……the king of Queens
Believe it or not, you can leave the Manhattan Astoria , Queens one block away from the N, W Ditmar ’s Boulevard stop. L’Incontro has all the warmth of a traditional, family-style Italian restaurant as well as all the bells and whistles that go along with fine dining. The atmosphere was loud and vibrant and the paintings on the walls reminded me of my travels along the northern coasts of Italy om the executive chef (Rocco).
A well known tradition of L’Incontro is the number of specials the waiter lists each and every night (which apparently rarely ever changes but they still continue to do it). First, the waiter listed over 20 appetizer specials in addition to regular menu; my head was starting to spin. Then, he got to the entrees. I lost count, but I think he topped 30, not including the regular dinner menu. This place had everything under the sun (I was in food heaven), and if they didn’t have it our waiter assured us they would do their best to make us whatever we wanted. To me, that is a sign of a great restaurant that will be staying put for a long, long time.
APPETIZERS
Before we even ordered appetizers the waiter brought out Rocco’s famous sun-dried tom ato tapenade, consisting of pureed sun dried tom atoes, anchovies and olive oil. Thank god I was with som e returning custom ers of L’Incontro or else I would have filled up even more. This stuff was addicting and they kept bringing more and more each time we downed another bowl of it. We actually had to tell them to stop. Just beware of this and TRY your best not to go overboard.
Ravioli stuffed with veal, filet mignon and sprinkled with crumbled sausage
Welcom e meatlovers! This dish is your destiny. Every single bite had a multitude of flavors. First, I tasted the veal and filet mixture, which was so elegantly stuffed inside hom emade ravioli. Then, I immediately got the taste of the ground sausage on the outer layer along with the mushroom based sauce.
H
This was a house specialty and came highly rec
ENTREES
Grouper stuffed with spinach and mascarpone cheese
Rich flavors were present in every bite of this dish. The fish was prepared beautifully; perfectly butterflied, and then stuffed with the spinach and mascarpone mixture. On top, it was sprinkled with bread crumbs which encrusted the fish giving the soft and creamy flavors and a crusty and hard texture. Also, as all of my readers are well aware of my love for spinach, it was one of the deciding factors when ordering this entrée. If you love rich, creamy flavors then I would highly recom mend this dish. (This was one of the specials recom mended by the waiter)
Black cod encrusted with pistachios
My beautiful date ordered the black cod encrusted with pistachios and served with string beans and potatoes. The fish was soft and flaky and melted in your mouth. In addition, the crust was a delicious com bination of nuts and spices and not too overpowering.
Overall, this is one of the best Italian restaurants that I have been to in the NYC area and it rivals any of the top places in Manhattan Astoria om the waiter. My ADD kicked in when he got to the entrees so I may have missed out on a few great dishes. Either way, I plan on going back very soon.
| | Restaurant Review Rating Scale | | ||
| | | | | |
| | | | Total Points Available | |
| Food | 9 | | 10 | |
| | | | | |
| Service | 8 | | 10 | |
| | | | | |
| Ambiance | 9.5 | | 10 | |
| | | | | |
| Bang for the Buck | 8.5 | | 10 | |
| | | | | |
| Overall | 9 | | 10 | |
| | | | | |
| | 44 | | 50 | |
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(718) 721-3532
