After living on LI and going out to Montauk so many times, I have been very behind by not visiting Lunch (or Lobster Roll as its known). I have passed the location out eat many times but usually not at lunch time. I always forgot that there is another location in Riverhead that is much closer to get to.
I decided that I wanted to take a trip to the outlets and to experience having lunch at Lobster Roll. Going out to Riverhead, the perfect itinerary to make is stopping at the outlets, than off to Briermere for a pie and ending you day at Lobster Roll for a bite to eat. When we first got to the restaurant, I really liked how it was in a converted house. We requested to sit outside and were promptly seated on the wood deck. Lobster Roll is a casual hangout with a very beachy, laid back atmosphere.
Our waitress came to the table rather quickly and told us about the specials, including a drink called the Pink Fizzy, a pink lemonade and zinfandel drink topped with seltzer. Of course I was tempted to order it, which I did, and my boyfriend ordered a lobster ale. The service was a bit slow, granted it was not too packed in the restaurant, so that is something they can definitely work on. After our drinks came, I decided to order a crabcake which was actually grilled not fried, very rare to find, and my boyfriend ordered the signature hot lobster roll. The difference between the hot lobster roll and the cold one is that the cold one has mayo mixed in it while the hot is just fresh, steamed lobster.
Our food came promptly, much faster than the drinks. My entree was actually a crabcake sandwich with one medium size crabcake on it, a bit over priced for what you got. It also came on a white bun, something I am not too keen on, with a pickle, coleslaw and kettle chips. I focused on eating the crabcake plain and it was not too bad. I wouldn't really recommend ordering it to most though. Even though it was grilled, a nice alternative, it was missing a lot of crab flavor. I was not too impressed.
My boyfriend's lobster roll was a nice size but very very overpriced, which we didn't find out the price until the bill came ($25!). He got a pickle and coleslaw and he said everything was good, very fresh. But honestly for the price paid, not worth going to Lobster Roll for a lobster roll.
Overall, the atmosphere was nice, I enjoyed eating at the restaurant, but would I return again? Probably not. The food was greatly overpriced and service was below par. Maybe the original one in Amagansett is better? I am not too excited to really try.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Nisen, Woodbury
So after work, at my old job, one night me and my friend's Dan and Doug decided to go out to eat at Nisen Sushi as a bday/grad/end of work celebration for me, it was about 8:30pm. I went to the one in Commack, mistakingly, and loved the food but did not like the atmosphere (too much like a shopping mall feel) and was excited to try the one in Woodbury since I have heard so many good things.
Walking in, the environment is completely different. The tables are still plenty, with not too much room in between them, but the lighting/atmosphere/people are different. It is much darker, a much more trendy feel, with most people being in the 20s and up. Everyone is dressed city casual and a lot of the inside decor is trendy. I already liked the feel of the Woodbury one more than Commack.
As we sat down we waited quite a bit of time for our drinks order. It was a Thursday and seemed that the place was most crowded Thursday-the weekend. When our drink orders were finally taken, after maybe 20 minutes, I decided to go with the Sake sampler (something I had in Commack). We weren't sure of what to eat so asked for the waiter to come back but he took a bit of time to even bring out the drinks. One thing I would highly recommend to anyone would be to try the sampler. The sake in it is much more friendly to those who drink to much as it is sweeter, but with some increased intensity.
For food we decided to just order apps for the table, and ordered seaweed salad, sesame crusted calamari with sweet chili sauce, toro tartar and chilled kumomoto oysters. Everything was amazing. The seaweed salad had a freshness to it that you look for when ordering it. The calamari was hardly fried and went well with the dipping sauce. The toro tartar was fresh, not fishy, and sliced perfect. The oysters were delicious served with a kick with some jalapeno. After all this food we still definitely needed to order sushi, even though we already ordered more than enough food.
We decided to order a sushi platter, something we were told was recommended for 2-3 people max. Dan, as he does best, ordered more rolls just in case it was not enough, the mango hawaii roll and a classic roll as well i just don't recall which. Our food came out a little quicker than prior service (probably because it was 930 already). To start, the sushi place was definitely enough for more like 3-4 people not 2-3. But the assortment was great and everything so fresh that we didn't care how much we ordered. The mango specialty roll was amazing, I ate almost the whole thing! And the other classic roll was fresh and big. We also ordered 2 more sake samplers for the table, making a perfect end to a great night.
Overall, the food at Nisen is a+++. I would never be nervous to order something different there and you are always provided with quality, but it does match the price don't get me wrong. The service was not the greatest, granted the place was really busy and hard to navigate, but we did go at 830 on Thursday so i am a little surprised they were slow. But I prefer slow restaurant eating and with the people I was with, the service was great. The atmosphere for Woodbury is much better than Commack. In the end I would recommend going to Nisen in Woodbury with friends, boyfriend/girlfriends, even parents and I would say that you would not be making a bad choice.
Walking in, the environment is completely different. The tables are still plenty, with not too much room in between them, but the lighting/atmosphere/people are different. It is much darker, a much more trendy feel, with most people being in the 20s and up. Everyone is dressed city casual and a lot of the inside decor is trendy. I already liked the feel of the Woodbury one more than Commack.
As we sat down we waited quite a bit of time for our drinks order. It was a Thursday and seemed that the place was most crowded Thursday-the weekend. When our drink orders were finally taken, after maybe 20 minutes, I decided to go with the Sake sampler (something I had in Commack). We weren't sure of what to eat so asked for the waiter to come back but he took a bit of time to even bring out the drinks. One thing I would highly recommend to anyone would be to try the sampler. The sake in it is much more friendly to those who drink to much as it is sweeter, but with some increased intensity.
For food we decided to just order apps for the table, and ordered seaweed salad, sesame crusted calamari with sweet chili sauce, toro tartar and chilled kumomoto oysters. Everything was amazing. The seaweed salad had a freshness to it that you look for when ordering it. The calamari was hardly fried and went well with the dipping sauce. The toro tartar was fresh, not fishy, and sliced perfect. The oysters were delicious served with a kick with some jalapeno. After all this food we still definitely needed to order sushi, even though we already ordered more than enough food.
We decided to order a sushi platter, something we were told was recommended for 2-3 people max. Dan, as he does best, ordered more rolls just in case it was not enough, the mango hawaii roll and a classic roll as well i just don't recall which. Our food came out a little quicker than prior service (probably because it was 930 already). To start, the sushi place was definitely enough for more like 3-4 people not 2-3. But the assortment was great and everything so fresh that we didn't care how much we ordered. The mango specialty roll was amazing, I ate almost the whole thing! And the other classic roll was fresh and big. We also ordered 2 more sake samplers for the table, making a perfect end to a great night.
Overall, the food at Nisen is a+++. I would never be nervous to order something different there and you are always provided with quality, but it does match the price don't get me wrong. The service was not the greatest, granted the place was really busy and hard to navigate, but we did go at 830 on Thursday so i am a little surprised they were slow. But I prefer slow restaurant eating and with the people I was with, the service was great. The atmosphere for Woodbury is much better than Commack. In the end I would recommend going to Nisen in Woodbury with friends, boyfriend/girlfriends, even parents and I would say that you would not be making a bad choice.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Mercato, Massapequa, NY
I know that I have not been up to date posting restaurants but I have written all restaurants I ate at the last two months and am planning on posting them now and keeping up to date with it. First stop on the list, Mercato.
I went to Mercato for my friend's bday, the biggest reason is everyone loves their frozen drinks! Getting there, we were seated right away and given a minute to look at menus. I have been here before many times, one of my favorites, but I will comment on the atmosphere anyway. The inside is very trendy casual, with nice decor and lighting and mainly being a place you can go with a group of your friends to enjoy food and just talk. They have a small bar inside, which I have never been to but heard that it gets busy especially when there are drink specials. As always, the waitress took our drinks order very quickly upon sitting down.
I had to order my Italian Love, amaretto peach puree frangelico creation. Everyone was ordering the frozen margaritas/daquiris... they are so so good here and very big sized. We than looked at the menu and this menu is the easiest to highlight. A) Always order a flatbread as the first thing you ever try there. The flatbreads are the best I have ever tasted and the toppings get creative (chicken ranch, Hawaiian..etc) Past the flatbreads B) Panini is a second great option. Everything is great quality with really great choices of fillers. C) If you want a combo of a+b, try a flatzone. Remembers me of a flatbread + panini, the bread not too thick but the fillers are just like as if you were to order a sandwich. D) IF your like me and have had all of that already, go with a salad. They are very large portions and I promise you you will not be able to finish it. Last time I dined there my friend got pasta, papparedelle and mushrooms (something rare since most restaurants do not offer that cut of pasta). She let me try a forkful and I must say, it stood up to the quality of any good italian restaurant. I did not expect that because I would never recommend Mercato for food such as pasta or meat entrees, I would definitely suggest it as a sandwich/pizza type of restaurant but with a bit more class. But for choice E) I would say if you come with an appetite, don't exclude trying one of their entrees!
I decided to order the grilled calamari salad while most others at my party ordered flatbreads, one person ordering penne alla vodka. Our food took a bit to actually come out, which I did not mind because I appreciate a wait but it did get close to the point of being ridiculous. But either way I was with a group of friends I haven't chatted with in awhile so the wait made no difference. Once our food come out, piping hot, everyone was okay with the wait. First comment, wow my salad was big. There was a pile of grilled calamari greater than if you ordered a fried calamari appetizer at an Italian restaurant. The dressing it came with was a honey ginger dressing and alone, that dressing made it the right decision to try the salad. Everyone else loved their flatbreads and the person who ordered the penne even said it was very very good. It is a place like this where you can't go wrong with what you order you will always come out happy.
We did not order dessert this time because it was a bday and we were picking up ice cream cake but one dessert comment, since I have ordered it, is definitely if you have room try it. Me and my friends ordered the peanut butter chocolate fondue last time and I am a bit picky and did not like anything the fondue came with, so I waitress made it her goal to present us with a mix of dippers to satisfy me. She even gave us a scoop of ice cream! It was very good.
My comments about Mercato... a must try. If you want respectful servers (and you don't mind a little slower time to get your food), if you want great drinks (especially frozen ones and a must try Italian Love), if you want great food (especially a menu where no matter what you order you can't go wrong with), and you want a casual fun ambience, just go to Mercato. Whether it's girls night, or dinner with you brothers or sisters, this is the place to try to Massapequa. Enjoy!
I went to Mercato for my friend's bday, the biggest reason is everyone loves their frozen drinks! Getting there, we were seated right away and given a minute to look at menus. I have been here before many times, one of my favorites, but I will comment on the atmosphere anyway. The inside is very trendy casual, with nice decor and lighting and mainly being a place you can go with a group of your friends to enjoy food and just talk. They have a small bar inside, which I have never been to but heard that it gets busy especially when there are drink specials. As always, the waitress took our drinks order very quickly upon sitting down.
I had to order my Italian Love, amaretto peach puree frangelico creation. Everyone was ordering the frozen margaritas/daquiris... they are so so good here and very big sized. We than looked at the menu and this menu is the easiest to highlight. A) Always order a flatbread as the first thing you ever try there. The flatbreads are the best I have ever tasted and the toppings get creative (chicken ranch, Hawaiian..etc) Past the flatbreads B) Panini is a second great option. Everything is great quality with really great choices of fillers. C) If you want a combo of a+b, try a flatzone. Remembers me of a flatbread + panini, the bread not too thick but the fillers are just like as if you were to order a sandwich. D) IF your like me and have had all of that already, go with a salad. They are very large portions and I promise you you will not be able to finish it. Last time I dined there my friend got pasta, papparedelle and mushrooms (something rare since most restaurants do not offer that cut of pasta). She let me try a forkful and I must say, it stood up to the quality of any good italian restaurant. I did not expect that because I would never recommend Mercato for food such as pasta or meat entrees, I would definitely suggest it as a sandwich/pizza type of restaurant but with a bit more class. But for choice E) I would say if you come with an appetite, don't exclude trying one of their entrees!
I decided to order the grilled calamari salad while most others at my party ordered flatbreads, one person ordering penne alla vodka. Our food took a bit to actually come out, which I did not mind because I appreciate a wait but it did get close to the point of being ridiculous. But either way I was with a group of friends I haven't chatted with in awhile so the wait made no difference. Once our food come out, piping hot, everyone was okay with the wait. First comment, wow my salad was big. There was a pile of grilled calamari greater than if you ordered a fried calamari appetizer at an Italian restaurant. The dressing it came with was a honey ginger dressing and alone, that dressing made it the right decision to try the salad. Everyone else loved their flatbreads and the person who ordered the penne even said it was very very good. It is a place like this where you can't go wrong with what you order you will always come out happy.
We did not order dessert this time because it was a bday and we were picking up ice cream cake but one dessert comment, since I have ordered it, is definitely if you have room try it. Me and my friends ordered the peanut butter chocolate fondue last time and I am a bit picky and did not like anything the fondue came with, so I waitress made it her goal to present us with a mix of dippers to satisfy me. She even gave us a scoop of ice cream! It was very good.
My comments about Mercato... a must try. If you want respectful servers (and you don't mind a little slower time to get your food), if you want great drinks (especially frozen ones and a must try Italian Love), if you want great food (especially a menu where no matter what you order you can't go wrong with), and you want a casual fun ambience, just go to Mercato. Whether it's girls night, or dinner with you brothers or sisters, this is the place to try to Massapequa. Enjoy!
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