New restaurant reviews
Verace, an Italian restaurant in Islip, is self-consciously hip, but also is distinctive and looks sharp, with a barrel-vaulted, artfully papered ceiling and streamlined, modern appointments suggesting a spree in Milan. (Jan. 23, 2010) Credit: Michael E. Ach
This week, Peter Gianotti visits Verace in Islip, the stylish new small-plates Italian restaurant from the Bohlsen family (Teller’s, Prime, H2O, Beachtree). Joan Reminick reviews Lounge Burger, and its eponymous specialty—“the beefy, drippy, delectable reason to visit this Wantagh hipster.”
Gianotti and Reminick collaborate on a roundup of six Long Island gastro pubs. How do you know you're at a gastro pub?
—The ambience is warm, tavern-ish, neither down-and-dirty bar nor plush, chichi restaurant.
—The menu features pub comfort classics with a twist (think Kobe beef frankfurters) plus high-style dishes (such as tuna sashimi or pappardelle with wild mushrooms).
—Prices are somewhere between neighborhood pub and fine dining establishment.
—Abundant brews, on tap and / or in bottles should include go-with-the-food selections and, when possible, local beverages, too.
Verace's dining room. Photo by Michael E. Ach
Top Stories
