Their pizzas are fantastic. Â I got the plain with basil, and my husband got the one with duck. Â OMG he was the winner. Â That was delicious. Â The staff were very friendly, and on Sunday at lunch you can get mimosa/bloody mary/house wine for $5. Â We both got the wine and it was really good. Â I'd definitely come back again. Â It's a cute restaurant; I wish the weather would have cooperated so we could have sat outside.
Review Source:I would rather go to an Olive Garden in the middle of Afghanistan than go back to this place. If you enjoy a range from mediocrity to high level disappointment, then by all means you have found the Holy Grail of restaurants.
Trying to be niche and having an interesting name can't persuade everyone to come back when you have the disappointing expectation that I received. Imagine yourself in an atmosphere with a subtle malaise that can only be described as feeling like you're in an abortion clinic waiting among a morose ensemble of soon to be fertile women with your knocked up teenage daughter. Â As we waited in nervous anticipation and tried to make subtle attempts to inform the passerby wait staff that we are ready to be served, we were quickly recognized as an inconvenience accompanied by snobbish looks and disgust. Â We felt like the bourgeoisie wait staff branded us as an unwelcome scrooge that can only be dealt with by being ignored. Â The French fought an entire war for stuff like this.
Food being unmemorable is the nicest way I can put it. Some might say the food can only be described as tasting like an old lady fart passed through a head of cabbage, but I will just say unmemorable. Service was slow but competent, the same competence you would find in many community colleges. Pizza was disgusting but lucky being disgusted by everything else; it seemed to have little effect on me at that point.
Over all my experience here was horrible.... But the tacos where good.
My wife and I and another couple ent there yesterday for what was advertised as their "Sunday in Sicily" event. First the good, nice place, staff was mostly attentive. I had the appertizer portion of the Sicilian Fish Stew which was good, a tad spicy but good. Our friends shared the Grilled Vegetable Lasagna with Putinesca Sauce which my wife had for her entree, all thought it was excellent. Red wine at $5 was a real bargain. Unfortunately, 3 of us had the marinated swordfish which was edible at least for 2 of us though so. One diner would not even eat it because she thought it was horrible. Bottom line, that was a long ride for a pretty disapointing lunch. Maybe the pizza would have been a better choice.
Review Source:You know, this is a tough one. First of all, some background. I've eaten here probably 8 times since they've open, and the service and hospitality have always been outstanding. They really go the extra mile to make you feel welcome, and the wait staff is attentive without hovering endlessly. The food is hit or miss, and the pizza and specials tend to be good.
Review Source:Either they've dropped off over the past few months or someone has it in for aMano (it's one word), as their last 5 reviews have been damning. Have been holding off on redeeming a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> giftcard here until the offseason hit, as tempting as al fresco dining on that patio is. Happy I didn't let the recent disapproval dissuade us, for the most part, once we stepped foot inside. (Sadly, the entrance and exit (both one-way) are kind of in disrepair, and the lot lacks any demarcation so there were some old folks dangerously emerging from their vehicles in the exit-bound turn as we left.)
Water was plentiful (we opted for 'local', an inquiry that also caused pause at the 2 tables surrounding us)...that is, far more so than the horseradish-crusted bluefish entree (assuming the dish size is the same, as I ordered this a la carte rather than with the prix fixe, which seems like a solid deal if portions are fair), which was a nice dish for the first 3/4, after which it gelled into something very odd texturally (to compound the already-crumb-y consistency). The candle was a nice touch, added while we were enjoying our entrees next to an empty bread basket and empty bread plates, both of which had been there for the entire meal - the tables aren't tiny, but this was unnecessary. In a similar trend, said focaccia was also too crumb-y for my taste, emerging from the nearby open-concept woodburning oven, which seemed inefficient given the distance from the kitchen (but assume this was for ventilation and/or showmanship). Decor is inviting but not contrived, offering a warm feel despite some oddly placed tables. The bar can get loud even on a slow night when you're at the other end of the joint, slightly more distracting than the tad-too-loud holiday tunes overhead. The osso buco $26) drew raves, but the aforementioned bluefish ($24) was more like ponyradish-encrusted, as it lacked zip. Damage came to $37.13 after the 20% compulsory gratuity...not sure I could justify a return even for the prix fixe, but would consider a patio outing if we were nearby and strapped for options, just not sharing the review with friends/family.
Fan of the decor/ambiance, qualified-complementary of the food, take-it-or-leave-it on the friendliness/overall service (aside from the water, the hostess greeted us indifferently and the person I spoke to before coming gave me an 'I think' with a pause before checking after I asked them to verify), and a stop-putting-customers (or their cars)-in-danger parking lot (it's that bad). A summer visit here might have me whining 'if there were more food and fewer people, this would be a perfect party'...
I have been sunmering out on the north fork for some time now and never came in to aMano. I wish I had come in sooner. The food was very good. We started off with some pizzas though a little pricey they were very good and had great flavor. We then had two salads one Caesar and another called north fork salad. The Caesar was amazing and the north fork salad was pretty good too. Next was entree I had the ravioli which was amazing. And my wife had the salmon which she said was one of the best dishes she has had on the north fork.
I wish the front of the house staff was as good as the back. The waitress was wry slow at taking our orders and getting us our wine. And the manager was very rude and staff offish to us as well when we entered and wasn't very accommodating.
All in all the food was very good but the front of the house needs major training in how to be nice and how to move a little faster.
UPDATE December 2012:
So after my first time going there I decided to return because the food was very good. Â This time we went was a different story... Not sure what happened if there was a change in hands but the food was not good at all, cold, no wow factor at all, kind of like cafeteria food... Â Not good at all right now, will post again if i decide to try this place again, which is right now not worth the money.
The host was very rude, seemed not to know anything and was too busy watching television most of the time to even get his attention to try to find the MIA waitress to pay the check.
Had heard great things about this restaurant, had driven by it many times, and it always looked busy. Â Ventured there with three others for dinner last night. Â The place was extremely noisy. Â I could hardly hear the person sitting next to me. Â The service was terrible--we waited nearly an hour for our salads/apps and then another 45 minutes for our dinners. Â Food was good, not great, and very pricey. Â Too pricey for portion size and average taste. Â 4 scallops and some asparagus for $30. Certainly not amazing enough for us to overlook the long wait times. Â Once we did raise our complaint to the server she offered us a free chocolate dessert for us to share, which was nice. Â But when we explained that one in our party was allergic to chocolate, instead of bringing him a dish of vanilla ice cream she offered him the dessert menu making it clear that they were not buying an additional dessert for him. Â Kind of rude if you ask me. Â With so many great restaurants nearby, i would not return.
Review Source:Okay to start i blame myself. When you see the chef and kitchen staff out back smoking, Its time to leave!!! The food is disgusting, just thinking about it makes me sick. Nothing is good they can not even get pizza right. The staff is rude. Save your money not worth it!!!!!! There is not enough wine on the north fork to make this food taste good
Review Source:I stumbled upon aMano  Osteria and Wine Bar after a full day of Long Island wine tasting... I'm happy we picked this place!  Great Italian food with very rich flavors.  I ate the Orrechiette with Spicy Veal Sausage, Tomato, Pecorino and it was delicious.  I believe all of the pastas are homemade.  I tried their homemade pizza which was great too.  Very nice selection of local Long Island wines which is great!
We sat outside on the patio under an umbrella.. cool patio area with a few tables.
Stopped in for dinner after a wine tasting excursion. Not being that familiar with eateries on the North Fork, we picked this one because it was close to where the tastings were done. We arrived at our reserved time and were seated promptly and treated with the usual amenities, nice greeting , water, bread etc. They have a nice wine list, with good selections of local wines to match any palate. The menu is really another story though, tough to figure out what the theme is, a little bit of everything is offered. No "chef special" though, the one which is announced by the waiter when being seated.
We started off with a bottle of Paumonok Cab, a good sturdy wine which I suppose would go with anything. Good choice, because that's what appeared to come to the table. For appetizers we tried the veal topped pizza and charred octopus. The pizza was acceptable, but a little chewy for a thin-crust style. The charred octopus was just that, charred and burnt tasting.
I had the Chicken Scarpa as my main, and found it soaked in a vinagrette of some type, not very palatable. The Lasagne was small, mushy and bland, no body or "punch" to the sauce and overcooked on the pasta.
Overall I found the food lacking a character, with perhaps a bit too much going on in each plate. The presentation belies it's taste: Looks good, tastes poor. For the money, more care should be exercised in menu composition, perhaps focusing more on a signature dish and really working it into something special.
Perhaps if the owners would sit and critically taste test what is going out before it hits the table it would be more accommodating to the patrons.
I
Tom Schaudel seems to be quite the man on this end of long island, i'm suprised i hadn't heard of him prior to my visit. Â We wandered upon a Mano quite by accident, happy that we did.
We started with the cheese course appetizer, the truffled honey + truffle pecorino is otherworldly delicious, although the cracker like flatbread it's served on was bland and tasted "stale". Â I'm assuming it's there more for presentation, but i'm not a fan of unedable garnishes.
The spinach salad was good, but the goat feta didn't provide enough saltiness, so it was a bit under seasoned.
My wife's smoked duck carbonara was the highlight of the night, it was perfect in every way.
My seared duck + polenta was good, but the portion size was lacking. Â I wasn't expecting to get more than 1 duck breast, but for $32 i was expecting a nice serving of creamy, cheesy polenta. Â What i got was a smear of the dreaded spoon push, i was lucky to get 3-4 bites. Â The huckleberry agrodolce was excellent, not too sweet, with just the right balance of vinegar. Â
The wine pairing offered by the waitress went perfectly with my duck.
Overall, the ambiance was nice, and we enjoyed ourselves, but next time i getting a pasta dish.
Love, love, love this restaurant! Â The wine list is extensive, the house cocktails are delicious, especially the one w/ Firefly vodka & raspberry puree. Â Their brick oven pizza is as good as it gets for an appetizer to share, or dinner choice for one. Â Their menu changes with the seasons and is amazing, as are their appetizers! Â Attentive, pleasant staff. Â Only thing that could be considered a downfall - it can get loud!
Review Source:Walked in at about 9pm on Saturday night at sat at the bar table area. The bartender Matt was great. The food seems to have deteriorated since our last visit.
We started with the marinated tomato salad. The tomatoes must have been soaking in balsamic vinegar all day! Â They were soft and mushy.
Then we had the linguine and claims with pancetta. There were only 8 clams in the dish?  Worse, the pancetta was chewy and cut into 1/4 inch cubes. Last time the pancetta was thinly diced and sauté d so it added a nice flavor to the clam sauce. I am not sure what happened to this place, but tonight it was not good.
Very disappointing. Â Overpriced, mediocre service, incredibly long wait for food. Â I ordered the special, Duck Ragu w/Tagliatelle. I have definitely made better at home; the sauces was watery, the duck had cartilage and fat attached to it and the tagliatelle was actually fettucini. Â The waiter, while pleasant enough, just couldn't seem to get our food to us, when we finally asked where our main course was, he said the kitchen didn't know we were done with our appetizers, so that is why our food didn't come out. Â Were we supposed to tell the kitchen? Â Same thing with dessert and even getting the check was a challenge. Â At least when I go to Applebees or Fridays, I get what I expect and don't pay a ridiculous amount of money for it. Â $10 for butternut squash soup! Â Way too sweet, and by the way, it is a vegetable that probably costs less than a dollar a pound-$10? Really? Â So disappointed when I was expecting so much more.
Review Source:I find it hard to discover a decent restaurant out this way. They seem few and far between. I have been wanting to try Tom Schaudel's Italian Osteria for quite sometime. The restaurant itself isn't as nice as I thought it was going to be. I can't quite place it, it's sort of rundown inside. Far from a dump, but not as enchanting as I envisioned.
We started our meal sharing a pizza with sopressata and spicy veal sausage ($15). This pie kicked butt. The cheese tasted so fresh and the ingredients complimented each other like Tom Brady and Wes Welker. Went together without a hitch. Perfecto!
I opted for the lasagna ($19) for an entree, it was average. The slice was a bit on the small side. It was packed with meat, but didn't dazzle.
Overall it's a decent meal out in wine country. Expect to pay NYC prices and definitely order a pizza. That appeared to be their specialty.
So sad. Â Last year I gave A Mano 4 Stars. Â This year....a very different story. Â The chef & his co-owner have abandoned ship to go run their new restaurant and left A Mano to children and whoever it is playing chef in the kitchen. Â I hear the partners are opening a third restaurant now. Â A little advice Gentlemen....if you can't keep the restaurant you built your reputation on a quality one you won't be growing your business, you'll be moving one around and ruining your reputation in the meantime. Â Â I chose to go here for my Birthday on a recent Saturday night. Â Sadly, a mistake. Â Our "teenage" waitress was better at giggling than anything else and instead of addressing our complaints she told us she "felt our pain". Â Both the chicken and salmon were so dried out and flavorless - they were absolutely horrible. Â The bread is still good, but really...that's the best I can say. Â I'm so disappointed in what happened to A Mano. Â I hope the partners get their act together and put back the attention that they need to here. Â Their new place, A Lure, was OK. Â The food was better than A Mano, but the atmosphere lacks the warmth..
Review Source:Been here twice. Second time wasn't a charm.
Could someone please let me know if Mayor Bloomberg is the new executive chef? The food is absolutely bland, despite the mouthwatering descriptions appearing on the menu. I'm just glad they provided a salt shaker on the table to rescue my "DINO" meal -- "Delicious In Name Only."
Dessert was a disappointment (again). On my first visit I tried the chocolate box thingamajig. Yea, well, that's just a chocolate box with some Haagen Daaz or whatever in it -- but the waitress said it was the house specialty. On my second visit I had the other house specialty -- the warm chocolate brownie. And, thanks to the kitchen's microwave, it was warm and decomposing on my plate. Makes you wonder how long that brownie was sitting in the fridge because it certainly was not freshly made.
I could see Gordon Ramsay tearing this kitchen staff a new one for the flavorless meals you'd expect to get served in a hospital -- and for their apparent fondness of the microwave oven.
I love a mano! Â The cheese board is awesome with portions. Â The truffle honey is out of this world as is the chutney. Â If you run out they never have an issue with giving you more. Â The bread they serve is also really good. Â I've had several salads and all have been good. Â I usually get the prosciutto pizza minus the broccoli rabe but last time I got the chicken milanese and it was phenomenal!
The drinks- peach cobbler and a mano spritzer are great.
Came for dinner, service was horrible and they weren't even that busy.
We ordered steamed mussels app which was OK, kinda bland. We had to ask 2 servers and food runner just to get bread. By the 3rd time we had already finished the mussels. You know what goes great with bread.... wait for it.... that's right, bread plates. It's a little difficult to dip bread in mussel broth when you're sitting at an outdoor table with a metal mesh top with no table cloth, and avoid dripping broth on your legs. It took 5 more minutes to get bread plates. You cant make this stuff up.
Pork chop entree was great and their desserts were tasty and pretty creative. unfortunately I don't remember more detail about the highlights because the horrific service overshadowed the entire experience.
Firstly, it needs to drop its pretense as a "Tuscan Osteria." This is a claim that A Mano simply does not deliver. Not in spirit or in fact. Anyone who has been to Tuscany or eaten at a resto helmed by someone FROM Tuscany can attest to that. However, if you can overlook Schaudel's silly Tuscan claim and view the resto as a Long Island experiment, you might leave a happy diner.
Peach and Saba Pizzette were a playful combination of sweet and savory.
Duck proscuitto was not the best Salume d'Anitra I've ever had, but still very flavorful, though a mistake served with quince paste (or whatever the fruit paste was). That's for cheese.
Pasta al la chitarra with lobster and local corn was too heavy on the corn, used a medium-quality pasta and was quite disheveled on the plate, but had its moments, flavor, wise. Instinctively, the dish is a good concept, but it needs some tightening--some editing.
Bekshire pork tenderloin came out gray and overcooked. A killed dish. Pity. What a waste of Berkshire pork. How could they serve that to me?
Ricotta cheesecake made with local sheeps milk tasted as though it had been sitting in the fridge for a few days and disappointingly homogenized as well.
Sorbet was gummy and syrupy. Again, old. Plus, the gelato is outsourced. Doesn't "A Mano" mean "by hand?" House made gelato is a concept that Long Island has yet to embrace. Tip: Live up to your name, make your gelatti e sorbetti in house, and serve it the day it's made, Tom, you know, like they would do in Italy? Â
Regardless of my criticisms, I'm willing to go back, but this is far from a polished exercise in Local Long Island fare. With Schaudel out in Melville now (Jewel), I don't know how lazy his desert and executive chefs will be. Good luck, Tom. And don't let your staff slack off. They invariably will.
My husband and I don't particularly love Italian food, but this place seemed cute and cozy. Â We didn't have a reservation, and on Sat night, it was pretty packed. Â We got on the list for 2 seats at the bar- which we kind of like anyways. Â Mike, the bartender, was AMAZING. Â I don't know how he moves so fast and keeps everyone's orders in check, all while staying calm, and running the entire bar by himself. Â
We ordered a few dishes to split- warm mushroom salad (UNBELIEVABLE!), meatballs, and grilled octopus. Â All of the apps we ordered were delicious. Â Super flavorful, good value, etc.. Â But I couldn't possibly say enough about that mushroom salad.
We ate here last night and each ordered the fixed price dinner. What a bargain! I recommend the salmon and cheesecake made with ricotta. There are also some nice options with goat cheese, which is a personal favorite of ours. Service was attentive and helpful. The restaurant is decorated nicely.
Review Source:I thought that this place was great. I loved the decór, atmosphere, and food (try the gnocchi and buttersquash ravioli). My one and only gripe with it was that I felt it was a bit expensive considering the portion sizes. However, the excellent service and butterscotch pudding made me overlook this fact!
Review Source:Heading out to Long Island Wine Country? After hours of drinking, finish off your tour of the vineyards with a meal at this picturesque North Fork retreat. Â This quaint and cozy restaurant features tons of local wines, produce and seafood presented in an authentic Tuscan style. Â The vibe is casual and relaxed, with dining inside and on the front patio. Â Stop by for a glass (or a bottle...) at the wine bar, some classic pizzas or fresh, home made gnocchi. Â My favorite was the long island duck... it is awesome and local!
The Scene- Relaxed and local... North shore all the way.
Food and Drinks- 4: Stellar! Wouldn't change a thing. Super fresh ingredients!
Tip Worthy- 4: Double the tax and then some... for a small place, they handled our large group of 12 very well.
Coordinates- 3: City- 10 Minute Ride to Fun. Mattituck isn't exactly close, but vineyards, farm stands, plenty of shopping and even an aquarium are all close by.
Restaurant Return Rate- Green light. See you tomorrow for a cheese plate and a bottle of Long Island Riesling on the patio.
This review was written by Angela.
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