Press
Copiague Weekly
Wednesday September 3rd 2008
Vittorio’s restaurant and wine bar of Amityville first opened its doors in 2002 and is located right in the heart of the Village. My wife and I chose Vittorio’s after hearing of the good food and quaint atmosphere. The restaurant opens to a small lounge area where we were greeted by a friendly waitress who promptly seated us in a rustic, dimly candlelit dining room. As it turned out it was "Steakhouse Wednesday’s" which included an extensive list of your typical steak house cuts as well as veal, lamb and pork. The dinner menu hosts quite a variety of appetizers, soups and salads which compliment the arrangement of entrees that are offered.
Our meal started with a crock of Baked Onion soup which looked as if it was pulled from a magazine. The cheese was melted to perfection, dripping down the side of the crock while nestled deep below were large petals of onions in a dark broth which was tasty but unfortunately lacked the depth of flavor that I would have hoped for. The soup of the day which came highly recommended from our waitress was Philly Cheese steak soup which was described as, "everything you would expect in the sandwich put in a bowl" and it delivered. I was bit skeptical, but I was delighted by an extremely flavorful broth with loads of mushrooms, onions and steak which was just like the sandwich in a bowl.
The appetizers followed the soup. The menu offers a wide variety of starters such as Homemade Mozzarella with Beefsteak tomatoes, Maryland Crab Cakes and Braised Kobe Boneless short ribs to name a few. We decided on the Maryland Crab Cakes and the Spinach and Artichoke Bruschette. The crab cakes arrived beautifully plated with a delicious dill Remoulade streaked across the plate. The cakes were light and flavorful, with the remoulade nicely rounding out the flavors. The spinach and artichoke mixture had fantastic flavors served on a shallow bowl which was accompanied by two large pieces of toasted bread. The flavors were there, and laying it over the bread only added to the texture and overall enjoyment of the dish. Being "Steakhouse Wednesday", we would have been remiss not to order and anticipate a thick juicy steak. I had the NY Strip cooked rare with a side of sautéed mushrooms. As expected, I was delighted to have a nice thick, juicy and beautifully cooked steak which did not disappoint my taste buds. The second meal was the Pappardelle, a pasta dish of broad noodles tossed in a porcini mushroom cream sauce and drizzled with white truffle oil. The thick and creamy sauce had a deep rich flavor which exploded in our mouths. I found my fork straying from the steak to the Pappardelle dish on more than one occasion. If you are looking for a flavorful pasta dish, this is the one.
We finished off our dinner with cheesecake and coffee, followed by a short walk down Main Street passing all of the shops which had closed for the evening. A nice little village which is all too easily and quickly passed by during our normal day to day routines. Overall the meal was very nice with some fantastic flavors. Although it could be considered a little pricey, the ambiance and attentive staff helped make the dining experience a pleasurable one.
Along with "Steakhouse Wednesday’s", Vittorio’s also has "Wine Dinner Tuesday’s" which consists of a 3 course meal (soup/salad, appetizer and entrée) which is accompanied by the 3 featured wines of the night served one per course. Their wine list is an extensive one which favors California and Italian wines.
By Peter and Tricia Dulik