There are neo-Neapolitan pizzas (don’t miss the Calabrese with crumbled sausage and hot chilies) and a raft of crowd-pleasers that split the difference between the Italian food you find in Italy and the Italian food you find on Long Island: rice balls and baked clams, Caesar salad and fried calamari. Toothsome homemade pastas include garganelli with Sicilian eggplant and ricotta, bucatini bound by an eggy, creamless carbonara and strozzapreti bathed in a verdant pesto along with cubes of potato and lengths of green beans-a Genovese preparation rarely seen on these shores. Maurizio Vendittelli has spent a lifetime in Italian restaurants, working his way up from busser to general manager to owner. More info: 51, Dodiciĭodici is one of Long Island’s most durable Italian restaurants, with a menu that ranges from a humble white bean soup to the maiale Milanese, a massive bone-in pork chop pounded thin, breaded and fried, and topped with just the right amount of spinach, prosciutto and Fontina to complement and not overwhelm the meat. More info: 51, Mangia Bene The two menus are almost identical - American comfort classics elevated with international twists such as a 24-hour braised beef short rib “sloppy joe” on focaccia with Cheddar cheese sauce, or a crab empanada with mango and coconut. Snaps' original location has flourished on a Wantagh side street since 2004, but for Scott and Patty Bradley’s second act, they chose a spot smack in the middle of Rockville Centre. Mid-day eaters might up for innovative sandwiches or loaded burgers. Home-fried breakfast poutine with Parmesan, eggs and red-eye gravy French toast with berries, chocolate ganache and whipped cream and a granola parfait. More info: 51, The Flour Shoppe Cafe & Bakeryīreakfast is the draw at this tiny cafe-so you'd better get there early. Now dubbed George Martin The Original, the well-appointed eatery offers an assured take on global comfort food, from Korean chicken tacos and rigatoni alla vodka to marinated Angus ribeye steak and shrimp Provençal. George Korten operates four restaurants on Long Island and they all grew out of his first one in Rockville Centre, George Martin, which opened in 1989 and spawned GM Burger Bar (a few blocks north) George Martin’s Grillfire in Merrick and George Martin’s Strip Steak in Great River. Credit: Daniel Brennan George Martin The Original By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.Ī fried Ipswich clam sandwich with coleslaw served at Bigelow's in Rockville Centre.

Mad for chicken rockville centre