Spring Restaurant Week in New Hyde Park

This Sunday is the beginning of Long Island Restaurant Week, an opportunity for Long Islanders to dine at some of their favorite restaurants at a reduced rate and try out some new places without breaking the bank. Since the hospitality public relations firm of WordHampton began Long Island Restaurant Week in 2006, the event has been much anticipated every fall; this year a second spring restaurant week has been added. It will run from April 3 through April 10.

In New Hyde Park, there are four restaurants participating in restaurant week: , , and . New Hyde Park Patch did a preview at Iavarone, enjoying a three-course meal, which would usually cost $38, for $24.95.  

The Dish: The restaurant week menu at Iavarone Café features a choice of appetizer, salad or half a pasta dish for the first course. Main course choices included chicken scarpariello, veal sorrentino and salmon Dijon or a full portion pasta dish. Dessert was either cannoli or apple pie alamode. I chose baked clams, veal sorrentino and the apple pie.    

What’s Inside: The meal is in three courses but the complementary foccacia, made in their pizza oven, is a course unto itself. My appetizer was baked clams. Main course was veal sorrentino -- a thin slice of breaded veal, layered with prosciutto and mozzarella, and baked. For dessert, I went with the apple pie with vanilla ice cream.  

How’s it taste: The foccacia was fresh from the oven, covered with fresh tomato, oregano, parsley, garlic, a little grated cheese and a dash of hot red pepper that gave it just a bit of a bite. It was accompanied by house-made caponata. The baked clams have been a favorite since I’ve been going to Iavarone. After downing the small clams with their crisped bread topping, I use the bread in the breadbasket to sop up the sauce. The veal sorrentino was a tender and a flavorful mix of meat, ham and cheese.  I ate every one of the delicious roasted potatoes that accompanied the dish. I had the warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream but could have chosen from the several flavors of gelato that Iavarone carries.  

Portions were large and we had enough leftovers for at least one more substantial meal.