34 New Street, Huntington: Fried chicken rules the roost
The fried chicken at Huntington's 34 New Street was a forte. Credit: Newsday/Joan Reminick
A recent dinner at the address-named 34 New Street in Huntington was fraught with ups and downs.
The night kicked off with house-made focaccia, a harsh garlic scent wafting from the breadbasket. A tiny taste was enough for me.
My $22 prix-fixe dinner started with orange-sesame calamari. While the squid was crisp and tender, the sauce tasted commercially prepared. The hands-down hit of the evening was fried chicken. “It’s made to order, so you’ll have to wait about 25 minutes,” our waitress said when I ordered it. Well worth the delay for a bird the menu described as coated in a lightly peppery batter. One crunchy, juicy bite and I was sold. But that champ of a chicken should have been plated alongside, not atop, mashed potatoes. And what were snow peas doing draped over the thigh? Great frying, careless plating.
My companion’s a la carte linguine with white clam sauce (($18) was, like the focaccia, overwhelmed by ultra-pungent garlic. Couldn’t even taste the clams.
Dessert, part of the prix-fixe, was Greek revanie, a moist yogurt cake, which ended the meal on the upbeat.
34 New Street is at 34 New St., Huntington, 631-427-3434.
