Googie's Profile
Besito (Mexican) Roslyn?
Has anyone been to Besito recently? It's a relatively new place in the Wheatly shopping center in Roslyn (near the viaduct). Some early Chowhound reviews were mixed.
McGillicuddy's Irish Inn - Port Washington??
Anyone been there and have and opinion on this place on Port Washington Blvd?
Looking for a casual, comfortable basic American with a reasonable beer selection and a knack for satisfying those with moderate expectations.
Oceanside/RVC restaurants
I've never been dissappointed at Dario's (n. Village Rd.). It's not cheap and the ambiance just misses the mark but the food is consistently good and the service is very thoughtful and professional.
I've heard a lot about Sole in Oceanside but expect long waits at certain times.
Blue Point Brewery - Patchogue
OK, it's not tchnically food but in ancient times beer was considered a form of liquified bread suitable for longterm storage. I'm upholding that tradition in my refrigerator.
I love Blue Point but it's not widely available so I decided to visit the brewery in Patchogue a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I drive past it a few times before I realized it was right in front of me. They have a low-key tasting room where they serve free samples. They only brew kegs at that location and contract brew their bottled offerings elsewhere, including Baltimore.
They're a friendly bunch and all of them seems to be having a good time working at the brewery (wonder why, heh, heh). I asked for a tour of the brewery and they gladly obliged. I was struck by how small it was and to the untrained eye, it seemed like a real haphazzard operation - not the sterile gleaming impersonal production facilities you'd expect at say Anheuser Busch.
Anyway, the beer was great and it's worth a stop if you're in the area. It's pretty close to the Brickhouse Pub, which makes some of the Blue Point varieties available on tap.
TomIsHungry: You'll probably be thrilled to know Hoptical Illusion is available in Costco (Westbury) along with Toasted Ale - both a screaming bargain @ about $24/case.
No Good Mexican & Brewpub Rest. on L.I.?
I've yet to try a good Mexican restaurant on Long Island that approaches even the most mediocre Mexican in southern California. I tend to go to Pancho's Cantina in Long Beach for lack of a better option.
Same goes for brewpubs...where are they? John Harvard's in Smithtown? Beer's good, but have you tried the food lately? South Hampton Public house - you tellin me I gotta drive an hour and a half...come on. Brick house Brewery in Patchogue? Never been there and haven't heard anything about it - their web page doesn't paint the most appealing picture.
Any recommendations?
Mediterraneo - 2nd Ave & 66st - Opinion
I heard a lot about this place and I've seen people in line waiting to get in. I decided to try it out one Saturday night.
We ordered a brick oven pizza (margherita style), sauteed escarole and white bean sides and the broiled salmon. We ordered a house Merlot and bottled beer as well. My opinion...
The salmon was a fresh, generous portion that was perfectly cooked (as ordered). The escarole side was heavily salted and soupy - portion size could have been larger but I tend to cook very large vegetable side portions at home and my expectations may have become unreasonable as of late. The pizza was absoltely dreadful - a shock considering the functional brick oven. The dough was mazzoh-like and chalky. The sauce was dried and thin and sparse to non-existent in a few places. The cheese was marginal. And the pizza was delivered at room temperatture, resulting in an exprience that was akind to ingesting a bag of white flour.
The service was well intentioned and friendly but haphazzard and uncannily absent at the most inopportune times: It's very nice that you ask me if everything is OK, but could you please do that shortly after dinner has been served and I've had a chance to sample it? Please don't bother asking me after the plates are largely bare and you're inquiring about our desert selection.
The house merlot was quite good - the beer selection was limited and unimaginative. The desert was forgettable.
As far as the ambiance was concerned: be prepared to snuggle up next to your neighbor, but hey, this is NYC and if you got a problem with that at a popular mid-priced restaurant, then by all means go somewhere else. They won't miss you and neither will Mediterraneo.
Mario Batali & Lidia Bastianich: Enough Already
Thanks! I really appreciate all the frank comments and based on the responses I will definitely try Babbo. Don't get me wrong, I love both personalities and I don't expect Mario and Lidia to be hand-rolling my gnocchi. but I do expect their influences to strongly resonate in the food and the dining experiences at their establishments. I'm sorry, but such personalitites (and claims) are subject to different standards and expectations than you and I, and let's not lose sight of the cost of such meals. It's become acceptable to drop $150 or $200 on a 2-person meal in NYC even for people of modest means, but how long would you debate the indulgence of dropping $200 on a pair of sneakers or shoes that would last you longer than some of these establishments have been (or will be) in business? I'm just saying, extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proofs - and I'm not letting anyone get away with anything in that regard.
BTW - wanna make incrediable gnocchi that'll astound and amaze your friends in about 20 minutes? Mix white flour with whole fat ricotta and a little salt until it's the consistancy of soft bread dough. Hand roll into long "ropes" and cut into tootsie roll size pieces. Score and roll them them perpendicularly with fork tines to create ridges to hold onto the sauce (preferably pesto). Dust with flour for storage or cook immediately for 3-4 minutes. You'll be a superhero, guaranteed.
Does cocoa powder go bad?
Short answer: every organic compound is subject to oxididation. In addition, the powder tends to absorb moisture (no matter how minute) which tends to affect flavor. So yes, cocoa powder will got "bad", but it's probably safe to eat except for extreme cases of moldiness and related toxins - taste is another matter and tends to suffer long before the freshness date.
Mario Batali & Lidia Bastianich: Enough Already
Well I must admit it's mostly a case of over exposure (TV series, documentaries, restaurant syndicates, kitchen tools, books, etc) that's got me fatigued with that duo. That coupled with an exceptionally disappointing meal and brusque service at Felidia really turned me off. I also find it somewhat disingenuous that most of Lidia's dishes are heavily dependent on the cheese, salt, butter troika - hey, I can make any old stuff taste like grandma made it with that trio. Yes, my comments are a bit harsh, but I've been conditioned to be sceptical at the slightest sign of pretense.
Roots: Sea Cliff, LI
Sounds like we might have similar dinning preferences - can you recommend any other decent restaurants in Nassau? We've got a pretty short list. For a relativley casual experience and good quality albeit salty food, we go to The Wild Fig in Glen Cove quite frequently.
Mario Batali & Lidia Bastianich: Enough Already
There's no question these two personalities struck the right chord in their respective culinary TV nitches. Their programs invite you into their kitchens where cultural and culinary delights are seemingly evoked just for you. But have you actually been to their "kitchens"?
First off, you'll certainly not find them there, and you'll be lucky if their influences still resonate in the food, its preparation and the service. I have no doubt that Mario or Lidia could come over your house and absolutely blow you away using any of the ingredients that might be lying around your refrigerator, but that's not what's going on here. Mario and Lidia are cooking by proxy (if that) - you're consuming a product created by businesses whose marketing departments are headed by very talented and personable chefs. And I think the uneveness and often underwhelming reviews of their respective and collaborative restaurant operations bear that out.
I'm not sure about you, but after a dissapointing yet quite expensive dining experience at one of their establishments, I've become increasingly fatigued and sceptical of both their on-air and off-air offerings.
Opinions?
Roots: Sea Cliff, LI
Been there twice - once shortly after its opening and just a week or so ago. Here's my opinion...
It's a small, cozy place staffed by friendly people. The interior decor is an eclectic mix of rustic and industrial design elements resulting in a visually striking appearance. However, comfort and efficient use of space suffer as a result. If you sit in one of the several booths available, you'll spend your meal bolt-upright eating on a relatively narrow table with your feet slightly dangling from the seats (I'm 6' tall). If you sit at one of the tables, you'll be eating not much further than 18" from the tables on either side of you - be prepared to overhear and be overheard.
The food menu is appealing albeit somewhat limited. The beer menu has some ecclectic choices - both bottled and on tap - but the breadth of the beer variety leaves something to be desired. I don't drink wine and won't pretend to know anything about it.
The food is mixed but generally good, but I'm reluctant to give it a hearty endorsement. I have two basic complaints: the portions are relatively small and the preparation is somewhat amateurish. For example, I ordered red snapper and it arrived (with warning) in a plate that can only be described as just short of molten glass. However, the slender sliver of zuccini was barely room temperature, the rice pilaf was cold and the fish was appropriately hot. The freshness and flavor were all good but the inconsistent temperatures and the smallish portions of the vegetables left me underwhelmed. I also ordered a side of vegetables that was equally as small. A children's portion of mac-n-cheese was $12 and on the smallish size. I also ordered a brownie desert, which while good, was about the size of a wide book of matches and included a small dollop of whipped cream. The table bread provided was some sort of deep fried sliced Italian bread that initially tasted good (although greasy), but repeated on the dinners for the remainder of the evening.
So overall, I think it's worth a try but improvements could be made in the areas of comfort, intimacy (layout and use of space) and professional food preparation. To a lesser degree, the portion/cost ratio (aka value) could stand some improvement.
