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Dining Review | Long Island

Where Soul Food Is a Family Affair

Toni and Gary Clifton in their restaurant, Pretty Toni’s Cafe.Credit...Barton Silverman/The New York Times

“There are no good restaurants in Valley Stream” was a complaint I heard recently from friends who live there. I begged to differ and proved my point by taking them to Pretty Toni’s Cafe. This very good restaurant, which opened in January 2009, seems to have been overlooked by some of the local residents.

The place is easy to miss, as it is in a small, free-standing building on busy West Merrick Road. It has a well-lighted takeout section and a second door leading to a cozy, surprisingly elegant dining room with pale wood floors, chocolate-brown walls and honey-colored banquettes that run the length of the room. Tables are topped with dark brown cloths covered by white paper place mats and gold-colored cloth napkins.

A sign in the window advertises “soul food and more.” Part of the Pretty Toni’s Cafe experience is the background music — jazz at weekend brunches, Motown hits at dinner. A 1971 poster on one wall advertises a concert by the Jackson 5 and Diana Ross and the Supremes.

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A popular dish, deep-fried chicken paired with a red velvet waffle.Credit...Barton Silverman/The New York Times

Pretty Toni is Toni Clifton, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Gary. Ms. Clifton’s restaurant experience dates back to the heyday of the Shark Bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where she was the general manager from 1997 to 2002. The couple, who live in Valley Stream, run Pretty Toni’s with the help of their three daughters. Gary Clifton is the gracious host and waiter in the dining room; Toni is the chef. Their daughter Tonita is the chief baker, responsible for the fantastic desserts.

The meal begins with squares of warm, moist corn bread and ends with some of the best homey desserts I’ve had in years. In between is a lineup of fried chicken, catfish, whiting, smothered strip steak, fried shrimp and grilled salmon.

The most popular dish, according to Mr. Clifton, is the chicken and waffle. Deep-fried chicken pieces, with crisp crust and juicy meat, are paired with either a Belgian waffle or a red velvet one. The fluffy, red velvet version was served with not only maple syrup but also drizzles of cream cheese frosting.

My favorite entree was the fried shrimp, which had the lightest of coatings; other good choices were the crisply fried catfish and whiting and the barbecued chicken with a pineapple-mango salsa on the side. We were less taken with the New York strip steak, which was thin though tender. We ordered it smothered in onions; it was barely muffled.

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The triple-threat chocolate cake with layers of cake, fudge filling and chocolate chips.Credit...Barton Silverman/The New York Times

Most entrees come with a choice of two side dishes, from a list of about a dozen. Creamy mashed potatoes, tender collard greens and crisp sweet potato fries all made the grade. Best was the potato salad, made with skins-on red potatoes and celery for crunch. The only dud we tried was the waterlogged corn on the cob.

The best starters were the soups of the day: a slightly spicy chicken-vegetable with big chunks of meat on the bone, and a light, brothlike pumpkin. I’m not a fan of pumpkin soup, since most are reminiscent of thinned pumpkin-pie filling. Toni’s was savory, not sweet, with no flavor of cinnamon or nutmeg.

The appetizer roster lists four styles of chicken wings (the teriyaki were tender and tasty) as well as offerings like chicken strips and catfish strips that preview the entrees to come. Salads were limited to a forgettable Caesar and a “baby” spinach marred by large leaves and tough stems.

There were no also-rans among the desserts. We loved them all: the down-home and deeply satisfying warm peach cobbler; the creamy, layered banana pudding; the moist and appealing 7Up poundcake; and the triple-threat chocolate cake with layers of tender cake, fudge filling and chocolate chips.

There is no pork on the menu. Mr. Clifton said it was not for religious reasons but was an attempt to make the food more healthful. Are the deep-fried chicken and rich desserts at Pretty Toni’s healthful? Hardly, but they are delicious.

Pretty Toni’s Cafe

759 West Merrick Road
Valley Stream
(516) 285-8664

prettytoniscafe.com

VERY GOOD

THE SPACE Charming and cozy dining room with seating for 20 to 25. Full wheelchair access.

THE CROWD Couples and small groups, including some children on my visits. A children’s menu offers four meals at $8.95 each. Service is warm and gracious.

THE BAR There is a small bar with four stools in the corner of the dining room, but it was not in use the nights of my visits. Wine and beer are served. List of 13 wines by the bottle ($27 to $115) and 12 by the glass ($7 to $9). Eight beers are offered at $6 to $7.

THE BILL Brunch entrees, $8.99 to $9.99. Dinner entrees, $13.95 (chicken and Belgian waffle) to $23.95 (lamb chops), with most in the middle teens. All major credit cards are accepted.

WHAT WE LIKED Corn bread, pumpkin soup, chicken-vegetable soup, teriyaki wings, deep-fried chicken with red velvet waffle, barbecued chicken, deep-fried catfish, deep-fried whiting, fried shrimp, potato salad, mashed potatoes, collard greens, sweet potato fries, all desserts.

IF YOU GO Open Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. (Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.) Closed Mondays. Reservations are not accepted. There is a small parking lot behind the restaurant.

RATINGS Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section LI, Page 8 of the New York edition with the headline: Where Soul Food Is a Family Affair. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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