Restaurant Week Begins, 25 Restaurants Offer Price Fixed Menus

This week marks the Third Annual Smithtown Restaurant Week, hosted by the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce. The week, which ends Sunday, March 27, offers $25 price fixed three-course meals from 25 participating restaurants.

Executive Director at the chamber Barbara Franco, who admitted she plans to eat at seven different restaurants during the week, said Restaurant Week benefits more than just the diner.

“It’s an annual event people come out for and the restaurants have a chance to spotlight their ambiance and their new spring menu. It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” she said.

Franco added that all chamber members participate the chamber’s Board of Directors participate in the week.

Villa Sorrento in Saint James has participated in each of the three yearly restaurant weeks. Sal Coppola, owner of the restaurant, said the week is all about the customers, both new and old.

“You see customers that you haven’t seen before, you see customers that you haven’t seen in a long time so it gradually refreshes their memory to come back,” Coppola said. “You get to meet the new people and then you see if they like it for the first time and give them a chance at a reasonable price to come around and give it a shot.”

Sorrento also said that many of the price fixed options also appear on the restaurants menu for the spring.

Anthony Cambria Jr., owner of Bella Vita City Grill in Saint James, said he enjoys the “hype” of Restaurant Week, and is excited to show off his spring menu.

“My whole menu basically stands out,” Cambria Jr. said. “I am showcasing my menu at a very discounted price … I’ve been here 15 years in business and I give a lot more variety of choices than a lot of restaurants do – it’s a pretty large menu.”

Butterfields owner Jerry Suppa said the Hauppauge restaurant has participated Smithtown’s Restaurant Week for more than five years. Suppa sees it as an opportunity to give back to local diners.

“It’s a matter of being involved in the community and staying in touch with the people around us,” he said.  

Suppa said selections will come from Butterfields regular price fixed menu, and hopeful draw more customer awareness to his year-round deal. 

A newcomer to Restaurant Week is Andrea’s 25 in Commack. Andrea’s 25, an Italian eatery owned by brothers Sal and Matthew Sorrentino and their cousin Peter Campisi, has been open to the public for just five months.

Campisi said Restaurant Week is a great way for a new restaurant to get noticed.

“We want to get good exposure, exposure of the restaurant. Being new to the area, we want to give an idea of where we originally came from, our background is family-style Italian,” he said.

Campisi added that since Sunday, the start of Restaurant Week, Andrea’s 25 has already catered to many new customers.

“We’ve had many new faces come to the restaurant and everybody is loving the food,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure.”

Here are the 25 participating restaurants:

Smithtown

Arthur Avenue
Butera’s of Smithtown
Café Havana
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Casa Rustica
Chop Shop Bar & Grill
Garden Grill
H20 Seafood Grill
Luso Restaurant
Old Street Pub Restaurant & Bar
Thai House

Saint James

Bella Vita City Grill
O’s Food & Wine Bar
Villa Sorrento

Nesconset

Maria’s
Ragazzi Italian Kitchen & Bar
Tate Restaurant

Commack

Andrea’s 25
Bonwit Inn
Ciao Baby
Kurofune Japanese Restaurant

Hauppauge

Butterfield’s Restaurant
Café LaStrada
Janine’s Restaurant
The Grill Room

Hauppauge Patch Editor Sara Walsh contributed to this article.