|
|
|||
Pomodorino
Ristorante Italiano of Huntington is a casual, family welcoming, old-world trattoria located
on Jericho Turnpike that offers delicious Italian food at affordable prices.
Decorative lights suspend from the ceilings, big screen TV’s are placed throughout
the restaurant and there is a large, comfortable bar area where you’ll find great live music on
Thursday evenings.
Fernando, longtime manager turned co-owner, has been with the Pomodorino organization for 14 years. He came to the United States from Brazil and has previously worked in hotels, as a bartender and waiter. He has since worked his way up the ladder of success as now being part of the ownership here at Pomodorino Huntington along with his partner, Frank DiSpigna. Our
waitress Diane (who is also a manager) was very personable and extremely knowledgeable, explaining menu
items, wines and popular cocktails in great detail. She started us off by placing two
bottles of Italian table wines, one white and one red, on the table for us to enjoy.
These house wines are meant to be served "a consumo", an ancient way to drink wine in
the family trattoria. You are charged accordingly by what you consume. The white wine tastes similar to a Pinot Grigio and
the red wine similar to a Chianti. Both were extremely smooth and accompanied our
meal nicely. We
began our dining experience with some fresh, crunchy Italian Bread
(below left) and Foccacia Breadsticks (below right) served alongside
oil and vinegar. We then took on our first appetizer, the Antipasto Freddo.
The
Antipasto Freddo (for two) offers a health conscious medley of grilled asparagus,
zucchini, eggplant, soppressata, salami, parmigiano and gaeta olives (below left). Aside from the
beautiful presentation, we were equally impressed with how fresh and top notch the
components of this appetizer were.
Another healthy, fresh starter we were treated to was the Insalata Pomodorino consisting of green leaf lettuce, radicchio and endive, topped with provolone cheese, roasted peppers, sliced onion and tomatoes in a balsamic vinaigrette (above right). This was a light, petite salad, yet presented enough to go around the table and once again we were impressed with the high quality ingredients. Our
final appetizer, the Gamberi Gonnella, came highly recommended and surely did not
disappoint (below). These marinated shrimp are wrapped in pancetta, baked in a wood-burning
oven and served atop crostini bread. The shrimp were exceptionally succulent, fresh
and absorbed nice seasoning from the paper-thin pancetta, deeming this appetizer an
immediate favorite.
The Fettuccine ala Bolognese was the first entrée to reach our table (below left). The fettuccine was cooked to a perfect al dente, served in a traditional Italian meat sauce and nicely garnished with a large basil leaf. This customary pasta dish was filled with lots of luscious flavors and left us excited for what was to come.
We were next presented with two specialty entrees that were both equally delicious, they may want to consider adding them to their everyday menus! The Chicken and Shrimp Piccata is sautéed with capers and fresh tomatoes, served in a white wine lemon sauce (above right). Both the chicken and shrimp were pleasantly tender, juicy, delicately dressed in the flavorsome sauce and accompanied by a helping of flavor immersed, al dente pasta. The second special was Grilled Trout and Scallops in a white wine sauce served with vegetables and potatoes (below left). The fish was clearly fresh, tender and de-boned for our convenience. The scallops were very tasty, not chewy or “fishy” in the least, which was a plus. The vegetables and potatoes were nicely prepared and served as great sides to this impressive fish dish.
Our
final entrée was yet another notable chicken dish, the Pollo alla Nino (above
right). The tender,
sautéed chicken breast is prepared in a Marsala wine sauce, simmered with
Portobello mushrooms, green peas and sun-dried tomatoes. The aromas from this entrée
were so enticing we could not wait to dig in, despite the fact of how full we were becoming! The mushrooms, peas and sun-dried tomatoes accented the chicken nicely
and the Marsala wine sauce was simply remarkable. For
dessert we sampled two homemade treats – the Crème Caramel and the Tiramisu. The
Crème Caramel is an incredible, Italian flan that is firm, dense and just a
delicious homerun on the dessert menu (below left). The Tiramisu is an Italian American favorite
of espresso soaked biscotti, sweet pastry cream and Kahlua essence (below right).
Pomodorino Ristorante Italiano of Huntington is an affordably priced neighborhood trattoria with a lot to offer. In addition to the pleasant food and attentive service they also offer bathroom Italian lessons, which is a unique, cultural touch. Even Billy Joel’s mother praises the restaurant, as she is a frequent flyer here, so next time you’re driving through Huntington be sure to stop for a bite at Pomodorino. Until then, buon appetito and salute!
|
