Vespa Italian Kitchen & Bar in Farmingdale and more Long Island restaurants to try this weekend
Vespa Italian Kitchen & Bar, on Main Street in Farmingdale, has some menu choices that will comfort you on a chilly fall day. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Looking to go out to eat this weekend? Here are a couple of recommendations:
FROM DINING CRITIC MELISSA MCCART
A sausage and kale soup ($7) thick with white beans was a fine lunch at Vespa Italian Kitchen & Bar in Farmingdale on a chilly afternoon. I ordered it with a side of cauliflower that kept my attention ($9). Roasted and mashed with garlic and olive oil, it was a near-guilty pleasure like fries or mashed potatoes.
I ordered off the main menu, though there is a separate lunch menu which includes a half-salad and sandwich for $13.95, a half-salad and soup for $10.95 and 10-inch pizzas that start at $9.
Vespa opened on Main Street this summer, the third restaurant from Ben and Cynthia Lomanto and their son Michael — the team behind Spuntino in St. James and Dix Hills.
282 Main St., Farmingdale; 516-586-8542, vespaitaliankitchen.com
FROM FOOD WRITER ERICA MARCUS
Taverna 38 is settling into Williston Park. After a rocky start as the ambitious pan-Mediterranean Xarello, the restaurant transitioned to Greek in May. More approachable than Hellenic heavy-hitters Kyma and Limani in Roslyn, it’s many steps above your average LI gyro joint. Order any stuffed vegetable you see on the menu, be it cabbage or zucchini; grilled calamari and moussaka also highly recommended. Service is winning, and the wine list has some interesting, well-priced Greek bottles.
38 Hillside Ave., Williston Park, 516-747-0223, taverna38.com
