Benny's |
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| 199 Post Ave. | |
| Westbury, NY 11590 | |
| 516-997-8111 | |
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Hours:
Dinner every day. Monday to Friday for lunch. | |
Benny is short for Benedetto, restaurateur, maitre d', inspector, guide, chef, immediate friend. He's everywhere at this outstanding restaurant, a testament to hands-on, on-premise management, where service is first-class, and so's the experience.
His is a formal dining room where the walls are elegantly coated in rich fabric and the chandeliers and sconces have their own luster.
The food shines, too.
The menu is primarily Italian, but the kitchen goes beyond the borders. Benny's makes excellent, chunky caponatina, the Sicilian eggplant relish. And flavorful, rich salt-cod cakes. The salad of fennel and blood oranges is a seasonal classic. The cold antipasto is a stellar combo plate.
Pasta e fagioli and stracciatelle are textbook soups, homey and fine. And you can order any pasta on faith. Favorites include: rigatoni all'Amatriciana, classic ravioli, gnocchi with meat sauce, cannelloni, and farfalle tossed with four cheeses.
Snapper alla Livornese, sturgeon accented with lemongrass, whole pompano, and tuna any style head the swim team. Other stars are exceptional steak Diane, soulful steak alla pizzaiola, exceedingly tender osso buco, tournedos Rossini, a veal chop showered with morels, and a hearty variation on chicken scarpariello.
Zabaglione is perfection, sweet frothiness atop berries. Cheesecake, Bavarian cream pastries, and tiramisu are winners, too.
As you leave, Benny will be there in the role you'll remember most: the gracious host.
Peter M. Gianotti
