Eating out at new restaurants is always fun for me. It’s especially enjoyable when you get to spend time with family. And it’s even rarer when a family member is there who I haven’t seen in over 20 years except once briefly at my grandmother’s wake.
My cousin Mary (technically, my mother’s first cousin, so it’s once removed or something of that nature) works at an Italian cuisine restaurant called Mascali in East Northport on Long Island, New York and I knew it by name only because I had received their business card numerous times.
But it’s good to finally put a name with a place with an experience. And boy, was the food unique! A lot of it looked like typical Italian fare with the appetizers, pasta dishes (the pasta being homemade of course) and the usual chicken/veal entrees with the usual sauces/cheeses/vegetables cooked with it.
However, we opted to order some things off of the specials menu.
Colossal Crab & Golden Marble Potato Salad
The first course was the appetizer. Besides the calamari that my sister’s husband ordered and I sampled, we split an order of potato salad.
If you know me well enough, you’d know that I despise potato salad… so I initially lost interest. Once our waitress said that there was no mayo in and had crème fraîche instead, I got intrigued enough to order it.
Besides the potatoes and crème fraîche, there was also crab meat, fried capers, little tiny red potato halves and a touch of cayenne oil for some spice. I can definitely appreciate the uniqueness of the dish, how refreshing the potatoes taste with the crème fraîche and how mixing in the cayenne oil & fried capers makes for interesting pairings.
French Cut Chicken Breast
I’d definitely say bonjour to the French cut chicken breast special once again. The protein is pan seared and it came out very juicy with good flavor on the skin.
Don’t forget about the veggie selection. The okra was tempura fried and tasted very good. It gave me a great first impression of okra since I had never eaten it until then.
But the absolute highlight for me was the jambalaya quinoa. That’s right: quinoa spiced and seasoned like an Italian classic: jambalaya. It melted in my mouth and I couldn’t stop nibbling on it from my significant other’s plate.
Slow-Braised Beef Brisket
Our waitress called this dish the pot roast, but the menu called it the slow-braised beef brisket… which sounds more elegant. The beef was drizzled in a gremolata that really brought some good flavor to the meat.
What really made me want to order this dish were the truffle mashed potatoes. Truffle oil is definitely a delicacy I enjoy once in a while and the potatoes were amazing. I enjoyed mixing the meat with them also since that’s what I do with mashed potatoes.
Haricot vert was the vegetable on the side. You know, green beans. I literally had no idea that was the formal name of this veggie. Whether it’s pot roast with green beans or slow-braised beef brisket with haricot vert, it was a good dish.
And finally, dessert came out. We oped to split a chocolate mousse cake (well, a slice of it anyway) that was infused with Grand Mariner orange liqueur, which blended so impeccably with the mousse. Best of all, there was a chocolate chip cookie crust for flavor and texture.
I’d definitely eat at Mascali Restaurant again, even if it wasn’t my cousin’s place of employment, for the experience. But seeing family is what really put the meal over the top.
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