It started out unassuming enough. After a day of shopping, and seeing our first choice of restaurant having a line out the door, we decided to come to one of our old standbys, the Carriage House. We arrived at 8:00, and saw a fairly empty lobby and bar, yet was told there was a 20 minute wait. Fair enough, there was enough people waiting for that to seem legit. So we sat down and started to wait. Now as the minutes were passing, we noticed a booth being cleared right near the lobby, get set, and lay fallow. More and more people continued to come in, and now it was a half hour. THEN THOSE PEOPLE WERE SAT BEFORE US. Confused, we thought perhaps they met others that were hidden in the bar, but that was not the case. Finally this happened enough times that it was not possible that all of those parties had at least one member lurking at the bar. Now, at 8:45, we asked the hostess how much longer we would be. She claimed we were next, yet another table was sat before our buzzer went off. FINALLY at 8:50, we buzzed, and were brought to...the table that had been vacant since 8:05. We questioned the hostess why we weren't sat there 50 minutes prior, and she just laughed and said sorry. After repeating, it was open for 50 minutes, she still just laughed, so we told her to forget it and walked out. Now here's the kicker: every table that was sat before us yet arrived after upheld the nouveau yuppie metro guido look, whereas we were casually dressed. Now tell us that was just a cooincidence.
Food: penne ala vodka with chicken, dark chocolate fudge tart, French martini. We got leid upon walking in the front door, so immediately I started to get a bit alarmed as I saw the masses of yuppies at the bar and a happy hour buffet. However, once we were brought to the upstairs portion of the dining room, any alarm melted away as I saw the the fireplace, the dimmed lights and candles, and the bar chock full of goodies, including my beloved Chambord. The menu itself offered a lot of seafood choices, which didn't do us any good, but had enough other pasta and salad dishes that I found a few options that I wouldn't mind. Plus they all had the choice of adding chicken to the pastas or salads, making it even better for me, who will not touch fish and rarely orders steak out. Finally decided on penne ala vodka with chicken, although was a bit nervous because I rarely find an ala vodka sauce that I enjoy out. Was pleasantly surprised to find that it was creamy, and not merely tomato sauce with a piece of prosciutto here or there. Huge dish of pasta, but as I was starving, finished every last bite. Had a French martini with dinner, had to take advantage of the chambord situation. Made sure to request lime instead of pineapple to avoid the piccola bussola debacle, and the result was refreshing and lightened my mood. We decided to get dessert for a change, and had a dark chocolate fudgy cookie bottom syrupy thing with vanilla ice cream. Absolutely amazing and rich, but definitely pushed us over the edge and we waddled back to the car. Considering we had a flight of stairs to go down, maybe slightly dangerous as well. Overall the atmosphere was charming, upscale without seeming too pretentious, and definitely a place I can't wait to try again. And not just for the booze.
Mr. Guido Says: *****
Food: Penne ala Vodka with chicken, Bass Ale, Dark chocolate fudge tart with ice cream. Restaurant is set in a historic building in Babylon Village. The place has a great vibe going. On a Friday night, the bar was pretty hopping. But, the restaurant itself is not loud. Upstairs, where we sat, was quiet, and quite beautiful. From the fireplace, to the very interesting light fixtures, to the well stocked bar, and the good view overlooking downstairs (not to mention the good view of Mrs. Guido, I must say she looked especially beautiful that night), it definitely felt like we were somewhere special. Probably the nicest atmosphere and vibe of any Long Island restaurant I've been to. Penne Ala Vodka was a huge portion. Penne was from the local Italian Food store in the village, Gemelli's. Sauce was good, and I was surprised, since this isn't an Italian place. Chicken was tender, and cut into small pieces, making it more appetizing. Some other items on the menu were more adventurous, and more expensive, but I had a feeling that they'd be smaller portions, and more "nouveau". The chocolate brownie tart fudge "thing" was amazing. Served warm, it was very rich, but this was perfectly offset by the vanilla ice cream it was served with. Overall one of my favorite dining experiences on Long Island so far.
