French restaurant Brasserie by Chef Aless opens in Massapequa

Given that her family’s 32-year old bistro in Manhattan, Mon Petit Café, was a cozy, neighborhood corner spot on 62nd Street and Lexington Avenue, chef Alessandra MacCarthy seems downright gleeful about the massive new space she and her husband, Justin, have opened in Massapequa: Brasserie by Chef Aless. It takes over the Merrick Road location from Bobby McCann’s, a sports bar and restaurant.

“It was the pandemic that brought us out here,” says MacCarthy of the move to Long Island, as she walks the dining room on a recent weekday dinner service. "We have a backyard, a pool and it’s great.”

The new restaurant, outfitted typically with white subway-tiled walls, perimeter banquettes, leather cushioned wood-backed chairs and marble-topped bistro tables, is casual with a menu of French staples. Currently serving dinner and Sunday brunch, the restaurant serves appetizers that include familiar favorites like French onion soup, escargot, and mussels served in white wine or curry sauces. Less French is the bicolor baby beet salad, dressed up with burrata and pomegranate vinaigrette. A seafood tower of shrimp, oysters, mussels and crab starts at $45.

At brunch, a $27 affair with mimosas, bloody Marys, wine and beer included, you will find quiche Lorraine and croissant French toast, ham-and-cheese crepes and croque monsieurs, as well as a ratatouille shakshuka. Dinner service highlights plates like filet of sole meunière, a grilled New York strip with au poivre or bearnaise sauce, a traditional coq au vin — braised chicken in red wine and mushroom sauce — and a duck breast in cassis reduction. Appetizers and salads range from $12 to $25, while entrees run about $25 to $39. For dessert, don’t skip the profiteroles.

Brasserie by Chef Aless. 5590 Merrick Rd., Massapequa. Open Wednesday to Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 585-486-2305, brasseriebychefaless.com

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com@mariesworlds

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.