Sundried Tomato :: 127-3 Smithtown Blvd, Nesconset

Sundried Tomato Café and Pizzeria is tucked away in the middle of the Nesconset Plaza Shopping Center on Smithtown Boulevard. You could easily miss it, but don’t! They have a more interesting menu than your average pizza/pasta joint.

Jennifer ate:

The Da Vinci Panini (without chicken) — ($8.50)

I’ll be honest. I’ve eaten at Sundried Tomato at least a half a dozen times and have tried only two things, both of them paninis. I don’t know why. Probably because I’m not a big pasta eater, or maybe because they were both so good, there’s no need for me to try anything else.

I suppose it wouldn’t be a post of mine if I didn’t mention how COLD it was inside. I’m still trying to understand why restaurants cannot regulate their thermostats properly. Perhaps they have only one thermostat and it’s located in the kitchen. But how hard would it be to install a two-zone system. Moving on…

My two menu-items-of-choice are The Da Vinci Panini without chicken, and the Calabrese Panini. All of their paninis come with a mini gravy boat-full of tasty macaroni salad, and a side of dipping sauce/dressing. For The Da Vinci, the dipping sauce is a balsamic concoction that is perfectly suited to the sandwich. Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil on a toasted ciabata roll. They really pile on the mozzarella cheese, which is tasty, but can get to be too much at times. What else can I say? It’s delicious. I only wish they had some outdoor seating for nice days so I can enjoy my food without shivering.

The bottom line:

The Da Vinci Panini without chicken – very, very good.
Overall rating: If you’re local and you haven’t tried Sundried, I’d suggest a visit… soon!

Chuck ate:

Crispy Chicken Panini ($8.50)

Yes, Chuck did eat here too, and he did eat the Crispy Chicken Panini. Only, I can’t get him to write a review about it so suffice it to say he enjoyed it!

Monte’s Pizzeria :: 300 Maple Ave., Smithtown

Just a few months ago this was an Anna’s Pizza, which also has a Huntington location. And even that wasn’t there very long. Monte’s is tucked in to the little strip mall where Maple meets Rte. 111, in the same strip as Salsa Salsa and, conveniently, Ralph’s Italian Ices — yum!

Jennifer ate:

Feta Salad — ($7.60)
Side of Sauteed Broccoli — ($3.95)

I really wanted to get here while it was still an Anna’s (not knowing it would soon be Monte’s), because I have an Anna’s down the street from my house and it’s delicious. I was dismayed a few months ago to see it had become something else, but as soon as I walked in I saw that it looked just like an Anna’s — right down to the painted wall mural that looks like it had recently been repainted.

The menu is a bit different from an Anna’s. Your basic pizza offerings are pretty much the same (although we saw an interesting-looking pizza with a garlic-knot rim!), but the other offerings are expanded from the old Anna’s menu. I opted to go beyond the pizza (which I assume is up to Anna’s quality) and tried a Feta Salad. It was tasty. Pretty simple salad of romaine lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and feta cheese. What I like most about it was that everything was chopped up and bite size. (I have a thing for already chopped salads.)

I also got a side of broccoli, because just being in what looked like an Anna’s made me want sauteed broccoli. (That’s my default order from MY Anna’s.) The sauteed broccoli was delicious! As good as always, but somewhat of a smaller portion for the same price. And maybe a bit more oily than what I get down the street, but yummy just the same.

We’ll have to go back and try the pizza another time because we were stuffed. But Monte’s is a nice, small pizzeria with expanded offerings. A nice option to some of the busier lunchtime pizza places with food that’s just as good. Give it a try and let us know how you liked it!

The bottom line:
Feta salad – Pretty good.
Side of sauteed broccoli – Yum, yum, yum!
Overall rating: I liked it. I’ll go back and try some pizza and maybe a veggie panini. (Plus Ralph’s is practically next door! Definitely go there for dessert. Yum!)

Chuck ate:

Blazing Chicken Panini ($7.25)
Side Salad with Bleu Cheese ($.99)

Oh Monte’s, Monte’s, Monte’s (did you get the gameshow reference?).

Jennifer described it pretty well (although do you think she likes Anna’s a little bit?). Monte’s is quite small with only a handful of tables and 3 booths. It’s really laid out for quick in-and-out slices; but if you skip the expanded menu, you’re missing out! While this tiny, out-of-the-way pizza place is unassuming, it also has some damn good food.

I ordered the “Blazing Chicken Panini” which was served on “Rustic Baked Bread” (which was excellent, BTW) and a side salad with bleu cheese dressing. The panini was hot and spicy hot as well. My palate is usually resistant to mild to medium heat and I “felt it” on this sandwich — which is a good thing — “blazing” indeed.

The side salad was decent with chopped tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. The bleu cheese was a bit tangier than I like, but good, nonetheless.

I agree about the pizza, we’ll venture back to check it out. They have some stiff competition on Main Street, but let’s see how they do!

The bottom line:
Blazing Chicken Panini – Spicy, hot, crispy, tasty.
Side salad – A decent salad.
Overall rating: Monte’s is a good choice for a quick and reasonably priced tasty lunch. Don’t bring 8 people down, but a party of 4 can fit in a filling and flavorful meal easily on their lunch break.

Aegean II :: 61A Rte. 111, Smithtown

Aegean II is tucked in the corner of the Uncle Giuseppe’s shopping center just south of the Smithtown post office. According to a Newsday survey we found online, it was recently user-rated in the top 10 of pizzerias on Long Island.

Jennifer ate:

Gorgonzola Salad ($5.50)

We had pizza at Aegean II a couple of times before, and both times the pizza was very good. (Grandma slice in particular.) However, our dine-in experience today was quite a different matter.

While we did arrive on the early side (just before noon), the dining room was way too cold to be comfortable. The wait staff seated us in the “warmest corner” but looked confused when I again mentioned the chill. They said it would warm up. It never did.

It was pretty inside; brick walls designed to look like brick ovens and cleverly draped sheer fabric encasing tiny white tree lights made for a very interesting and effective lighting situation. The tables were amply spaced and comfortable, and the ambiance was appropriate. One exception was the music. Piped in holiday music was playing louder than was comfortable (no doubt anticipating the lunch rush), but it was the static-y radio reception that made the sound unbearable. We eventually mentioned the noise to the wait staff, who again looked confused, but did change the station to something much more soothing.

Aegean II’s lunch menu beyond pizza is extremely limited. I chose the gorgonzola salad to avoid carb heavy pasta and heros. I also asked for bruschetta, which was not on the menu, in an effort to have an appetizer that was not meat-filled or fried, but was told they could not make it. In the meantime, very soft and tasty garlic knots were served on the table and we eagerly chewed while we waited for our lunch.

Unfortunately, when lunch finally did arrive, it was very disapointing. The gorgonzola salad was nothing more than a small bowl of iceberg lettuce (mostly the white insides), 4 grape tomatoes, a handful of cucumber slices, and a sparse sprinkling of flavor-flat gorgonzola. What must have been a bottled balsamic vinagrette was served on the side. I would actually describe the salad as awful. In fact, it was the exact same salad that came with Chuck’s ravioli, only without the blue cheese dressing.

I did taste a small bite of Chuck’s cheese ravioli and was again, underwhelmed. The red sauce was runny and bland. The pasta itself was almost flavor-free. Neither of us finished our meals.

It seems that Aegean II’s most redeeming quality is that it is located next door to Alpine Bakery, where they make outstanding cookies, cakes and breads. Stay away from their black and white cookies, they’re a bit dry, but their torrone, almond horns, tri-color cookies, pignoli cookies and other Italian specialty cookies are outstanding! I’ll be trying their lobster tails next! (That’s a cream-filled puff-pastry dessert, btw.)

The bottom line:
Gorgonzola Salad – If you’re expecting a gorgonzola salad like you may have had at other Italian places, you’ll be disappointed. Unless iceberg lettuce is your idea of a tasty salad, stay away from any salad at Aegean II.

Overall rating: With all the great Italian eateries in Smithtown, why even bother with Aegean II? I recall that their pizza was good, but their dining room lunch menu was something to be avoided.

Chuck ate:

Baked Clams Appetizer ($6.95)
Cheese Ravioli and salad with creamy Italian dressing ($6.95)

Oh boy, how do I follow that review? Well, unfortunately for Aegean II, I have to agree with everything Jennifer said. While Aegean II’s pizza is outstanding their dine-in food is abysmal.

I started with the baked clams which were OK. A little bready and not a lot of clams, but OK nonetheless. They were covered in a light wine sauce which was good. The garlic knots (as Jennifer noted) were good as well — not a surprise since they come from the “front” of the restaurant (more on that later).

The salad came next, which I had ordered with bleu cheese. However, it arrived with creamy Italian. I ate it anyway, but there was just too much dressing for my taste. I didn’t finish it. (I usually always finish the salad.) Then the meal, a large plate of quite unappetizing raviolis. Covered in half-melted mozzarella cheese with a thin red sauce, this was not a tasty meal.

On the good side, the service was pleasant and prompt and the decor was very nice, even the large faux waterfall in the back.

The bottom line:
Baked Clams — In the words of Randy Jackson, they were “just aight”.
Ravioli — not good.

Overall rating: Aegean II gets high marks for it’s pizza, chicken rolls, etc. so if your looking for a good quick slice or other pizza-place fare, Aegean II is perfect, just stay way from the dining room.

Buona Sera :: 88 East Main Street, Smithtown

Located in the Waldbaum’s shopping center, this Restaurant/Pizzeria is a one-two punch of quality food and great service.

Jennifer ate:

Panzanella ($6.50)
Insalata Nuova ($7.50)

Having been to Buona Sera for pizza before set my expectations to that of an ordinary pizza/pasta restaurant. However, it was clear almost immediately that Buona Sera is much more than a pizza/pasta place.

Although the inside temperature was on the cold side, the attentive wait staff quickly made sure we were comfortable. Once seated our drink orders were taken and served quickly. The standard bread for the table was a basket of very delicious garlic knots drizzled with butter and parmesan cheese, along with a plate of good olive oil with a dash of balsamic vinegar and a handful of kalamata olives.

For lunch I ordered two items from the salad section, which I expected would be small because the prices were low. Upon arrival I was surprised to see two gigantic plates of delicious-looking food set before me. The Panzanella — a bruschetta-like dish of diced tomato, red onion and fresh mozzerella on toasted garlic bread with a red wine vinagrette dressing — was outstanding, and would have been enough for a meal. But I had also ordered the Insalata Nuova — a large plate of chopped mixed greens, gorgonzola, diced fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers and diced roma tomatoes with pesto and raspberry vinagrette.

The Insalata Nuova was good, filling, and nicely presented. I appreciated the dressing being served on the side, and truthfully, with the cheeses and pesto, not much additional dressing was actually needed. The pesto was unusual but good, a bit creamy, and the gorgonzola was not the best I’ve had. But the overall dish was very tasty and worth trying.

After our meal we were offered a selection of delectible desserts to try, but we were way to stuffed to taste them. Next time I will save some room!

The bottom line:
Panzanella – Perfect! I would get this again next time.
Insalata Nuova – Really good. It tastes just like you would imagine from the description.
Overall rating: Another great Italian restaurant in Smithtown! If you’ve tried and enjoyed Buona Sera for their pizza, you’re going to love their dining room menu!

Chuck ate:

Chicken Mona Lisa with sides of sautéed brocolli and salad w/ blue cheese dressing ($12.95)

Well, I’ve been coming to Buona Sera for a while now, but it’s always been for pizza or a chicken roll. Buona Sera’s pizza is really good, so it’s a nice place to stop in for a couple of slices and a diet coke. However, today we decided to check out the entrées and see what Buona Sera offered for lunch.

Buona Sera’s ambiance is more of an upscale pizzeria with a long counter, room for transient seating, and a medium-sized dining area separated by a half wall for the dining patrons. But don’t let the casual feel fool you — the quality of both the food and staff are on par with a high-end Italian restaurant.

We arrived at noon and the place was just beginning the lunch rush (which always seems to be brisk with transient business). We were seated towards the back (on request) since the restaurant was a little cold. When we requested the heat to be turned up, no less than 3 people attended to the situation to remedy it (it turned out that the back door was opened for deliveries).

Water arrived promptly as well as a basket of butter-drizzled garlic knots with parmesan cheese — VERY tasty (I think I ate five of them!), as well as a plate of pitted, melt-in-your-mouth Kalamata olives in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Joe, our server, arrived soon after to take our drink and lunch orders. The service was impeccable, prompt, courteous, and informative. We were attended to several times during the meal for more bread and to ask how everything was. This was welcomed and unobtrusive since Joe seemed to know exactly when we needed something.

Our food arrived quickly. The blue cheese dressing was thick and tangy and the salad was piled high with lettuce. I had the Chicken Mona Lisa for the meal, which is a lot like Chicken Cordon Bleu but has mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted peppers and provolone drenched in a creamy Marsala sauce. On the side, I opted for the sautéed broccoli. Both where excellent and very tasty.

We were offered dessert via a very appetizing dessert tray, but we were just too full to go for it!

The bottom line:
Chicken Mona Lisa – Excellent, especially with the broccoli
Overall rating: Buona Sera is an excellent choice for a casual meal out for some excellent Italian food. And if you’re in the neighborhood and looking for something quick — stop in an grab a slice, you can thank us later.