Aperitif - Rockville Centre, NY

Aperitif Bistro

242 Sunrise Highway

Rockville Centre, NY

516-594-3404

Peak-a-boo! We still see you =) Sorry we've been M.I.E(Missing in Eating). I'm not blaming writers block or laziness, the truth is that time flies and blogging has been put on the back burner due to everyday life. I don't have to tell you that we have still been steadily eating in order to achieve our newest goal. The mission, which we have eagerly accepted, is to find the perfect go to spot, where the owners know your name, and the food never disappoints. Yes, Dino & Amanda are desperately seeking to become regulars somewhere delicious. While we haven't had any luck yet, we will keep eating until we find the place where "Everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came." It shouldn't be that difficult to find, after all we do live in NY, one of the most scrumptious cities in the world. On second thought, that could be our very problem!

This weeks trial regular spot = Aperitif Bistro Wine Bar, in Rockville Centre for some local French cuisine!

When we arrived at the restaurant (it was Valentine's Day!), we were warmly greeted and asked if we would like our coats checked. We were then seated in a cozy booth on the bar side of the restaurant, where we were able to observe that we were definitely on the younger side of the spectrum. While the age range of patrons seemed older, the place was packed and loud! The energy started to diminish when our less than excited waiter strolled by and asked if we were ready to order.....Order? Sorry, I didn't catch your name, get my menu, or even decide on a drink yet pal. While this may not have been the best start, around the corner appeared "baguette boy." In that moment, I was willing to start over. That magical, warm, lightly toasted, partially sliced 3 times beautiful baguette had made everything better again. Oops, my mind has wandered...sorry but the bread was amazing, and it gave us just the energy we needed to decide on a drink. We'll have two glasses of white wine to toast our happiness and our third Valentine's Day together (Feel free to insert aww's.)

The wine was generously poured and tasty which helped assist us in what we would like to eat. The menu is big and each choice sounds yummy so you will probably want to eat everything like we did. There's a tapas section with a selection of small plates, and everything from beets & goat cheese to tuna tartare flat breads to baby lamb chops, you will have difficulty deciding. A little advice-take your time, enjoy the wine & bread and let it all soak in before making any rash decisions.

Dino's starvation prompted us to order the prosciutto flat bread & the risotto fritters to start. For our main courses, he'll have the Sole Amandine, and I could not resist the beef bourgouignon. The second I saw it on the menu, Julia Childs popped into my brain! My brain then continued to wander and I thought about the movie "Julie & Julia." Just then, another waiter who seemed far more attentive than ours, walked by and he looked just like Stanley Tucci. That was all I needed to confirm my order, bring on the beef!

Our appetizers appeared quickly, and we dove right in!

The risotto fritters with mushroom and fontina cheese were the perfect bite size treat. The only problem was that there were only three mini fritters. Were they trying to cause a fight on V-Day? Luckily we love each other, so we decided to split the third. * DnA tip to restaurants* Always bring food in even numbers. Nobody wants to be the 3rd wheel, not even a risotto fritter. We literally licked the plate clean, so I guess that we enjoyed it. This dish had the perfect balance of crunch to risotto fluffiness and the mushroom sauce won my heart.

On the other hand, the prosciutto flat bread left us wanting less. While visually mouthwatering, with a waterfall of gruyere cheese melting everywhere, there was just t.m.c.o (Too many caramelized onions!) It took away from any other component that this flat bread had to offer. It was even difficult to taste the prosciutto, plus we even love onions! Good attempt, but this flat bread fell flat for DnA. We will be sure to check out the other flat bread options.

Before our plates were cleared, the entrees had arrived... so let's take a minute to tip our hats to the great overall service. Our water glasses remained full throughout the meal, and even the manager of the restaurant pitched in and poured us a refill which we found to be a nice touch.

Dino's Sole Amandine entree were filets of sole sautéed in lemon butter sauce, served with julienne vegetables and basmati rice. The flavor of the lemon butter sauce was pretty tasty as it played into the vegetables and rice. However, the sautéing seemed to have made the skin of the sole become a rubbery mushy texture. He pretty much peeled off the layer of skin and just went for the fish. I would not recommend this dish. It fell flat, nothing exciting to brag about. If you are in the mood for fish, try the bronzini or the always safe pistachio crusted salmon.

My highly anticipated beef bourguignon appeared, and I was excited to gobble up this hearty plate. For those who don't know, this dish is a beef stew with carrots, onions and mushrooms in a red wine sauce, accompanied in this case with mashed potatoes. The beef was extremely flavorful and tender, but there was not enough sauce to support the stew! Perhaps my bowl was not hydrated with that red wine goodness and I found that disappointing. My portion was also missing carrots and mushrooms, which are great parts of the stew. Instead of getting what I expected, there were a few unwelcome components in my dish, including a whole bay leaf, and a piece of an uncooked potato found under the little scoop of mashed potatoes. Tasty, but disappointing.

We opted not to leave room for dessert with our disappointing entrees, but we do have high hopes for Aperitif. We would definitely go back for drinks and small plates because they have such a great variety of dishes which all sound tasty, with prices that are very reasonable for a 'French Bistro'. While we left feeling a little cold breeze which came from the door opening & closing and from our unfriendly waiter, I do think we will return. But will we become regulars? Not likely.

On to the next! But for now, Aperitif is:
DnA Approved.

Food and love.