Commack Restaurants

Lately I've been discovering that you don't have to leave Smithtown for great-tasting traditional Italian food. My most recent example is Venezia, a local restaurant that serves up an excellent array of northern and southern Italian dishes in an unpretentious environment.

If you haven't tried this place yet, odds are you're like me and have been driving past its Middle Country Road location for years. After a pleasant dinner on a recent Friday evening, I'm left wondering why I waited so long.

With dark woodwork and beige-colored walls accented by Jennifer Garant paintings, the restaurant's décor is at once inviting and relaxing. We were seated in one of the booths that line the perimeter of the main dining room, which are situated so that we barely noticed the restaurant's other patrons.

As we reviewed the menu offerings, our attentive waitress stopped by to introduce herself and to recite the specials of the day. The menu mainly consists of a wide variety of pasta, chicken, and veal dishes. For dieters, there is a section that includes salads and light entrées. In addition, a section called "Little Venezia" listed a selection of pizzas, heroes, and baked pasta dishes.

After ordering, we sipped our drinks and sampled the Italian and Foccacia breads while waiting for our appetizer to arrive. We chose the mussels marinara and were soon treated to a heaping bowl of Prince Edward Island mussels in a savory red sauce that was quite tasty even on its own. Next, I munched on the crisp garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette that was included in the price of the main course special I had selected.

My husband opted for the Chicken Valdostano as his entrée, which was sautéed boneless chicken breast layered with prosciutto and provolone cheese in a brandy demiglace, served with roasted red potatoes and steamed broccoli. I enjoyed the Chicken Carusso special, which was sautéed boneless chicken breast smothered in fresh mozzarella cheese, Roma tomatoes, mushrooms and Marsala sauce. Both dishes were superbly prepared with ingredients that were obviously fresh.

For dessert, we indulged in the raspberry bomb and the warm chocolate lava cake. The former was refreshing raspberry sorbet in a dark chocolate shell drizzled in a maraschino cherry sauce. The moist and rich chocolate cake was smothered in hot fudge and whipped cream. To complete his feast, my husband savored an Irish coffee with a splash of Frangelico.

If you've been overlooking Venezia as I mistakenly had, you're really missing out. You can enjoy a "soup-to-nuts" dinner for $25-40 per person, and you'll leave wondering what took you so long to try it.