Il Felice Ristorante
By Philip Maneri
There is truly something great about dining at an Italian restaurant that is owned and operated by the chef—such as IL Felice (Fe-Lee-Che) Ristorante in Seaford, the same owner as the IL Felice Ristorante of Long Island City that is known for quality dining since 1986. Long Island is benefitting from the restaurant’s relocation to Seaford in the former Brown Osprey location.
On this night, I was ready to put their reputation to my personal Italian test; I came hungry with a lifelong history of dining on Mom’s Italian food. Chef Felice greeted us warmly tableside, an introduction I particularly like, as it affords me an opportunity to learn about the restaurant, the chef and the specials of the evening, straight from the source.
Felice has been a chef for more than 35 years, starting at a fine Italian restaurant in Manhattan that catered to famous politicians and sports stars, and he learned his craft from some of the best. We requested that he suggest our evening’s menu and he quickly obliged.
My wife and I started out with the Stuffed Portobello Mushroom ($8.95). It featured sautéed spinach and melted Muenster cheese that is used effectively for flavor, texture and color. The Portobello Mushroom was flavorful in every way and it disappeared from our plates quickly. We also shared tender Fried Calamari ($10.50) accompanied by fresh marinara sauce and lemon wedges. The Fried Calamari was addicting: Even with a pasta dish on its way, we couldn’t stop eating the tender pieces.
Our next course was the Rigatoni Vodka Sauce ($17.50) and the Rigatoni with Broccoli Rabe and sweet sausage sautéed in garlic and oil. The pasta was cooked al dente, and each plate looked so good that we switched midway in order to taste both. The Broccoli Rabe was tender and chopped, and the vodka sauce creamy and flavorful.
For our main course, the Chef recommended Seafood Felice ($28.50) a medley of shrimps, scallops, clams, calamari and mussels in a brilliant red sauce. The sauce transcended the delicious seafood specialties. It was perfectly prepared, allowing the flavor of each seafood item to stand on its own. When my wife used her clam shell to scoop up the sauce, she gave the dish one of the greatest Italian compliments.
As for my entree, the Chef made me a special “off the menu” selection, (make sure you request it) the Sea Bass Livornese ($32) prepared with capers, black and green olives, onions and fresh tomatoes. The sea bass featured two impressive filets that were thick and flakey and the olives were plentiful. Both dishes were accompanied with thin, sautéed potatoes that were even more addicting than the calamari, along with carrot sticks and string beans.
We finished off our meal with a fresh fruit plate and cappuccinos. We were almost swayed into trying the Tiramisu and the house special warm Apple Strudel and ice cream but we will save that for our next visit to IL Felice.
IL Felice Ristorante
3943 Merrick Rd., Seaford
516-809-5860
www.ilfelice.com
