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Business & Tech

Review: Mannino's Brings Italian Comfort Food to Commack

From spicy marinara sauce to succulent scallops, the packed restaurant delivers affordable favorites.

It's been 14 years since a chance drive through Commack convinced Joe Mannino to open Mannino's Restaurant there. But the gamble has paid off, as these days locals are willing to wait up to an hour for the restaurant's traditional Italian fare.

On a recent visit, I only waited 30 minutes, enjoying the atmosphere of the bar and getting a feel for the clientele.

Ny group ordered four different entrees to sample a few different dishes. I ordered the Frutti Di Mare and asked to substitute sautéed spinach and garlic for the cappelini. My husband ordered the Veal Dore, and for our friends it was the Eggplant Parmigiano and the Shrimp Fra Diavolo. We shared the Fried Calamari Arabbiata as an appetizer.

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All of the entrees cost less $20, with the Veal Dore being the most expensive of my dishes at $19.95.

The Frutti di Mare and Veal Dore were by far the best picks of the night. Most impressive were the tender, juicy sea scallops in the Frutti di Mare's seafood mix. They were surprisingly soft for their large size and a good choice of fish for Mannino's slightly spicy house marinara. The Veal Dore was rich and delicious with thinly sliced veal sautéed in garlic and topped with mozzarella. Every bite was flavorful. The Eggplant Parmigiano was standard yet satisfying with crispy eggplant cutlets and while the Shrimp Fra Diavolo was tasty like the Frutti di Mare, it could have been spicier.

As for the Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, it was creamy for bread pudding. Sweet, but not overwhelmingly chocolate-y, there were just enough chips to give it a velvety, chocolate taste. And Mannino's tops the dish off with a savory vanilla bean sauce that soaked deep into the rest of the pudding.

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