If you want to do dinner right, head to Plancha Tapas and Wine Bar on Franklin Ave in Garden City. It had been too long since I was able to get back there so I more than made up for it on a recent visit.

Josh, the owner, will be more than happy to guide you in your food and wine choices. My dinner date and I actually sat down and just asked him to recommend away. And he did. We started with this:

 A lovely Spanish board. Yum…

Is your mouth watering yet? Josh fine-tuned the board a bit and switched a few items around from what was on the menu. Love this about Plancha- they really want you to enjoy the experience and tailor to your preferences.

If you like olives, the olives at Plancha are amazing. We. Loved. Them. We also splurged with the cebada {yum}, shishito peppers {delish but a lot of peppers for just two people}, scallops {excellent}. The eggplant puree with root vegetables and almonds under the scallops was so delicious- I think it deserves a plate of its very own! In short, the meal was fantastic.

Josh paired all of this with a Spanish red that went perfectly- didn’t overwhelm the food at all but complemented it just right. My only regret was not having a second stomach to enjoy some of the other items on the menu.

There’s nothing else like Plancha in GC. Have you been yet?

931 Franklin Ave., Garden City

I broke out an old family recipe for my Lenten Friday dinner tonight:

For some reason, I only make zucchini pie {which is much like a casserole} during Lent. I don’t know why this is, considering it’s delish, easy to make and not-so-bad for you. I give it an even health{ier} twist by cutting down the oil to 1/4 cup and using Greek yogurt for the other 1/4 cup. I also go easy on the cheese. Other than that, I follow the recipe as is:

3 cups diced zucchini

4 eggs

1 cup Bisquick or pancake mix

1/2 cup grated cheese

1/2 cup oil

Pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley to taste

Combine ingredients in medium size mixing bowl. Put into greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 mins or until golden brown.

Enjoy a slice or two of zucchini pie with a glass of red wine and a salad… yum! This never sticks around long enough in my house to enjoy leftovers. You can find variations of this recipe for zucchini pie on allrecipes.com. I know pizza is a go-to for most people on Fridays during Lent, but I sometimes need to shake it up a bit. Next week on the Friday menu: Fettucini Alfredo.

Enjoy!

There’s no doubt that we have a lot of great restaurants at our fingertips here in Garden City and in close proximity, but farm to table restaurants? Not so much. I had the opportunity to dine at the newly opened Copperhill (formerly La Marmite) on Saturday night, located at 234 Hillside Ave, Williston Park and couldn’t wait to fill you in!

It was impressive to see the beautiful old Victorian building completely transformed into an upscale yet casual setting with modern farmhouse vibes. Very cool and also very welcoming. The bar has been expanded from La Marmite’s days and has a sophisticated but unpretentious feel. 

As far as Copperhill’s menu and offerings, I started off browsing a great drinks, beer and wine menu. Tough choices but I decided on a glass of Rioja. The food menu consists of modern American selections and divides into three sections: snacks, apps and entrees. More tough choices again… especially since the focus here is on fresh, seasonal food and local ingredients.

I started with the Devils on Horseback… appropriately named… which consisted of bleu cheese almond stuffed figs {to write home about} wrapped in bacon. The short rib poutine with cheddar came highly recommended and lived up to its rep. As a second course, the scallops were tender and delish and the buratta with acorn squash was a close second. 

Entrees that called my name were the black sea bass and classic burger with Velveeta {a little taste of Americana}, but I went with the homemade ricotta cavatelli served with braised lamb. Yum. My dining partner went with the bbq pork short rib with pretzel spaetzle for an entree. Quite honesty, I didn’t know what pretzel spaetzel was before dining at Copperhill but I can say that I’m a fan now! Dessert {my favorite course} was solid with a flourless chocolate cake and pumpkin tart. Everything was carefully crafted and very tasty.

Since they focus on seasonal items and locally grown food at Copperhill, the menu will change often which makes me want to head back soon! Have you been? What did you think?

PS- As you can see, my photos of the actual dishes are limited… which is simply because everything was so good that it didn’t stick around long enough to be photographed. Another reason to go back!


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Warning: If you haven’t eaten lunch yet, you may be feeling especially hungry after reading this post. 

I dined at Calogero’s on Franklin Ave last night and was able to sample a few items on the menu. I know there are a lot of Calogero fans out there and I count myself as one of them.

We were greeted by pleasant and friendly staff. The staff is one thing this restaurant consistently has going for them. Each staff member is always pleasant, friendly, smiling. Not necessarily a given these days when you go… well, just about anywhere. Our waitress couldn’t have been nicer.

Outside seating was “eh”. Don’t get me wrong- it’s definitely pleasant out back. Their set-up almost makes you forget that you are adjacent to a parking lot. Unfortunately, the bugs make you remember. There were lots of tiny black gnats flying all around us and our food. A few citronella candles back there may improve things in that department. But hey, aren’t bugs just part of the charm of dining outside? I have to admit, al fresco dining is one of those things that often sounds great in theory, but may involve a gnat flying up your nose in practice. But I digress… 

The small garden salad was just right with a light vinaigrette and the Funghi Portobello Napoleon appetizer was perfect: fresh mozzarella, prosciutto di parma, tomato, basil, olive oil and balsamic reduction. It’s presentation was as superb as its taste. I would definitely recommend this if you haven’t tried it yet.

The small Neapolitan pizza was delicious with a great sauce, yummy cheese and cooked to perfection. Chicken Parmigiano with pasta is a classic Italian dish that almost never disappoints and Calogero’s did a fine job with that as well. The Salmone e Basilico was a bit disappointing thanks to a number of small bones and vegetable risotto that was nothing to write home about. Calogero’s quickly recovered on the Salmon dish by comping us on dessert so all’s well that…

I will definitely be back to Calogero’s. Next time I may try the Gamberi Shrimp. In the meantime, I’ll continue to have their pizza delivered on the reg. Have you been to Calogero’s? What’s your favorite dish?


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