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Gino’s Tuscany is a family owned and operated restaurant and pizzeria with four convenient locations on Long Island (Islip, Bethpage, Massapequa Park, North Bellmore). We visited their Islip location, located on Main Street in the heart of town, and while we were there we learned that Gino’s provides a wide selection of regional Italian and continental dishes prepared by their culinary experts. Clearly, they are very devoted to presenting one of Long Island’s most innovative and eclectic Italian menus.
Owner Sal, who also doubles as a chef too, started cooking with his grandfather at the impressionable young age of nine. He personifies the quintessential Italian chef with his lovable personality and true passion for cooking. Sal learned cutting edge cooking techniques as a graduate of New York Restaurant School. He went on to hone his culinary skills at a number of Manhattan restaurants prior to joining the Gino’s family. Sal has made a home here on Long Island and enjoys keeping his clientele happy and satisfied. Gino’s offers a very family friendly atmosphere and the staff is a very family oriented group themselves. In fact, Sal’s daughter Michelle is also part of the Gino’s family and was our waitress for the evening. Upon
entering the restaurant you’ll notice a classic pizza counter and to the left the
hidden dining area. They also have space available to host private parties that
accommodate up to 80 people. We began our dining experience with a medley of delicious breads including homemade focaccia pizza, focaccia garlic bread and pizza dough rolls (below left). All were pleasantly hot and fresh from the kitchen.
A
unique starter we were privileged to sample was their Watermelon Salad Special
(above right). This refreshingly light summer salad is composed of watermelon, baby
field greens, sliced tomatoes, mini homemade mozzarella balls and diced cucumber –
all served within a baby watermelon. The presentation is extremely appealing and the
combination of flavors is just ideal, you don’t even need additional dressing! The Roasted Artichoke Hearts are another specialty item and surely another homerun (below left). The artichoke hearts are topped with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella, served oreganata style in a lemon wine sauce. The ingredients combined offered a profusion of flavors and the artichoke was incredibly tender.
Our
final appetizer was the nicely presented Antipasto Rustica consisting of grilled
eggplant, zucchini, roasted red peppers, pepperoni, sopressata, tomato, prosciutto,
olives, mushroom and fresh homemade mozzarella (above right). This is a traditional
antipasto dish and the ingredients were wonderfully fresh. The homemade mozzarella
really stood out, as it was extremely soft and delightful. The Tangy Citrus Salmon Special was the first entrée to reach our table (below left). The salmon was fork tender, fresh and cooked to perfection. Initially we thought it would be a strange array of flavors, but we soon learned the citrus flavoring enhanced the salmon creating a uniquely enjoyable seafood dish.
Next
up was the Sicilian Style Pollo Scarpariello (above right). The roasted chicken was
served on the bone and accompanied by sausage, broccoli, mini potatoes and sliced red
and green bell peppers – all bathed in a fresh rosemary and roasted garlic wine
sauce. This entrée presents a nice, rustic flavor for your palate to enjoy. The
chicken was fall off the bone tender, the sausage had a nice hint of spice, the
broccoli was crunchy and fresh and the potatoes were soft, absorbing an abundance of
flavor from the delicious wine sauce. You’ll find the Baked Spaghetti Squash on their healthy choice menu (below left). It is the ideal vegetarian dish as it contains an abundance of freshly cooked vegetables. We were pleasantly surprised at the slight hint of heat found within and it was another creatively presented, health conscious entrée that we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Our
final entrée was Linguini Frutti Di Mare, a huge dish with great value offering
plentiful seafood to enjoy (above right). The calamari, scungilli, shrimp, mussels
and clams were tender as can be and served in a rich, plum tomato sauce over a large
portion of perfectly al dente linguine. Rounding out our dining experience were three incredible desserts worthy of much praise. We began with an authentic, homemade Italian Cheesecake with a light strawberry topping (below left). It featured delicate lemon undertones, was extremely smooth and had a very nice consistency. We washed it down with a nicely prepared Cappuccino (below right).
We were then treated to two Sicilian Ice Cream Sandwiches. The first was overflowing with some incredible chocolate gelato and fresh fruit (below left) and the second with vanilla gelato and almond flavoring (below right). Both desserts were sandwiched in fresh, delectable pastries creating an ice cream sandwich like no other!
A good meal can be a great escape. You’ll find something for everyone to enjoy at Gino’s Tuscany. With all four locations conveniently open seven days a week, be sure to enjoy their menu as you eat-in, order take-out or even delivery! The professional staff is always on hand to serve you and assure a wonderful dining experience.
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