Fresh Berries in Custard

I looooove fresh custard. Give me custard-filled cream puffs, cakes, bowls with a spoon - anything, I'm there! This custard was the first good home made custard I've had in a while, so it seemed especially good: its light vanilla flavor was a perfect compliment to the strawberries, and its heavy weight was a great contrast to the fluffy (and also fresh) whipped cream on top. One would think some berries and custard in a cup couldn't possibly fill you up - but after an appetizer and main dish, it was hard to even think more than three bites into this. Delicious - and worth sharing at the table!

Where you can enjoy this yourself:

Lombardi's on the Sound
44 Fairway Drive
Port Jefferson, New York
www.lombardisonthesound.com

(Details below are copied from a previous post on Lombardi's)

It should also be made known that this very well could be the best restaurant I've ever experienced. We came upon it by pure chance one day driving around and, despite its exclusive country club exterior, the restaurant is quite open and welcome to the public. I've been there three times over the past two years and verifiably would drive all the way out there for their food. Every single time we've gone, every single person's meal has been incredible - not just good, but really, excellent. They price accordingly - I couldn't make a habit of dining there five nights a week, or even one night every week - but I cannot stress enough that it is worth every penny. If you go during the summer, there is a beautiful view out over the Long Island sound; the staff is pleasant and attentive, with a host regularly making the rounds to assure your overall satisfaction; the atmosphere is relaxed and calming. Throw in truly excellent food, and you have a five-star winner, by my standards (which I like to think are pretty high).

BEST Stuffed Mushrooms

These stuffed mushrooms will change your life.

I almost want to just leave it at that, because no words can fully describe the culinary phenomena of an experience it is to eat these stuffed mushrooms. You simply have to go. Try them. And wonder how billions of people have lived their lives without ever having experienced the incredibly elegant, sophisticated, and passionate explosion of flavor and joy you just consumed. If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life...these very well may be it.

The mushrooms themselves are indeed very fine - large, plump, and fresh, they would burst with flavor even without all of the extra mushroom, breading, butter, and fresh spices (red pepper? garlic? parsley?) in their stuffing. There's something light about their flavor, but the richness and breading and size of each mushroom beg to counter that point - it would be difficult to eat many more than the six mushrooms in this appetizer on your own. The smooth texture of the outer mushroom shell combined with the savory, coarse texture of the stuffing cannot be argued as anything but divine.

One of my favorite parts of this appetizer is the lemon on the side. I often overlook garnishes as having little value beyond aesthetics (though there's nothing wrong with aesthetics), but adding a squeeze from the lemon truly makes these mushrooms pop. There's no other way to describe it: adding a little fresh lemon juice just makes them come alive with flavor. Definitely do not disregard the garnish on this one!! It's an absolute necessity to the overall experience.

Where you can enjoy these yourself:

Lombardi's on the Sound
44 Fairway Drive
Port Jefferson, New York
www.lombardisonthesound.com

It should also be made known that this very well could be the best restaurant I've ever experienced. We came upon it by pure chance one day driving around and, despite its exclusive country club exterior, the restaurant is quite open and welcoming to the public. I've been there three times over the past two years and verifiably would drive all the way out there just for their food. Every single time we've gone, everyone's meal has been incredible - not just good, but really, excellent. They price accordingly - I couldn't make a habit of dining there five nights a week, or even one night every week - but I cannot stress enough that it is worth every penny. If you go during the summer, there is a beautiful view out over the Long Island sound; the staff is pleasant and attentive, with a host regularly making the rounds to assure your overall satisfaction; the atmosphere is relaxed and calming. Throw in truly excellent food, and you have nothing short of a five-star winner.

Penne alla Vodka

This was quite a delicious dish. I'll first explain the photos: Looking at the first two pictures, the plate doesn't look too intimidating. But closely examine the third photo (discreetly taken of a table next to us): it only becomes intimidating when you realize you aren't being served a plate, you're being served a BOWL. Now, I'm not opposed to large portions, so long as you plan accordingly. I think I even prefer large portions when you're dining at an expensive restaurant (such as this incredible one) - that way you really feel that you're getting your money's worth. Plus, what's better than eating a delicious meal once?? Eating it again as leftovers, the next day!! There is absolutely something to be said for not wasting food, and for the "perfect portion," but I for one don't mind taking a little bag home at the end of the night, either. It should be noted, however, that at Lombardi's on the Sound, one of their pasta dishes could EASILY feed a family of four, especially if you throw in an appetizer (and you absolutely MUST throw in one of their appetizers - more on that coming soon though!!).

Now, back to the actual food at hand: the vodka sauce was on the thinner side overall (often the case with vodka sauces - completely personal preference if you prefer thinner or thicker) with a few nice tomato chunks spread throughout. The flavor was light enough to make a nice meal in the summer but heavy enough to not get lost against the penne. What was especially unique, and at first a little odd, was that the meat in the sauce wasn't pancetta or anything pork-based (again, as is frequently the case): it was ground beef. Not enough to make it a heavy meat-sauce, just enough to flavor it and add some "beef" to the dish. It was surprising; I don't think I've ever had a vodka sauce with beef in it before. But they made it work!

Where you can enjoy this yourself:

Lombardi's on the Sound
44 Fairway Drive
Port Jefferson, New York
www.lombardisonthesound.com

It should also be made known that this very well could be the best restaurant I've ever experienced. We came upon it by pure chance one day driving around, and despite its exclusive country club exterior, the restaurant is quite open and welcome to the public. I've been there three times over the past two years and verifiably would drive all the way out there for their food. Every single time we've gone, every single person's meal has been incredible - not just good, but really, excellent. They price accordingly - I couldn't make a habit of dining there five nights a week, or even one night every week - but I cannot stress enough that it is worth every penny. If you go during the summer, there is a beautiful view out over the Long Island sound; the staff is pleasant and attentive, with a host regularly making the rounds to assure your overall satisfaction; the atmosphere is relaxed and calming. Throw in truly excellent food, and you have a five-star winner, by my standards (which I like to think are pretty high).