La Cova — Restaurant in Town of Brookhaven

To begin with, I must confess that am a “pain-in-the-neck” foodie; so while all my friends rave about restaurants, I often don’t agree. We debated briefly about whether to try someplace new or go to our local “regulars” which are solidly ok, but nothing to get excited about. Our local “regulars” (depending what we order) typically run between $75-$100 (with tip) for the two of us; our check at this new restaurant ended up costing us approximately $30 above that (which turned out to be worth every cent).

So…. last night, in a somewhat somber mood, I decided …along with my husband and another couple to splurge on a fairly pricey restaurant that I recently spotted online. It is called LA COVA, a fairly new establishment located on the East side of Route 112, south of Uncle Giuseppe’s in Port Jeff Station. They serve Family Style (full order), but on almost all dishes - you have the option of getting half an order (but since a full order is way less expensive than the cost of 2 half orders - I felt compelled to order every dish in full order form). The wait staff was lovely and accommodating. The place was nice looking, but our specific table did not have a light directly above it, so I needed to use my iPhone flashlight to read the menu.

The 4 of us ordered 4 alcoholic drinks. My $17 LI Ice Tea was average-good, but the food was EXCELLENT! The table ordered GARLIC BREAD - which was made far better than other restaurants who frequently put little effort into (what they may consider) an unimportant accoutrement. We ordered eggplant parm (fabulous - as we could actually taste the delicious eggplant through the sauce and oozing cheese), fried calamari (although the fish was fresh & the coating was light {which many people prefer}, I like a more seasoned coating…so while yummy, I needed to dunk the calamari into their delicious sauce to have more flavor). We also ordered a plate of Penne a La Vodka…requesting linguine {instead of penne} cooked el dente (and w/o prosciutto {I don’t eat pork}), which had to be THE BEST I’ve ever tasted. The pasta was firm; the sauce - to die for. (I could feel the tension of a trying weak drain from my psyche.)

Our friends ordered the eggplant parm (which they too loved), and a seafood medley served over pasta. In all these years as friends, I never saw them so enthusiastic about their dinner (they were in awe by the freshness of the seafood flavor of the white sauce). Lately, perhaps because of rising prices, our portions at some restaurants look a tad deprived! LA COVA served ABUNDANT PORTIONS and we collectively left the restaurant with 6 tins of food. For those who don’t eat leftovers, order lightly. For us - we were thrilled that we’d have 2 extra nights of of delicious dining!

While we were (ostensibly) too full for dessert, the waiter brought us a complimentary order of a Napoleon to share. The layers of crust were fresh & crisp, the custard was creamy & decadent without being too heavy.

The evening was an amazing experience and I floated home in much better mood - thinking about what I would order next time - which will...

Walking in, we were immediately greeted and seated with Menus. Restaurant appeared clean, but very minimalistic decor; basic black/white/gray palette. Only about 10 tables, small and quaint. Fresh water was served along with a toasted bread & butter basket. For an appetizer, we ordered the half order of Baked Clams. They were delicious!! And the sauce they were served over was bread dipping worthy!!! For dinner, we ordered the (red) Frutti di Mare and Veal Valdostana. The Veal was unbelievably sized. It was fork tender, and no effort needed to cut. Very enjoyable. The frutti di Mare was actually a regular sized portion from any decent Italian restaurant for one person and was on price point. That said, it was excellent. The calamari melted, and the large shrimp were tender. There were actual whole cloves of roasted garlic, which I enjoyed. Again, the sauce begged for bread to be dipped. The only disappointment was ordering a $64 Veal Chop that doesn't come with a side, nothing. The a la carte sides were pricey. The service was excellent. I don't believe it's in a great location, and in my opinion, it would be better off without family style dining. The food was excellent, and I hope...

My husband & I went in for the first time for dinner about 1.5wks ago on a Monday evening. There was one other couple dining & one customer at the bar. The atmosphere was very plain although the tables were set nicely with linen. The staff were very attentive & pleasant. Warm Italian bread was brought to our table but not the best bread. Baked clams were delicious. Penne a la vodka was delicious & the pasta was cooked perfectly. Veal Sorentino was delicious. Portion sizes were adequate . We did not order beverages. They brought us a complimentary Napoleon for dessert which was amazing & I’m very picky. *My advice to this restaurant would be: if you are going to have a higher end menu then improve the atmosphere, serve delicious Italian bread with olive oil & herbs for dipping, include a side salad with entrees & include pasta with the veal sorentino type entrees. *I spoke with a neighbor who basically felt...