An Italian reverie at Luigi Q in Hicksville
Seppie, or cuttlefish, salad at Luigi Q restaurant in Hicksville. (Apr. 2012) Credit: Newsday/Peter M. Gianotti
The first time I encountered cuttlefish was in a wonderful book of early poems by Eugenio Montale. Courtesy of Luigi Quarta, they can be rewarding on the plate, too
Cuttlefish, or seppie, are similar to squid, but given the right treatment, they're more tender. And the seppie salad at Luigi Q in Hicksville is one of those appetizer specials that you'll think about on a sunny afternoon, maybe daydreaming about a beach somewhere. Glistening, white, accented with olive oil and citrus, it's simplicity and precision defined, and will make you forget countless overdone seafood salads.
Follow the cuttlefish with cod Livornese, maybe pork tenderloin finished with mushrooms and rosemary, perhaps rabbit accompanied by delectable polenta laced with Gorgonzola, and you'll see why Luigi Q remains one of the top Italian restaurants in either Nassau or Suffolk. Try whatever the pasta of the day is, too.
Since Quarta is from Brindisi, toast with a southern Italian wine. He has plenty. Enjoy an espresso and the housemade biscotti. Then, linger a bit with a glass of very refined grappa.
Montale would have approved.
Luigi Q, 400 S. Oyster Bay Rd., Hicksville; 516-932-7450.
Cuttlefish at Luigi Q.
