La Famiglia :: 250 W. Main St

La Famiglia on the SW corner of Jericho Tpke and Brooksite Dr in Smithtown is a family-style Italian restaurant. The simple exterior is matched by the sparsely decorated dining room with crisp, white linens and a faint smell of cleansers. They’re open daily for lunch and dinner and the casual atmosphere makes it a good place for a business lunch.

Jennifer ate:

Half-portion of Eggplant Parmesan ($10.95)

We were the first to be seated at noon on a Wednesday and were greeted promptly by a friendly face. The dining room is well laid out with plenty of room between tables and lots of natural light from the big windows. When we first arrived, the air smelled faintly of commercial detergent, rather than the warm, tomato sauce and garlic aroma you’d expect from an Italian restaurant. Warm Italian bread was served promptly, but ours was burnt.

The menu is brief and traditional with no surprises. They offer the standard variety of pastas, appetizers, meats and seafoods. I chose the eggplant Parmesan. The tomato sauce was a bit weak, but the eggplant was prepared very well! With the addition of a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, the overall effect was quite good and worth trying again. But even with a half-portion, the amount of food was enough for two meals and I got the second half to go.

The bottom line:
Eggplant Parmesan – pretty good, flavorful, well-prepared eggplant (not too greasy).
Overall rating: nothing fancy but a good place for a quick, friendly Italian meal that’s both family friendly and business-appropriate.

Chuck ate:

Rigatoni Alla Vodka ($15.95)

Good thing I was hungry! The meals here are served family style. For those of you unfamiliar with what that means, imagine a large Sunday dinner. Large portions of food is put down and the family passes dishes to one another filling their plates with a sampling of many different foods. Well, since Jen and I don’t quite eat the same items, I had quite a bit left to warm up tomorrow for lunch. Which is a good thing, because I really enjoyed the meal . The price was reasonable (family style portions are about 2x that of regular portions). The Vodka sauce was flavorful and plentiful, every Rigatoni was bathed nicely in this rich, tangy, meat filled sauce. Complimentary bread was served before the meal, but it arrived a bit well done and burned on the edges (my only gripe about the meal).

The service was very friendly and knowledgeable, taking the time to discuss the menu. The ambiance is quite spartan, just mirrors and white walls; although, they did do a nice job of hiding the main road. I’d like to see a more “Italian” feel to the interior to match the food, service and name. The seating was arranged well, with ample space between tables, allowing you to carry on a conversation without the threat of eavesdroppers.

The bottom line:
The Pasta– Very tasty and filling, Large Rigatonis and rich Vodka sauce
Bread – warm but too well done.
Overall rating: Good family-style eating. Would be a good place for a business lunch.