Barrister's - Southampton

Barrister's
36 Main Street
Southampton, NY 11968



Every once in a while you drive around and look for a place to eat on a whim. This is what happened one lazy Sunday afternoon. After scouting the Hamptons for potential location for new markets for Skin Revolution, Michael and I stumbled upon the quaint looking Barrister's, in the heart of downtown Southampton. Unfortunately, I can't speak much to their food.


The menu that was never meant to be...

We arrived at 3:30 and we were told that they had finished serving eggs for a day. This was not a problem since we were not really in the mood for that. What had piqued our interest was a tuna steak sandwich topped with a spicy guacamole and a salad. We walked in and were seated; the restaurant was not crowded, with a few people having lunch. We attempted to order the tuna sandwich, but were told that they do not serve that now. Our menus were taken away and we were given an "in-between" menu that runs from 4:00-5:00. This menu featured a few burgers, nothing special, and definitely things we did not want to eat. It was very disappointing, especially since we were there before 4:00. We walked out and went to look for someplace else. As we left the staff ran outside and took down the menu that had been posted. On the plus side, we found a great place called The Golden Pear Cafe, a delicious spot that I'll have a review up for that place soon.

Willy Parker's - Williston Park

Willy Parker's American Bar & Grill
71 Hillside Avenue
Williston Park, NY 11596



Willy Parker’s is located in an area of Williston Park that is becoming a hotbed of new restaurants, and some old classics. Having never ventured down to this part of town I decided to visit one evening with my mom, brother and aunt - the outcome was pleasantly surprising. Dining out with my family, particularly my mother can be an exercise in patience and endurance. She is resistant to things out of the realm of standard American fare and is a staunch traditionalist. When we go out to eat, it can quickly turn into an evening of unsurprising, unsatisfying and bland food. Today however, was different. Willy Parker’s offers what my mother seeks best, classic American food. But, differing from past experiences, this place does it well. For a Thursday night, the place was relatively empty. There were about three other tables that were filled, yet the bar area seemed to be more crowded. There was also karaoke later in the night, so I’m sure that would bring out more people. The restaurant section is pretty small, but not overcrowded as if people were sitting on top of one another. We were greeted fairly quickly and the service was quick, yet somewhat standoffish. However, they did provide decent service.

From Monday through Thursday until 8PM, Willy Parker’s offers a price fixed menu for $24; this is what I opted for. For an appetizer I ordered the Mac & Cheese, a delicious starter that contained taso ham and gruyere and parmesan cheeses. It was very filling, almost too much so for an appetizer. Willy Parker’s serves their mac and cheese with orecchiette pasta, which were cooked perfectly, and really held in the delicious cheese sauce. Everyone at the table seemed to enjoy the creamy texture mixed in with the slightly spicy bits of ham. For dinner, I ordered the 12 oz. marinated skirt steak, served with onions, mushrooms and roasted potatoes. Although the presentation left some to be desired, the sauce was tasty and really complemented the onions, mushrooms and potatoes. The steak was also cooked well, but a little overdone. Nonetheless, the meal worked out to be a success.


The creamy and delicious Mac & Cheese.


Sloppily assembled, but very tasty skirt steak.

I was able to taste food my other tablemates had ordered, and for the most part was equally pleased. The fish and chips were cooked well, crispy beer batter on the outside with tender, flaky fish on the inside. The biggest plus - the chips were actually chips! Too often the standard fries passed off as chips. Freshly made sliced potato, fried and salted perfectly. The inside was tender and full of delicious potato goodness. The burger was good as well, but a little overdone, I think this might have been mom’s ordering though. The regular fries were nothing great, just thin cut and a little dry. Same goes for the onion rings; they could have been salted more. They weren’t bad, just average.


Delicious fish and chips (Real Chips!)



The average onion rings.


Willy Parker’s failed to deliver a closing blow to what was an outstanding evening. For dessert, I ordered a crème brûlée which was served well blow expectations. The custard base was notably warm and thin, while the burnt sugar topping was soft and failed to form a nice hard caramelized top.


The only downside - warm and thin crème brûlée

In all, this was a good change of pace from the normal food that I usually encounter going out to eat with the family. Unfortunately, the desert left us wanting more. Perhaps other choices would not have disappointed. Despite this, I will defiantly be visiting Willy Parker’s again.

-7.5/10-

Black Forest Brew Haus - Farmingdale

Black Forest Brew Haus
2015 New Hwy.
Farmingdale, NY 11735



The Black Forest Brew Haus in Farmingdale is located in an area that looks like it would be home to a commercial office, rather than a German restaurant. What is inside however will surprise you. We arrived at 6:30 on a Monday and were seated immediately; there were only a few people at the bar and two other parties in the dining room. The restaurant had a traditionally distinct German theme, ranging from the hard wood tables, to the ever-present oom-pah music.

When we were seated we were provided with warm, freshly baked sourdough bread with a sweet cream spread. The bread was the perfect starter; the sourdough flavor was complemented by the spread. We started with the flamecake appetizer, a thin crust that was topped with mascarpone cheese, bacon and onions. The flamecake was delicious, its tender and crisp crust mixed well with onions and the bacon, the mascarpone held it all together. Depending on your taste, you may wish to have the bacon cooked a bit longer for crispness. One downer on the appetizers was the Black Forest Lager Fondue. Although the soft pretzels that the fondue came with were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, the cheese sauce had a mild cheddar flavor, but not much else. The fondue was much too thin in consistency and failed to hit on the expected flavors. The Brew Haus however should be complimented on their homemade soft pretzels.



The excellent flamecake.



The could be much better fondue.

The “Brew”ben sandwich came highly recommended; it is the Brew Haus spin on the traditional Ruben. The menu described the sandwich as “thinly sliced corned beef with Swiss, sauerkraut & Russian dressing on pretzel bread.” The sandwich was done well, however I’m not sure I would consider the corned beef “thinly sliced.” The pretzel bread was tasty, yet lacked the texture I normally think of when I hear “pretzel bread.” Otherwise, the sandwich was very good, the melted Swiss cheese really brought all the flavors together and the corned beef was tender. The sandwich was served with crispy fries that had a nice crunch and good taste, but nothing spectacular.



The “Brew”ben.

Overall, the portions at the Brew Haus were large and very filling. None of us had the appetite to stay for desert, but from what we saw on the neighboring tables, all deserts looked like solid choices. There were many things on the Brew Haus menu that I look forward to trying in the future. From what we’ve seen tonight, I’m sure we’ll be back.

-7 /10-

Ciao Baby - Massapequa Park

Ciao Baby
5074 Sunrise Highway
Massapequa Park, NY 11762

We arrived at Ciao Baby with somewhat high, yet guarded, expectations. What would unfold however, would become a legendary dinner of immense failure. Adam Richman, host of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food recently stopped at Ciao Baby on a brief tour of Long Island. The food looked spectacular on TV, but as we learned, looks can be deceiving.

After meeting Theresa at the Rockville Centre train station, we met up with Alex and Michael at the Sunrise Mall and proceeded to Ciao Baby. The restaurant was not crowded, but busy, and we were seated rather quickly. The walls were covered in photos from mobster movies and other notable Italian actors. The photos were autographed by celebrities who, if they had any sense of taste, would not return to Ciao Baby.

The restaurant has a type of dual waiter system, one waiter who brings the drinks and desserts, and a second who provides the menus and takes the entrée orders. The first waiter is basically a glorified bus boy, while the second waiter, clad in an odd looking suit, appears to be a used car salesman who got lost on the way to work (and is as helpful as a used car salesman would be serving Italian food). The second waiter presented a colander of dried pasta that you could find in any supermarket. There were no special types of pasta, and this attempt in originality turned out to be an exercise in futility. Unfortunately, both waiters had the same “I’d rather be somewhere else” attitude. After deliberation, we decided to order the rice ball, stuffed rigatoni and “Nona’s Old World Meat Platter.” Although the portions were tremendous, Ciao Baby is the perfect example of bigger not always being better.

The rice ball, a large grapefruit sized monstrosity, was more of a breaded meatball. At first none of us could find the rice, it seemed like dough. After investigation we figured out that what we thought was dough was a mushy paste of overcooked rice. To top it off, the rice ball was burned on the bottom. Theresa had something good to say (kind of) about the rice, saying “you have to break up the monotony of the meat.” What a disappointment.

The main courses were nothing special; the stuffed rigatoni was overcooked and covered in a bland, almost vodka-like, sauce. The meat platter was based in a bland tomato sauce filled with undercooked, almost crunchy, rigatoni and tough sausage. Everything was under seasoned. The only saving grace of this platter are the meatballs, one of the few things that were decent, yet nothing special. All of these dishes would probably be much better (and cheaper) if you ordered them at your local pizzeria. Needless to say, we did not stay for dessert.

Overall, a restaurant with as much press as Ciao Baby should not have reasonable expectations met with such disappointment. If you don’t mind taste, Ciao Baby would be a great place to get full on below-average Italian food. If you actually care for taste, this is not the place for you. I doubt we will be back.

-3.5/10-

Phayathai Restaurant - Ronkonkoma

Phayathai
735 Hawkins Ave
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779



Phaya-plus

Phayathai is a hidden treasure right near the LIE in an unassuming shopping mall. The only sign you see from the road is the word THAI. I’ve been going to this place for over two years, if you’re looking for a place to get consistently good Thai food, this is it. The pad thai (I usually get chicken, but the tofu-vegetable is also good) is always outstanding, it’s usually accompanied by shredded carrot, red cabbage and chopped peanuts. If it’s not, it might not be a good sign. Mix in some pepper flakes, and it is the perfect balance between sweet and spicy. For an appetizer I recommend the vegetable spring rolls, Thai-style dumplings or fried calamari. Michael likes the fish cakes but I think they’re a little too rubbery.

Honorable mention goes to the pad si ew (flat noodles with broccoli, egg and a brown sauce) with tofu.

Desserts are typically what you would find in a Thai restaurant with special mention going to the fried banana with ice cream. If you’re lucky, and it’s around New Years, maybe they’ll put a sparkler in it for you. You never know what fun to expect at Phayathai.

Phaya-minus

On the down side, the summer roll (bean curd, bean sprout, cellophane noodle, cucumber, carrot, basil and scallion wrapped in rice skin) was disappointing and had a strange taste. Also, the Thai iced tea is sickeningly sweet and overpowering, but Michael likes it. Personally, I’d stick with the water.

Overall

I know this place has had some financial trouble in the past year and the area can’t afford to lose one of the best Thai places on Long Island. So if you’re looking to support a locally owned business, this place is for you. The place family owned and they’re very friendly and often stop by for a brief chat. Service can be a little slow but that allows for a leisurely meal. The prices are average, although you will want to use cash since their credit card machine has a tendency to mess up the charges.

One word of caution: eat in! Take out just doesn’t taste as good. It lacks flavor and seems a little gummy. But if you eat in, you’re be sure to get a great meal.

-9.5/10-


The Tofu Pad See Ew (Back) and Chicken Pad Thai (Front)


-Ryan