FOODIE

It’s A Family Affair At Almarco
By Luann & Lou/foodie@longislandernews.com

Every Italian restaurant in Huntington village has a different flair to it, and Almarco Italian Grill is where the simple but sophisticated meets traditional Italian cooking.

Owned by brothers Al and Marc Salese, Almarco Italian Grill opened on Wall Street about three years ago. But for these men, the story doesn’t start with Almarco. Restaurants are in their blood.

It started with their father Frank Sr. who, with his brother, opened Southdown Kitchen in 1968 – it is now run by Al and Marc’s cousins – as well as a few pizzerias in the town.

“We really kind of all worked together growing up as kids to pitch in. It just grows on you, the business,” Marc, of Northport, said. “People say it’s a difficult business, but for us it isn’t because we’ve been in it all our lives.”

Following in his father’s footsteps, the eldest brother, Frank Jr. opened Junior’s Pizza in Halesite in 1982. Al and Marc took it over a few years later, diving head first into the restaurant business. One endeavor was the Roasted Pepper in Huntington village, which they sold in 2005 when they moved to Wall Street and opened Almarco, named for – you guessed it – Al and Marc. It connects to the family’s second Junior’s Pizza location next door, which also opened in 2006.

“He taught me everything I know about the pizza business,” Marc said of his father, who passed away in May. “My father always taught us, treat customers good, get to know their names, and use good products also…You have to be hands-on, have to know your customers and the business.”

Making it even more of a family affair, the Almaro menu uses many of Al and Marc’s mother Lorraine’s recipes. Marc’s wife Lisa played a large role in decorating the restaurant, generating a simple but sophisticated dining room, and Marc’s nephew Dino manages the house floor.

“We like to be a neighborhood place,” said Marc, who gives his chef the night off on Wednesday and jumps in the kitchen himself. “That’s what we’re focusing on.”
While the Almarco menu is traditional Italian – you’ll find everything from pizza, lasagna and pasta bolognese to chicken francese, parmigiana dishes and eggplant rollatini – specials are new Italian, fusing food from different styles and regions of Italy.

To our delight, Almarco didn’t start us with bread and butter, but rather warm bread and a mixture of olive oil and herbs. We couldn’t resist the sign in the window advertising homemade sangria, so we tried the white and red ($8/glass, $24/pitcher) and loved both. The white is smooth and fruity, while the red is drier with a more sparkly fizz.

We had never had prosciutto di parma soup ($8) before and were impressed with the dish. A tasty, light vegetable puree filled with tiny shreds of prosciutto di parma stays hot, and the black truffle essence adds a subtle flavor to it.

Antipasta salad ($12) is plentiful with the fixings: cucumber, tomato, ham, salami, cheese, shredded carrots, roasted red peppers and mixed greens, topped with a balsamic vinaigrette. Meanwhile, the roasted red pepper salad ($9) is a refreshing summer dish, with mixed greens, apples, almonds, roasted peppers and Gorgonzola cheese in a light but tasty roasted pepper vinaigrette.

The salmon special ($26) comes pan-seared and topped with Maryland lump crab, topped with a delicate scallion tomato sauce and served over a delicious reggiano risotto. If it’s possible for risotto to be heavenly but light at the same time, this is it.
The meat special, and stand out of our meal, was the farfalle pasta with sautéed veal, sweet peas, roasted red peppers and mushrooms in a rosemary marsala cream ($25). The veal comes in thin strips, tender and juicy, and the marsala is delicate, not thick and heavy.

Almarco pollo ($18), sautéed chicken topped with roasted peppers, prosciutto and mozzarella in marsala sauce, caught our eye for next time.

We ended with strawberry shortcake ($6), a lovely summer treat with sweet pound cake and fresh berries.

With its outdoor patio in the back off the Green Street parking lot, dining on Wall Street, a wine list that spans $25 - 44 a bottle and a hip cocktail list, Almarco makes for a great summer dining destination. We’ll be sure to return to see what new dining adventures the group is up to.

Almarco Italian Grill
13 Wall St
Huntington village
631-935-1690
Atmosphere: Simple but classy
Cuisine: Italian grill
Price range: Moderate
Hours: Open 11 a.m. -11 p.m.
seven days a week

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