A Taste Of Long Island
Thursday, March 27th , 2008

A Taste of Long Island, held to honor James F. Leonick, took place at Larkfield Manor on Thursday, March 27, 2008. The East Northport Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of East Northport, the Visiting Nurse Service & Hospice of Suffolk and Christopher S. Scherer Semper Fi Fund hosted the event. 

All guests were invited to taste delicacies from over thirty local eateries and also sample products from local wineries and microbreweries. Each of the four tasting rooms had different participating businesses and also included entertainment such as vocalists, bands, and even a Middle Eastern Belly Dancer.

The largest of the four rooms was the Manor Room where beautiful table displays lined the walls of the room and we made our rounds to try a few selections. This room featured the culinary delights of Café Buenos Aires, V & F Meat Center (below middle), Crossroads Café (below left) , Big Bear Pizzelli (below right), Fireside Caterers, Nocello’s, Elijah Churchill’s (above left), Antonio’s Pizza , Noma (above right), Quetzalcoatl, Starbucks, Copenhagen Bakery, and Smokin Sloe’s. 

The Terrace room housed displays from Filetto’s Restaurant, Main Street Café, Jade Palace, Dream Dinners, Pumpernickels, Solar Café, Fresco Famous Italian Ices, and Tropical Smoothie Café. 

The Garden room hosted the tastings of Batata Café, Madison’s (below left), Ship’s Inn, Bistro 44, Nonnina, Jo’s Port Deli, Costco, and Delightful Dinners.

The smallest of the four rooms was the Lounge Room. In this room guests were able to sample Outback Steakhouse, Legal Sea Food, and Mangiamo’s. 

Of the many items we sampled, the notable tastings were as follows:

Juan Sepulveda (pictured below with guest) of Laurel Lake Vineyards poured samples from their collection of award winning wines. Notables among these wines included their own popular, crisp Riesling and a wonderful Cabernet Franc. 

Ship’s Inn (below left) brought a wonderful penne a la vodka with an aroma that filled the room. They also brought tender and juicy “Steak Tidbits” that had a great smoky flavor.

Bistro 44 (above right) brought excellent mini pulled pork sandwiches topped with a pickle slice that added a great crunchy element.

Nonnina (below left) served a fantastic seafood salad with calamari, scungilli, pulpo, shrimp, shaved fennel, onions, celery, fresh pepper and sea salt. It was very light with a summery freshness. 

At Antonio’s (below middle) table there were samples of a yummy eggplant lasagna in a slightly sweeter than usual tomato sauce. 

Among the offerings Pumpernickels had this too good to be true red cabbage that was sweet yet tangy.  

Filetto’s (below left) signature sampling of the evening was a classic chicken franciase that was quite moist and succulent. 

In terms of sweet, Copenhagen Bakery (above right) brought a soft fudge brownie that was laden with intense chocolate flavor that provided a sweet ending to a tasty evening.