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Christiano's is a charming Italian restaurant and pizzeria located on Ira Road in Syosset. Upon entering, the pizzeria is on your left and to your right is a large, wrap around bar area. A number of wine bottles cover the walls of the restaurant, candles grace every tabletop and the dim, subdued lighting sets the tone for a relaxing evening. Christiano's big "claim to fame" can be found not only in their delicious food but also in Billy Joel's hit song, "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant", as they are the restaurant he refers to when he sings; "I'll meet you anytime you want at our Italian restaurant".
Our
attentive and personable waitress Alyssa immediately presented our table with a
delicious, health conscious appetizer, the Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tower
(below left). This fantastic starter consists of soft and perfectly grilled squash, zucchini, eggplant,
Portobello mushrooms, asparagus and tomatoes drizzled in a balsamic glaze. Served
with fresh and tasty goat cheese, this appetizer was an ideal, light start
to our dining experience at Christiano's.
The
first entree we were treated to was the Chicken Victoria which features sautéed
chicken, mushrooms and artichoke hearts topped with fresh spinach, melted mozzarella cheese and roasted
peppers in a cherry lemon wine sauce (above right). The white meat
chicken was deliciously tender and features an emulsion of flavors compliments of the
appetizing cherry lemon wine sauce. We
continued with a fantastic seafood entree of Clams, Mussels, Scallops,
Shrimp and Basil in a garlic marinara sauce (below left). This beautifully presented dish is a
Chef's Special filled with an abundance of fresh seafood that was tender, tasteful,
well prepared and offered a small touch of heat to our taste buds.
Next
from the kitchen was
another Chef's Special, a pasta dish composed of cheese
tortellini, peas, red peppers, asparagus, shrimp and sausage (above right). It arrived to our
table nice and hot and was yet another beautifully presented entree
that presented an abundance of food. The tortellini were soft and clearly cooked to
perfection and the smooth, creamy sauce topped the dish off nicely. Our
final entree was the Tilapia Francese served alongside tastefully seasoned broccoli rabe
(below left). The tilapia was fresh, tender and very easy to cut. The francese twist to the
dish really enhanced the flavors of the entree as a whole.
We
sampled two tasty desserts before ending our dining experience at Christiano's. The
Cannoli's were a true treat as the fresh and tasty cream filling is freshly made in house (above
right). The
soft and creamy Cheesecake was a sweet and delightful luxury for our taste buds as
well. (below left). We washed down our delectable desserts with a perfectly prepared glass
of Espresso (below right).
Overall, our experience at Christiano's was a very pleasant one. From the intimate dining setting to the flavor filled food and impressive service, we can surely see why everyone, including Billy Joel himself, is so fond of Christiano's!
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