La Tavola, Sayville

My wife and I have wanted to try La Tavola in Sayville for quite some time and what better way than to celebrate wifey poo’s and my best friends' birthday’s; which happen to be a day apart from one another. We had a good size table including some of our very dear relatives and friends for this occasion. First off we loved the décor of the restaurant where you can sit inside or choose to eat outdoors on their outdoor torch lit patio for all you romantic couples. We have to say right from the start that our waitress Stephanie which our dear friends request all the time when they dine here and understandably so; was one on the friendliest and knowledgeable waitresses you will ever come across in the restaurant business. You can tell that she truly enjoys her job and projects that in her service. Our mouths were drooling well before the food arrived due to her presentation and detailed descriptions. She took the time to explained each special as well as some other dishes that were on their regular menu. They also have, I must say a very unique selection of wines including some that are not often found in most other restaurants. We started with Fried Calamari (as usual), Watermelon Salad, Home Made Mozzarella and Tomato, Crispy Long-Stemmed Artichokes and the Arancini. The main courses consisted of a Tuna (special), Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Gnocchi, Pan Roasted Salmon and Filet Mignon. Everyone enjoyed all of the appetizers, that said if I had to nit pick the calamari could have used a bit of seasoning and the artichokes had an odd taste as if they used a pickled artichokes; just to weird for my personal taste. As you can see from the photo below there is only one arancini on the plate, the order came with five but I did not take the photo while the waitress was still holding the dish. That was my bad; because in about two seconds one was all that was left for the photo. The entrees were all outstanding; well balanced and cooked perfectly. The chef has a great knack for complementing flavors. Let me nit pick one more time on my dish the shrimp fra diavolo, it looks like the chef finished the dish with cream, not what I would have expected in this dish. Aside from that the dish was super spicy and over-all great. Knowing we were celebrating two birthdays, at the end of the meal our waitress Stephanie came over with complimentary after dinner drinks consisting of Moscato and Port wines. These drinks along with some very good coffee rounded out the meal with some tasty deserts. So my wife and I would both agree that La Tavola was a wonderful dining experience but it was the gathering of such wonderful people that put the icing on the cake.

They get 5 out of 5 forks...we'll be back!

http://www.latavolasayville.com/

 

 

George Martin Strip Steak, Great River

Strip Steak is one of four restaurants in the George Martin Restaurant Group. We received a Groupon offer and decided to try this with some friends. Strip Steak is situated in a beautiful old house in the Village of Great River. The inside is exquisitely decorated and the service from the first point of contact was outstanding. The place is a little noisy and the food is served on large plates and the tables are small making it hard to enjoy. However if we were rating this based on hospitality they would certainly get our highest rating, however we are about the food not the ambiance. We started our meal with Chili Pop Shrimp and Crispy Calamari. The entrees consisted of the George Martin Skirt Steak, Berkshire Pork Chop and Cowboy Cut Rib Eye's. The sides are a la cart and we chose Mashed Potato, Creamed Spinach, Pan Toasted Green Beans and the Baked 1 Pound Idaho Potato. Starting with the appetizers we all enjoyed the shrimp that was cooked well and highly seasoned. The calamari on the other hand was over cooked to the point of resembling old rubber bands and tasting just as bad. The menu boasts about the quality and aging of the Black Angus meats they also go on to say they are "lightly seasoned". The Rib Eye's were cooked perfectly but the good news stops there. The seasoning is not light more so it is odd tasting and the "21 day dry aged certified black angus" priced at $45 in no better than a $17 steak at a lower end steak restaurant. The Skirt steak though over seasoned was very good. Finally the Berkshire Pork Chop, like all the other meats this was very over seasoned with cinnamon and other sweet flavors you would expect to find in a desert on so much an entree; however the wife thought it was good. The sides were OK with the exception of the Pan Toasted Green Beans with Bacon and Creamed Spinach which none of us liked. We finished with coffee which was very good and the Hot Chocolate Saucy Cake and a $12 Apple Turnover; both just OK. Even with all that said, I would like some day to return and try the $18 Burger called "1946 Burlesque Burger" we have been told is really good. This visit resulted in a bill for over $300 for our party of four, sorry to say not worth it even with the Groupon credit.

This trip earned 3 out of 5 forks.

http://www.georgemartinsstripsteak.com/

 

Tu Casa, Kew Gardens

Saturday July 28th, my wife and I ventured into Kew Gardens to spend some quality time with my wonderful Brother-in-law and his wife. We spent a good part of the afternoon just chatting and relaxing in their exquisitely decorated apartment.
But suddenly around 4 O'clock the conversation switched from plants and flowers to food and where we where going for dinner. Right then and there I knew my husband’s stomach was starting to grumble. He has a tell tale sign when he is hungry, he becomes less talkative and more fixated on food. So my brother proceeded to take out different menus from local restaurants. We wanted to try something different and the choices in the immediate area were Italian, Pub Food and Peruvian. After looking over the menus we opted for the Peruvian restaurant called Tu Casa.
Our meal started with appetizers consisting of Beef Empanadas, Papa a la Huancaina (consisted of boiled potatoes covered in Peruvian cheese sauce) and Chorizo with fried plantains. We also ordered the Sangria which we enjoyed but have had better elswhere. The main dishes were Pernil con Arroz Moro(shredded slow roasted pork with their take on rice and beans), Entranada (grilled skirt steak w/chimichurri sauce, rice & salad) and a fusion dish of chicken vegetables over linguini in an Asian style sauce. So starting with the Empanadas, the dough they were wrapped in tasted exactly like my mothers Brazilian Pastels. Unfortunately the filling was dry and flavorless. I'm probably the only Italian allergic to cheese, that said I did not have the potato's in cheese but everyone else enjoyed them. The Chorizo and plantains were superb. The Pernil took me back to my mothers style of roasted leg of pork, this was as good as what I would make using my mothers recipe (in other words it was outstanding). The rice that came with it...well let’s just say it was not to my taste although most people seem to love it. The skirt steak was seasoned well however my sister in law ordered it well done and I like it still bleeding. Now for the fusion dish, this was basically chicken lo mein (I should not have veered, lets just leave it at that). Over all I gotta say the Pernil was so good it is worth the trip just for that dish. They get five out of five forks for the Pernil!

They earned three out of five forks on this visit.

                                       

http://tucasarestaurant.com/