THE HARVEST

On Fort Pond 

Montauk, NY

631-668-5574

One of Montauks top restaurants is The Harvest located just down the block from Johns Drive in on S. Emery Street.

This is one of "The Dish's" favorite restaurants and a must visit when you are in Montauk. I must tell you that service is not always the best in season but this trip over the July 4th weekend was amazing. 

           A very special shout out to our waitress Courtney for being able to make sure that our dinner was served correctly and the chosen dishes were perfect in every way!

            

               For those of you who have never been here, the food is served in very large portions and can serve many people. We usually start off with a salad and pasta and then a main dish. The pizzas are also a very good choice for an appetizer. 

              Tonight we were dining with 11 of us and both of the other families, the Yellies and The Blacks had never experienced this. All agreed that I would order and my first choice was grilled portabello mushroom and crispy goat cheese salad with mixed greens. We also ordered a Ceasar salad for some who wanted it. 

             After discussing our options with Courtney our server she suggested 2 appetizers and 2 pastas as well as 2 entrees.

Next up in the line up was a huge bowl of lamb ribs. She told us that they were charred and a bit fatty. She said that folks either loved them or hated them. Mr. Yellie was clearly adamant that he wanted them so we ordered one order. 

A huge bowl came out and all 11 of us clearly devoured the entire bowl. I personally ate 12 of these little darlings. They were amazing to say the least. 

For our second appetizer we had a huge bowl of mussels in a white wine and garlic broth. Very good for dippage. The mussels were small and tender and not at all chewy. 

 

                Next up came the pasta and I do have my favorite pasta dish here so that was a must. It is farfalle with sausage, peas and parmesan. This dish has crumpled pieces of sausage along with baby peas and a light but creamy parmesan sauce. This is a must order no matter what.

The second pasta came as a huge surprise to me because I am usually not one to try specials on a menu and I always stick with what's recommended by my server. 

This pasta dishas you can see looks as good as it tasted. So much so that I ate the leftovers cold on the beach the next day for lunch. Fusilli pasta was served just perfect with the right amount of bite. Accompanied by the most succulent and plump scallops, that were grilled lightly and tossed with some red peppers and green onions. The dish was so simple yet elegant. A light but distinct tomato and garlic sauce that you could not resist. Remember that leftovers and doggie bags are a must because you want to be sure to taste all that this heavenly jewel has to offer.

                    Entrees were next and we chose a tried and true favorite. The 16 ounce skirt steak served grilled on top of arugala, red onion, manchego with a dollop of roast garlic tomato butter. 

I am getting hungry just thinking of this because I had the left over piece on the beach with that wonderful pasta the next day. 

                  Not wanting to leave this dish out, we had to have the Montauk striped bass which was served over a bed of mashed potatoes. The fish was grilled to perfection, soft and moist. The mashed were most definitely fresh and added a nice compliment to the fish. 

Reservations are a must and can be made 1 week to the day prior to your scheduled arrival. 

DO NOT WAIT AN EXTRA DAY OR THE PLACE WILL BE BOOKED UP SOLID! 

One alternative is to sit on the patio which is usually our choice if the weather cooperates. 

 

On your way back to town, remember to stop at John's Drive-in for some ice cream. 

Enjoy from

"The Dish With Dean" 

 

Monday June 24, 2013 

L & B Spumoni Gardens  Since 1939

2725 86th street

Brooklyn, NY 11223

718-449-1230

What more can I say for a Monday night in Brooklyn except 

Spumoni Gardens. 

90 degrees and not a breeze in sight yet this famous landmark was packed to the gills inside and out. All outside tables were filled with locals loving the piping hot pizza. The Sicilian square pizza is spectacular and the spumoni is legendary. 

Do not expect great service because they are so busy the waiter actually came over to the table to apologize that he was so busy that he forgot to put our order in. 

From spectacular pizza to amazing heroes you can sit outside on picnic tables and here the bass of the cars as they drive by. 

 

 We sat in the inside garden room which is an all glass room adjacent to the street so we could view the comings and goings of all the locals who come for the atmosphere. 

The dish I had after I tasted a few slices of the amazing pizza was Fettucine Carbonaro. An unbelievable dish of pasta cooked perfect served with onion, garlic, and prosciutto and cream. This is what I had to take home because the portion was so huge. 
It doesn't help that I had to taste the Fried Calamari, small portion which was huge. The calamari was lightly fried but soft and tender inside. The sauce served with this is homemade and you can tell that the recipe is an old family tradition. 

If you are in mood for eggplant, I would definitely recommend the rolatini. Lightly breaded eggplant and ricotta rolled up and served with mamas sauce and cheese.
The portions are huge and the prices are reasonable. Come down here with the entire family on a Sunday afternoon and prepare to wait.

Is it worth the trip....... YES

Is it worth the price......YES

"The Dish With Dean" Says  

AMAZING for the entire family

Good Restaurant NYC

good restaurant
89 Greenwich Ave
NYC
212-691-8080      click for reservations or directions

                                       Saturday June 15, 2013 was a very eventful day. The Pows and skins were off on another amazing adventure. The find for our early evening dinner was a very nice place called good Restaurant located on Greenwich avenue is the West Village.
We were seated at a very nice end table on the sidewalk and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Good food and great friends.

This restaurant is owned by Steven Picker who brings a passion for simple yet amazing food and presentation. All his ingredients are as fresh as the morning dew and cooked to perfection.he serves food to make people smile. The service that we experienced was better than most places I have been to in NYC.
We were never rushed and the pace of the courses was perfect.

 Our waiter quickly informed us that if we ordered before 7 o'clock, there was a 3 course price fix menu and it was only $25 pp.
That for us was a no brainer but of course I was concerned about the "count."
I asked the waiter if the portion of the price fix was the same as it was on the regular menu. He told us it was, so the four of us ordered off this menu.

I ordered the Herb Falafel, Feta and Romesco with flatbread, yogurt sauce and cilantro. As you can see in the picture this was amazing. Only wish I could have more.

Mr. Pow ordered the Chicken Liver Pancetta crustini with lemon, capers and parsley. He said it was amazing and I had to take his word because "The Dish" doesn't eat liver!

The Ladies both had the Harvest Salad which we shared. The ingredients for this salad which included roasted pear and pecans in an apple cider vinaigrette
along with baby lettuces and aged cheddar danced on your tongue.
Add a little shrimp or chicken and this could have been my dinner.

Speaking of dinner, all I can say is Bring the west coast to the east coast and this was what I found!

Two of the freshest tilapia fish tacos I have ever had. Some of the best fish tacos I had were in California and these were just as good if not better. I could actually close my eyes and hear the Pacific ocean. The red onion cabbage slaw and lime cilantro dressing just added to what could have been a tasty fish in a grilled tortilla all by itself. Accompanied by basil creamed corn, what could have made this dinner better. Stay tuned because I got yelled at for inhaling my dessert.

Mr. Pow and my wife both had the "Over Night Roasted Pork." This was served with asparagus and a walnut spaetzle. Once again this was not my favorite taste of the dinner. The pork reminded me of Mr. Pow's Pulled pork without his famous sauce. What saved this dish was the spaetzle. Offered the pork some flavor to enhance it. 

Now comes the best part of which I am not the biggest fan of.

Dessert

 

Fresh berries with fresh whipped cream and a delicious key lime pie set on top of a pistachio cake was delicious and presented beautifully.

On the right is what I had or should I say inhaled.  

This was a chocolate  mousse on top of a Peanut Mousse with crumbs and a scoop of vanilla gelato and a toasted marshmallow. Need I say more?

This is one place that I say find it no matter what. 

From "The Dish With Dean"

Enjoy

                                                                                                                                  April 20, 2013
Ukrainian Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY
This restaurant is BYOB. 

The Dish with Dean had an amazing weekend with six great friends. Mr. Mark always comes up with something special and when he said he found an Eastern European jewel in the heart of Brighton Beach, he wasn't kidding.
         From the drive into Brooklyn until the time we parked the car, I was excited. I know this place was the smaller location than the other one, so having an intimate dinner was something worth waiting for. 
The menu is amazing, on one side it is in English and the other side it is in Russian.   
           We started our dining experience with old world favorites such as chicken soup with kreplach and Ukrainian Borscht with pampushka (a delicious garlic pastry). Mark had the split pea soup with bacon which was amazing on the palate. 
            Next we ordered a large ( and I do mean large) variety of different dumplings. 
             Pelmeni (photo below) are light small stuffed dumplings which are made with a very thin dough. We ordered the veal and they were fantastic. 
 
 We also ordered the larger dumplings Vareniki. They are hand made and stuffed with a variety of fillings.
VARENIKI
(Ukrainian handmade dumplings)
Potato Vareniki………….7.00
Meat Vareniki………….7.50
Cabbage-stuffed Vareniki………….7.50
Vareniki stuffed with salted farmer cheese………….8.00
Vareniki stuffed with sweet farmer cheese………….8.00
Vareniki stuffed with sour cherry………….8.00
Vareniki stuffed with potato and mushrooms………….8.00
“Kuban’ ” Vareniki stuffed with mozzarella cheese and dill………….8.50
Vareniki stuffed with mushrooms and onions………….9.00
Vareniki are traditionally served with sour cream
 We enjoyed the potato ones and the meat ones. The portions were large enough for all 6 of us to share and we still hadn't ordered our dinners yet.
     I had to have an old time favorite, Beef Stroganoff. My Wife had a Lamb Kebab. Mark had the Pork Cutlet. My Other friend had the veal liver smothered in onions. all dishes come with Buckwheat Kasha, Mashed Potatoes, French Fries or Rice. 

          Each dish was better than the other. I took the Kasha I ordered as my side and poured it all over the Beef Stroganoff. It was amazing. 
My friend who had the veal Liver said it was the best liver he has ever had. (Don't tell his Mother) 

                This is a must visit place 

Check out their videos

Enjoy from

"The Dish With Dean"

   

Perfecto Mundo Latin Fusion Bistro

Food ***

Service ***

Price $$-$$$  

 1141-1 Jericho Turnpike
Commack, New York 11725
( Northgate Shopping Center )

 631 864 2777 

On april 5, 2013 "The Dish with Dean" had the pleasure to celebrate the very special birthday of a very special friend. Her very lucky husband chose a familiar place. Perfecto Mundo in Commack. I had only been here on one occassion previously and was not very impressed. 
On this special occasion I was very impressed. The first visit I had here was shortly after they had opened and I guess they had to get the kinks out.

What I will say is that when you close a restaurant for this many people, anything can happen.

The menu chosen for this party couldn't have been more perfect.

A large plate of Nachos were placed on each table and they were amazing. Not at all soggy considering they had more than ten tables to serve with a minimum of 8 at each table. The dish came out hot and full of chopped ground beef and melted cheeses and the right amount of jalapeno peppers to create a nice heat to the chips. 

 

Next out comes an amazing Ceasar salad served in a tortilla bowl. The salad had the perfect amount of dressing and the Romaine lettuce was cold and fresh. Served with a corn and black bean salsa. Next came out a dish of mussels with salsa and spices that the broth was dippage worthy with the bread available on the table. 

 The next appetizer to arrive was one of the best variations of fried calamari I think I have ever had.

 

Served in a light chili glaze that had the just the right amount of sweet and spice.   

The entrees being offered were a chicken dish, a talapia, a skirt steak and a Paella. The general consensus was that the best dish was the talapia. The fish was cooked perfectly. Chipotle-orange bbq glazed tilapia served with black thai rice and two cabbage slaw. 

I had the paella which I found to be filled with fresh shellfish and sausage. The safon rice was moist and bursting with flavor. 

The chicken dish was slightly dry and left nothing to the imagination.  

Of course the party would not be complete without birthday cake. 

With a full open bar and great sangria, the party was a complete success and with the amazing staff at Perfecto Mundo, the service was wonderful. Never was a water glass left empty and my wine glass was always full. 

Portions here are well balanced and you will not leave hungry.

Anyone looking to have a celebration should consider 

Perfecto Mundo

 

From "The Dish With Dean"

Enjoy!

Sunday March 24, 2013

Ayhan's Shish Kebab Restaurant

477 Old Country Rd
Westbury, NY 11590

Phone: (516) 222-8000
Food **
Service **
Price **  



What started out as a local place in Port Washington to a large empire is amazing. I have been going to this place since 1990 and never have I had any issues with a thing. The service is always amazing and the food is to die for. 

                Sunday night we ended the day with an Islander game and a great win beating the Florida Panthers. 
 It was getting late and we decided to find something in the area. We had not been to Shish Kebab in so long and really wanted to go. we looked at their last Westbury location in the Source mall and it was gone!
Needless to say we were disappointed and started to exit the parking lot when low and behold, there on the north side of Old Country Road we saw the giant sign for Shish Kebab. 
Parking spot right in front and we were very happy.
             Started off this evening with a special on the menu of zucchini latkas. They were served along with a small amount of Hummus and salad with a yogurt dipping sauce. The latkas were amazing and just melted in your mouth. The yogurt sauce was not what I remembered and I chose not to use it. What I did use for this dish was a lemon garlic dipping sauce they offered along with the table bread.  
              For dinner my wife ordered the Greek Salad with chicken gyro meat on top. The salad was very fresh and just as she remembered but the chicken gyro meat was not very good. She said that our local place we frequent by the house was much better and that I should post a blog for them. 
There was a special on the menu with loin lamb chops rubbed in garlic and served on top of a stuffed eggplant. the stuffing was a mix of ground beef and lamb in a savory tomato base. This was also served with baby peas and donor ( Grape leaves). I asked the waitress for this dish and specified that i would love the lamb special. 
She brought ne out the regular lamb chop dinner entree and although it too was amazing, I informed her of this mistake. She apologized more than 10 times before bringing me the correct dish and a to go platter which contained the first dish. She told me to take it home that it would only be thrown away. 
Not only was my dish unbelievable, but the wrong dish was just as delicious. If anyone is even close to a Shish Kebob restaurant, I highly recommend it.
After dinner they serve you a small piece of Walnut baklava, complimentary.
Once again an amazing place to eat and this time no wait.     
 

 Enjoy from,

"The Dish With Dean" 

Saturday March 23, 2012
Butera's of Smithtown
65 East Main Street
Smithtown, NY 11787
Phone : 631-979-9113
Fax : 631-979-1367
Email : Click Here

Tonight we had the pleasure of a last minute visit to Butera's in Smithtown, NY.
The reservation was made using Opentable which the Dish uses as often as possible. Usually when you use their service and you have a reservation, the wait time is minimal and you are usually seated within 5 minutes of the reservation. 
Not the case for our 8:30 reservation at this location of Butera's. We checked in and they said it would be about 10 minutes. This was acceptable but when it became 40 minutes I was to say the least upset. 


                  We started the dinner with  Mozzarella Caprese, Fresh Mozzarella, Tender ripe tomato, roasted peppers and red onion garnished with fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. The dish was served and presented to us by our server who was excellent. She was polite in telling us that the single serving would be plenty for us to share and not to order it family style. 
                  We have been in this establishment before  so we were looking forward to having their special chicken meatballs as an apertizer.
My wife decided that she would like that as her entree so she asked it that was possible She designed her own dish with these amazing chicken meatballs served over assorted vegetables in a light marinara sauce. The sauce was sweet and savory and the broccoli and zucchini were firm but not hard. She had enough to bring home for lunch.
                   For my entree I had the veal with exotic mushrooms. This dish was a culinary delight. Veal scalllopine sauteed with shiitaki  and white cap mushrooms, flamed with brandy in a brown sauce with a touch of cream. The veal was fork tender and very delicious. The dish was served over a very creamy and buttery mashed potatoes. 
                 As with most dinners, dessert is not an option for my taste so we skipped that and proceeded to move on for the evening. 
                Met a large group of friends at Napper Tandy's in Northport to help with the Eaton's Neck youth league fund raiser. 

                                            Butera's Smithtown and I have to stress this is only for the Smithtown location
            
Service ***
Food      **
 The 40 minute wait was what really pissed me off but after that I had no issues and everything was amazing.

                                       Enjoy from

"The Dish With Dean"