COCKTAIL PARTY TIME: Café Toscano (399 Jericho
Turnpike, Jericho, 516-931-2727) offers cocktail parties at
$32 per person + tax and grats. Unlimited drinks at the bar,
relax in their lounge area, mingle with up to 100 guests.
As part of your 3-hour cocktail party, you will be served
hand passed hot and cold antipasti and menu samplings. Food
passing generally lasts for 2 hours and can be created to
suit the specific needs of your guests. The drink portion
of your party will last three full hours and will include
all beer, house wine and rack drinks. Premium upgrades available
by request. Sample Menu: Baked Clams, Stuffed Mushrooms, Zucchini
Fritti, Mozzarella Caprese, Crab Cakes, Chicken Salad Puff
Pastry, Cold Antipasto, Seafood Salad on Endive, Assorted
Pizzette, Tuna TarTar Salad.
MARGHERITA PIZZA:
Margherita of Savoy (1851-1926), who married King Humbert
I (Umberto) of Italy and was mother to Victor Emanuelle III,
was known for spreading art and culture throughout Italy and
as a charitable benefactor. But that’s not why the Foodies
know her. In the late 1800’s, Queen Margherita discovered
many people in the coutryside, especially the peasants, eating
this large, flat bread. The Queen loved the pizza bread and
would eat it whenever she was out among her people. Soon,
she summoned Chef Rafaelle Esposito from his pizzeria to the
royal palace, and ordered him to bake a selection of pizzas
for her pleasure. To honor the beloved queen, Rafaelle made
a pizza topped with tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, and fresh
Basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag: red, white,
and green. This became Queen Margherita’s favorite pizza,
and it still bears her name today. It is a specialty of the
house at 34 New street (34 New St., Huntington, 631 427-3434,
www.34newstreet.com).
HAMPTON RESTAURANT
WEEK: The Fifth Annual “Hamptons Restaurant
Week,” is scheduled for the last week of March from
Sunday, March 25 through Sunday, April 1. During this weeklong
promotion, all participating restaurants will offer a three-course
prix fixe menu for $21.95 all night, except Saturday when
it will only be offered from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Each restaurant
offers its own unique menu selections and some restaurants
will offer a special discounted bottle of Long Island wine
at $21.95. A creation of Wordhampton PR guru Steve Haweeli,
Hamptons Restaurant Week is no longer just for restaurants
but now boasts wineries, lodging and more!. Participating
east end lodgings include: A Victorian on the Bay B&B,
The Baker House 1650, Dune Resorts, Gurney’s Inn, The
Huntting Inn,
Mill House Inn, Montauk Manor, Southampton Inn and Wainscott
Inn. Go to www.hamptonsrestaurantweek.com.
SUSHI & MUSIC:
It’s Music and Sushi every Friday night at the Snapper
Inn, (500 Shore Drive, Oakdale, 631-589-0248). A live music
lineup to accompany your sushi. Info or reservations, call
or go to www.thesnapperinn.com.
NONNINA: The
opening of each new restaurant on Long Island turns us on.
The latest we’ve heard about, Nonnina Italian Bistro
(999 Montauk Highway, West Islip, 631-321-8717, www.nonninarestaurant.com),
meaning “little grandmother,” opened in mid-November
on the South Shore at the former site of The Bridge. The Bridge’s
former owner, Paul Aniboli and managing partner Robert DiPierro
(formerly of Tellers Chophouse) have collaborated with executive
chef Richard Soriano (Cipollini’s in Manhasset). The
setting sounds beautiful and the menu intriguing. And after
we put it on our “go to” list, Joanne Starkey
of the NY Times gave it a “Very Good.”
BREW WHO:
With Starbucks succeeding on busy corners in every village
everywhere, we sought their advice on how to make great coffee
at home. They consider coffee brewing as a form of cooking
with a precise recipe and measurements, and provide four fundamentals
to coffee brewing: 1) Proportion: two tablespoons of ground
coffee for each six fluid ounces of water — if too strong
for your taste, add a little hot water to your brewed cup.
2) Grind: the shorter the brewing process, the finer the grind.
3) Water: fresh, cold water heated to just off the boil. 4)
Freshness: use freshly ground coffee. Think of coffee as fresh
produce. Buy only the amount you can consume in a week. Store
it in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature. Storing
coffee in the refrigerator or freezer for daily use can damage
the coffee as warm, moist air condenses to the beans whenever
the container is opened. After brewing, coffee should always
be stored in a thermal carafe. Coffee that is left on a burner
can taste burnt and bitter after only 20 minutes.
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