Verde Wine Bar and Ristorante

Located in Deer Park, NY and just south of the Rail Road Tracks

 on Commack Road.

I finally had the opportunity to indulge in the home cooking offered by Verde Wine bar and Ristorante.

Greeted upon my arrival by the owner Anthony whose parents started this establishment in 1984 as a local place for great Pizza and Italian food. 

Anthony told me he wanted to "keep his hometown roots and offer people great food at affordable prices"

He wasn't kidding.

 

Chef James on the right with Anthony. Chef James informed me that at age 14 he worked at this place as a busboy.

Bring on the hometown roots.

The bar located in the area where you walk in is a very welcoming living room atmosphere. All the art work on the walls are displays of local artists and that just continues the hometown feel.

Having dinner with the steins is always a great time no matter where we go and this was no exception. Starting in the bar area and ordering cocktails I took notice that all the wines served are USA wines. I was little skeptical of drinking a Malbec from California but the house Malbec was quite a surprise. Enjoyed it as much as any Malbec from Argentina.

appetizers were a must and I thought we ordered too much until we saw the plates. 

There were three dishes that were a must have and here is the visual of each. Our server Chris used an Ipad to show us each dish that was on the special menu. I found this to be an amazing display of creativity. Having a visual of each dish presented exactly as shown.

Great way to increase your appetite. 

The Sicilian fried Calamari was just as described. Not too spicy and cooked just right. After eating this dish from so many places, I would offer this a 7 out of 10. I am a tentacle man and did not see any tentacles in this dish. The garlic and peppers used were well balanced and the sauce was really what made this dish.
 

 The next dish on our menu was the Arborio Crusted Scallops served with Butternut Squash, Bacon Lardons, Yuzu and Tarragon. This dish was amazing. I could have had this for my entree. The only issue with this dish was there were 4 of us dining and only 3 scallops to the plate. 

 Pulled Chicken Arancini was also a dish that only had 3 servings. The ingredients placed into this dish created an explosion on your palate. Rissoto, Roasted Miropoix, Herbed Farmers Cheese and Charred Tomato Pesto combined to make this dish amazing. Again having to cut each piece to accommodate the four of us took something away from the essence of the bite. 

A complimentary dish of Oysters Rockefeller were served to us and we were told that the Oysters are all from Long Island. This dish was amazing and had 4 oysters so it was equally shared and loved by all four of us.

I could not have skipped the grilled Pulpo which for a local Italian Restaurant, was just as good or better than most high end places I have had this delicate dish. Tricky part is grilling the octopus without making the meat chewy. I enjoyed this very much.

Offered on the menu as Cavatelli Sunday Style served with Sunday Sauce(Gravy) with Braciaola, Sausage, Meatball and house-made Ricotta. Of course Mrs. Dish substituted sauteed Broccoli and Zucchini for the Cavatelli. The taste of this dish was unreal. The sauce was sweet as sugar without the use of that in the ingredients, The meatball was like eating a mini meat quiche. The Ricotta was perfect with just the right amount of spice

 A special Veal chop Pizziola was shown to us on the ipad and out came the exact visual. Presentation is to be given a 10 out of 10 because what you see is what you get. J. Stein ate every morsel of this and even enjoyed the bone. The plate was cleaned .

I myself enjoyed a Veal Chop Valdostana which is one of my favorite dishes. The veal was cooked to my liking and the balance of the wine and mushrooms were amazing served on a bed of Broccoli Rabe. I prefer to have my Veal Chop stuffed with the Fontina instead of just having it melted on the top. This was my only complaint.

Last but not least was a very special dish that was ordered by Mrs. Stein. She had her heart set on their almost famous shrimp Scampi and asked that instead of the Pasta, to be served on a bed of Spinach. The shrimps were plump and pink and the sauce was amazing. Served on that bed of Spinach made this dish a healthy choice for anyone looking to avoid carbs. This was extremely heart healthy.

The staff at Verde Wine Bar and Ristorante are some of the most knowledgeable I have ever encountered. They knew their menu inside and out and their attention to detail is what I would say is "Top Notch"

The food is prepared as you can see with the heart and soul of our chef, James and the care that the owner Anthony has transformed this establishment into.

I wish them the best of luck always.

Enjoy from 

"The Dish With Dean"

HAPPY NEW YEAR