Nunzi’s in Farmingdale Places Fashionable Tackle Traditional Italian
With Government Chef Marc Wisehart on the helm, Nunzi’s in Farmingdale is tackling basic Italian dishes with fashionable twists and classy vibes.
Proprietor Michael Napolitano says the thought for Nunzi’s, named for his grandfather, sprang to life about 4 years in the past throughout a dialogue of latest enterprise ventures that had been not like his day job; he owns a sequence of LI-based diet shops.
“My dad was within the hospitality business for the final 20 years or so. He had a couple of locations in New York Metropolis… and I all the time was across the enterprise,” he says. “I all the time needed to open a restaurant.”
After scouting a number of areas, Napolitano settled on the Farmingdale venue and signed the lease in January 2020, simply earlier than the pandemic. “It’s been fairly a journey,” he says, explaining that Nunzi’s has been open now for a bit greater than a 12 months.
“We opened when issues had been beginning to get higher…the timing was first rate,” he says, including that they had been lucky to open after they did, to keep away from pandemic-related shutdowns.
“My foremost aim was to convey a Manhattan-style, meatpacking district-type vibe to the restaurant,” says Napolitano, who manages the restaurant together with a number of companions together with his dad Vincent Napolitano and Frank Azzara.
“We noticed there have been many individuals popping out to Lengthy Island from the town and we needed the design of the place to have a really New York Metropolis model.”
Certainly, the restaurant exudes a stylish, Instagram-worthy vibe, with fashionable and eclectic art work seen all through the house.
Requested concerning the division of duties, Napolitano says he handles principally entrance of restaurant operations in addition to flooring administration whereas his different members of the family assist with every thing from kitchen tricks to bartending and every thing in between.
“It’s actually a household enterprise that works properly…I’ve labored with my brother and pop for years.”
Within the kitchen, Nunzi’s menu design was put within the succesful arms of Napolitano’s uncle Anthony LoCastro, who’s additionally a seasoned chef.
Companion and Government Chef Wisehart helped convey the twists of the fashionable Italian menu to life with buyer favorites together with limoncello wings with grilled lemon and Calabrian pepper in addition to the favored eggplant parmigiana.
Wisehart’s intensive expertise within the culinary world contains greater than 30 years of cooking Italian, Cajun and Creole meals at venues akin to Asia de Cuba, Il Bucco in NoHo, and Vero Midtown Wine Bar.
Different fashionable menu gadgets embrace spicy rigatoni alla vodka with crushed purple pepper and grandma’s meatballs, a very fashionable merchandise that Napolitano says is just not solely a best-selling appetizer however a dish which is a specialty of his grandmother Haydee, who additionally helps in Nunzi’s kitchen occasionally.
“She helps out with some Sunday brunches right here and there…she’s a rock star within the kitchen,” Napolitano says. “She’ll are available in as soon as per week and assist out, present a number of the cooks the way to put together sure dishes.”
He provides, “You’ll be able to’t ever go unsuitable with meatballs at an Italian restaurant, however hers is likely to be one of the best I’ve ever had.”
Napolitano says his private favorites which have made it to the menu embrace the heritage pork chop, made with white wine, garlic, cherry pepper jam, and a really fashionable Italian tackle the egg roll, dubbed egg roll Italiano, made with candy or scorching sausage and broccoli rabe.
To date, early opinions of Nunzi’s have been very optimistic on social media and elsewhere.
Darren Anselmo, CEO at ElementZero Vitamin, says, “It’s very tough to combine a stylish ambiance with conventional Italian with out sacrificing one space … in some way these guys made it occur. Should attempt!”
Napolitano says that for the reason that restaurant’s opening in September 2021, enterprise has been good total, regardless of a summer time that was a bit slower. A newly renovated exterior eating space with a patio opened on the finish of June and has helped for many who nonetheless wish to principally dine open air.
As for the pandemic’s affect, Napolitano takes it in stride.
“Everybody has been coping with the will increase in meals prices for some time now…it’s simply a part of doing enterprise on this new surroundings,” he says, including that it’s nonetheless very laborious getting sure issues akin to liquors and different imported gadgets because of ongoing provide shortages.
“It’s important to determine the way to navigate provide points and simply transfer ahead.”
Nunzi’s is positioned at 125 Secatogue Ave., Farmingdale. It may be reached at 516-586-8447. Go to at nunzis1274.com.
