The New York Times-20080127-Restoration At a Waterside Setting- -Review-
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Restoration At a Waterside Setting; [Review]
Full Text (853 words)PRIME VIEW is both the name of a new Port Washington restaurant and a description of its setting. Across the street from Manhasset Bay and Mill Pond, it offers vistas of both.
Over the years, this building has been home to more restaurants than I can count on my fingers -- some lasting less than a year. The property's new owners are the Caputo family (Lawrence and his sons Frank and Lawrence) and the Iavarone brothers (Pat, John and Joseph Jr.). The Iavarones are known for their high-quality Italian specialty food stores in Wantagh, New Hyde Park, Huntington and Maspeth, Queens.
Diners at Prime View may not notice many physical changes, but near the entrance are black-and-white photographs of the building dating to the 1890s, when it was the Hotel Renwick. Keen observers will notice a large second-story deck in the early photos that is missing in later shots. The first thing the present owners did was restore that deck. Come summer, there will be outdoor dining, making the most of the spectacular views.
The interior of the restaurant looks much as it has in recent years: a large, attractive dining room with walls of windows. The focal points inside the room are a glowing gas fire set in a brick wall and huge, illuminated glass vases holding decorative branches.
The chef is George Levendis, the former executive chef at Blue Honu in Huntington. The bread basket made a positive first impression with its onion rolls, chewy white rolls, dark raisin-nut slices and crusty Italian bread. The Caesar salad was large, classic and everything one wants in a Caesar.
The beet salad was another splendid opener. Organic baby beets in a variety of colors (yellow, bright red and purple) were perched atop a fluffy green salad enhanced with fennel, candied pecans, blue cheese, crisp pancetta and thin slices of roasted apple.
My favorite appetizer featured three grilled shrimp bathed in a garlic-butter sauce and set in a potato-skin boat afloat on a sea of sauteed spinach. The esca roll was a successful spin on stuffed cabbage, consisting of two escarole leaves wrapped around sausage, raisins and shiitake mushrooms, all napped in tomato sauce.
Meatball sliders were less popular at our table. Four big ones coated in tomato sauce were sandwiched in Gorgonzola cheese puffs. They were messy and deemed not worth the effort.
Top entree honors were shared by the ribs: the rack of fall-from-the-bone-tender bourbon-espresso-glazed pork ribs, accompanied by a bowl of creamy coleslaw, and the seductively soft beef short ribs braised in merlot, served with a mound of smooth parsnip puree, sauteed cippolini onions, baby carrots and haricots verts.
The twin Berkshire pork chops were running with juices and garnished with a tangy grappa-cherry sauce. Other highlights from the entree roster were a flavorful pan-roasted half chicken with herbs, lemon and garlic; a Black Angus char-grilled New York strip steak with crunchy onion rings, wild mushrooms and sauteed spinach; and a special of striped bass. The bass was dusted with curry, placed on an avocado puree with a topknot of salad and ringed with mounds of red cabbage braised with bacon.
Desserts were in a state of flux, with some being dropped and others added between my two visits. The hot chocolate pudding deserved to make the cut; it was steaming hot and delicious. Rice pudding studded with blond raisins was nice and creamy. The crumb cheesecake, however, was overly firm and lacked the desired lush, creamy texture.
Coffee and doughnuts won our hearts, with five piping hot zeppole paired with what looked like a cup of cappuccino; in reality, it was vanilla semifreddo spiked with espresso, quickly melting under a mantle of steamed milk. Diners were instructed to dip the doughnut holes into the brew.
The fresh fruit assortment was a spectacular finale. Not only did it include a wonderful mix -- three types of berries, three kinds of melon, two apple varieties, two colors of grapes and segments of orange -- but it also arrived with a martini glass of luscious whipped cream.
Iavarone's Prime View
37 Shore Road
Port Washington
(516) 767-0022
www.primeviewrestaurant.com
VERY GOOD
THE SPACE Century-old building with panoramic water views. Wheelchair accessible.
THE CROWD Casual and more sedate than most. Few children.
THE BAR Long, L-shaped, mirror-backed bar, with a few tables for dining. Wine list with 82 bottles ($21 to $140) and 14 by the glass ($8 to $11).
THE BILL Dinner entrees $15 to $30. American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted.
WHAT WE LIKE Caesar salad, beet salad, grilled shrimp appetizer, esca roll; striped bass, New York strip steak, chicken, short ribs, pork chops, rack of ribs; coffee and doughnuts, rice pudding, hot chocolate pudding, fresh fruit assortment.
IF YOU GO Open Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Monday to Thursday, 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4:30 to 11 p.m. Reservations are recommended.
Reviewed Jan. 27, 2008
[Illustration]PHOTOS: LOCAL FLAVOR: The menu at Iavarone's Prime View includes a Long Island Duck Duo, upper left, with roasted duck breast, wild rice and duck confit. (PHOTGRAPHS BY PHIL MARINO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)