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Friday, April 19, 2013

Medley's, Islip

Even though I happen to enjoy the wifey-poo's cooking tremendously, I also enjoy dining out with her whenever we can. We wanted to try Medley's Restaurant and Lounge since opened in the quaint town of Islip. We had seen in advertisement in a local paper that they have an all you can eat special a few nights during the week and a Sunday Brunch both very reasonable priced. Upon being seated we had noticed that it was a "Pasta Night" all you can eat special that evening. The dishes looked and smelled very appealing but sadly to say I was not able to feast upon all of these dishes because of my allergy to cheese. So we decided to try some dishes off of their regular menu; but we do suggest anyone that is looking for a night of endless pasta trying Medley's Buffet. We both agreed on trying out the Homemade Beef Chili for our appetizer. I must say it was a very good chili served with water crackers. It is quite interesting the different variations chefs have with their idea of a perfect chili. Freddy the owner and Chef got this one right on with taste consistency and heat. As we were enjoying our appetizer Freddy introduced himself and some of the staff as well. He is a very nice guy with a very friendly personality. We both think is a big plus when you are trying to make a name for yourself and your restaurant. I opted for the Chicken Marsala and the wife chose the Medley's Pork Chop. We were both extremely happy with both dishes. The sear on the pork chop along with the caramelized onions and garlic wine sauce was a perfect combination. The Chef custom tailored the chicken Marsala to my taste; making it with olive oil in place of butter. He also uses a zucchini ring to wrap around some steamed veggies; very cool idea that makes a unique presentation. Over all a great experience from the food to the Chef and his staff. We chatted for some time with Freddy and mentioned that we would be back to try out their Sunday brunch with some friends.

They get 5 out of 5 forks!








Monday, April 8, 2013

Classic American, West Babylon, NY (Revisited)

The hubby and I have been wanting to go back to this restaurant for some time now and the main reason is that we both were there the first night of the filming of the Kitchen Nightmare's episode. I was so excited about being there and also getting to meet one of my favorite chefs and TV personalities (plus he is a cutie).
I am happy to say that I did get to meet him the following day and the hubby took a great picture of us. Gordon Ramsay is truly a very nice guy and enjoyed meeting his fans. Well back to our thoughts of the restaurant. We had left work early one day and hubby suggested going back to Classic American Restaurant in West Babylon because he had been dying to try their Chef Ramsay tweaked hamburger since the airing of the show. I was hesitant because I remember how the food was and how our experience was with our first visit. But he twisted my arm so we stopped in at around 12:30. As soon as you walk in the doorbell rings... but no one came to greet us after being there for a few minutes. Eventually the gentleman who was fixing the toilet in the bathroom came over to us and seated us; which in this case was sign number 1 that this was going to be a nightmare, little pun there. Okay so after being seated and looking over the menu we both decided on the chili for an appetizer, unfortunately the waitress told us that the chili has not been made yet. Sign #2, it is lunchtime and the place was busy and you have not even begun to prepare a popular item on your daily menu. Oh boy where is Gordon Ramsay when you need him. We decided to skip apps and place our order for lunch which consisted of their house hamburger and I went for something lighter, the chicken Cesar salad. We also ordered a side of onion rings to share. Lets start with the hamburger; it was cooked exactly to order, however it was smothered in an odd tangy balsamic orange marmalade and topped with what they called coleslaw. Sign #3 the chicken that topped the salad was extremely dry and bland. The lettuce did not appear to be fresh and they replaced the olive tapenade with three lousy olives. Even as I write this I cannot fathom how anybody can screw up a simple salad. We both agreed the onion rings using red onions were unique and also tasted good. After a disappointing meal we did not want to risk having dessert so we opted for just coffee, which again we both agreed was an excellent cup of Joe. To top it all off when we got the check the Cesar Salad that was $10.00 on the menu was $11.00 on the receipt after she corrected herself from $12.00 she originally wrote (Oh Boy!). As a final thought I just want to say that after having been so fortunate to have had a great chef and businessman come in to show you how to operate a restaurant properly only a few months prior should not result in a service and experience as we had that day. In conclusion if you are in the mood for onion rings and a good cup of coffee this is the place to go....

They get 2 Forks this visit.