New Peninsula in Bay Shore: First bites
General Tso's chicken is a specialty at New Peninsula in Bay Shore in February 2014. Credit: Newsday / Peter Gianotti
New ownership and a new chef yield New Peninsula.
It succeeds Peninsula at a corner location in downtown Bay Shore. You're still greeted by stone foo dogs and may walk into the dining room via a bridge atop a koi pond. The whole place looks very much the same.
But owner Danny Wu, whose other Long Island restaurants include two stars in Nassau -- West East All Natural Bistro & Bar in Hicksville and Thom Thom in Wantagh -- already is improving the quality of the food. The executive chef is Andy Wong, a West East veteran.
New Peninsula is Chinese and Japanese with a side of pad Thai. You'll find good miso soup and wonton soup, colorful sushi rolls, and Chinese mainstays that include a not-very-spicy version of General Tso's chicken and a one-course production of Beijing duck.
Service can be erratic, especially if there's a crowd. But it's an earnest, well-intentioned crew.
The fortune cookies are optimistic.
New Peninsula, 55 W. Main St., Bay Shore; 631-666-8811.
