A Piping Hot Anniversary

Joe Perrone planned to celebrate Crostini's one-year anniversary by doing what he does best, serving delicious and affordable Italian food.

A Queens native, Perrone was once a Massapequa resident before he moved to Roslyn, where he currently resides.

However, he returned to Massapequa to start Crostini, located at 947 North Broadway, with his cousin Michael Lodico, because he loved the location and knew he had something to offer. They celebrated their first anniversary in the area earlier this month.

"I thought the neighborhood could really use a place like this, with a comfortable atmosphere and affordable food," Perrone said.

Perrone, who has been in the restaurant business for 20 years, began his career by working at high-end steakhouses in Manhattan. To him, causal restaurants like Crostini  have a more promising outlook  than the fancy and costly restaurants where he used to work.

"I think this is a future business because it caters to more true income families. These days, people have less time to cook, but they don't want to spend a lot of money on food."

Yet, he doesn't compromise the taste and quality of his menu for affordability.

"With Italian food, you can cook good food and still keep it cheap," he said.

In addition to pizza, the restaurant offers dishes from traditional Italian recipes, such as rigatoni montanara, a typical southern Italian pasta with spinach, sundried tomatoes, grilled chicken, garlic and virgin olive oil. Also on the menu, are baked clams, linguine primavera, and veal and chicken parmigiana heroes, all for less than $15.

Vegetarians are welcome to try the eggplant panini, vegetarian pizza, or calzone, among others, and customers with wheat allergies will also be happy to know that many of the appetizers, salads, entrees and pastas are gluten free.

The establishment that previously occupied Crostini 's space also served Italian fare, but the building was old and cramped.

Instead of simply working with what they had, Perrone and Lodico extensively renovated the restaurant, giving diners more space to relax and enjoy their food.

That wasn't the only challenge Perrone and Lodico had to overcome. They also struggled to let residents know about their new business once it opened.

 "The biggest challenge was getting the word out. I knew that when we did that, we would keep on excelling," said Perrone. "We did a lot of work, but we're very happy with how it came out."

Diners have been very receptive to their efforts so far, and Crostini's catering business, in particular, has taken off. On the menu is a wide range of appetizers, sautéed vegetables, pasta, and specialty dishes such as veal and seafood, on full or half trays.

Perrone is grateful for the success, especially during an economic downturn.

"We began this business last summer, right when things were getting bad, but I can't say that we've had any problems," said Perrone. "So far, it's been good."

For the future, he hopes to broaden his reach with the public by opening another restaurant in the area.

"We're looking for other locations to expand the brand."