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 Joe Alicata is a 2009 graduate of Northport High School, he has his B.A. in Public Administration from the University at Albany. Joe works in the insurance industry, is a member of the Advisory Board for the Northport High School Academy of Finance (AOF) program, and is a Director for Northport Students Mean Business. He can be reached at etrestaurants@gmail.com |
| The words “family style restaurant” evoke a certain image in most people’s minds. Generally speaking, it connotes a scene of large groups of people eating generous size portions of food. 388 came to me highly recommended by a friend of mine, so naturally we chose that as our destination for their birthday celebration. Now, admittedly we broke the first rule of family style dining in only having a group of 4, thereby knocking us out of the “large group” category. But we were excited to see what 388 had to offer regardless. Also, 388 only takes reservations for parties of six or more, so if you plan to go as a couple or a group less than six as we did, be sure to arrive before seven. My friend and I arrived ahead of the others, and put our name down so that we were in que to be seated. Our friends arrived a minute or two later, meaning our whole group arrived and was ready to be seated before 7pm, as we had been instructed by the matridee. This was all fine and dandy, until three to four other groups of four who arrived after us were seated before us after making it known that they were friendly with the owner, complete with back taps and handshakes galore. Once finally seated, we made our selections from the menu of Italian-American standards: mussels marinara, baked clams and stuffed artichoke for appetizer to be shared amongst the table, and shrimp Luciano and veal francaise for dinner. Our appetizers arrived in short order, delivered by a very talkative and engaging staff. The stuffed artichoke was delicious with just the right amount of breadcrumbs. It reminded me of our own family recipe and brought me right back to my own dinner table. The mussels too were delicious, served in a large bowl of irresistible sauce, which I would have gladly swan dived into given the chance. The clams however were not as exciting. While they were tasty, they were small. Given the style of the restaurant, I was a little disappointed. Overall, our starters were very good and were understandably excited to see what dinner had in store. Little did we know at that time that dinner was about forty minutes away. We were given our dinner plates after the appetizers were cleared, and then not one member of the staff came to check on our table until I flagged down the head waiter to inform him that we had not yet been served our dinner. To his credit, when he realized the issue, he sent over a round of drinks, very nice touch. When our dinner finally arrived, the veal was cooked perfectly, nicely breaded and flavorful. But the real star was the shrimp. Nice sized, crisp shrimp in a light tomato sauce served on a bed of delicious sautéed spinach. Overall, 388 is a good choice if you are heading out with a group for a birthday, anniversary, or just need a reason to get together and yell stories at friends you have not seen for a while. My hope is that our service hiccup is the exception not the rule, and that you enjoy your visit. |
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