans in Massapequa. The skewer, a lanky meat-rod of alligator, challenges me to grapple. I accept.
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Tweeds Restaurant & Buffalo Bar

I arrived at Edwin Tuccio’s North Quarter Farm in Riverhead on a silverware-spoked chariot. Tuccio, proprietor of Tweeds Restaurant & Buffalo Bar, raises 300+ of the bovid species on 250 acres.
It is where the buffalo roam. Literally.
Read Full Article
     

Brasserie Cassis

My visit to Brasserie Cassis, a potpourri of casual French eats opened in 2007, was a specific pilgrimage, one for cuisses de grenouille. AKA frog legs.
Read Full Article
     

The Meat House

Though available for franchise opportunities and currently operating in 10 states, The Meat House is not the beef-based equivalent of Walmart; they do not offer frozen puck-like hamburgers and ginormous mayonnaise jars. Instead, it is focused on resuscitating the traditional neighborhood butcher and its accompanying nostalgic comforts.
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Miloski’s Poultry Farm

Opened in 1946 by Will Miloski and currently operated by son and grandson (Mark Sr. and Mark Jr., respectively), Miloski’s Poultry Farm annually raises 4,000 free-range, grass-and-grain fed turkeys (available farm fresh or rotisserie) on 25 acres of Calverton soil.
Read Full Article
     

Imagine you are a fly on the wall and seated at a table are some of Long Island’s preeminent restaurateurs, chefs and legendary foodies. Wouldn’t it be great to find out where they eat, what they cook and how they gauge a good restaurant? We wondered too. And while we couldn’t get them all together, we’ve assembled some of their thoughts on the most pressing foodie questions.

The Players (1-10):
Wayne Wadington, chef-owner of La Plage, Wading River
Michael Bohlsen, co-owns Prime, Tellers, Monsoon and others with brother Kurt
Tom Schaudel, chef-owner of Jewel, CoolFish, ALure, etc.
John Tunney of Besito, American Burger (and formally Honu) fame
Fabio Machado, owner of Bistros Cassis & Citron, Café Buenos Aires, etc.
Matt Connors, chef-owner of The Lake House, Bay Shore
Dave Tunney of Besito, Old Fields (and formally Honu) fame
Steve Carl, owner of Carlyle On The Green, soon to be Trump On The Ocean and others
Tito Onofre and Roberto Ornato, dynamic duo chef and owner of Jonathan’s Ristorante, Huntington
Chris Gerdes, chef at Blackwells, Wading River, and devoted vegan

Bohlsen: When I am coming home from the office and don’t want to eat in one of our own places, I eat at Matt’s Lake House.

Connors: You should try Siam Lotus in Bay Shore. Authentic food, warm service and close to home.

Gerdes: Amarelle in Wading River is intimate and beautiful. Chef-owner Lia Fallon is so welcoming, her food is cutting edge and she has a wonderful sense of style.

Onofre and Ornato: In Montauk, you have to go to Swallow. Stylish and relaxed, the food is flavorful and very creative. We know Jimmy for a long time and he is finally getting the success he deserves.

Schaudel: I’m thinking about NYC and Gotham Bar and Grill. The quintessential NY restaurant: Big, bustling, great food and killer people watching. And I love the wine list.

Carl:  Milos. The food is great and it has great memories.

J. Tunney: Casa Mono is the place I go to treat myself to small plates done incredibly well. I like to sit at the bar and watch the chefs. It’s small, intimate and they deliver exotic food items.

Connors: Casa Mono is a good one. I like stopping at Peking Duck House on Mott for lunch, followed by steamed dumplings on Mosco Street, followed by a few select dishes at Casa Mono.

Bohlsen: If push came to shove, I am going to head to NoMad for dinner. There are many reasons, but the cocktail program will boggle your mind.

Schaudel: No matter where it is, I always wind up having fish. I find it infinitely more interesting than meat…and pinot noir makes everything taste better.

Bohlsen: I have a hard time saying no to local striped bass. Locally line caught striped bass may just be the best eating fish on earth.

J. Tunney: I always get soup. I can tell from the soup how the rest of meal is going to be.

Gerdes: Soup is the measure of a good restaurant.

D. Tunney: I always go for the soup, it’s pure comfort food.

Connors: I will usually order something very bad for me, like bone marrow or sweetbreads, just because I never eat that way in real life.

Wadington: Foie gras. Lamb. Chocolate.

Carl: I love a pounded veal chop…and warm mozzarella.

Machado: Rice, beans and dark meat chicken. I hate the white meat.

Connors: At home though, a whole roasted chicken with buttered egg noodles, mushy carrots (cooked in chicken drippings) and gravy.

Bohlsen: Nothing beats a great steak on the barbecue alongside some Long Island corn with a cheese plate and a bottle of wine to start.

J. Tunney: Yeah, grilling at home. The fresh fish, produce and poultry on the East End is our best resource as restaurateurs.

Gerdes: Three or four fresh local vegetables prepared as simply as possible. Maybe over brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Machado: Bucatini all’amatriciana.

D. Tunney: Nothing beats time with the family making homemade meatballs and sauce.

The earliest evidence of breadmaking was found in Europe and dated to about 30,000 years ago. This bread was most likely a combination of roasted and ground cereal grains and water.

Pan Dulce

Pan Dulce, better known as sweet bread, is a staple in traditional Mexican and Latin American cuisine. One of the first non-native foods introduced by New Spain invaders was wheat. Although natives detested this new commodity, they had to work in the wheat farms for the colonists, and had to eat the wheat bread or starve. During the French occupation of Mexico in the 1800s, French rolls and pastries were introduced to the Mexican people. The battle of Puebla in 1862 ended the occupation, but Mexican’s love of sweet French bread stayed.

Make your own Conchas
(Mexican Sweet Bread)

Makes 12 servings

Sweet Bread Base
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/8 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large glass bowl, combine warm water and yeast, stir. Mix in evaporated milk, sugar, salt, melted butter, egg and 2 cups of flour. Gradually add ground cinnamon and remaining flour. Knead dough for 5 minutes and place in a greased bowl, cover with towel. Allow to rise for 2 hours. While waiting for dough to rise, create the icing (recipe at lipulse.com). Once the dough is ready, cut evenly into 12 pieces. Shape into balls and place on cookie sheet. Gently flatten dough in preparation for the topping. Divide the topping into 12 portions. Shape into balls and flatten, then place on top of the dough already on the cookie sheet. Use a knife to score the top layer with parallel lines. Cover and let rise for another 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 19 minutes, until the buns are golden brown. Serve warm.

Alaskan Sourdough
Early western settlers relied on sourdough starter to leaven bread before store-bought yeast and baking powder were widely available. At the turn of the 20th century, western miners were nicknamed “Sourdoughs,” because they carried their starter in their backpacks, so they would always be able to make bread. Alaskan miners are said to have slept with their starter to prevent it from freezing overnight. Their variety of sourdough starter consists of flour, warm water, yeast, salt and sugar. If “fed” correctly, the starter can help feed families for years; older starters are highly coveted for their extra tanginess. The resulting bread has a light texture and a distinctive taste.

Jamaican Bulla
Jamaican Bulla bread, or Bulla cake, is a favorite pastry among Jamaicans and has become a symbol of development of the island nation. It is a moist, sweet bread made with molasses, ginger and nutmeg and is traditionally eaten with cheese and avocado.

DIY Bulla : Serves 16
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon water
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a small glass dish, combine molasses and 1 teaspoon of water and mix well. You want to get the consistency of syrup. If 1 teaspoon is not enough, add a bit more. Combine dry ingredients in a glass bowl and mix well. With a wooden spoon, make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add in molasses mixture, vegetable oil and melted butter. Gently fold until ingredients are incorporated and dough has formed. Once dough is ready, place on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into 3 or 4 inch circles. Place cakes on a greased baking sheet then into 350 degree oven. Bake bulla for 25 minutes, or until the cakes rise.

“Cockle Bread,” an English aphrodisiac in the 17th century, was bread kneaded with a woman’s vulva and given to her object of affection. This is thought to be the origin of the adage “a way to man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Andean Bread Babies
Andean Bread Babies, also known as Tanta Wawas, are made from sweet brioche-like dough and play an important role in the Day of the Dead. The bread babies are brought to the cemetery and offered to deceased family members. The Tanta Wawas are also used as table decorations and given to children as gifts.

The Sponge
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoons water

In a mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Let sit for 3 hours.

The Dough
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks

In a separate bowl, mix the flours, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Make a well in the center and add the eggs (not the extra yolks), butter, milk, water and vanilla. Mix well, and then knead dough on floured surface for 15 minutes. Cover and let dough rest for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll into balls. Stretch the dough to create the elements of the baby bodies. Place the babies onto a greased and floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough grow for 3 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush the egg yolk over the babies and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

Croissants are technically bread, as they are made with yeast-leavened dough.

Hefezopf

Originating in Germany, Hefezopf is a sweet, buttery wheat flour dough bread that can contain nuts or fruits. It is made from three single strands of dough braided together to form either a narrow loaf or a round wreath. The bread is popular as a centerpiece for special events and holidays.

Braid Your Own
4 cups flour
3 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk, then mix with flour, salt, sugar and butter. Knead well until dough is smooth and elastic. Let rise in covered bowl for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Divide dough into three parts, and then roll out the three strands into roughly oblong shapes of the same length. Join the three strands at one end and braid them, using the same technique as braiding hair. Brush with egg yolk and then bake in a 400 degree oven for 40-55 minutes.

Although the host used for Holy Communion is called bread, it is technically a wafer. 

At the pinnacle of Long Island’s chic nightspots, elegant catering, authentic markets and gourmet groceries, followers are as devoted to the venues as to the last names that hold forth. In Nassau, it’s The Poll Brothers. The Scottos have Central Island. Holding strong in mid-Suffolk are The Lombardis. All are respected for their style, innovation and unbeatable cuisine. There are others (Bohlsens, DeNicolas, Tunneys…), but what these have in common is a similar sense of history—as well as a sense of the future. They are similar, but they are also not similar at all.

Three families, three brothers each, three very different stories…

The Poll Brothers

They don’t look alike, but you’d easily peg these two as brothers in a room of fifty guys. They finish each other’s sentences, they dress alike—it’s easy to see they’ve stayed close most of their lives. To each other, but also to their parents and their Manhasset based operations.
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Tony Scotto

It’s the story of a close-knit Italian family immigrating here and making it. And it’s the story of how that family is bringing the next generation into the business. Tony Scotto, often seen as the face of the Scotto Brothers business, reflects on how it all happened.
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The Lombardis Three

You’ve heard of Mamma, everyone has, but her three sons are the force behind the matriarch who made the family name a household favorite. The sauces, the pizzas, the decked out catering halls, authentic market and now, the wine and gelato. The first generation Napolitano family was going after the American dream, and catch it they did.
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They don’t look alike, but you’d easily peg these two as brothers in a room of fifty guys. Partly because they share an imposing 6ft-plus stature and partly because they have the same manner of speech, but mainly because of some precious simpatico rarely found in other pairs, brothers or otherwise. They finish each other’s sentences, they dress alike—it’s easy to see they’ve stayed close most of their lives. To each other, but also to their parents and their Manhasset based operations. Even to their middle brother Dean. Though he moved to Manhattan around 2000 to start running restaurants independently, he remains an immediate presence in the conversation. I’m looking at “the Poll brothers,” usually referred to as “the Poll brothers—comma—they’re tough,” underscored by meaningful nods of the head. I’m looking at them in their impressive physiques, well styled, relaxed, open and affable, and I see two guys who could easily be my brothers, or yours…the pair of brothers everyone remembers growing up with. They’re tough, yes, that’s what makes them good, but they’re also the guys other guys want to hang out with because despite all that tough focus on perfection, they are two guys obviously enjoying the moment they’re in as much as the one yet to come (and the one that just passed).

It started at their first restaurant, Pappas of Sheepshead Bay on Willis Avenue.

Gillis: …because we’re happy and so dedicated to our work, people recognize that…I drove a fish truck in the beginning [for the restaurant]. And it took years and years and years (to make it).

George: And not making it wasn’t an option. There was too much on the line… Gillis was doing the front, Dean was doing the buying and other things, and when I’d come home from school, I was doing the cash register with Gillis up front.

Gillis: Dad was fanatical about having the best.

George: He taught Dean and Dean taught me.

Gillis: Mom always said, “Watch the store.”

George: “Work together, stick together,” that’s what I hear her saying.

Gillis: They’re happy because we’re close by. Our father is 92 years old and he’s in the restaurants every night.

George: It makes them happiest that we’re close to each other. Our mother is always saying, “my three boys.”

A significant moment would come when then-Manero’s went up for sale. The Polls reinvented the casual steakhouse into a premier butcher and first-class steakhouse. It was a coup, but also a catapult.

Gillis: We had the idea to make it a prime, New York-style steakhouse. There was only Luger’s and North Shore in the neighborhood and we wanted to go up against the best.

George: I think the best part of the story is a guy who was a valet and a bus boy there now owns it. [Gillis worked at Manero’s as a kid when not at his father’s restaurant]… At the time, Dean left [for Manhattan], so we really had to keep an eye on everything—every customer, every dish—and when The New York Times rated the beef emporiums in the area, we were rated number one.

That was 2001.

George: Now our thinking is “growth.” We’re very blessed, many offers are coming to us…we took a gamble to do a restaurant in a shopping center [Cipollini].

Gillis: So we had to find out what was going to work there, for that space…and then again Toku, and now this [Hendrick’s]. It’s always been fun and challenging, but now it’s about the fun and the challenge.

There are ways they differ, one yins to the other’s yang, but it’s really a story of two guys who are so much alike they have practically the same instincts.

Gillis: I could come in with a striped shirt and jeans and he comes in with a striped shirt and jeans.

George: I could come in with a polo and khakis and he comes in with polo and khakis. The next day I go for something totally different, a jacket with button down and jeans, and he comes in the same!

Gillis: We love what we do, we love food and wine, and we love people.

George: And we love each other. We have something else in common: We both think we’re the funny one.

They’re both right. They’re also natural collaborators. When it comes to developing a new venue, picking a new table water or the details of setting a table, they relish their collaboration as much as the task at hand.

George: …down to the salt and pepper shakers. What kind of fork? Why is this folded this way, not that way?

Gillis: We have a general concept for the designer and we tweak the details. We put the menus together—

George: —and we have to find the chefs who can execute what we want.

Gillis: We’re both into style and design, but he’ll do the wine—

George: —but he’ll do the liquor, because I don’t know the liquor…in the rare case you don’t ask the other one, you see it every time, had you gone to the other person, it would’ve been that much better.

Gillis: But it’s not one [of us] over the other.

George: Communication is key—as in any relationship—communication and respect… The people we grew up with [in Flower Hill, Manhasset] are our customers now… But the person at Majors worked just as hard for his money as the person dining here [Hendrick’s]. It might not be as high a price point, but still, he deserves the same respect.

Auspicious Openings:
1960 Dad opens Pappas of Sheepshead Bay
1980 Gillis, Dean and George open Pappas of Sheepshead Bay on Willis Avenue
1987 Bryant & Cooper
1990 Pappas becomes Riverbay
1993 Majors Steakhouse, East Meadow
1994 Majors Steakhouse, Woodbury
2005 Cipollini
2007 Toku
2010 Bar Frites
2012 Hendrick’s Tavern

The three brothers whose American empire began with a little pizzeria in Port Washington hardly need an introduction. The Scottos have been there for some of Long Islanders’ happiest moments. Their catering facilities have long been the premier destinations for weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, bar/bat mitzvahs and a litany of galas, fundraisers and awards dinners. Theirs is an American story. It’s the story of a close-knit Italian family immigrating here and making it. And it’s the story of how that family is bringing the next generation into the business. Tony Scotto, often seen as the face of the Scotto Brothers business, reflects on how it all happened.

Mom used to say [the above], “Do bad, and think about it. Do good, and forget about it.” And you need to adapt that philosophy in business as well.

We came from Monte di Procida [Naples], a fishing village. All we knew and all we understood was the sea. We had the good fortune to come to this country in 1961. We went to Brooklyn, our uncle had Romano’s Restaurant there. If my uncle had a shoe business, maybe I’d be a shoemaker. Our father’s cousin suggested Long Island and found a place and we three brothers went to see it and that’s how it started. The landlord had an office in a big high-rise in Manhattan. In it, he had one big white wall with only two words on it: “Think Big.”

So we made a go at it—Scotto’s Pizzeria and Restaurant. Four people came and went in that space, but because we come from a culture of great workers, my brothers and I made a go and the first week we made 900 dollars. It was 1967. We always felt work was a good thing. And we brought the kids to work when they were young and they developed a passion. They do it well, but they do it in different ways. We did it with brick and mortar, but they do it with computers.

As an immigrant, I had a great asset: Hunger. Hunger to do something. All of the three brothers got a different role. We were all watching every piece. Victor complements me. He does best what I don’t know how to do. I understand the art of business, but Victor can look at this office and reproduce the whole thing with his bare hands. Being the younger brother, I do everything nobody else wants to do. When we started, I was the best cook, so I did the cooking. Victor was good with his hands, so anything that needed a hammer, Victor did that. Our oldest brother Vincent was good with people, so he was the waiter (he now maintains restaurants in Vegas, though he’s semi-retired). And we knew if we wanted to be successful we had to share. We had to stick together. We didn’t know any other way.

This is a family business and anybody in the family who wants to work, there’s a job for them. If someone wants to do something on his own, he can. We have dozens and dozens and dozens of people who work for us 20 to 35 years. We work as a family. With us, maintaining a family feeling is a natural thing. We sit and eat with our employees. We emanate the family thing at all times. We all eat together at 2 o’clock. It’s a wonderful thing to sit with your employees and just share what’s going on. And at times, it’s something that can be productive.

Victor has said: If you yell at someone, you’re not doing your job. You have to teach them. You don’t need a miracle; you need to do the right thing. And he’s right.

We’ve been challenged for the last 46 years. Challenge is what we handle best. We don’t stop.

Fraternal Highlights:
1967 & 1969 Scotto’s, Port Wash & Great Neck
978 Chateau Briand
1980 Steer Born
1988 Fox Hollow
994 7th Street Café
994 Watermill
1998 Zefferino (Vegas)
2002 The Inn at Fox Hollow
2002 Oyster Bay (Vegas)
2003 Good to Go (Vegas)
2005 Blackstone’s
2005 Princeton Hampton Inn (NJ)
2009 Rare650
2011 Insignia

You’ve heard of Mamma, everyone has, but her three sons are the force behind the matriarch who made the family name a household favorite. The sauces, the pizzas, the decked out catering halls, authentic market and now, the wine and gelato. The first generation Napolitano family was going after the American dream, and catch it they did.

On hand to translate Mamma’s interview were her daughter Josephine and grandson Phil

The Backstory, as told by Mamma:
Michelina Lombardi, 81 years old this month. I came to the US in 1968 from Napoli d’Avellino. A small town, Mugnano del Cardinale. I was 37 years old, I had five kids with me—my husband and eldest son and daughter were already here. The three brothers had the idea to open a pizzeria. I thought it was a good idea, just work hard. So we opened the first in Bay Shore. It was ten tables. Every morning I put the kids to school and went to work. I made the sauce every morning. The brothers had to worry about everything—the shopping, the laws—I was always doing the cooking.

We have a lot of Italian clientele, and most Italians know how to cook. So for them, to go out of their way to come here, it’s gotta be good. Most important in Italian cooking is you gotta put garlic. But Italians cook with their eyes. It’s not about measuring, because if it looks good, it’ll taste good.

I watch. I see everything. I keep my eyes open. You can get upset during the day—but it passes before we even go home. We have strong family roots. And we have a glass of wine…

Now I have eight kids and ten grandkids. We have a beautiful family. They all respect me and I them. But the three brothers make the decisions. All I want is that we love each other. That’s what I’m most proud of.

John: I was working as a dishwasher. I was 17 years old. After being there for a couple of years—I used to get home at 2 o’clock in the morning and my father used to wait for me—he said, “This job, it’s not a healthy job. You’re working seven days a week, holidays…it’s time to either open your own place or quit this job.” So, I found a location in Bay Shore. And we started from there. It was 1976.

Guy: I forgot that you started in that place.

John: You were a butcher. Jerry was a baby. So all the pressure was on me. As a dishwasher, I used to watch what they used to do [at that other place], and write it all down.

Guy: He had the reputation as one of the best pizza guys. He still makes a pizza once in a while.

Guy: In 1984 we moved the pizzeria… We were growing rapidly, customers were in the parking lot waiting for tables. So it was time for us to make a move—

Jerry: We only wanted to buy the two acres that was commercial [across the street in Holbrook, where Mamma’s still stands today], but they were connected to another five acres, which was residential. We really didn’t want that at the time. But that was the deal, he wouldn’t separate it. And that’s how the catering hall came up. We had the property, we were expanding—

Guy: Later, we all made the business decision to do something in catering. That was 1994. People were doing catering, but we came up with the idea of doing restaurant food in the catering location.

John: —and we did that.

Jerry: Nobody believed we could do that. Everybody was against it.

Guy: We did it the only way we knew how to do it, restaurant style—

Jerry: No cans.

Guy: My mom really worked hard in Italy. She worked with seven kids over there, she went out, she worked in the field, she came back, she fed us, she did it all. She still gets the whip on us. So we make everything about mamma—she was the one that was with us—

Jerry: —she was from day one.

Guy: She still works three days a week. My dad was the bread and butter guy. He went to work to make sure the food was on the table while we were building…it’s always gonna be mamma.

John: Always mamma.

Guy: She’s the one that kept everything going.

Guy: We never really said, “You do this, I do that, you do that.” You know, we always did as much as we can. We share all the ideas, we share everything. If we have to make a decision we discuss it first and then we make a decision.

Jerry: But we kept our respect for each other. There was times when we, you know, we butt heads. But, “Ok, you’re the older brother, that’s your decision.”

John: That’s the way we were brought up.

Jerry: When we started in this business, I was 15, 16 years old. John was 18, Guy was 21. We were young kids.

Guy: There was a lot of rough times. It’s not easy.

Jerry: It would’ve been a lot easier to punch each other and just walk away. But we kept that hierarchy.

John: There wasn’t enough hours. By the time you got home, it’s 2 o’clock in the morning. We wash up a little bit, boom, you go to sleep.

Guy: Part of our success is being together. I could’ve never have done it by myself.

Jerry: The success really worked where we knew our place. Where, ok, you’re older, I’m not gonna overstep my boundary.

Guy: But you don’t take advantage of that.

Jerry: Now you don’t, but back then…

Guy: I did?! Well, you know, Jerry, when you were 16 you told me if I don’t buy you a car you’re not coming to work! He left, he went to Florida! We had to buy him the car! You didn’t even have a license yet!

Jerry: Back then, we didn’t take money out of the business. We lived at home, we used to take 50 dollars a week, and that was our spending money. We kept putting into the business. Otherwise I don’t think we would be where we are now.

John: Mamma controlled the money. At the end of the day, you just hand everything to her, that’s it. Pay the bills… And Jerry used to burn everything on me. I used to make a delivery. I says, “Look, I got 50 pounds of sausage in the oven.” By the time I would get back, boom! One time—

Jerry: Listen, I only burned the sausage once…

Jerry: We discuss everything…It’s always we come to agreement. If it’s not a good idea, it’s not a good idea.

Guy: We worked, all of us. When we got started, we were the dishwashers, and at the end of the night, we cleaned.

Jerry: The stores were open seven days a week. So somebody was there at all times.

Guy: We’ve been in business 35 years and we’re still growing. We don’t want to put in the 12 hours behind the stoves like we used to, but we still enjoy the business. We still love it.

John: It was a lot of great years. But we’re slowing down a little bit, I think.

Jerry: When we first opened up in Bay Shore, the silly colors that we used! When we think about it now, it’s like, “What the hell were we thinking?” Baby blue, pink…and red and white stripes.

John: That was our uniforms!

Jerry: When we first opened up in Holbrook, all three of us were in the kitchen.

Guy: All of us were always hands-on with everything.

Jerry: To get up every morning to go to work, you gotta love the business.

Guy: The nicest thing to see is the family’s been together 40 years. The brothers and sisters—we’re always together. It was worth all of it. It’s been a family thing.

Family Milestones:
1976 Mamma Lombardi’s, Bay Shore
1978 Mamma Lombardi’s, first location in Holbrook
1984 Mamma Lombardi’s, current location
1994 Villa Lombardi’s
2001 Lombardi’s Market
2002 Mamma’s sauce in Waldbaum’s
2004 Lombardi’s on the Sound
2005 Mamma Lombardi’s Pizzico
2009 Lombardi’s on the Bay

Dressed in throwback running shoes and shorts, Chris Nicolson looks more like a guy about to go for a jog with Prefontaine than who he actually is: One of the most important young winemakers in New York. He plunges a long glass pipette (or “thief”) into a barrel and then offers a sample of the still-maturing blend of riesling and sauvignon blanc destined to become the house wine at Momofuku. As we swirl, smell and sip, he throws open the doors at the west end of the winery to the clear blue sky, letting the sea breeze blow in. The water laps at the pier beyond the open doors and the Statue of Liberty looks close enough to ding with a well-struck golf ball.

Nicolson exudes a certain infectious, near-manic energy. It’s as if the chaotic work of grapes and yeast, which are furiously changing in the barrels all around us at a molecular level, channels through him and comes out in tumbles of words as he struggles to describe the wines. It’s not that Nicolson is inarticulate; in fact, the opposite is true. It’s just that the Red Hook Winery isn’t quite like any other and stands out even among the new urban winery trend.

For starters there is the sheer number of different wines it produces (though at a small scale—just 750 to 850 cases a year). The overtaxed cellar master at Red Hook has his work cut out for him, keeping track of 64 different wines (or SKUs as they are commonly known). Then there is the unusual winemaker setup. Nicolson is the resident winemaker, and he oversees every wine from vineyard to bottle. But he also works with two renowned Napa-based winemakers who have very, very different approaches to winemaking. The setup is as schizophrenic as it is creative, with some of the wines produced under the direction of Robert Foley and others under Abe Schoener, both considered among the top tier of Napa winemakers. Each will argue forcefully that his approach conveys a truer expression of the vineyards and terroir, but their methods are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Foley, a grad of U.C. Davis with degrees in enology and viticulture, takes a precise approach to create very clean, technically correct wines, while Schoener, a reformed academic who taught ancient Greek philosophy at St. John’s College in Annapolis, has a more naturalistic tendency that can result in somewhat gnarly (though undeniably interesting) wines. Then of course there is the matter of the grapes coming from 14 different growers—mostly on the North Fork—to Pier 41 in Brooklyn, where the wines are made.

Throw in the three principal partners of the Red Hook Winery, Mark Snyder, Max Loubiere and Michael Cinque (all of whom have deep roots in the wine business), and do the math—starting with the 64 SKUs and 14 vineyards, adding in two winemakers and three owners—and you can figure Nicolson is serving many masters (the first, of course, being Mother Nature).

The wines coming out of this unusual outpost are getting some of the highest acclaim of any ever made from Long Island grapes and might hold the key to the region’s hopes for respect on the world wine stage. And the fact that it’s happening in Red Hook, 100 miles from where the grapes grow, is not incidental. “I was one of those people with a fixation on Manhattan who didn’t believe that there was anything interesting going on in the outer boroughs,” says Abe Schoener. If he hadn’t changed his mind, there might not be a Red Hook Winery. All it took was a little change in perspective.

Schoener started to come around in 2004 when visiting the Brooklyn offices of Mark Snyder, a New York distributor of Schoener’s Napa-based wine label The Scholium Project. It took some urging, but when Snyder finally got him down to Red Hook for the first time, “I was amazed by how close you were to the water. I was amazed by the views of Manhattan.” It became his de facto camp whenever he was in New York on business.

All around them in Red Hook were people blowing glass and bending iron. Soon he and Snyder, so taken with the place, were talking about doing something—they weren’t quite sure what, but something—on the waterfront. While it might have seemed an incongruous place for one, a winery made the most sense for them.

The area, so deep in Brooklyn that the easiest way to get to it is by ferry, was once a hub of basement winemaking; Italian and Jewish immigrants brought their own winemaking traditions. “In Red Hook at the right time of year, you could smell the aroma of fermentation coming from most every home,” writes Robin Shulman of Depression-era home winemaking in her oral history-informed book Eat This City.

Originally Schoener and Snyder planned to ship grapes from California, as do most contemporary urban wineries. “Neither of us really had respect for Long Island wines,” says Schoener. Again, all it took was a little change in perspective. “It even seemed wrong from just a really simple winemaking perspective: The work you have to go through to get good grapes from California to New York doesn’t make sense.” They resolved that a Red Hook Winery would be a true New York winery, and that meant predominantly Long Island fruit. By 2007 they were scouting vineyards. “We knew that if we thought Long Island wines were weak, we also knew that we had never done an intensive investigation of them,” says Schoener. That was about to change.

Despite the stereotypes they’d heard about vineyards planted in old potato fields and the like, they found Long Island vineyards that displayed much of what they look for in California in terms of vegetative vigor and vines in balance. And much higher quality vineyards in general than what the naysayers had led him to believe. Even Long Island’s farming practices were coming along.

Michael Cinque provided the nascent Red Hook Winery a genuine link to the North Fork growers. As the owner of Amagansett Wines and Spirits since 1979, Cinque had long championed the region. He stocked some of the first bottles of Hargrave in his store and has maintained close ties to many growers and winemakers. When asked to go in on the winery with Snyder and Loubiere, he readily agreed. “I became the ambassador to strike the deals with growers,” he recalls. He still shepherds the grapes through, presiding over picking and providing the refrigerated trucks that bring the fruit to Brooklyn. Cinque may host private tastings for Rudy Giuliani and Jay McInerney, pal around with Ron Delsener and take motorcycle road trips with Alec Baldwin, but instead of sinking his resources into a polo team and a fleet of Ferraris, Cinque is committed to this project because he truly believes in the North Fork. His love for the region comes through in his attachment to the grapes. The batches of grapes typically get separated, with some going to Schoener and some to Foley, who make wildly divergent wines from the very same grapes. “With two totally different winemakers,” says Cinque, “It’s like separating twins at birth.”

Long Island is a risky place to grow wine grapes. It has a cool climate with monster heat spikes, early frost and lots of rain. The weather demands rigorous farming strategy: Good pruning and shoot thinning that leads to the clusters not being so close together (mainly to protect against rot and mildew). Schoener was unsure of exactly what to expect that first year on Long Island. “We were knocked out by the intensity of flavors that we got at much lower levels of ripeness,” he says.

Unpredictable weather means fruit may not be picked at exactly the same time every year. But the prospect has long been tantalizing because there is the possibility of making some very good wines here. And the proximity to New York City also means there is a large local appetite for these wines—after all, without the port city of Bordeaux, Bordeaux itself might never have risen to prominence. But the very conditions that make it difficult for the grapes to grow might be what give them their power. The grapes’ struggle to survive produces smaller, and in some cases, more intense berries. The maritime effect gives many of the wines a pleasing minerality and added complexity.

The wines of Red Hook Winery bear the marks of having weathered North Fork growing seasons. From all the great things Long Island can bring (minerality and a downright savory salinity) to the war wounds of epic struggles with rot, mildew and disease that have long plagued the region. Some of Schoener’s Red Hook wines are savage, mouth-filling whites that can almost drink like reds. Some of Foley’s show classic structure and pristine, bright fruit.

Walking out of Red Hook Winery after a whirlwind tasting (you’ll never come close to all 64, but it’s a dizzying experience nonetheless), the last thing you want is a wine made from California grapes. The first thing might be a beer “reset” at the Six Point Brewery around the corner on Van Dyke Street. After that, when you next peruse a wine list, your mind and palate will wander back to the wines of Red Hook. You just might find yourself gravitating toward unwieldy old world wines that are born of ancient limestone cellars or wines with names that sound like a gypsy curse placed on some long-dead Eastern European count. 

UPDATE:
Just a few days after publishing this article, Red Hook Winery was brutalized in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, assuming total loss and devastation. Close to all of their barrels were submerged with five feet of water, which rushed in, toppling more than just the wine, but their equipment as well, from forklifts and pumps, to temperature control and computers. We would like to take this time to offer our sentiments to RHW, and the rest of the Red Hook community, who’s lives were forever changed, due to this heartbreaking attack from mother nature. Fortunately, RHW managed to save a large share of bottles that didn’t get wet, and are now offering their loyal customers and supporters, varying “survival kits.”  Please visit Red Hook Winery’s website (http://www.redhookwinery.com/)for more information on placing your order via phone or email. Those interested in helping in the effort to clean up and rebuild Red Hook, can contact The Red Hook Initiative (718-858-6782), who will be matching up volunteers and donations with local businesses in need.

Café Buenos Aires
(Huntington)

Dish: Mollejas Salteadas
Meat: Sweetbreads
Taste Words: Light-Golden Crisp, Tender, Velvety

Though its name may birth presumptions of deep-fried doughballs frosted with cinnamon lard and served across circuits of southern small-town carnivals, a sweetbread is the culinary term for the thymus gland or pancreas of a young animal (throat sweetbread and heart sweetbread, respectively). Sweet. Meat!

At Café Buenos Aires, a Huntington-based venue that combines Argentinean and Spanish fare, sweetbreads are strictly throat, originate from calves (veal) and are sautéed with leeks, sundried tomatoes and white beans in a garlic sauce. Though other varieties of the crispy, silky-interiored offal are often served (a sauté with black olives, capers and garlic, in a tomato sauce, for example), the current presentation is Café Buenos Aires’ most common. Most popular, too.

“There are hundreds of ways to prepare sweetbreads, like beef, but this has been the best way,” says Hugo Garcia, owner of Café Buenos Aires. A native of Argentina, Garcia opened the restaurant in 2006 with aspirations of making traditional Argentinean cuisine accessible to Long Island palates. “Argentineans usually prefer grilling sweetbreads with minimal seasonings like salt and pepper, but we try to add some American influence to our dishes. It takes away the intimidation and allows people to try foods from different cultures.”

Comparing sweetbread’s texture to veal, “It’s smooth and tender, practically like white meat.” Garcia recommends consuming the four-to-five piece dish amid a “group of close people that make you feel happy.” And more plates of meat. “Food is about happiness and sharing with people that you care about. We focus carefully on our tapas menu, so you can come and sample a little of everything and experience Argentina’s culture through food.”

Pair with Tikal de Mendoza Amorios, a Malbec from Argentina.

Big Daddy’s Restaurant
(Massapequa)

Dish: Jefferson Parish Blackened Gator
Meat: Alligator
Taste Words: Hawt, Dense, Black-Crusted

I am served a spicy-ass skewer of Jefferson Parish Blackened Gator at Big Daddy’s, a Cajun-cuisined homage to New Orleans in Massapequa. The skewer, a lanky meat-rod of alligator, challenges me to grapple. I accept. We grapple amid lavender walls and Venetian masquerade masks. I win and devour its meat attachments.

Named for the cluster of Louisiana suburbs known for alligator-populated wetlands, Jefferson Parish Blackened Gator is a firm chew of steak-like texture and mild meat flavor. Using farm-raised alligator shipped from Florida, Big Daddy’s prepares the six-piece skewer of lean tailmeat by marinating, blackening and coating with an apple-habanero hot sauce.

“Most places in the south will fry alligator and serve it as nuggets or like popcorn chicken,” says Tom Kurtz, manager of Big Daddy’s. “Our gator resembles scaloppini because we pound it thin to tenderize it before pan-frying.”

I complete my Jefferson Parish Blackened Gator and stare contemplatively at the skewer. It is now bare. “Meat the victor,” I say.

Tweeds Restaurant & Buffalo Bar
(Riverhead)

Dish: Bison Tongue
Meat: Bison
Taste Words: Tender, Slick, Not Gamey, Almost Like Beef

I arrived at Edwin Tuccio’s North Quarter Farm in Riverhead on a silverware-spoked chariot. Tuccio, proprietor of Tweeds Restaurant & Buffalo Bar, raises 300+ of the bovid species on 250 acres.

It is where the buffalo roam. Literally.

“Lend me your tongues, noble ungulates!” I say. “I arrive in the Head of River to consume you! And without Caesar, for fear of an undesirable flavor profile.”

Tuccio quickly thwarts my gladiatorial ploy and transports me to Tweeds Restaurant & Buffalo Bar, which shares space with the 14-room, 1896-established J.J. Sullivan Hotel. Bison is the culinary focal point at Tuccio’s restaurant and no segment of the lean-meated mammal is spared—including the tongue.

“You can basically use all parts of the bison for lean dining,” says Tuccio. “The tongue proves to be less coarse than beef tongue. It possesses a delicate flavor and finer texture.”

Tweeds Restaurant & Buffalo Bar boils the grainy, pink-gray tongue (resemblance = hybrid of elephant skin and roast beef) for several hours until tender, and serves thin-sliced with a mayonnaise-based caper sauce (a light-bodied and slightly bitter condiment that includes North Fork-harvested horseradish). The dish, based on Tuccio’s first tongue consumption at Sam Arnold’s The Fort in Denver, Colorado, is offered as an appetizer.

Brasserie Cassis
(Plainview)

Dish: Cuisses de Grenouille
Meat: Frog
Taste Words: Tender, Chicken-Textured, Fishy

The collection of oddball meats consumed and subsequently documented here are not conventional pieces of animal. Thus, I refused to use the cookery cliché, “tastes like chicken,” within any description. Until now. My visit to Brasserie Cassis, a potpourri of casual French eats opened in 2007, was a specific pilgrimage, one for cuisses de grenouille. AKA frog legs.

A sizzly-aromatic dish featuring the upper segment of a frog’s hind legs, cuisses de grenouille are prepared with a sauté of garlic, basil, salt and lemon juice, and presented atop a three-tomato mattress. The entire process, from pan to plate, is completed within minutes. And they taste like chicken.

“A lot of people make that comparison, and it allows others to feel more comfortable about trying it out,” says Ryan Klampfer, general manager of Brasserie Cassis. “Some people may be apprehensive and miss the opportunity to try new things, so it’s a good introduction.” Though Brasserie Cassis offers traditional dining equipment, like forks and knives, Klampfler recommends consuming the buttery-smooth legs with hands.

“I see people initially fumble with their fork, but they usually give up and just use their hands,” he says. “That’s another reason why frog legs reminds people of chicken. It’s like an order of wings.” Tastes like…

Brasserie Cassis also serves snails (escargot), but this fearless writer declined those slowpokes for the faster moving meat. Niko likes a challenge.

The Meat House
(Roslyn)

Meat: Alligator, Boar, Ostrich

Though available for franchise opportunities and currently operating in 10 states, The Meat House is not the beef-based equivalent of Walmart; they do not offer frozen puck-like hamburgers and ginormous mayonnaise jars. Instead, it is focused on resuscitating the traditional neighborhood butcher and its accompanying nostalgic comforts. The Meat House provides communities with locally sourced, hand-selected meats, exotic ones, too!

“We’re an upscale butcher and grocer and we try to cater specifically to our community,” says Joseph Brakatselos, executive chef and manager of The Meat House’s only Long Island location, which opened in January. “The people of Roslyn are very conscious about their health, so we serve a lot of lean meats that are free-range with no antibiotics or growth hormones. Ostrich is a good example of that.”

Within a department dedicated to local exotic meats, The Meat House’s ostrich fillets, raised on New Jersey’s Fossil Farms and described by Brakatselos as “earthy and tender, perfect after grilling for 10-12 minutes with high heat,” sit near boar, alligator and venison.

It can become exotic-er at The Meat House, however. “I have customers who order mutton and ox tail on a regular basis,” says Brakatselos. “We can get basically anything, though, and it’ll be local and we’ll pick each piece.”

Miloski’s Poultry Farm
(Calverton)

Meat: Camel, Elk, Kangaroo, Turtle, Yak

Upon my visit to Miloski’s Poultry Farm, I was accosted by 4,000 crimson-wattled, Long Island-bred turkeys. They craved meat. Human meat. A tinsel-thin fence was my only protection from a gobbledeath massacre. J/K. They so cute and wittle…

Opened in 1946 by Will Miloski and currently operated by son and grandson (Mark Sr. and Mark Jr., respectively), Miloski’s Poultry Farm annually raises 4,000 free-range, grass-and-grain fed turkeys (available farm fresh or rotisserie) on 25 acres of Calverton soil. “It’s what we’re known for, especially around Thanksgiving,” says Mark Jr., who, like his father, has only worked for the family farm. “It’s always hectic around that time, but we’re the only place to get fresh turkey like this.”

Though Miloski’s is Long Island’s largest turkey purveyor, the farm also parents chickens and sells free-range ducks from Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue. But wait! There is more meat. And exotic, too. Occupying nearly two refrigerators, Miloski’s offers kangaroo patties, boneless turtle, yak, wild boar bacon and its newest product, camel. The farm started collecting exotic meats in 1990 after Mark Jr. exhibited symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia as a child.

“We started feeding him buffalo meat, because of its high iron content and overall health benefits,” says Mark Sr. “I never get tired after eating buffalo like I would with regular beef. A lot of the exotic meats share similar properties and are super healthy.”

Madison’s
Williston Park, (516) 877-2343

The beat goes on at 38 Hillside Avenue in Williston Park. Joseph Lester, the excellent chef/owner of the warm, cozy Ivy Cottage had a successful 14-year run there before selling to two talented partners (he now runs The FarmHouse Kitchen in Rockville Centre). They have changed the restaurant’s name, menu and approach while maintaining a high level of quality.

Now called Madison’s, the reconfigured operation began a shakedown cruise under its new owners last May, manager Kevin Madison and chef Jeffery Slade, closed in July for renovations and reopened as a New American eating place toward the end of the summer. Both partners are experienced restaurateurs. Mr. Madison saw previous service in a management capacity at Lola’s in Long Beach, Peppercorns in Hicksville and Hemingway’s in Wantagh. Chef Slade has worked in the renowned kitchens of Le Bernardin and Le Cirque in the city and The French Laundry in Yountville, California, as well as Farmhouse in Greenport.

Together they have turned the earthy Ivy Cottage into a sleek, modern, black and white venue with a fireplace, wall of mirrors, white tablecloths, a very loud bar scene and most importantly, an ever-changing seasonal menu.

Although there were a few rough patches (noise and service flaws) in the early going at Madison’s, all the signs pointed to it being a serious eating place. Diners are quickly offered four varieties of bread, all of them interesting and good. Also appreciated was a welcome tidbit designed to prime the appetite. Unfortunately the raw Little Neck clam on the half shell topped with a bloody mary gelée was a tad sandy and less than a universal hit (I ate all four because the three other diners at the table had no interest).

Happily, a starter of four pristine, chilled Blue Point oysters ($9) did not suffer the same fate. Even better were three jumbo-sized, slightly-spicy curry, seared, blackened scallops ($15), each on a base of refreshing, seedless watermelon with a touch of feta enhanced by a dressing of aged balsamic. There’s not a thing wrong with the so-called baby spinach “Caesar” salad ($12) though I couldn’t decide whether it was a spinach salad or an unorthodox Caesar with spinach and bacon. The hands-down numero uno starter was the square stack of tender, tasty, boneless ribs ($15) with mashed potatoes.

A number of entrées are given a big boost by their outstanding accompaniments. Included among them are Long Island duck breast ($32) with a smattering of rich plum sauce, super fresh spinach and great grilled endive, and the mellow roasted pork tenderloin ($27) escorted by a big, ripe local peach. The grilled American lamb chops ($32) were beautifully seasoned and very tasty though not buttery tender. Fish lovers can’t do better than the moist, gleaming, ivory-hued halibut ($33).

Although the menu states “all desserts are made in house,” the sorbet ($7) and cheeses ($12) are, of course, made elsewhere. The rich cheesecake mousse ($8), densely flavored flourless chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream ($9) and the caramel crème brûlée ($9) are all winners.

The well-intentioned service doesn’t quite make it to the winner’s circle—the waitstaff only rarely knew who ordered the dishes they were delivering and there were sometimes lengthy gaps between courses. After waiting a long time to get dessert menus, we gave up and had to flag down a waitress.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Roots Bistro Gourmand
West Islip, (631) 587-2844

French food in the form of bistro fare is inching its way back onto Long Island. The healthy eating trend of recent years took its toll on haute cuisine French restaurants that featured rich, sauce-dominated dishes high in calories and cholesterol, while some anti-French political attitudes also had a negative effect.

Until now, relatively upscale, fancified establishments have dominated the new wave of bistros. All that changed when Roots Bistro Gourmand opened in West Islip. This modest spot with its pressed tin ceiling, bare tables and floors, blackboards and almost fanatical emphasis on using local ingredients is the real thing: An authentic French bistro turning out often modern versions of traditional dishes.

Its undeniable bistro spirit has been created by two powerhouse owners: Philippe Corbet, a French born and trained executive chef, and James Orlandi, the restaurant’s general manager and also a chef with both Manhattan and Long Island experience. Both of them adhere to the very French attitude that treats food and restaurants with near religious fervor. Chef Corbet comes with eight years experience in Michelin star-rated restaurants as well as two years as executive chef at Bouley in Manhattan and stints at Stone Creek Inn, Oscar’s of Saint James and O’s Food and Wine Bar here on the Island. Orlandi, who keeps a sharp eye on the dining room and pitches in serving dishes when things get especially frantic, is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education who met Corbet at O’s Food and Wine Bar. He has traveled extensively in Europe and saw service at Jean Georges at the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan.

Together they have trained an excellent waitstaff who know the menu and its ingredients, and also know who ordered the dishes they are delivering. They recite the prices of specials, eliminating the need for often-embarrassed diners to ask what the dishes cost.

Local suppliers are prominently listed on a blackboard and local ingredients like carrots, cherry tomatoes and fava beans dot the dishes at Roots. Its menu will change four times a year and the preparation of individual dishes like the foie gras ($22) change weekly. When we sampled that dish in October, it boasted delicious soft pear slices, roasted acorn squash and a red spice wine reduction in a squash purée. Another bistro mainstay, slow cooked pressed suckling pig ($16/$30) with a sturdy skin and a soft, moist interior, featured a wide array of enhancing platemates like caramelized heart of palm, fresh baby carrots, caraway-lavender honey and spring onion compote. Not as successful were risotto lollipops ($9), three bland under-seasoned rice balls.

Among the entrées, the snappy bouillabaisse with its slightly spicy saffron fish broth and super fresh shell and flatfish ($28) tasted like Marseille, not West Islip. The Roots Royal 8oz skyscraper bistro burger ($18) was too tall to eat with its cheddar, tomato confit, pickled cucumber, onion relish and sweet raw onion. When reconstructed it was still mighty satisfying. So too was the shelled, creamy, smooth butter poached lobster ($38) accompanied by polenta, Vidalia onions, cherry tomatoes, fava beans and a citrus beurre blanc in a sumptuous lobster bisque emulsion.

Think chocolate at dessert time. The inspired, creative trio of chocolate ($11), molten cake, white chocolate ice cream and pot de crème chocolate, is at the top of the list followed by a sundae sampler ($9), three medium-sized bowls, one featuring chocolate with caramel, nuts and chocolate crème fraiche.

We are told Roots plans to deaden its noisy dining room. That is much needed. The headache-producing clamor was one of the only unpleasant aspects of dining at Roots.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Kushi
Nesconset, (631) 366-1688

As Yogi Berra saYs, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” This quote seems appropriate in discussing Kushi, the tiny new Japanese fusion restaurant in the Nesconset Plaza Shopping Center.

Eric Wu and Jason Chen, the same two young, enthusiastic, creative chefs who opened the very similar Onsen in Oakdale are behind Kushi. The first two paragraphs of my Onsen’s review (that follow) apply equally to Kushi.

“There must be a zillion little, look-alike, taste-alike, Japanese storefront restaurants on Long Island. Most of them mediocre. Often in nondescript shopping centers with predictable, interchangeable sushi dominated menus, these tiny spots understandably generate little excitement among diners who justifiably feel, ‘If you’ve eaten at one of them you’ve eaten at all of them.’

Now comes Onsen, yet another unimpressive looking peep of a place that’s as undistinguished as the Oakdale Shopping Center in which it’s located. Yet, although it seems like all the rest, it isn’t.”

Kushi is an unimpressive, narrow, small spot with six tables, 28 seats, a little sushi bar and seating for 18 more outside (in warm weather). At night the Nesconset Plaza is a sleepy shopping center. Yet, the very modest, diminutive Kushi, in a less than prime location, has the same assets as its predecessor. Assets that will no doubt lead to a successful second act for the talented duo of kitchen commanders. (Eric Wu was on duty during both of my visits while Jason Chen remained at Onsen).

Warm and friendly don’t do justice to the reception at Kushi. Customers are absolutely enveloped by the appreciative waitstaff. Complimentary starters are served to everyone and every dish was discounted 20 percent during the grand opening weeks.

In addition to all the usual sushi, sashimi and rolls, the sophisticated menu offers some adventurous, creative Japanese fusion offerings featuring French, Italian and Mexican touches. Rarely seen ingredients at Japanese restaurants such as foie gras, jalapeño, tortilla, barbecued baby back ribs, pizza and eggplant sandwiches dot the menu. Add beautiful looking food (every dish is a work of art, a still life with gentle prices) and you have an appealing, visual, monetary and culinary package.

Pay attention to salads as starters. The feathery mound of Martini Salad ($9) delivers a subtle balance of cool and spicy influences. Spicy ponzu sauce contrasts with cucumber, seaweed salad, crab and daikon radish. Tuna On the Beach ($12) offers a rarely encountered soy onion dressing over cucumber, mango, greens, tomato, cilantro and seared tuna.

Two other appetizers more than worth a nod are the eight tiny Crazy salmon sushis ($13) that pack welcome zing from their wasabi yuzu sauce and the Kenny special ($12), four tuna wrapped morsels stuffed with chopped shrimp, kani and avocado and enhanced by onion dressing.

Although conventional, conservative eaters can find all the usual tempuras, (the shrimp are crisp and plentiful), teriyakis, udon and soba dishes here.

The Onsen special rolls are the stars at Kushi: Three such parcels of satisfaction are the slightly sweet mango Hawaii roll ($12) of salmon and avocado crowned with mango and mango sauce; the simple red dragon roll ($13) layered with goat cheese and tuna that’s topped with sun dried tomato; and the sit up and take notice Joey roll ($14) powered by spicy crab, black pepper tuna and creamy wasabi sauce with shrimp, avocado and crunch. Thin, cold squares of Wagyu beef tataki ($16) came with sea salt, but the listed pepper and mustard sauce made only a miniscule appearance.

Kushi, like Onsen, offers a no cliché menu replete with distinctive dishes.

Photos by Stephen Lang

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Holiday entertaining is just another excuse for exploring the many offerings our local vineyards produce. From 1973 when the Hargraves first planted their vines, to 1999 when Borghese took hold of the vineyard, to today, when more than 50 vineyards are actively producing a library of bottles that are steadily gaining recognition. Imbibe them with a cheese plate, or try some of these superstars with several courses over dinner.

Thanksgiving is approaching! If the forthcoming holiday season induces nausea and an urgency to death-laser relatives, I possess a cure: Foodie Gossip! Read. Relax. Ingest some turkey.

Beer + Ruvo = Brew-vo. The DeNicola trio, proprietors of Ruvo (locations in Greenlawn and Port Jefferson), La Tavola and Del Fuego, collaborated with Port Jeff Brewing Company on October 15 and brewed a house-only beer for charity. The unnamed beer, an IPA birthed with the assistance of Joseph DeNicola, debuts at Port Jeff Brewing Company’s five-course dinner at Ruvo’s easternmost space on November 1 and will permanently remain within all five brother-owned restaurants (Del Fuego’s second location is forthcoming). A percentage of each sale will be donated to charity.

Food is an adequate source of fuel. Now electricity is, too. Cliff’s Elbow Room in Jamesport, a family-run tavern-restaurant opened in 1958 by Cliff Saunders (and now operated by his same-named son), offers a complimentary energy charge station for electric vehicles. If hungry, however, please refrain from replenishing pangs with volts of electricity. Visit Cliff’s Elbow Room’s interior, instead, for food.

Long Island Restaurant Week runs November 4-11. The bi-annual celebration established in 2006 and designed to showcase Long Island’s cuisine, offers a three-course prix-fixe for $24.95. Participants (150+) include North Fork Oyster Company, Bistro Cassis and Thyme. Conclusion. I must repeat the column’s initial sentence: Thanksgiving is approaching! Since turkey is not an issue, visit Ms. Michelle’s Urban Gourmet, a gluten-free bakery-cafe in Bayport operated by Michelle Gillette and Christopher Kelly, for non-poultry holiday treats using North Fork-bred apples and pumpkins (the latter are obtained from Cutchogue’s Stakey’s Pumpkin Farm). Examples include caramel apples and chocolate chip pumpkin bread. 

Try NOW: Frisée
Availability: Mid-October-December
Characteristics: Curly, bitter, crisp, yellow-white
Produce Producers: Satur Farms
Owners: Eberhard Müller and Paulette Satur
Location: Cutchogue

Send your food news to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon have such a large share of the wine market that they are considered the vanilla and chocolate of the industry. Grapes like Pinot Grigio (Gris), Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Merlot represent much of the remaining market. All of these grapes get associated with a place, like Burgundy (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) and Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), which are considered the “old world” templates, while the regions of Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Willamette and others are “new world.” Then comes a group of grapes from Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece and less recognized areas of France that aren’t as popular.

This month’s focus is on the Rhône Valley, which is full of fun, diverse grapes that play to its diverse climate. The Côte du Rhône is one of the older wine regions in the world and was first recognized by the French Government in 1935. This region is now Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are about 27 grapes used in the Rhône. The most famous are Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier, with Roussanne, Marsanne, Muscat and Carignan also playing roles both locally and internationally. The northern areas of the Rhône (Côte Rôtie, Cornas, Hermitage, Saint Joseph and Condrieu) focus on Syrah and Viognier, while Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and others are best suited to the warmer climates of the southern Rhône. This jumble of grapes creates a wide palate of flavors even when from a single variety (Syrah in Cornas) or a Syrah blended with a bit of Viognier as Côte Rôtie sometimes does or when a Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer uses all thirteen grapes allowed (Château de Beaucastel).

Other regions and winemakers have discovered the possibilities of Rhône grapes and have produced stunning wines. A group of winemakers in California call themselves the Rhône Rangers. This group must consider Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon and Bob Lindquist of Qupé as their guiding lights. Grahm has been producing great versions of Rhône wines from Santa Cruz, California, for about 25 years. Two of his most famed are labeled as a bit of a lampoon at his inspiration, Châteauneuf-du-Pape—Old Telegram is named after famed producer Vieux Télégraphe, and Le Cigare Volant is in reference to an obscure Rhône law prohibiting the landing of Flying Cigars (UFOs) in the vineyards of Châteauneuf. Old Telegram is 100 percent Mourvèdre, while Le Cigare Volant is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault. Due to the lack of market share, many of these wines offer excellent value, adventure and plenty of fun flavors that pair with many styles of cuisine. 

Rhône grapes are well worth seeking out:
2003 Bonny Doon Old Telegram, Contra Costa, CA $50
2007 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, Central Coast, CA $45
2009 Copain Les Voisins Syrah, Mendocino, CA $36
2009 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France $98
2008 E. Guigal la Moulin Côte-Rôtie, France $300
NV Sean Thackrey Pleiades, CA $26
2009 Daniel Gehrs Syrah, Santa Barbara, CA $16

The beverage center was an oft-neglected apostle of craft beer on Long Island. Until now.

NASSAU

The Point Ale House & Grill
(516) 442-2403, Point Lookout
facebook.com/thepointalehousegrill

Start entry on The Point Ale House & Grill with pertinent Al Pacino quote from The Godfather, Part III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

Ed Ainbinder, former owner of West Hempstead’s The Palm Cafe from 1986-2001 (the defunct establishment was family-opened in 1968), chose to leave bar-restaurants forever and dedicate full-time energy to a profession in finance. Almost.

“I worked in banking and climbed the ladder after The Palm Cafe for some time, but I stopped in 2006,” says Ainbinder, who opened The Point Ale House & Grill with Tom Masi in August 2012. “I was going to put my suit back on, but a good opportunity was presented, so I went for it. The rest is history.”

The opportunity for Ainbinder, a former collegiate football player at Hofstra University, was 70 Lido Boulevard, former home of The Bay House. With Masi, the duo rehabilitated the 2,300-square-foot building and installed a 22-draft system “that appeals to everyone, from the hardcore beer guy to the person who only likes lighter stuff.” Recent pours include Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales 60 Minute IPA, a citrusy, malt-sweet staple, and Blue Point Brewing Company Oktoberfest, a grainy German-style lager available during autumn.

“I’m slowly weaning people off the Bud bottle,” says Ainbinder. “We run our lines less than 10 feet, so our beer is reaching the taps quicker and pouring real fresh. We’ve only been open since August, but the response has been great.”

Complete entry on The Point Ale House & Grill with pertinent Al Pacino quote from Scent of a Woman: “HOO-AH!”

Syosset Beverage
(516) 496-7271, Syosset
syossetbeverage.com

“A lot of people are trying samples from our taps and drinking beer they normally wouldn’t buy,” says manager Kevin Johnson, who provides craft inventory suggestions to Roseanne Nicotra, owner of Syosset Beverage. He uses Facebook and BeerAdvocate to research brewery reviews and monitor release dates. “We keep a good mix, but try to feature beers like Port Jeff Brewing Company Schooner Ale and Great South Bay Brewery Blonde Ambition Ale because they’re great for any level of drinker.” Browse 700+ beverage brands and sample from their growler station. Consume. Growl. Enjoy.

SUFFOLK

Zum Schneider
(631) 238-5963, Montauk  
zumschneider.com

I am filming my commercial for Zum Schneider, a biergarten in the East Village, to promote its new location in Montauk. The script is below. Enjoy.

[Setting: A mancave with three unused guitars, empty Budweisers and poster of Jenny McCarthy from Singled Out. Three dudes are playing Sega Genesis. Niko Krommydas enters room and bludgeons console.]

Niko Krommydas: “Hey! I believe your Sega Genesis has malfunctioned. No sweat. We can play Hypothetical Craft Beer Existence Situation! Close your eyes.”

[Dudes close their eyes.]

“You now exist within Zum Schneider. Observe the checkered brauerei banners and browse the menu of 12 drafts, 11 bottles and a selection of signature cocktails using beer schnapps, distilled versions of beer often aged in bourbon or wine barrels. I recommend one of the five pours from Hofbräuhaus Traunstein, only available in North America at Zum Schneider. Okay. Open your eyes.”

[Dudes open their eyes.]

NK: “Hey! Three mugs of Hofbräuhaus Traunstein 1612er Zwickelbier, a grassy, golden-crisp lager, have conveniently replaced your malfunctioned Sega Genesis console. Enjoy!”

D: “Thanks, Mr. Krommydas!”

Bellport Cold Beer & Soda
(631) 286-0760, Bellport
bellportbeer.com

David Schlutzer is the proud father of four children: Adam, Joshua, Hannah and Bellport Cold Beer & Soda. The latter progeny, also the eldest (age=15), is currently a refined, local-supporting beverage center offering 1,000+ brands and a 14-draft growler station. Prior to birth, however, Bellport Cold Beer & Soda was Station Beverage.

“The place was a mess,” says Schlutzer, who purchased the delinquent property and changed the name on July 1, 1997. “It was basically a malt liquor warehouse with 40 brands. I think it had more soda than beer, actually. As I learned more about craft beer, it’s something I wanted to push on Long Island.”

Though Schlutzer has slowly poured variety into Long Island’s arid pintscape, his beverage center represents more than an always-increasing portfolio of bottles and cans; Bellport Cold Beer & Soda is a space for community.

Know This: Bellport Cold Beer & Soda was one of Blue Point Brewing Company’s initial retail accounts. “They drove around and sold beer in a ratty van, and I had a ratty store,” says Schlutzer. “They came in with some growlers and I realized we were both nuts. It was the start of a beautiful relationship.”

Follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, at lipulse.com where you can find more craft beer on Long Island.

Photo by Stephen Lang

SUFFOLK

Blue
(631) 363-6666, Blue Point  
restaurantblue.com
Plunging into the deep blue never felt as good as a dive into Blue, the nautical-themed seafood and steak restaurant in Blue Point. The professional and sharp looking staff wear big smiles along with suits and bright blue ties that advance the sophisticated atmosphere. Furnished with crystal chandeliers, aqua blue lighting and plush booths, the high ceiling dining room exudes the ambiance of an underwater paradise. The menu holds a spot for all taste buds, but a must try section is the “Blushi,” Blue’s spin on a traditional sushi menu. The Blue raw seafood tower, packed with fresh clams, oysters, shrimp, lobster and tuna sashimi, is cold and mouth-watering—as are the drinks. It doesn’t get more delectable than the “Lust” cocktail, made with champagne, Chambord, vodka, and muddled raspberries and blackberries. The night is not over yet! The other end of the restaurant boasts a large square bar surrounded by classy décor and an even classier crowd dressed to the nines dancing the night away. When the large glass doors open onto an outdoor patio, you’ll find tables, a mini bar, VIP lounges and heat lamps to suppress the fall chill. A live band Friday nights and a resident DJ on Saturday nights ensures Blue succeeds in satisfying guests of all ages and musical tastes.

NASSAU

Chalet Restaurant & Lounge
(516) 621-7975, Roslyn
roslynchalet.com
A Roslyn staple, Chalet knows a thing or two about what their guests desire—comfortable and enchanting dining. It has been renovated from a retro-hangout spot into a restaurant and lounge sporting understated elegance, making for a cherished dining experience. What makes it even more intimate is the warm and alluring staff who always make sure your food is savory and your drink is filled. Menu contents include standards like Asian spring rolls and Monterey Jack sliders. Veteran bartender Charles whips up refreshing cocktails along with quality conversation. Chalet possesses ultimate charm with its burning fireplace surrounded by crimson red walls, dark wood floors, white tables and couches and eclectic artwork. Although petite and cozy, it’s big enough for three floors of dining, private rooms for special occasions and rooftop seating. Dwell after dinner while the DJ sets up by the bar—you will have plenty of room to dance off your meal. 

NYC

Ajna Bar
(646) 416-6002, Manhattan
ajnabarnyc.com
Escape the outside world. Ajna Bar in New York City transports you from the bustling city through a rounded slate hallway filled with Thai Buddhas into an enchanting world where Asian-enthused flavors and décor come to play. Deep, dark wood, high ceilings and Asian inspired wall art make city trendsetters and adventurous suburbanites feel as though they’ve journeyed into Asia. The family-style menu is abundant with exotic dishes like miso-glazed Chilean sea bass, filo-spun tiger shrimp, roasted lemongrass chicken and the avocado salad topped with pink grapefruit, red endive and toasted pinenuts. Wash it all down with one or many of Ajna’s beverages, including an extensive wine list, delicious sakes and scrumptious cocktails such as the Black Buddha made with mango vodka, mango purée, pomegranate juice and pineapple juice. Ajna fills up late night with swarms of trendy city folk as well as patrons from outside the city, people who prefer VIP bottle service and those who favor a more unassuming night. Guests can hardly stay seated once the world-renowned DJs start to spin, continuing the night into an unforgettable dance party. With bumping music, delectable food and close friends, you’re bound to have one hell of a night at Ajna Bar.