Italian chain Felice opens in Roslyn

For Felice’s tenth act, the Italian restaurant group decided to venture beyond the five boroughs into Roslyn, taking up residence in a waterfront property that has been vacant for two decades. Hidden from the street behind Jojo Anavim gallery, the property housed Friend of a Farmer from 1992 to 2002 and then … nothing.

Jacopo Giustiniani, Partner & COO at Felice’s parent company, SA Hospitality Group, said that he’d never been to Roslyn until he was invited to see the property by the landlord, a longtime Roslyn resident who was also a longtime Felice customer. “I felt connected to the location right away,” the Florence-born Giustiniani said. “The charming village, the beautiful trees — it reminded me of Tuscany.”

That was in 2018. Thanks to COVID, the estimated 18-month build-out of Felice (feh-LEE-chay, “happy” in Italian) stretched into three years.

Giustiniani isn’t the only Tuscan involved with the restaurant that is “inspired by the spirit of the Tuscan countryside.” Group culinary director Iacopo Falai is a native Florentine as is Roslyn’s executive chef Niccolo Simone.

With exposed wood beams spanning its vaulted ceilings, the golden-hued dining room certainly evokes a rustic Italian fantasy. But instead of soft hills punctuated by stands of cypress trees, the room looks out onto Roslyn’s idyllic duck pond. A 34-seat brick patio offers more water (and duck) views.

The menu features a few Tuscan specialties — crostini topped with chicken-liver mousse and crisped sage leaves, imported prosciutto Toscano (a little softer and saltier than Parma) and grilled steaks alla Fiorentina. More of the fare is pan-Italian: Fried calamari and baby artichokes, arancini (rice balls), eggplant Parmesan, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, baked gnocchi with cheese and truffle, linguine ai frutte di mare, pappardelle alla Bolognese, and branzino baked in parchment. Starter prices range from $15 to $27, pastas from $24 to $35 and mains from $29 to $39, excluding the bone-in rib eye steak which is $89 for 22 ounces, $178 for $44 ounces.

There’s no region of Italy that doesn't have great food, but it must be said that the cuisine of Tuscany is simple to the point of austerity.  However, Tuscany produces some of the country’s greatest olive oils and many of Felice’s dishes are drizzled with its own proprietary oil from San Casciano Val di Pesa, outside of Florence.

Tuscan wines, of course, are among Italy’s finest. Felice’s mostly Italian list includes many Chiantis, Brunellos and Super Tuscans, as well as a number of bottles from Fattoria Sardi, the restaurant’s own organic vineyard.

For now, Felice is open for dinner seven nights a week. Lunch is coming soon.

Felice is at 1382 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn, 516-933-5432, felicerestaurants.com