Wine & Dine 10- 21-15 by Anton Community Newspapers

WINEDINE WINEDINE AN ANTON MEDIA GROUP SPECIAL

OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

Head South (right around the corner) INSIDE

Vegan Restaurant Olive Oil Never Tasted So Good

NOVEMBER 1–8, 2015 www.longislandrestaurantweek.com 141776

WINE & DINE • OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

The Virgin Olive BY LYN DOBRIN

SPECIALSECTIONS@ANTONMEDIAGROUP.COM

The Virgin Olive is a gleaming new shop in Woodbury where you can taste flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars, experiencing interesting flavors such as black truffle oil, Tuscan herb olive oil, chocolate raspberry balsamic vinegar and white peach balsamic vinegar. There are 54 different flavored olive oils and vinegars plus Jacques Torres chocolate, sea salt and organic honey from Savannah. This boutique shop, in the Woodbury Village Shopping Center off Jericho Turnpike, is a small but mighty place where the walls are lined with fustis—highly polished stainless steel containers with dispensers for serving the oils and vinegars. Customers can taste as much as they wish to find the flavors that they like. Although there are cubes of bread for dipping, the owners recommend experiencing the taste without the bread to get the full flavor. The best way to taste the oil, says Lisa Dobler (who owns

the shop with her husband Fred and Fred’s sister Renee) is to follow the four esses: swirl (cover the cup and swirl to release the aromas), sniff, slurp and swallow. The business started as a hobby after the Doblers visited Italy, amazed at the quality of oils and vinegars there. They conducted the business on-line for two years and in August of this year opened the Woodbury store, giving customers the opportunity to taste for themselves. The extra virgin olive oils come from Spain, Greece, Italy and California and the balsamic vinegars are produced in Modena, Italy. Bottles are filled directly from the fusti, fresh for the customer in the store. The sea salts originate in places such as Hawaii and the Himalayas, some flavored with smoked garlic, mushrooms or hot peppers. Honey choices include wildflower, orange blossom and acacia. “You can incorporate any of these items into your cooking,” said Dobler, “and a little goes a long way.” Information cards on each fusti tell a

see OLIVE OIL on page 3B

Published by Anton Media Group KARL V. ANTON, JR. Publisher, 1984–2000 ANGELA SUSAN ANTON Editor and Publisher FRANK A. VIRGA President IRIS PICONE Operations Manager CHRISTY HINKO Managing Editor, Special Sections ALEX NUÑEZ Art Director KAREN MENGEL Director of Production SHARI EGNASKO Executive Assistant JOY DIDONATO Circulation Director 132 East Second Street, Mineola, NY 11501 Phone: 516-747- 8282 • Fax: 516-742-5867 advertising inquiries advertising@antonmediagroup.com circulation inquiries subscribe@antonmediagroup.com editorial submissions specialsections@antonmediagroup.com 141349

WINE & DINE • OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

bit about each product and suggest how to use it. For example, there’s smoked olive oil which “is smoked using a specifically designed smoker and a hand selected blend of sweet and aromatic woods to best complement the oil’s flavor profile,” read the cards. Suggestions for use include drizzling the oil on steaks, pork chops, shrimp and roasted vegetables and pairing it with fig balsamic vinegar and traditional balsamic vinegar. The sign on the coconut

white balsamic vinegar suggests drizzling it over pineapple, blueberries and strawberries and using it as a glaze for shrimp kabobs and chicken skewers. Dobler suggests using flavored olive oils when frying and sautéing to create uniquely flavored dishes. “When

making standard chicken cutlets, zest a lemon and add it to the breadcrumbs. Pan fry the cutlets in Meyer lemon olive oil for lemony chicken cutlets. The same process can be done using our blood orange olive oil,” she said. You can even use the blood orange olive oil to make brownies, said Dobler. “Just substitute our blood orange olive oil for vegetable oil in any store bought brownie mix. Once baked, you can drizzle any fruity dark balsamic such as blood orange, fig, or raspberry on the brownies and sprinkle with sea salt.” This is the opportunity to create new flavor-popping dishes or to enliven some old recipes. Before the blueberry season is over, I’m hoping to make their lemon blueberry pound cake using Meyer lemon olive oil instead of butter and when I start roasting vegetables again, I plan to toss the vegetables in a mix of olive oil and pomegranate balsamic vinegar. With The Virgin Olive, there’s a whole world of tastes to discover.

Now Accepting Thanksgiving Reservations Prix Fixe Menu

$34.95

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OLIVE OIL from page 2B

WINE & DINE • OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

Desperately Seeking Southern Biscuits & Barbeque rewards food explorers BY STEVE MOSCO

SMOSCO@ANTONMEDIAGROUP.COM

Sheer convenience is rarely a determining factor in the measure of a meal. A well-trafficked location with bright, neon signage does not automatically denote food worth forking. An eater’s most memorable meals often occur at restaurants that required some investigation. And in Mineola, on a nondescript road in a partially industrial area, a small dinette is churning out cuisine that beckons to satiate a bayou and barbecue craving. Biscuits & Barbeque (106 E. 2nd St.) opened in 2012 in a shimmering steel dining car. But the nostalgic exterior belies the food inside. This is no 1950s throwback; Biscuits & Barbeque is cooking up hearty Southern fare from barbecue favorites to Cajun classics. Biscuits’ owner, Joan Gallo, said the restaurant has found its footing in its Mineola location, with a steady crowd of lunch

and dinner regulars mixed in Biscuits & Barbeque with outowner, Joan Gallo of-towners spurred on by word-of-mouth. “People come from all over,” said Gallo, who had run the similarly themed Manhattan eatery Delta Grill, which recently closed. “It certainly

feels great to know that they are coming here strictly because of what they’ve heard about the food.” And the food they’ve heard about is a loving amalgamation of downhome Southern and Louisiana Cajun, with creative takes on an array of well-known dishes. The dinner menu immediately piques the eater’s interest with it’s interesting appetizer menu, which includes fried green

tomatoes, alligator sausage, delta fried pickles, as well as the addictive and only available on the weekends fried oysters. The oysters, relegated to weekends only to preserve freshness, are lightly breaded and served with Cajun dipping sauce. These morsels are delicate and briny, perfectly preparing the palate for richer menu items like the

see BISCUITS on page 5B

Grand Opening

HAPPY HOUR Tues. - Fri. 4.30pm - 7pm 20% OFF all food at Bar during Happy Hour

TUESDAY Live Entertainment 6pm-10pm

$5 off

Not valid with any other coupons Expires 12/1/15

1 Free homemade dessert with purchase of dinner entree - one per party Buy 3 panini for lunch get the 4th free of equal or lesser value Expires 12/1/15

348 E. Jericho Turnpike, Mineola, New York

(516) 280-8990

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Not valid with any other coupons

Brunch | Lunch | Dinner | Catering 2499 Jericho Turnpike GCP 742.7300 www.Jonathansrestaurant.com

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Lunch check of $35 or more

15% off

Entire dinner check on Sundays

WINE & DINE • OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

to touch all the palate pleasure zones. BISCUITS from page 4B Each entrée is served with two sides jambalaya with chicken and smoked that vary from the earthy smoked andouille sausage. Biscuits’ retrofitted turkey collard greens to the red beans its dining car with a smoker and they and rice with andouille sausage. put it to good use, adding the unmisOther side options include candied takable smoky lure with Louisiana yams, cheddar jalapeno mashed tasso ham in its sausage-packed potatoes and Southern grits. Two jambalaya. The dish is spicy, but in a surprisingly dynamic sides were the subtle way that inspires flavor rather fried onion rings and the vegetable of than repels non-chili heads. Also the day. The onion rings were thick among the apand crisp, while petizer elite, the the vegetable, country biscuit which on that with andouille day was a Cajun sausage gravy is combo of string an unabashed beans, carrots and rib-sticking dish zucchini, were that comforts fresh, crunchy the eater more and brightened and more with up with a spice each creamy, The fried oysters delicate and only avail- mixture. buttery bite. Although it Further down able on weekends. seems impossible, the dinner menu, Biscuits’ offers a it would be wise to save room for deshandful of po’boys, including fried sert at Biscuits. The restaurant’s key shrimp, barbecue chicken, pulled lime pie is quickly becoming a local pork and catfish, as well as the legend, but Biscuits recently released Louisiana classic, the muffuletta an even better version with raspberry sandwich. and a coconut crust. The pie is cool For an entrée, one would be hard and calming with a texture best pressed to find a better rack of ribs described as a crunchy smoothie. The on Long Island. As soon as they are Oreo turtle pie is on the other side of set on the table, the mere sight of the spectrum, decadently giving the the glistening glaze on these meaty eater chocolate flashbacks for days. beauties entices even the most refined A cash-only joint with six booths, 15 eater to revert back to their animal counter stools and a soothing BYOB urges. Sticky and scintillating, the policy, Biscuits & Barbeque doesn’t ribs are served in a smoked molasses lean on mystique or ambiance. barbecue sauce and bite cleanly off Instead, it delivers a straightforward, the bone rather than fall limply off filling meal with friendly service—the in a sloppy mess. If the eater prefers, only frills Biscuits’ will happily prepare the ribs necessary is with a dry rub. a menu filled Another sure bet is the Louisiana with captivatGulf shrimp and grits. Plump gulf ing cuisine shrimp adorned with Cajun liveliness created with are served atop creamy and delightful homespun grits with sautéed peppers and a Biscuit’s shrimp flair. surprising crunch of pecans, which and grits is deeply bring texture to the dish and enable it flavorful.

LONG ISLAND Restaurant Week NOVEMBER 1–8, 2015

$27.95 3-COURSE

PRIX FIXE SUNDAY to SUNDAY OFFERED ALL NIGHT

(Saturday Only Until 7 PM)

8 DAYS OF DEALS

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Biscuits & Barbeque’s ribs shine with succulence. (Photos by Steve Mosco)

SPONSORED BY:

www.longislandrestaurantweek.com

WINE & DINE • OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

Italian Classics Are Meat And Dairy Free At LI’s Only Vegan Restaurant BY SHERI ARBITALJACOBY

tofu ricotta and cashew blue cheese.” The original restaurant, 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe, started as a standard Long Island pizzeria—named for the restaurant owner’s three sons—until 2009 when one of the three brothers, Jay Astafa, created a vegan menu for his dad’s restaurant. 3 Brothers continued to serve all the traditional meat and cheese dishes, but also offered the plant-based alternatives that the young vegan chef created. Astafa’s vegan menu has become so popular that the Farmingdale location evolved into a destination. “We’ve been serving our popular vegan menu at 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe for six years now,” said Astafa. “[Now] that restaurant is 70 percent vegan.” So, why open another restaurant that only serves a vegan menu? “We felt it was time to expand with an all-vegan restaurant,” said Astafa. “There’s no all-vegan restaurant on Long Island, which makes 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe the only [one].” Less than three months ago, on July 31, 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe was born.

SARBITALJACOBY@ANTONMEDIAGROUP.COM

Vegetarian Awareness Month is the perfect time to try 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe on Montauk Highway in Copiague, Long Island’s only all-vegan restaurant. At this offshoot of 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe in Farmingdale, every Italian classic is made from plant-based ingredients. In fact, the eatery even makes its own homemade cheese from nuts. The vegan menu features appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pastas, entrées, wood-fired pizzas and housemade desserts. “What sets 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe apart from all other vegan restaurants is that we have our own in-house vegan cheese program,” said Jay Astafa, the vegan chef and owner of his eponymous catering business. “Our pizzas and dishes feature our house-made cheeses. We make all of our cheeses, such as our fresh cashew milk mozzarella, cashew milk cheddar, cashew Parmesan, macadamia feta, cashew-

The Seitan Parmesan tastes as good as it looks. (Photo by Sheri ArbitalJacoby)

see VEGAN RESTAURANT on page 7B

ITALIAN EATERY & TAKEOUT

“More Than A Neighborhod Pizzeria”

Mexican Family Restaurant

Lunch And Dinner Served Daily

$ 00

5 OFF

WE SPECIALIZE IN CATERING FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Purchases Over $3000

Ask for our Catering Menu

Expires 11/30/15

SPEEDY LUNCH SPECIALS $695-$895 DINNER STARTING AT $1295

COME CELEBRATE YOUR SPECIAL OCCASIONS (516) 621-1400

Credit Cards Accepted

FAX (516) 621-1509 • www.ourattilios.com

31 So. Middle Neck Road, Great Neck 141176

96 MINEOLA AVENUE ROSLYN HEIGHTS

466-0011

www.senornachony.com

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WINE & DINE • OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

We Are Celebrating 65 YEARS AND STILL COUNTING... GRILLED CHICKEN CUTLETS* • BBQ CHICKEN SPARE RIBS • HAWAIIAN CHICKEN SANTA FE CHICKEN • SWEET BAKED SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN CHICKEN POT PIE EST. 1950 NUGGETS AND FINGERS ® HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN “Every Kind Of The Very Best Chicken HONEY SESAME TENDERLOINS In The World...& So Much More!!! “HOT SPICY” BAKED CHICAGO WINGS SKINLESS S.F. CHICKEN • CHICKEN IN A POT BONELESS AND SKINLESS S.F. CHICKEN CUTLETS SPICY BAKED FLOPPY CHICKEN FINGERS • GRILLED CHICKEN

Poultry Mart

VEGAN RESTAURANT from page 6B “The location was selected randomly by my dad,” the chef said. The entrance looks like a typical take-out pizza place, but as guests turn to the right, an intimate dining room is revealed. Many of the menu selections seem familiar from the 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe, including its Famous Mozzarella Sticks made from Daiya Mozzarella, but there are also plenty of decadent new appetizers, such as Buffalo Cauliflower, Tofu “Crab” Cakes, Oyster Mushroom “Calamari” and Fried Mac N Cheese Balls served with truffle aioli and coconut “bacon.” Creamy homemade vegan cheeses offer dairy-free twists to entrées including Seitan Parmesan, Eggplant Rollatini and Buffalo Seitan Panini; pasta dishes such as Vegetable Lasagna, Mac & Cheese and Baked Ziti; as well as brick-oven pizzas and calzones with just about any topping you crave. More sophisticated options include Seitan Piccata, Marsala and Scarpariello. Plus, any of the delicious salads can become a satisfying meal by adding grilled or Buffalo seitan, grilled tofu or avocado. The vegan hot spot caters to many

The wood-fired pizzas and other specialties at 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe feature their home-made nut cheeses. dietary needs. “In addition to our vegan menu options, we have a lot of gluten-free and allergy-friendly options,” noted the chef. So, whether you’re looking to cut down on meat and cheese or have food sensitivities, Long Island’s only vegan restaurant will make you forget you’re swapping out your old Italian favorites. 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe is located at 1038 Montauk Hwy. in Copiague. View the full menu at www.3brothers vegancafe.com or call 631-464-4328. For a full review of 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe in Farmingdale, visit www.anton news.com/farmingdaleobserver/ news/30674-delicious-italian -comfort-food.html. Visit www.longislandweekly.com to read our feature about Dr. Cow in Brooklyn, the first vegan cheese shop. Look for a story about Vege Eats, a vegetarian specialty store in Queens that imports convincing varieties of plant-based “meats” in next week’s paper.

ALL OF OUR FOOD IS PREPARED FRESH DAILY Salt Free BBQ to Order • Skinless BBQ to Order FRESH SALADS CHICKEN SALAD HEALTH SALAD POTATO SALAD SHRIMP SALAD MACARONI SALAD TUNA SALAD VARIETY OF COLE SLAWS THREE-BEAN SALAD TOSSED SALAD (with/without chicken) BAKED VIRGINIA HAM MEAT LOAF OVEN ROASTED BRAZILIAN CHICKEN

EGGPLANT SALAD PASTA SALADS BEET VINAIGRETTE CRANBERRY COMPOTE CUCUMBER SALAD CARROT RAISIN SALAD COUNTRY COLE SLAW* GREEK SALAD

MEATS

TURKEY BREAST ITALIAN MEATBALLS DOMINICAN STYLE PORK CHOPS SPIT ROASTED CHICKEN

ASK ABOUT OUR DELICIOUS NEW ITEMS! WE MAKE SANDWICHES!! CHALLAHS • PLAIN & RAISIN • CORN BREAD

APPETIZERS & SIDE DISHES CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVERS VEGETABLE KNISHES POTATO KNISHES GEFILTE FISH KASHA KNISHES KASHA VARNISHKAS CHICKEN SOUP EGG BARLEY & MUSHROOMS MATZOH BALLS FRIED RICE MASHED POTATOES NOODLE PUDDING VEGETABLE LASAGNA

WILD RICE W/ RAISINS & ALMONDS SWEET POTATO PIE BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH RICE STEAMED BROCCOLI & GARLIC GRILLED CORN ON A COB POTATO KUGEL BAKED APPLES POTATO PANCAKES STUFFED CABBAGE MACARONI & CHEESE ASSORTED VEGETABLES ACORN SQUASH

CHICKEN • DUCK • TURKEY • CORNISH HEN The Best Kept Secret in Great Neck Poultry Mart’s RAW POULTRY DEPARTMENT Family Owned & Operated Since 1950

(516) 487-7150

33 MIDDLE NECK RD., GREAT NECK, NY 11021

The left side of 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe looks like a typical take-out pizza place, but the right side is a romantic restaurant. (Photo by Sheri ArbitalJacoby)

MON. - THURS. 8:30am - 7:30pm FRI. 8:00am - 7:30pm SAT. 8:00am - 6:00pm • SUN. 10am - 6:00pm EMPLOYEES SCREENED AND BONDED FOR YOUR PROTECTION

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We Deliver to Great Neck, Port Washington, Roslyn, Manhasset, Little Neck, Douglaston and Bayside (Other Areas By Request)

WINE & DINE • OCTOBER 21 - 27, 2015

Creating Magic This Thanksgiving with An Authentic Cajun

Turducken!

BISCUITS & BARBEQUE

106 E 2nd Street . Mineola . NY . 11501

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS AND CATERING ORDERS

140990

OPEN THANKSGIVING 12NOON-9PM • 516.493.9797