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An
Exquisite Italian Eatery With Heart One
of the most authentic Italian restaurants on Long Island can be found in
Hauppauge’s Corporate Hub on Motor Parkway.
What appears to be an ordinary
Patrons
are warmly welcomed through an entrance that directs them into the hostess and
coat check area. Immediately to
your right you will find a brick archway that leads to the front dining area,
ideally used for private parties. The
main dining room is located towards the back of the restaurant. The intimate bar area is located in between both the dining rooms.
The bar is separated from the main dining room by a wall that has three
charming stained glass windows. The
dining room has about twenty tables accented with pink orchids in vases
throughout. Paintings of Venice, Italy are hung on each wall to remind diners of
the origin of this delicious fare. The
adept wait staff is quick to help make a dining suggestion with the assistance
of a display cart containing the evening’s specials and most popular menu
items. The staff was great at
maintaining their formal demeanor, while still having fun and providing a
relaxed atmosphere.
While
browsing the menu or waiting for your first course you are invited to taste the
toasted garlic bread (below left). It had a
strong garlic aroma and tasted as delicious as it smelled. An additional small plate piled high with sliced bread also graced our
tabletop (below right). The variety of choices
offered included pumpernickel, onion and sourdough.
The
extensive wine list contains approximately 350 bottles originating from local
Long Island vineyards all the way to Africa, Europe and New Zealand.
Orlando also has a private collection consisting of approximately 60
varietals that are sometimes offered as specials.
In 1991, Orlando came across a fine selection of wines that are
considered highly regarded French Wines. Seventy
percent of the purchased wine can be found on the current wine list.
Our table enjoyed a bottle of Germany’s Polka Dot Riesling; a semi-dry
option with a modestly sweet taste. It
was thoroughly enjoyed by all at the table.
For those that prefer a water option, San Pellegrino is offered as their
sparkling choice or Panna for non-sparkling. We
tasted San Marco’s Mesclun Salad with strawberries and walnuts (below left).
The presentation of the dish was great as seen in the photograph. It was served with a
light raspberry vinaigrette making this salad a semi-sweet classic creation.
Our
first appetizer of the evening was the Mozzarella Combination (above right).
A classic dish of fresh mozzarella, soprasata, roasted red peppers,
tomato and calamata olives drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.
We must say the house-made mozzarella was incredibly fresh.
The second appetizer was another combination of Italian flavors.
This Melon and Prosciutto dish (below left) was served neatly on a plate with more of
that delicious fresh Mozzarella. The
juicy melon was accentuated nicely by the thinly sliced prosciutto.
The sweet and not too salty flavors counter balanced one another very
well. The next dish was the
Vegetali Grigliati Derby (below right). This dish
is made fresh daily and consisted of grilled carrots, eggplant, green and red
peppers and zucchini covered in crumbled gorgonzola cheese and a balsamic
drizzle. The vegetables were
grilled and sliced to perfection; crisp, thin and flavorful.
The gorgonzola provided a pleasant accent to the ensemble.
Our
absolute favorite appetizer sampled at the table was the Torta San Marco, an
antipasto layered cake (below). Using ten
inch crepes, basil, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, salami, mortadella
and sun-dried tomatoes a “layered cake” is created and coated with
chaudfroide, a white gelatin glaze. Orlando
described the ingredients as “the foods of the Gods.”
An entire cake can be purchased for holiday parties or dinner events.
This appetizer not only looked amazing but was out of this world to eat.
You could easily taste the wonderful layers of flavor.
We
were instructed that all of the sampled dishes which followed could be ordered
as either an intermediate or main course. The
Pompodoro Pappardelle (below left) listed on the menu is served in a tomato sauce.
We were given the opportunity to try the brown mushroom sauce version
that is a frequent special. The
wide flat noodles are homemade and absolutely exceptional.
The brown sauce is made from dry sherry wine, shallots and shitake
mushrooms. The noodles were
house-made and tasted very fresh and the sauce was marvelous.
Our next dish was Cavatelli (below right), another house made special that consisted of
ricotta, semolina flour, spinach, meat sauce, and sausage Bishop.
The pasta was freshly prepared and looked similar to green beans.
The meat sauce was a perfect compliment to the sliced sausage Bishop.
It was an incredible course that was at just the right intensity level.
We then moved on to the Farfalle Portofino
(below left).
The dish consisted of bowties (the only dried pasta we tried), sundried
tomatoes, sliced black olives, broccoli spears and garlic sautéed in oil.
The dish was light, traditional with a perfect hint of garlic.
The Vitello Cantiniera (below right) consisted of veal with mozzarella & prosciutto
in a light brown sauce garnished with endive and parsley.
A truly delicious aroma came from this dish. We thought the veal was perfectly prepared & the prosciutto added a
subtle salty overture to the plate.
Our
suggested entrée would be the Trio San Marco (below left).
This choice included chicken, shrimp and veal dipped in an egg wash,
which consisted of butter, lemon juice, and white wine.
The veal was delicate, and practically disintegrated in our mouths.
The shrimp was cooked to absolute perfection. The chicken was quite tasty and moist. An excellent sample of meat, poultry, & seafood prepared in a
wonderful sauce. The final main
course sampled was the Petto Di Pollo Lariana (below right), a modified version of Orlando’s
grandmother’s recipe. A
chicken breast stuffed with minced baby shrimp, Portobello mushrooms, bread
crumbs and shallots. The stuffing
of mushrooms and shrimp really complimented, while not overpowering, the moist
and splendid taste of the chicken.
The
dessert selection seemed endless – an assorted array of gelatos and sorbets,
Cannolis, Mousse Al Cioccolato (chocolate mousse), Crema Caramella (Spanish
flan), New York Style Cheesecake, Poached Pear in Port Wine (below left), Apple Strudel,
Tiramisu and more. All desserts are
prepared from scratch on site by the pastry chef.
After enjoying such a large dinner, we only had room for four of the
desserts.
The tiramisu
(above middle) was served
in a glass dessert dish and was splendidly sweet and creamy with ample expresso
flavor throughout. Our next
indulgence was Crema Caramella better known as flan (above right).
It had a sweeter flavor than the average flan. The New York Style Cheesecake was drizzled with chocolate sauce (below
left).
The texture was creamy and the flavor was predictable.
Our last dessert of the evening was the Chocolate Raspberry filled Mousse
Cake (below right) that proved to be an excellent choice.
The mousse was whipped to an airy decadence that provided a wonderful
final note to an exquisite dining experience.
If you are unable to travel to Northern Italy for an authentic Italian dinner, do yourself a favor and choose the next best option without having to stray far from the Long Island Expressway. We assure you that San Marco Ristorante is well worth the trip and will satisfy any Italian culinary craving you may have. It’s definitely a place any true Italian food lover will greatly enjoy!
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