Long Island Restaurants

Mangia Mangia

A bowl of spaghetti and meatballs can be a glorious indulgence, but all too often, it turns out a heavy cliche. At Mangia Mangia in Patchogue, the pasta on my plate was al dente, the meatballs light-textured and deep-flavored, the sauce bright and tasting as though someone's nonna from Palermo had stirred the pot.

I was so happy to be eating that dish that I forgave the 45-minute wait I had to endure for a table in the restaurant's crowded, boisterous dining room.

The food at this splashy new place does much to compensate for minor shortcomings. On a relatively quiet evening, my husband and I arrived before our guests, but the manager would not seat an incomplete party. "It's against rules," he said, smiling apologetically.

Later, we came up against regulations once more when we asked our waitress whether we could get a small order of a specialty pasta as a side dish, adding that we would pay whatever the extra cost would be. She returned to tell us the chef was sorry, but everything had been "portioned out," so it had to be a whole order.

Chef-owner Angelo Galeotafiore may be resolute about some things, but he is also a stickler for using premium organic ingredients. And the man can certainly cook. His minestrone was rich and herbal, brimming with fresh vegetables. Plump Prince Edward Island mussels "Carmine" were bathed in a fragrant broth of Moscato wine, ultra-rich plugra butter, herbs, garlic and shallots. I liked the lemony quality of a shrimp and scallop scampi appetizer but thought the shrimp a tad overcooked. Crisp, light carciofini friti - petite fried artichokes - were delectable, served with a piquant cayenne-balsamic mayonnaise. But lasagne, which should have been served piping hot, contained more pasta than meat sauce and ricotta, prompting a member of our party to describe it as "doughy." A refined but robust chicken scarpariello had been made with boneless breasts and sausage from Galeotafiore's family salumeria, Delfiore Italian Pork Store. The dish was sagaciously spiced, glossed with a white wine lemon butter sauce. The kitchen did equally well with a light, lemony chicken picatta scattered with capers and a bit of chopped tomato. The roasted whole fish of the day was brook trout. It was crisp-skinned without, mild within and finished with a white wine cherry tomato broth.

Desserts, usually the downfall of suburban Italian restaurants, were exceptional. Galeotafiore said they are the work of his cousin, garde-manger and pastry chef Julie Parisi. Her tiramisu, served in a martini glass, was light and boozy. I was especially impressed with a warm old-fashioned apple crumb pie served with Tahitian vanilla gelato. That same gelato also made a good foil for the creamy flourless bittersweet chocolate cake. Crème brulee had the requisite crackle on top and rich smoothness beneath.

What would make dining here a smoother experience? Perhaps the management (which has never been anything but gracious when turning down requests) should bend a bit. There's a big difference between a crowded Saturday night and a slow Tuesday. A restaurant should, when feasible, put staff convenience on the back burner and make customer pleasure rule number one.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 10/20/06.

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