Jani in Hicksville

On Thursday I went to a local restaurant called Jani. It is the perfect place to go if you cannot decide whether or not to have Chinese or Japanese food.  Jani conveniently serves both! The menu is very large in order to satisfy all cravings. Prices are very reasonable too. For those of us dining on a budget, The North Shore Clipper Magazine usually has coupons to make your overall dining experience even more enjoyable.  

To give you a taste of both menus, we ordered from both. I ordered Two Flavor Chicken off of the Chinese side of the menu. It consists of two different tastes of chicken served side by side. One is shredded white meat chicken with sliced vegetable in garlic sauce. The other is thinly cut white meat chicken with snow peas, water chestnuts, carrots, mushrooms in a wine sauce. The chicken is separated by a sliced orange down the center of the plate. I suggest taking the orange and squeezing it over both types of chicken. It gives the dish an added tangy and citrusy taste, and makes the meal that much more delectable.

My boyfriend ordered his meal of the Japanese menu. He loves sushi and ordered the Box A dinner special. His dish was prepared in a traditional style bento box. For those that are not familiar with a bento box, it is a large rectangular shaped box containing smaller boxes that completely separate the different portions of food on the plate. The Box A special included the following: six pieces of sushi, two white fish, two tuna, and two salmon; chicken teriyaki, white rice, and a small salad served with ginger dressing, To complete his Japanese themed entree, he also ordered a Sapporo,  a Japanese beer.  I definitely recommended trying one the next time you dine in a Japanese restaurant. It is very different with a light, refreshing taste.

There are two Jani locations: one in Huntington and one in Hicksville. Although I have been to both, I personally prefer the one in Hicksville. First at foremost, the food at the Jani in Hicksville is always delicious. If you are getting something as typical as Chicken and Broccoli, or if you decide to become adventurous and try something completely foreign such as Szechuan Delight, the food is always perfectly cooked and extremely tasteful. Secondly, the staff at Jani in Hicksville is the nicest and they are very accommodating.  Upon entering, you will always be greeted by the owner of the restaurant. He is also the person to promptly seat you and your party at your table. His exceptional service and genuine care for his customers is always reciprocated by his patrons. Obviously, customer service is a high priority for the staff of Jani. They show it in every aspect of their job. It is always great to know that when I go there for lunch or dinner, I will be seeing friendly, familiar faces, and I will soon be enjoying wonderful Japanese or Chinese cuisine.

Jani Chinese & Japanese Cuisine is located at 260 North Broadway. It is only two short blocks away from the Broadway Mall in Hicksville. Do not forget to look in the North Shore Clipper Magazine for coupons. We saved $5 off our bill and you can too! Enjoy!

-MC

Dixie's in Kings Park

Dixie’s Smokehouse in Kings Park is the perfect place to go for BBQ. The restaurant is hidden inside of a shopping center right before the train station. They have a small dining room that is always packed. There food is inexpensive and amazing. For their side you have 13 choices, but I recommend the macaroni and cheese because it is thick and creamy. Each entrée comes with corn bread and the corn bread is warm, moist, and fresh. No matter what your entrée is it is going to taste great!

Dixie’s Smokehouse is a great place to go if you’re craving Texas BBQ and rotisserie. They are located at 12 Indian Head Road Kings Park, NY 11754. Their mouth watering food will have to coming back for more. The service is friendly and attentive. Once you try Dixie’s it will become one of your favorite places.

kb

Novita Trattortia and Wine Bar in Garden City

Located in the heart of Garden City, Novita Trattortia and Wine Bar is a trendy, but cozy location with an excellent wine selection. It does not matter when you go, there is always a decent amount of people inside, especially by the bar and high top tables. They seem to have a very loyal clientele, and with the great weekly deals and superb wine selection, it is no wonder why Novita has its customers constantly coming back for more.  It is on the pricier side, but it is definitely worth saving your money to enjoy a night out sipping wine and eating absolutely delicious Italian food.

I went there last night to catch up with two of my old friends from high school. We all follow traditional Lenten practices and were all prepared to enjoy our meals without meat. It was hard, especially since many meat options on the menu are extremely delectable, such as prosciutto white pie and the chianti marinated skirt steak. However, we had options that were equally as appetizing. We decided to share three dishes, and we also ordered the fondue appetizer to start. Yes, we went overboard, but it is not very often that we see each other and we decided to celebrate!

The fondue appetizer consisted of provolone, fontina, and parmesan cheese cooked with prosecco wine. As dippers to this amazing fondue are sliced apples, grapes, and cubed pieces of warm focaccia bread. I have only been to Novita three times, and every time I come, I must get this appetizer. It is perfect and a must-have for all cheese lovers. For our entrees, we ordered five mushroom truffle, a thin-crusted white pizza made with creamy ricotta cheese topped with mushrooms, polenta crusted calamari served with a spicy marinara sauce, and baked parmesan spinach and artichoke dip served with warm, homemade potato crisps.  However, what completed our entire meal and experience was our wine. We bought a bottle of Cadonini Pinot Grigio. It is probably one of the cheapest wines one the menu, but it is still very delicious and fruity with a hint of citrus. Sadly, I wish I remembered to take more pictures of the dishes we chose. I only was able to take a picture of the last two pieces of the Five Mushroom Truffle Pizza. 

I absolutely love going to Novita Trattortia and Wine Bar. Like I said, it can be quite expensive (luckily my friend gets a discount), but sometimes the price can be worth it due to the overall quality of food and the enjoyable atmosphere that Novita provides to its patrons. Although I have never had to wait for a table, I recommend making a reservation especially for parties of over 2 people after 7pm.  Novita is located in 860 Franklin Avenue in Garden City.


- MC

Black Forest Haus In Farmingdale

Typically when I am intending to go out to dinner, my usual “go-to” restaurants are not serving German cuisine. In fact, I have never even been to an exclusively German restaurant until this experience.

Unfortunately, when my boyfriend and I arrived at Black Forest Brew Haus in Farmingdale, they had already stopped seating people to dine inside. However, we were more than welcome to order food to go.  Since German food was completely new for the both of us, we wanted to have as authentic of a meal as possible. We ordered two entrees that are from the German Specialties section of the menu: Jager Schnitzel (plate on the right) and the Plowman’s Platter (plate on the left). My boyfriend’s dish, the Plowman’s Platter consisted of grilled veal bratwurst, knockwurst, and pork bratwurst braised in the restaurant’s homemade lager and sauerkraut and German potato salad as sides. My dish was tender breaded veal cutlet pan-fried and smothered in brown gravy with mushrooms, and potato dumplings and red cabbage were served as sides. In addition to our meals, we also ordered handmade soft pretzels, and an extra side of red cabbage. Our ravenous appetites served us well because the restaurant has a policy that if you spend over a certain amount of money, the Black Forest Brew Haus gives you a complimentary ½ gallon jug of homemade beer!

It was not until we finally arrived home and set up our plates that we realized how much food we ordered. The portion sizes were extremely large and everything smelled incredible. The homemade pretzels were absolutely delicious and my veal was cooked to absolute perfection. My boyfriend undoubtably loved his meal; he cleaned his entire plate! I am not a typical beer drinker, but I definitely enjoyed our free jug with our meal. It was light and not overly foamy. It went perfect with our enterees and I would positively recommend trying it.

Another awesome aspect to the restaurant is that they are currently serving non-meat specials during the Catholic season of Lent. This is even great for all of the vegetarians out there that would love to encounter a taste of German excellence without feeling limited by the menu.  

Even though I did not dine inside Black Forest Haus, I had a generally amazing first-time experience. My level of satisfaction was of complete delight especially towards the quality of food I chose off the “to-go” menu.  The food was absolutely delicious and although I only had a brief meeting with the staff, they were all extremely friendly and accommodating.  Also, the atmosphere inside feels fun and exciting. They have events for almost every night of the week, and I look forward to dining inside next time!

Black Forest Haus is located minutes away from Suny Farmingdale at 2015 New Highway in Farmingdale. Be sure to check out their website at http://www.blackforestbrewhaus.com/ordereze/default.aspx. It offers everything from gift cards, to event calendars, and menu options.

Enjoy!

MC

Aki in East Northport

Aki in East Northport serves up the best Japanese cuisine. Their lunch specials are affordable, made fresh, and taste incredible. All lunch specials are served with miso soup and house green salad. The salad dressing is a ginger based dressing that’s light and refreshing.  If you’re craving sushi you can get any 2 rolls for $8 or 3 rolls for $11. Since I am not a fan of raw fish I get their shrimp tempura roll and their California roll. The rolls are packed and after eating 2 rolls you’ll be full.

 If you’re a tuna lover you need to try their spicy tuna roll and tuna cucumber roll. Their shrimp cucumber roll is also delicious. Their food is the best sushi I have had in a long time. I am a frequent customer. The service at Aki is fast and there are no waits to be seated. It is right off Jericho and from the outside doesn’t look too appealing, but inside is clean and overall a relaxing environment. Aki is located at 2074 Jericho Turnpike East Northport, NY 11731.

kb

The Cheesecake Factory in Huntington

Did you know that the Cheesecake Factory now offers a Happy Hour on Monday through Friday from 4-6pm? This new addition has had my friends and me anxious to enjoy delicious food and tangy drinks to spicy up our weekly routines.

We went to the Cheesecake Factory in Huntington on Friday to experience what the Happy Hour menu had to offer, and we were not disappointed. Many specialty drinks, such as Long Island Ice Teas, Mojitos, Margaritas, and Cosmopolitans, are on the $5 menu. As for the food, the following full-size appetizers, which normally cost anywhere from$9.95 to$13.95, will be offered for half off: roadside sliders, hot spinach and cheese dip, avocado eggrolls, fried macaroni and cheese, Sweet Corn, tamale-cakes, fire-roasted fresh artichoke, Vietnamese shrimp summer roll, made-to-order guacamole, Tex-Mex eggrolls, fried calamari, factory nachos, buffalo blasts, Southern fried chicken sliders, chicken pot stickers and crispy crab wontons. My friends and I decided to get typical crowd pleasers: the factory nachos and buffalo wings.

Conveniently located in the Walt Whitman mall, you and your friends can easily end a successful day of shopping or celebrate the beginning of the weekend by stopping to enjoy $5 drinks and half off appetizers at the Cheesecake factory! Besides the taste and the overall great quality of finger-picking food, you cannot beat the prices during the Cheesecake Factory Happy Hour. It will keep your stomach full and wallet happy! Please remember to drink responsibly!

-MC

Big Daddy's Restaurant in Massapequa

Big Daddy's brings New Orleans to Long Island. From the moment you walk in you are surrounded by the smell of the BBQ, the hot wings, the sweet potatoes, the tender ribs, and crawfish. The atmosphere is inspired by Mardi Gras. Colorful lights are draped along the ceiling, Mardi Gras masks decorates the wall. There is no seating area so once you walk in you are greeted by the bar where they can make their special Hurricane cocktail. Although the wait is a little long the food will make up for it. The service is fast and friendly. When you are seated everyone in your party gets beads. For an appetizer try the BBQ wings are sweet and spicy at the same time, the wings are coated with a thick layer of sauce and the meat falls right off the bone. For an entree try the pulled pork po'boy, the slow smoked pork is tender and the Carolina BBQ sauce gives the meat a sweet taste that blend together with the vinegar slaw. And for dessert try the Cub Scout Brownie Pie.

Big Daddy's is located at 1 Park Lane, Massapequa, NY 11758 phone: 516-799-8877 or visit their website at http://www.bigdaddysny.com/info.html

kb