Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Long Island Dining | St. James

Keep an Eye Out for the Sliders

Bright paintings enhance one of Five.Five 2’s rabbit warren of dining rooms.Credit...Barton Silverman/The New York Times

Five.Five 2, a restaurant named for its address on North Country Road in St. James, makes a good first impression. The cheery copper-topped bar has a fireplace, and the rabbit warren of dining rooms is charming: one is small and cozy, another light and airy, and a third enhanced by bright colored paintings.

The restaurant, which opened in November, occupies the former home of O’s Food and Wine Bar. The owners, Jacqueline Brusa and Michael Lazar, are first-time restaurateurs who know enough about the business to hire a good chef. He is Adam Pitré, who was the opening chef at Ruvo in Greenlawn and later executive chef at Hudson’s Mill restaurant in Massapequa. The service, however, needs work to approach the level of the food.

Image
The peeky toe crab cake.Credit...Barton Silverman/The New York Times

The dishes coming from Mr. Pitré’s kitchen were, with very few exceptions, outstanding.

Among the starters, don’t miss the peeky toe crab cake, made with lump crab, not at all like the shredded, almost mushy versions served elsewhere. Plump mussels in a garlic-driven herb broth also won us over, as did the light, tasty gnocchi in a braised pork ragù.

The Caesar salad, though, was unbalanced, with too much cheese and no croutons. A better bet was the NY apple salad with baby mâche and cubes of crisp fruit in a tarragon dressing, all resting on paper-thin slices of prosciutto.

There was one disappointment among the entrees. The kurobuta pork chop, a Japanese version of the Berkshire breed, was uncharacteristically dry and tough. The creamy sage risotto on the plate nearly saved the dish. The brick-pressed chicken breast, in contrast, boasted crisp skin and juicy meat. A sheer brown sauce on the plate was bolstered by thin slices of garlic. The fish special, pan-seared local fluke, translated to two generous fillets, fingerling potatoes and a handful of inch-long asparagus logs. Short ribs, billed as fork tender, were just that. They were nearly, but not quite, outshone by their excellent mashed potatoes laced with Boursin cheese. Spaghetti Nero, black squid ink pasta with nubs of lobster and shrimp, was seasoned with pancetta, chilies and mint. The chilies dominated while the pancetta and mint were bit players.

A sign outside the restaurant advertises tapas, but we were told on my first visit that tapas were not served on Saturday night. On the following Tuesday we had to ask for the tapas menu. In a telephone conversation with Mr. Pitré after my visits, he said a new menu that included tapas was in the works. It would be given to everyone, he said, and tapas would be available every night.

Image
A warm pecan tart crowned with pistachio gelato.Credit...Barton Silverman/The New York Times

On the tapas list are the best sliders I’ve ever had, made with Angus beef, cooked precisely to order (medium-rare) and running with juices. Each burger was glazed with melted manchego cheese and topped with caramelized onions. Another hit from the tapas roster was deviled eggs, four halves enriched with lobster.

Desserts were house-made and noteworthy. The crème brûlée is perfect: thick, cold and satiny. We also liked the milk chocolate mousse presented in an almond-praline-chocolate basket and the warm pecan tart crowned with pistachio gelato. The best dessert in my book was the assorted fresh berries marinated in Grand Marnier and set atop a thick layer of whipped cream.

The service at Five.Five 2 detracted from the pleasure of dining there. Besides the tapas issue, there were other annoyances. We received good, crusty rolls and a small bowl of whipped butter as soon as we were seated. But that mere dab of butter was soon gone and the bowl remained empty throughout our meal. On my first visit, as tables around us were being served small plates of marinated cucumbers, we were overlooked. Finally, when our server recited the specials, no prices were mentioned. When I asked for them, I received a look of contempt.

Go to Five.Five 2 for the food, and hope that the service has improved.

Five.Five 2

552 North Country Road
St. James
(631) 584-4600

fivefive2restaurant.com

VERY GOOD

THE SPACE A frame house seating about 80 in several dining rooms. There are two steps to the dining rooms, but none to the bar. The restrooms, which are on the bar level, are wheelchair-accessible.

THE CROWD Mainly couples and small groups; there were no children on the nights of my visits. The bar crowd is lively. Service can be annoying.

THE BAR The charming wood bar has a copper top and 12 stools. There is also seating for about 14 diners at a variety of tables at the bar area. List of 43 wines, all available by the bottle ($35 to $275) or the glass ($10 to $75).

THE BILL Brunch entrees, $8 to $15. Dinner entrees, $15 (burger) to $36 (filet mignon). Tapas, $9 to $14. A $25 three-course prix fixe menu is offered Tuesday through Thursday nights. The restaurant accepts American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Discover.

WHAT WE LIKED Crab cake, NY apple salad, gnocchi, mussels, chicken, short ribs, fluke, spaghetti Nero, deviled eggs, sliders, chocolate mousse, pecan tart, crème brûlée, berries and cream.

IF YOU GO Dinner: Tuesday to Thursday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday brunch, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday and Sunday evening. Reservations are a must on weekends. There is a parking lot and valet parking on weekends.

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

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section LI, Page 16 of the New York edition with the headline: Keep an Eye Out for the Sliders. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT