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Jericho: Is Palio out of the race?
Palio Ristorante was quick out of the gate: Newsday's Peter Gianotti gave it three stars when it opened in October 2008. Six months later it made local-restaurant history by giving away free dinners to hundreds of diners.
But now it seems headed for the glue factory. The restaurant hasn’t been open for business since Saturday, March 13. Owner Tom Graziano said that it was closed for vacation but wouldn’t say when it would reopen. (In our experience, this usually means "never.")
Palio has struggled to find an audience since it opened. Initially, executive chef Massimo Fedozzi was serving some of Long Island’s most modern and creative Italian food in one of its most attractive and comfortable dining rooms, but as the economy went into free-fall, Palio began to retool.
In April 2009, Graziano took the unprecedented step of offering two nights of free dinners to attract new customers. Then the regular menu prices came down. Then, for two weeks in August, Palio cut its food and wine prices by 50 percent.
In September, the restaurant rolled out a new, more moderately priced menu but that didn't seem to do the trick either.
Last month, Graziano said that he was entertaining offers for the restaurant. In late February, Fedozzi resigned. The building that houses Palio is also for sale, according to the “for sale” sign erected a few weeks ago. It looks like it's time to say adio.
Newsday photo / Erica Marcus
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Papa Razzi: new snapshots
Not much has changed over the past 15 years at Papa Razzi in Westbury, last reviewed in 1994.
Like certain Italian movie stars, the sole LI branch of a Boston-based chain doesn’t show its age. It’s a handsome place with both intimate booths and big tables; one room, suitable for large parties, has a fireplace. Fittingly, walls are decorated with the works of “paparazzi” (those pesky celebrity photographers) — shots of Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Lewis, Richard Pryor and scores of others. Enter and you’re greeted with the campfire scent of the wood burning pizza oven.
Maybe I’ve had one too many wood-oven pizzas, because the crust here didn’t impress me as much as it did years ago. In terms of flavor, it was kind of bland; the best bites were oven-charred. Also, the center sagged beneath a simple but very good Margherita topping of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. A panino (stuffed into a flat, thin pita-like bread) with sausage, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions and provolone was OK, not exceptional.
Here's the way the review read back in ’94: “Papa Razzi is not a perfect Italian restaurant, but it’s a good one, especially considering that it’s part of a national chain.”
Of interest: The place offers a Saturday and Sunday brunch from 11:30 to 3 p.m. All brunch items (among them chicken hash, smoked salmon, steak and eggs and, um, fruit pizza) include a complimentary Bellini or mimosa.
Papa Razzi is at 1500 Jericho Tpke., Westbury, 516-877-7744, paparazzitrattoria.com
Newsday Photo of margherita pizza at Papa Razzi/Joan Reminick
Tags: Papa Razzi, Westbury
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This week's restaurant reviews
In this week's restaurant reviews, critic Peter M. Gianotti visits Blackwells at the Great Rock Golf Club in Wading River. "Even if you're not ready for the 19th hole, chef Chris Gerdes' cooking makes Blackwells worth visiting," he says.
Cheap Eats critic Joan Reminick says that Bonbori in Huntington "keeps its focus on quality sushi and Thai fare."
A porterhouse steak is served with a Cabernet demiglace and frizzled onions at Blackwells in Wading River. (Photo by Doug Young / March 14, 2010)
Tags: Blackwells, wading river, huntington, bonbori
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Weekender: Three tasty courses
Spring makes you hungry for more sun, short sleeves, a good meal. Here are three choices for the weekend.
In Huntington, Jonathan's is having its own March Madness, with a 30 percent discount on wine. The discount is available Sunday to Friday, but not on Saturday. There are plenty of excellent choices at different prices. Among the producers whose wines are available: Gaja, Bruno Giacosa, Felsina and Paolo Scavino from Italy; and Shafer, Duckhorn, Caymus and Turley from California. Enjoy a plate of salumi, or cured meats; and follow with a juicy pork chop or a risotto.
Jonathan's is at 15 Main St., Huntington; 631-549-0055.
Head all the way east to sample the menus from new chef Robbin Haas at the Montauk Yacht Club. His Gulf Coast Kitchen starts Hamptons Restaurant Week with a $24.95 fixed-price menu that includes such spring fare as roasted striped bass with roasted ramps and morels; and English pea agnolotti with roasted tomato broth.
Gulf Coast Kitchen is at 32 Star Island Rd., Montauk; 631-668-3100.
And brunch at The Palm Court, the airy eatery at the Carltun complex in Eisenhower Park, has Sunday brunch for $34.95. Mimosas and Bloody Marys, omelets and French toast, steak and eggs, more.
Reach The Park Court in East Meadow at 516-542-0700.
Photo by Jenna Ferremi
Tags: Jonathan's, Huntington, Gulf Coast Kitchen, Montauk, The Palm Court, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow
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St. Joseph’s Day menus
Today, March 19, is the feast day of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph), who is not only the patron saint of families but, in the Sicilian tradition, is associated with a number of celebratory dishes, the most famous of which is zeppole, balls of fried dough which may or may not be filled with cream.
At his two Mineola restaurants, Maxxels (526 Jericho Tpke., 516-294-3604) and pastaVino (149 Mineola Blvd., 516-294-1715), Carmelo Sapuppo (born in Regalbuto, Sicily) is serving zeppole topped with pastry cream as well as pasta con sarde, the Sicilian “national” dish consisting of bucatini pasta, sardines, pine nuts, raisins and fennel. Sapuppo is also serving a family favorite, pappardelle di Giuseppe, sauced with anchovies, raisins, tomato and bread crumbs, and then lightly browned in the oven.
At Da Angelo (815 Willis Ave., Albertson, 516-741-8694), Angelo Giangrande is serving pasta con sarde—which I have personally enjoyed in years past. Pasta con sarde will also grace the menus of Casa Rustica (175 W Main St, Smithtown, 631-265-9265) and La Volpe (611 Montauk Hwy. Center Moriches, 631-874-3819) where it is known as bucatini chi sardi.
St. Joseph, left, with an angel, the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus in Caravaggio’s “Rest on the Flight into Egypt,” from Rome’s Galleria Doria Pamphilij.
Tags: St. Joseph, San Giuseppe, Maxxels, pastaVino, Mineola
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Maize makes the 5 o'clock news
If you're a fan of Maize Cantina in Commack, you may want to set your DVR for tomorrow at around 5:45. That's about when the restaurant is scheduled to be in a Channel 7 Eyewitness News segment entitled "Neighborhood Eats."
Maize was included in last year's Top Ten lineup of "Cheap Eats" restaurants. Here's what we wrote: "At his creative Latin-fusion spot, chef Michael Merida even makes the tortillas. He recently upgraded the innovative assortment of pupusas, arepas and salads, adding some knockout appetizers and entrees while earning three stars."
Not to be missed is Merida's sensational lobster quesadilla made with bacon, egg and truffle oil.
Maize is at 1141 Jericho Tpke., Commack, 631-864-2777
Newsday Photo of Maize exterior/Rebecca Cooney
Tags: Maize Cantina, Commack, Channel 7 Eyewitness News, Michael Merida
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Roslyn: Landmark Diner update
It’s been four months since the Landmark Diner moved into its new double-decker digs, and the newest menu items are the flat-screen computer terminals that grace each of the 15 booths. By touching the screen, diners can access not only the diner’s Web site and menu, but also computer games, videos, a virtual jukebox, news and sports. They can also surf the Web or check e-mail. I had myself some meta-fun: from my booth I checked out Wikipedia’s entry on Roslyn (population 2,570) and read this very blog.
At one table, four gentlemen were tapping away on the screen during their dinner. “You can look up the calories in what you are eating,” said Arturo from Lancaster who preferred not to give his last name. Added Jimmy Lopez of Manhasset, “You can play games if your companion is boring.''
Since the move, said co-owner Lou Tiglias, the diner has doubled its sales and brought in new customers. Nevertheless, there are old-timers who miss the old building and the old menu. Accordingly, Tiglias and executive chef Chris Palmer have tweaked the menu, making room for some abandoned favorites, among them individual cans of tuna and sardines, and egg salad. Palmer stands firm in his refusal to cook the diner staple “chicken gyro,” made from prefabricated loaves, but he has concocted his own turkey gyro from ground turkey and Greek seasonings.
Then there’s the omelet battle. Palmer has been making classic French-style omelets, tender, gently folded, made in a proper omelet pan, but some customers demand the kind where the egg is poured out onto the griddle, cooked dry and then rolled up. “If I had cooked eggs like that in culinary school,” he said, “I would have failed.” The compromise: Landmark is serving both French and “pancake-style” omelets.
It was tough going the first few months, Tiglias said, dealing with some customers' perennial criticisms, but he's become pretty philosophical. Gesturing to a couple settling up with the cashier he remarked, “They come in every day for lunch and dinner—and they complain every time.”
The Landmark Diner is at 1027 Northern Blvd., Roslyn, 516-304-5387.
Dominic Calisto, left, and Jimmy Lopez, both of Manhasset, with the new flat-screen computer terminal at Landmark Diner. Newsday photo / Erica Marcus
Tags: Roslyn, Landmark Diner, Lou Tiglias, Chris Palmer
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Afghani allure in Huntington
It’s been close to a decade since I’ve eaten at Kabul Afghani Cuisine in Huntington, where time seems to have stood still.
Considering the food, that’s a good thing. Aushak, the Afghan version of ravioli, are as irresistible as ever, the tender pasta filled with a savory leek mixture and topped with meat sauce, yogurt and mint. Grilled marinated cubes of lamb, threaded onto skewers, burst spicy juices when bitten. And it’s hard to stop spooning away at the creamy rice pudding.
The decor, however, could use a bit of an update. Everything is so unrelentingly brown, it feels like the 70s all over again.
Kabul Afghani Cuisine is at 1153 E. Jericho Tpke., Huntington, 631-549-5506, kabulny.com
Newsday Photo/Joan Reminick
Tags: Kabul Afghani Cuisine, Huntington
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Plainview: Dim sum @ Morgo's Dynasty
Morgo's Dynasty, which has been around long enough to earn its surname, sends out one of one of Long Island's elusive commodities: good dim sum.
The restaurant, now a Chinese and Japanese cuisine combo plate, does all right with sushi and orange beef, cold sesame noodles and spicy cabbage salad. Sometimes, the kitchen prepares lettuce wraps with minced chicken and vegetables, too. But chicken Soong aside, the steamed and fried dumplings give the old place new appeal.
And, as if to keep with the season, one of the choices on the separate dim-sum menu is bunny-shaped shrimp dumplings. They're fine. Likewise, the slider-size balls of fried shrimp. Competition comes from the steamed pork dumplings, steamed chicken shumai, crisp duck pie, beef-brisket stew and the industrial-strength steamed roasted pork buns.
Morgo's Dynasty is at 1163 Old Country Rd., in the Plainview Commons shopping center; 516-942-8688.
Doing the bunny hop: shrimp dumplings. Newsday / Peter Gianotti
Tags: Morgo's Dynasty, Plainview, dim sum, sushi, dumplings, Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine
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Keep track of your favorite restaurants
Do you have a million restaurants you'd like to try but can't remember their names? Or what dishes were recommended? A new feature on exploreli.com/restaurants lets you create a personalized playlist in just a few easy steps:
START: Click on "myFavorites" in the exploreLI navigation (at the top, on the right) to create a list.
SEARCH: Find local restaurants that you want to try and add them to your list.
RATE: "I heard the wings are awesome." "Great place to take a date." Add your own comments and ratings to each item on your list.
SHARE: Post your list on Facebook and Twitter and e-mail to friends.
MAP IT: Map and print directions to every restaurant.
Here is a link to help, too: http://www.exploreli.com/services/how-to-use-myfavorites-1.1782909.
