FOODIE

Venus: Dishing Out Greek-American Delights
By Danny, Terri and Bob/foodie@longislandernews.com

Give it up for Mom.

With Mother’s Day looming on the day of our visit, that was our reaction when we had the rice pudding ($3.50) at Venus, 828 Fort Salonga Road, in East Northport. The recipe, said Cyprus-born proprietor Kyriakos Parpas, comes from his mother, as do several others on his restaurant’s menu. It was the cinnamon, we agreed, that makes their pudding so good.

Parpas said he’s customized his menu – and his recipes – to his customers’ tastes in Northport, and a bustling dining room, trimmed in blue and white with brick walls, shows his homemade creations are paying off handsomely. He’s had a restaurant in Northport for 23 years and has been at his current location since 2000.

“We make everything here at the restaurant,” he said. “Whatever it is they want, we make it to their taste. It’s Greek for this area. It’s Greek-American.”

Venus’ hummus ($5.95 small, $8.45 large) with its peppery flair, comes with tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers and black olives; their Greek pizzas ($9) and the salty flavors of the spinach and the cheese make an appetizing blend.

Soup choices ($2.95 cup, $3.75 bowl) include chickpea and bean soup, which comes loaded with hearty legumes in a mellow tomato and parsley broth. The lentil soup, loaded with beans and potatoes in a tomato broth, is just as good, and the Manhattan clam chowder is another great choice if you’re more inclined toward seafood.

For dinner, we had the hot open turkey sandwich ($11) that features a generous portion of fresh mashed potatoes and dark, homemade gravy that one might imagine with the Thanksgiving turkey.

The Savvis special ($17.50) has moussaka, pastitsio and your choice of chicken or pork gyro meat. Moussaka is layered eggplant, potatoes and chopped beef, while the pastitsio is layered ziti and chopped beef. Both are topped with béchamel cream and have a delicious, sweet tomato flavor about them.

Baked lamb shanks ($16.95), prepared in a tomato sauce and served with potatoes and lemon, are fall-off-the-bone tender and make for an excellent choice. The Greek salads ($5.25 and up) are so good – the feta stands out particularly – that you might not even think to add the excellent oil and vinegar dressing.

Wrap up the meal with a dish of their flaky, sweet and nutty homemade baklava ($3.95). If you’re inclined for something a bit less sweet, check out the rice pudding or a helping of Greek custard, also known as galactoboureko ($3.50).

Granted, with the generous portions, we’re going to have to make a few more return visits to dig into the impressive seafood menu and the other Greek dishes we missed the first time. It’s a trip we are most certainly looking forward to.

Venus
828 Fort Salonga Road
East Northport
631-912-9634 

Atmosphere: Casual neighborhood dining

Cuisine: Greek-American

Price Range: Inexpensive – Moderate

Hours: Sunday – Thursday
8 a.m. 10 p.m.
Friday – Saturday
8 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Main Menu