Port Jefferson: Pasta Pasta

I don't have a car so getting around Long Island is kind of hard without using the railroad or going with a friend who has a car. Port Jefferson, the last stop on the LIRR has a cute little town with a lot of cute quaint places to eat dinner and get desert after. There is also a candy shop, a really nice desert place as well as a red mango which really surprised me since it was such a small place. It is actually only a mile walk from the train station. You can take in the sites of the harbor and the boats.

My first place I ate at was at Pasta Pasta. At many restaurants around Port Jefferson if you go before six there are price fixed menus. For Pasta Pasta you have to make reservations.

Pasta Pasta

The Outside:

The Menu:

The Place: 

The Bread:

I'm not sure what was inside but it was so good.
The Appetizers:

Stuffed Baked Clams

Wasabi Calamari
Black & white sesame seed crusted calamari tossed in general Tao’s sauce and drizzled with wasabi aioli

Soup Du Jour
Filet Mignon, Lentils

Breaded and Fried House Made Fresh Mozzarella Pinwheels
Stuffed with prosciutto and fresh basil, served on a bed of plum tomato sauce

The Entrees:

Pan Seared Fish of the Day
Tuna, asparagus and sweet pea risotto, lemon buerre blanc

Shrimp and Calamari Fra Diavlo
shrimp and calamari sautéed in a spicy tomato sauce served over linguine

Marinated Sirloin Steak
crisp onions, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach

Penne, Sweet Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, Shitake Mushrooms, Roma Tomatoes
in roasted garlic, olive oil white broth topped with shaved Romano cheese

The Desert:

Chocolate Mousse

Creampuff with Vanilla Ice Cream

The Take Out Box:

Very Cute Take Out Box with the Pasta Pasta Logo

Food on Long Island is pretty expensive but getting a price-fixed meal was worth it, bread, appetizer, entree and dessert. With tax and tip it was about $32 a person. I am hoping to find a place that isn't mainly focused on Italian food though. If I had more money I think I would come back but I would like to try places around Port Jefferson. My friend wouldn't mind coming back again because the fish was really good. If you do get the prixe-fixed menu for the appetizer I recommend getting the calamari because it has a lot more than other appetizers. As for entree the fish is worth it but the special of the day was tuna and I am not a big fan of tuna so I didn't get it. In any case it was nice to get off campus and get some real food.

Reservations are necessary.

Pasta Pasta

234 East Main Street

Port Jefferson, NY 11777

Phone: 631-331-5335

Fax: 631-331-1376

Crepes

Crepes

I love crepes. Only the sweet ones not the savory ones. I find those a little odd mainly because I've always associated crepes with something sweet. I haven't really gone to a place that specialized in crepes but I have had crepes at random places.

The Crepes

 

I used to go to school in downtown Manhattan around Tribeca so when a Wholefoods opened all the students went there. It is a bit more expensive than normal markets because it was organic. At the wholefoods at Tribeca there is a second floor for people to sit and eat or to hang out. I actually went there after we got kicked out to sign our yearbooks. Upstairs there is a little desert and drink corner. My friend and I decided we really wanted a crepe so we got one. This one had vanilla ice cream, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. It was a pretty good deal only about $4.

Whole Foods Market

270 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10007

Strawberry Crepe topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream

Strawberry and Nutella Crepe

Peach Crepe with Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream

This isn't my favorite crepe place but it is convenient for me and my friends. There are many movie theatres in Forest Hills so it is convenient to go here afterwords for something sweet. I actually love Martha's Country Bakery nearby but it is pricey. Though this place is also pretty pricey for a crepe, each crepe is about $6 and when you see them make it, it looks so simple. But I don't get crepes often so when we do have a chance to get it we grab it.
Crepe N Tearia
70-23 Austin St
Forest Hills, NY 11375
Neighborhood: Forest Hills

Fruit Crepe $6.95

Now this crepe is interesting. It is from Kelly Cafe in Stony Brook University. It is the first floor of Kelly Dining. It is pricey but students use meal points that are paid for in their tuition. The crepe here actually is on and off so students don't always have the chance to try one. I did once. The difference in this crepe is that there is gelato inside. I don't quite remember what kind of gelato it had inside but it had strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. It is interesting to try. It wasn't the best but I love gelato so I mostly ate that. The only problem is that because of the gelato the crepe hardens very quickly. There is also a crepe place at Tabler Quad at Stony Brook University.

Greek Food: Pylos

So recently my friend had a craving for Greek food so we were like okay let's go. We actually had a hard time looking for an evenly priced place with relatively good reviews. Finally we settled on a placed called Pylos in downtown Manhattan. Lunch wasn't too expensive about $10-$20 per person. It was a quaint little place with few entrees so we all picked one and tried each others.

Pylos

The Menu:

The Place:

There was no door so you just walked in. The benches were so comfortable and the waiter was really nice.

Appetizer:

Pita Bread

Tzatziki
Thick, tangy yogurt dip $5

One of my most favorite things about restaurants is the bread it comes with. It is always out steamy and you can't help munching on them even though you shouldn't eat so much.

Soup:

avgolemono me sampania
champagne avgolemono,
PYLOS’ smooth as silk classic egg-lemon soup with chicken
stock and rice $5

I was craving soup even though I don't usually get soup but it was really good. I really liked dipping the pita bread in it.
Entrees:

Entree: psito kotopoulo
grilled chicken breast $13
Side Dish: greek yiayia’s
fried potatoes wedges of handcut
fried potatoes served with grated greek sheep’s milk
cheese and oregano

Entree: psites garides
grilled jumbo shrimp $18
Side Dish: spanakorizo
classic spinach-rice pilaf served with
shaved feta, lemon and cracked black pepper

Entree: paidakia galaktos stin schara
marinated grilled baby lamb chops $22
Side Dish: spanakorizo
classic spinach-rice pilaf served with
shaved feta, lemon and cracked black pepper

Entree: pastitsio
PYLOS’ terrine of baked pasta layered with
aromatic meat sauce and béchamel $16

Disclaimer: The names of the food and prices are from the Pylos menu from the website. I do not own it. I am just not sure what the meals are called.

A bit pricey but delicious. It was a very quaint and homey experience. I don't think I can afford this much but it satisfied our craving for Greek food. I would love to try more Greek places with more options and preferably a bit cheaper. If anybody has any suggestions please leave a comment/suggestion. Thanks.
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 Pylos
128 East 7th Street
New York, NY 10009-6100
(212) 473-0220

http://www.pylosrestaurant.com/

~Anne

Shula's Steakhouse

There are so many restaurants I want to try but I just can't afford it so I go to restaurant week in New York. Of course the choices are limited and isn't the same as going to the restaurant as a regular customer but it allows for people to try a restaurant they wouldn't normally go to for a special price. Restaurant week is pretty expensive in my opinion $35 but it would probably be more expensive if you ate there in general.

Shula's Steakhouse

My  favorite steakhouse is actually Peter Luger's but it was convenient to go here because we were going to be in Times Square that night to hang out. This was actually Summer 2009. We couldn't decide on what to eat so we just randomly picked and Shula was what we ended up with.
The Menu:

The Place:

I don't really have any other pictures of the inside but it is very sports oriented, there were black and white framed pictures all around the restaurant.

Appetizer:

Lobster Bisque

Entree:

5 oz. SHULA CUT Filet Mignon
Side of mashed potatoes and asparagus

 Dessert:

New York Cheesecake

It was pretty good. The waiters had an easy time as we were a table just for restaurant week so we didn't need a lot of attention as opposed to other customers. The atmosphere was really nice but if it wasn't for restaurant week looking at the prices of the regular menu I don't think I would have come. It was nice to try but I am unlikely to go back to Shulas.
Times Square

Shula's was right by Times Square in the theater district. I have a habit of acting like a tourist for fun even though I'm not one. Every time I'm in Times Square I ask people to take pictures of me and my friends even though I've been here many many times. It's fun to come at night and just look around. My friends and I like to sit on the steps in Times Square when there is space and just hang out, talk and take pictures. There are many stores and sites to see.
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Westin New York at Times Square
270 W 43rd St
New York, NY 10036

www.westinny.com/dining/shulas.html

~Anne