Taste of Rio in Huntington

3:18 PM By Joan Reminick

Blame it on the bossa nova. Or the economy. Whatever the reason, the former Marcia's Kitchen in Huntington has reopened as Rio Bar & Cafe. Although the ownership remains the same, the attractively redecorated spot offers a Brazilian a la carte menu rather than the buffet/rodizio style service of the past.

Lunch is a bargain. For $7.95, you get a dinner-sized portion of grilled chicken, tilapia or skirt steak, which arrives on a sizzling platter with vegetables. Choose either a salad, to precede the entree, or rice and beans as a side dish; either is included.

At a recent lunch, I sampled the steak, which had been bathed in a garlicky marinade I’d like the recipe for. True, it was a lot more well-done than ordered but so flavorsome, it hardly mattered.

A sign in the window states that Saturday nights, after 8 p.m., there’s live Brazilian music.

Rio Bar & Café is at 10 New St., Huntington, 631-351-1010


 

New restaurant reviews

11:25 AM By Erica Marcus

In this week’s Newsday, Peter Gianotti awards 3½ stars to Great Neck’s Lola, “a haute fantasy in small plates and big flavors.”

Joan Reminick visits Wild Ginger in East Northport and finds a pan-Asian menu featuring sushi, “fusion-ish touches” and generous servings.

Dinner at Lola. Newsday photo / Kirsten Luce

Almost vegan in Deer Park

10:56 AM By Joan Reminick

It’s hard enough for vegetarians to find restaurants that serve their dietary needs. But vegans? This segment of the population, eschewing not only meat but dairy products, is largely left out in the cold.

So when a friend and I stopped for lunch at Taj Tandoor, an Indian restaurant in Deer Park, I was heartened to see that the menu (priced higher than it was a year ago) featured a roster of vegan choices. From that, I chose the “alu ponir” (more conventionally spelled aloo paneer),  which translates into spinach and potatoes.

The first bite was a revelation of creamy goodness. Could this restaurant have found a vegan substitute for the rich flavor and lush texture of cream? The second bite confirmed what I’d already suspected. I called over the waiter. “It’s just a touch of cream,” he said.

Now, not only would this scenario be distressing to an actual vegan, but for someone with severe dairy allergies, it could spell medical disaster. When I explained this to the waiter, he apologized and offered to bring another dish.  “It was just a touch” of cream,” he reiterated. "Just to give it color."

Taj Tandoor is at 1953 Deer Park Ave., Deer Park, 631-243-3989.
 

Newsday Photo/Valerie Kellogg

Cozy and cheap in Huntington

Thursday November 19, 2009 5:59 PM By Marjorie Robins

Had an entirely pleasant meal the other night at F.H. Riley's in Huntington Village. The place is inexpensive, cozy, and has a great beer list. White tablecloths in a gastro-pub-like setting.

To start, I tried the onion soup, which was predictably salty but had a nice Gruyere-provolone cap and was sprinkled with scallions. My friend had the chicken gumbo soup, which was so thick and loaded with chicken chunks, spicy sausage and vegetables, that she was full before the bowl was half empty.

For mains, I ordered the salmon pita sandwich, piled high with fairly moist blackened fish, baby arugula, tomatoes and red onions. It had a goat-cheese spread on the bread and a huge pile of thin French fries on the side. Girlfriend was besieged with a gigantic slab of meat loaf  (veal, pork and sirloin) with melted Gruyere on top, mashed potatoes on the side and a large handful of onion rings for good luck.

The place is also noted for its hefty burgers and 10 different chopped salads.

In an area of Huntington where most of the restaurant tabs are more than a day's salary, a Riley's  dinner comes with appetizer and beer or wine for under $25. It's even cheaper at lunch.

F.H. Riley's is at  400 New York Avenue, Huntington, 631-271-7600. 

Handout photo

A bit of Brussels sprouts in Syosset

Thursday November 19, 2009 3:49 PM By Joan Reminick

From Reststar, the restaurant company behind Bistro Cassis, Brasserie Cassis and Bistro Citron, comes a new contender in Syosset: Moules et Frites, which makes its home where Pomodorino once was.

It’s a Belgian (rather than French) “biergarten” / bistro serving a huge selection of beers to go with a menu emphasizing mussels, fries and hearty Belgian specialties (think apple-and- pretzel-stuffed pork tenderloin).  Burgers? For sure. And let’s not forget the wursts (knackwurst, bratwurst and weisswurst).

Chef co-owner Jerry Katzenberger formerly cooked at Bistro Cassis in Huntington and Savannah’s in Southampton.

Moules et Frites is at 4 Berry Hill Rd., Syosset, 516-802-0713

Newsday Photo/Joan Reminick
 

Opening: Tova in Syosset

Thursday November 19, 2009 3:07 PM By Joan Reminick

Add Tova Kitchen & Wine to the growing list of restaurants whose names include the words “kitchen” and “wine” (e.g. Lola's Kitchen & Wine Bar in Long Beach, Barrique Kitchen & Wine Bar in Babylon). The almost three-week-old cafe opened in Syosset where Grills & Things used to be, under the same partial ownership as its previous incarnation. New chef Michael Rafi hails from Malta; his menu is mostly Mediterranean-Middle Eastern, with a few Mexican touches (go figure).

A recent dinner began with gratis nacho chips and salsa — amazingly fresh, sprightly, spicy salsa, better than I’ve had in a long while. But a glass of Chianti had a markedly oxidized taste. I can, however, speak highly of the juicy chicken chops (a Turkish specialty), which I got with a side of harissa (a North African chile sauce).

About the restaurant's name: in Hebrew, the word “tova”  means “good.”

Tova is at 420 Jericho Tpke., Syosset, 516-364-2017.

Newsday Photo/Joan Reminick

Tellers in Islip: All-star chef becomes free agent

Tuesday November 17, 2009 4:15 PM By Erica Marcus

Marc Anthony Bynum is no longer cooking at Tellers Chophouse.

The former executive chef, whom Newsday profiled in August in its All-Star Chefs of Long Island series,  came to Tellers in September 2008 after working as sous chef at Prime in Huntington. Before Prime, Bynum cooked at Four Food Studio in Melville, 780 Grill in Long Beach, Rookie’s Sports Bar in Huntington, to name a  few.

Tellers management is being rather circumspect about the situation. Co-owner Michael Bohlsen said:  “We wish Chef Marc Anthony Bynum well and continued success. We look forward to a strong holiday season and 2010 made possible with the excellent culinary team we have in place.”

That  team is headed by corporate chef Cornelius Gallagher, hired by the Bohlsens in July to oversee the kitchens at all their restaurants: Tellers, Prime, H2O in Smithtown and Beachtree Café in East Islip.

Bynum could not be reached for comment.

Marc Anthony Bynum at Tellers (Photo by Michael Nagle, 2009)

Bay Shore: Piedmontese truffle blow-out

Tuesday November 17, 2009 2:37 PM By Erica Marcus

On Dec. 1, The Lake House is hosting a dinner highlighting two luminaries of Italy’s Piedmont region: white Alba truffles and Barolo wine. Dinner will be cooked by The Lake House’s chef-owner Matt Connor; wines will be selected, served and expounded upon by Eric Zillier, wine director of Alto in Manhattan.

The menu

Antipasti Misti
Prosecco, Soligo, Veneto N/V

Pizzette with crème fraîche, bacon lardons, onion and white Alba truffle
Langhe Nebbiolo, Nada Fiorenzo 2007

Fricassé of Peconic Bay scallops, baby turnips and parsnips, truffled cauliflower mousse and white Alba truffle
Barbaresco Riserva, Piazzo 2001

Handmade farfalle with asparagus, fresh porcini, truffled pecorino and white Alba truffle
Barolo, Paolo Scavino 1996

Braised lamb shank and roasted Colorado rack wiith Barolo risotto, braised Treviso radicchio and black winter Perigord rruffles
Barolo Riserva, Borgogno 1982

A selection of Italian cheeses

Toasted almond panna cotta with bittersweet chocolate Soup and almond lace tuille
Vinsanto, Castello Volpaia 2001

The cost is $258, which includes tax and tip. The full price will be charged when the reservation is made; it is not refundable, but the “ticket” is transferable.

The Lake House is at 240 W. Main St., Bay Shore, 631-666-0995, thelakehouserest.com.

What's a naanwich? Find out in Hicksville

Tuesday November 17, 2009 1:59 PM By Joan Reminick

What’s a naanwich?

Not exactly what I imagined when I  first saw the name on the lunch menu of Kabul Grill Kabob & Tea House in Hicksville. Instead of a sandwich on tandoor-baked naan (and wouldn’t that be terrific?), it’s more of a Middle Eastern version of a burrito – a beef or chicken kobideh kebab (spiced skewered grilled ground meat) that's rolled into a thin house-baked pita, along with lettuce, tomato, onion, rice and “special sauce.” The submarine-size foil-wrapped sandwich, plus a soda, costs $7.95.

 The “special sauce” was absent and had to be requested. And the chicken kobideh was pretty dry. But the beef version was likable enough, especially with the addition of the yogurt-based sauce.

What I truly found compelling was the aromatic spiced tea. With tea, the waiter brought some gratis baklava. It was a real treat - in taste and appearance, quite similar to rugalach. Hmm... rugklava? Makes as much sense as "naanwich."

Kabul Grill Kabob & Tea House is at 129 N. Broadway, Hicksville, 516-933-8999