FOODIE

Taxi’s: Earning Its Fare In Comfort Food
By Luann & Jennifer / foodie@longislandernews.com

When I saw the Suicide Wings on Taxi’s Grille menu at 217 New York Ave. in Huntington, your humble Foodie correspondent, who also happens to be a glutton for punishment, couldn’t resist diving in headfirst.

For television buffs around the world, it’s a no-brainer that the theme song to the legendary series “M*A*S*H” told us for 11 years how “Suicide is Painless.” When it comes to Taxi’s Suicide Wings, I concur. Aside from tingling taste buds and a brief outburst of facial perspiration – about five minutes after the first bite, to be exact – the zesty, spicy sauce and the certified organic chicken wings make for a delicious, exciting combination.

How do they do it? Manager Todd November, who’s run the new store since it opened two months ago, enlisted a close friend, an attorney in Syosset, who he describes as “an aficionado of hot sauce” to give him some leads toward creating a barbecue wing for their hardiest devotees. After a bit of tinkering and experimenting, November and his friend created the sauce used for the hottest wings on the menu. The wings are very, very spicy – don’t get me wrong. But, it’s not an oppressive, painful, make-it-a-three-Kleenex lunch as hot as you might have experienced with other super powered wings. Either way, it will clear your sinuses in a hot hurry – it is approaching cold season, after all, and I was breathing better after I finished my last suicide wing.

If your taste buds can’t handle the suicide wings, there are milder, yet uniquely tasty, choices to peruse on the wings front. For traditional hot wings, you’ve got mild, medium and hot. For barbecue devotees, there’s regular, honey and spicy BBQ. Or, you can go your own way and pick teriyaki, Chesapeake Bay, Cajun, honey mustard or buffalo garlic. Wings start at $4.99 for a half-dozen and max out at $57.95 for a 10-dozen party platter. Chicken fingers ($6.95) and boneless chicken wings with the sauce of your choice ($7.95) are also tantalizing options to play with.

I went with teriyaki for my second half-dozen, and they do not disappoint, bringing the flavors of the East to buffalo wings – a notion, as a full-throated teriyaki junkie, I can whole-heartedly endorse. November suggests teriyaki mixed with a splash of suicide sauce, noting the combination of spicy and sweet work especially well with taste buds.

With all of this talk about hot wings, let’s not forget some other all-American options. Taxi’s offers 15 flavors of Martino’s Italian Ices ($2.25 small; $2.75 large), hamburgers starting at $4.25 and hot dogs starting at $2. The deluxe Taxi Burger, with bacon, lettuce, tomato, crisp pickles and Land O’Lakes American cheese ($5.75) is cooked to order and is one of the highlights of the menu. Be sure to give the frings ($3.99), a combination platter of hand-cut and generously seasoned French fries and crisp, savory onion rings a look, as well.

With football season in full swing, whether it is college or professional, a visit to Taxi’s would be very well worth your while to stock up on the game day essentials. Besides the wings, November, a Philadelphia resident in the 1970s and early 1980s, is a self-described cheese steak fanatic who learned the craft from one of Philly’s masters cheese steak artisans. Indeed, owner Peter Ambrosio got the idea for Taxi’s during a visit to Villanova in Pennsylvania. After a 3 a.m. run to Pat’s Steaks in Philly, he decided Huntington could use a similar eatery, November said.

On the cheese steak front, you’ve got your choice between steak on a hero ($7.25), the mozzarella, provolone, American, Swiss and mozzarella and tomato sauce cheese steaks, or the original Philly classic – the “Cheese Whiz” steak ($7.99 each).

A kids’ menu, with kid-friendly portions, peanut butter and jelly and hot dogs is soon to come if it hasn’t already been posted by the time you read this. There’s no delivery service yet, but keep your ears open and phone ahead for take-out orders. There are lunch specials on the burgers, hot dogs and chicken fingers, a point to consider if you’re on a quest for comfort food on a tight budget.

The key, November said, is wholesome ingredients and food that’s made fresh to order and attention to detail to leave customers with a satisfied feeling.
“You feel good after you eat it,” he said.

Taxi’s Grille
217 New York Avenue
Huntington
631-470-9480
www.taxisgrille.com

Cuisine: Comfort food

Atmosphere: Classic neighborhood burger shop

Price: Inexpensive

Hours: Monday – Friday,
11 a.m. – 9 p.m.;
Saturday and Sunday,
11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Main Menu