Oct 12, 2008
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Oct 12, 2008 |
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The spacious restaurant is owned by the Volpe brothers, born in Sicily. Franco, the chef, and Roberto, the wine director, manage the restaurant together, while siblings Sal and Charlie run the attached Anton pizzeria. The pizzeria, formerly situated in a strip mall across the street, was where the business originated.
On my initial Saturday night visit, I was greeted by a gracious hostess and the faint scent of wood smoke emanating from the pizzeria next door. A well- turned-out crowd was milling around the entry area and the bar. Despite the bustle, our reservation was honored promptly.
From the well-conceived wine list, we ordered a dark, fruity Nero D'Avola. It was a choice that went well with the tavolaccio del salumiere, an assortment of quality Italian meats and cheeses (sopressata, capicolla, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino), fare atypical of the usual Long Island pizza-pasta house. At this price point, it's hard to find the likes of the carciofi scottati, pan-seared fresh artichoke hearts served on a bed of arugula and topped with shaved Parmesan, olive oil and lemon. The La Volpe salad -- white beans, sgombro (Italian canned tuna), onions, lemon and olive oil over arugula -- was an intriguing dish that reflected the Sicilian heritage of the chef.
It would be a shame not to order one of the small wood-oven pizzas, ideal as a shared starter. Its crust was lightly charred, crisp but not crackerlike, standing up well to a topping of prosciutto, tomato sauce and arugula.
Even a sardine-phobe at our table was won over by the bucatini chi sardi, an authentic Sicilian dish composed of long tubular pasta tossed with sardines, fennel, pignioli, peas, tomato sauce and lots of toasted bread crumbs. Spaghetti con frutti di mare featured al dente pasta topped with a simple mélange of fresh mussels, shrimp and clams. I liked the interplay of flavors in the rigatoni all'Amatriciana, pasta tubes in a bright tomato sauce infused with the smokiness of pancetta. Orecchiette alla Barese (ear-shaped pasta with broccoli rabe, ground sausage, garlic and Parmesan) is a dish that's hard to get right. So often, the pasta is overcooked or underdone, and the flavors don't meld. Franco Volpe made it work the way it was meant to.
A conventional Italian-American favorite, pollo alla Francese, came out fork tender, glossed with a buttery, citrusy sauce. A winning choice was orange roughy alla Volpe, mild fish pan-seared with red onion, zucchini and cherry tomatoes in a light, fragrant curry sauce. Curry in an Italian restaurant? It is, I learned, a flavor that is fast gaining in popularity in Sicily.
Finales, from an outside baker, represented a falling off. Tiramisu, in both almond-flavored and plain versions, was a creamy but undistinguished cliche. Chocolate molten cake turned out to be both underwhelming and overbaked, not helped any by its aerosol topping and maraschino cherry.
The owners ought to hire a pastry chef whose desserts live up to the well-executed, authentic Italian cuisine. Food of this caliber, served in a setting that's classy without being stuffy, makes this place more than just a local hit. Italophiles who don't know where Center Moriches is might want to find out.
Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 3/12/07
Hours: Lunch, Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.; dinner, Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 4 to 10:30 p.m.