Vicinato Kitchen & Bar opens in Hauppauge

Less than a year after Gusto Osteria opened in Hauppauge, it has rebranded as Vicinato Kitchen & Bar, still Italian but more casual and affordable.

“We wanted to be more upscale casual than fine dining,” said general manager Jess Lyons, who came aboard during the Gusto era. “People in this area were looking for chicken Parm, a meatball appetizer, so we changed the menu, and we brought the prices down a bit too” “Vicinato,” she noted, is Italian for “neighborhood.”

One of Gusto’s partners, Don Brown, has departed, as has Giuseppe Sasso, the Italian-born GM who was a veteran of Anthony Scotto restaurants. Now sole owner David McWilliams is joined by Lyons and floor manager Scott McMillan. The white tablecloths and candles are also MIA and the sprawling dining room has a warmer feel. 

What hasn’t changed, is Gusto’s chef, Mario Maligieri, a native of Naples. His Italian American additions — meatballs, fried calamari, chicken Parm, Caesar salad, veal Sorrentina, etc. — share the menu with some less-familiar plates, such as grilled calamari and shrimp, fusilli and sausage in a broccoli rabe puree, Berkshire pork chop with blackberry molasses. Sadly, Gusto’s olive all’ascolana, fried olives stuffed with beef and spicy sausage, have left the building.

Starters range between $12 and $18; pastas, $24 to $28; and mains are all in the $30s except the filet mignon in Barolo-mushroom sauce ($45). The lunch menu offers many of the dinner items for much less: pastas are all $20, and the grilled branzino that is $36 at dinner is $22 at lunch. Lyons said that portion size is the same.

On weeknights from 3 to 7 p.m. there’s a happy hour with buy-one-get-one-free drinks, and Sundays there’s a three-course brunch for $29.

The restaurant will hold a ribbon cutting on Friday with wine and food tastings and live music from 3 to 5 p.m. As the music dies down, Vicinato will kick off its Restaurant Week menu, three courses for $39.

Vicinato Kitchan & Bar, 551 Hauppauge Rd., Hauppauge, 631-652-0150, vicinatokitchen.com. Open Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 4 to 10 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.