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April 2008

The Spring Specials Continue

As Restaurant Week comes to a close, there are still plenty of good deals out there this spring! So here are some must-tries….

Pasta, pasta! 1789 Restaurant at The Maine Maid [516] 935-6400 in Jericho offers a three-course pasta prix fixe every Tuesday night for $12 pp. Sample menu items include: mushroom ravioli served with plum tomato sauce, eggplant rollatini chicken parmigiana and traditional spaghetti and meatballs.

Maine Maid Inn

Have a cocktail at Café Formaggio (516) 333-1718 in Carle Place. It’s “Martini Night” every Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. Patrons may enjoy $6 martinis. Selections will vary each week. Sample martinis include Watermelon, Passion Fruit, Pomerita, and Mo-Tini.

The envelope please . . . City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill (516) 693- 5400 in Westbury is celebrating spring with a mystery envelope giveaway starting April 21st. While supplies last, diners will be handed a mystery-sealed envelope at the conclusion of their meal to be opened upon their next visit to reveal their prize. Prizes include: complimentary dessert, complimentary bottle of wine, dinner for two, bottle of Perrier Jouet with two hand painted champagne flutes and the grand prize of two tickets to West Palm Beach, FL and dinner for two at City Cellar’s sister restaurant in West Palm Beach. Envelopes will be distributed throughout the week during lunch and dinner while supplies last.

Wine lovers take note: George Martin’s Coastal Grill [516] 432-2690 in Long Beach now offers 50% off every bottle on their wine list Monday nights from 5 to 10 p.m. Wine enthusiasts may also enjoy some fine cuisine paired with their bottle of choice. Sample menu items include: Stuffed yellow tail flounder; Montrachet-pecan crusted breast of chicken; and Cowboy-cut angus rib eye.

Savor spring brunch at Jedediah’s [631] 722-2900 at the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport. Every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. brunch is served for $22, $27 or $35 depending on the main course. Sample menu items include: eggs any style, applewood smoked bacon, fingerling potatoes, English muffin, thick-cut French toast, blackberry syrup, sweetened ricotta, and world’s greatest lobster roll.

Jedediah"s

Grab the family and head out to Nick & Toni’s (631) 324- 3550 in East Hampton, cause Sunday is family night. The chef will prepare a special tailored meal of three courses, including an appetizer; entrée and dessert, all served family style for the table. The price of this special menu is $35 per person.

Ruvo Restaurants [631] 476-3800 & [631] 261-7700 in Port Jefferson and Greenlawn will offer a four-course “peasant-style” wine dinner every Thursday night, featuring traditional Italian dishes. Only this prix fixe menu will include unlimited wine with each course and will cost $45 pp. The menu will change weekly, sample items include: Slow Roasted Veal Shoulder w/Root Vegetables and Black Spaghetti with Mussels, Chilis & Mint.

Drafts and dim sum at WEI FUN [631] 329-2600 in East Hampton. A tasting flight of the four beers and dim sum pairing is available every night, all night at the bar starting at 5 p.m. The special includes their selection of draft beers matched perfectly with their dim sum menu for $17pp.

WEI FUN

News & Events

Sing your heart out at Almoncello (631) 329-6700 in East Hampton cause Saturday is karaoke night starting at 10:30 p.m. So pick your best tune and belt it out, but of course you might want loosen up with a glass of Chianti!

The family’s in the kitchen at Annona Restaurant [631] 288-7766 in Westhampton Beach. Two members of the Bottero restaurateur family are in the kitchen -- Uncle Fabrizio and nephew Pietro. Executive Chef Fabrizio is best known as the once chef-owner of New York’s 65 Irving Place. Pietro, manager and chef de cuisine, invited his uncle to help bring world-class Italian seasonal cooking to Long Islanders. Annona’s modern Italian menu showcases local bounty with Mediterranean touches in a unique location.

Annona

Develop your first crush at Bedell Cellars (631) 734 – 7537 in Cutchogue. They have announced the release of the 2007 First Crush White and 2007 First Crush Red. The First Crush is Bedell Cellars true “Second-Label” wine. The fruit that is used is from their young vines and of the declassified growths from the estate vineyards. First crush is designed for the table and for the everyday enjoyment of wine fans everywhere and especially those who have a bit of a crush on young wines. Bedell Cellars 2007 First Crush White and 2007 First Crush Red can be purchased through Bedell Cellars by calling (631) 734-7537 or online at www.bedellcellars.com for $18 a bottle.

If your looking for Greek look no further then Cávo (718) 721- 1001 in Astoria. New menu items have been added to their spring menu. Risotto crispy rice balls stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and oven dried tomatoes; ravioli filled with Swiss chard and feta, baby tomatoes and basil; and tuna herb and coriander crusted Atlantic blue fin with Israeli couscous with citrus vinaigrette.

Delectables at Cavo

Get your Passover goods at Citarella in East Hampton [631] 324-9190 and Water Mill [631] 726-3636. From fresh lamb and chicken, fresh ingredients for homemade gefilte fish, delectable prepared foods and pastry selections, Citarella has everything the gourmand needs. Items include prime first-cut brisket, schmaltz, whitefish, matzoh ball soup, gefilte fish, and a seder plate. Orders must be placed three days in advance.

It’s a sure sign of spring if The Clam Bar (631) 267-6348 in Amagansett has re-opened! This is the earliest the Clam Bar has ever opened in their 20-year existence. The classic seafood snack bar is open Saturday and Sunday’s at noon for lunch and dinner until dark, weather permitting of course.

Visitors to Long Island Wine Country can now stop at its gateway for lunch. Desmond’s at East Wind [631] 846-2335 in Wading River is now open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Try the catfish ratatouille, pan-seared duck breast or shrimp and clam bianco.

News & Events cont"d . . .

Two Hamptons favorites, Fresno Restaurant [631] 324 8700 in East Hampton and Wölffer Estate Vineyards in Sagaponack, partner for a $75 per person wine dinner of local bounty by Executive Chef Gretchen Menser on April 13th. Among the five-courses paired with South Fork wines are local fluke tartar, pan-seared local monkfish with littleneck clams, local cheeses and famous Fresno donuts with Milk Pail apple cider caramel.

Fresno

Spring has sprung new items at Four Food Studio and Cocktail Salon [631] 577-4444 in Melville. Sample menu items include: lamb raviolis with olives, apricots, rosemary, sheep’s milk ricotta & marcona almonds, prosciutto flatbread with arugula, fontina, shaved parmesan & Tuscan olive oil, and pan seared halibut cauliflower puree, roasted tomatoes, fried capers, lemon & parsley.

Those who have brunched at The Garden City Hotel [516] 747-3000 know it’s the finest in the land but now so does GAYOT.com. The world famous travel guide chose Chef Steven De Bruyn’s fare as one of the top ten luxury hotel brunches in America and singularly representing New York.

Wine and dine at Mac’s Steakhouse (631) 549-5300 in Huntington. They are hosting a Grgich Hills wine dinner on Monday, April 28th from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The five-course dinner will be paired with wines. The menu will feature crispy seared Kona Kampachi, braised Niman Ranch lamb shank, and a trio of chocolate cake. Cost of the dinner is $125 pp.

Mac"s Steakhouse

Chef Matthew Guiffrida of MUSE Restaurant & Aquatic Lounge (631) 726-2606 in Water Mill will cook a five-course dinner at The James Beard House on Thursday, April 24th beginning with a reception at 7 p.m. Menu items include: roast pork and Latin-spiced kimchee; “Hamptons harvest salad” with granny smith apples and brown sugar vinaigrette; “deep south sampler” with mini buttermilk fried chicken drum stick and shrimp and grits; “monkey business” with banana crusted sea scallops and banana tartar; and “fluffer nutter” with peanut butter mousse and crème brulee French toast. Cost is $125 for members and $155 for the public.

Go Asian at Nisen Sushi (516) 496- 7000 in Woodbury. They have introduced some new menu items to their dinner menu along with some new specialty cocktails. Some new items are, the Woodbury Roll with spicy yellowtail crunch, cucumber, and spicy tuna on top of rich crunchy and puffed rice Chilean sea bass with hedgehog mushroom, heart of palm, sake braised leek sauce and lobster dumplings. And don’t forget to try a Green Tea martini!

Nisen Sushi

Stonewalls Restaurant (631) 506-0777 in Riverhead presents a special wine dinner on Friday, April 18th at 6:30 p.m. featuring Jamesport Vineyards. The dinner includes fresh mushroom salad, scallops, rack of lamb and chocolate puck. Cost is $60 pp.

* Hot Spot of the Month *
Send us your suggestions and we will most certainly check it out! Email us at lauren@wordhampton.com.

This month"s hot spot: Café Formaggio in Carle Place, New York, sits across from the bustling Roosevelt Field Mall on Old Country Road. Opened in June 2006, the comfortable and welcoming Italian restaurant is the first joint venture for three Italian-American families, who are committed to making their newest project a real “family” place. Executive Chef/Owner Joe Licata serves traditional and contemporary Italian dishes with emphasis on fresh, top-quality ingredients at reasonable prices. Sample menu items include: Formaggio fondue with grilled chicken, broccoli, ciabatta bread and grilled shrimp; sole limoncello with risotto, spinach and mushrooms; la focaccia pizza, from the authentic wood-fired brick oven, with fontina cheese, prosciutto, mozzarella, ricotta, garlic and oil; nutella pizza “di bosco” with warm “nutella” hazelnut chocolate, bananas, apples, strawberries, caramel and powdered sugar. They also offer gluten-free menu items, an express lunch option, and take-out. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

That’s it for now until next month, Bon Appetit!

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