Open in Glen Cove: Claudio’s Ristorante
Capellini Marechiaro is a pasta special at Claudio's Ristorante in Glen Cove, May 29, 2014. Credit: Newsday / Erica Marcus
Claudio’s Ristorante has taken over the building that since 1978 housed the Glen Cove landmark La Pace. (Its final incarnation, La Pace with Chef Michael, closed in 2013.)
Owner Claudio Zustovich operated Piccola Italia in Williston Park in the 1980s and, since then, has had a hand in a number of local Italian restaurants while also running an auto body shop in Queens with his son Fabrizio. He sold the shop, bought La Pace and installed Fabrizio as general manager.
The interior has been given a thorough exfoliation. Gone are the plaid carpets and zig-zaggy wallpaper; the dining room is clean and bright. The menu is squarely in the Continental-leaning Italian-American tradition that is as much a part of Glen Cove as is the Church of Saint Rocco.
Each table receives a gratis antipasto platter featuring cheese, salami, olives, bruschetta and white anchovies. It’s a mark of the restaurant’s attention to detail that the cheese is Parmesan, the olives are bathed in herbs, the bruschetta is topped with red, ripe tomatoes.
Everything we ordered — baked clams ($12), seafood capellini Marechiaro ($23), veal chop Milanese ($42), soft-shell crabs Mugnaia ($30) — was well executed. Service was mature and professional.
Claudio’s Ristorante is at 51 Cedar Swamp Rd., Glen Cove, 516-801-6700.
