Dan's Papers -February 27, 2009 - The Restaurant at Four Doors Down

This is truly a restaurant designed to welcome people who are looking for a good value served in pleasant surroundings. Known to many as a haven for lovers of German food, now there is a new chef in charge of the kitchen and head chef, Jay Stearns has designed a menu based on Italian and good old fashioned comfort food to carry on sending out patrons replete and happy after their meal.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, and also has a separate bar area that has built up a great reputation for its convivial atmosphere and good drinks. Certainly the traditional martini and glass of Martha Clara chardonnay that we sipped while making our dining choices hit the spot - indeed the martini was one of the best we had tasted for some time and you can never go wrong with a wine from Martha Clara.

Apart from a wide selection of appetizers on the regular menu, they always feature some daily specials and we opted for the fried lobster ravioli with a pesto sauce and the baked clams. Thepesto sauce was delicious, the baked clams were moist and full of flavor and are highly recommended. The soup of the day was chicken with orzo and as we shared a bowl we agreed that this was a soup to really savor. The broth was fragrant and without any hint of greasiness and the orzo, chicken and vegetables were nicely cooked.

From the entrees we selected the shrimp scampi and the veal marsala. The large shrimp were expertly cooked in olive oil, garlic and butter but we both agreed that they were a delight. The large plate of spaghetti that came with the dish was everything that spaghetti should be and the sweet potato fries were acclaimed as some of the best ever and very addictive!

My veal comprised of three large, thick and tender cutlets and the mushroom and marsala sauce was good. It was so nice to have perfectly al dente asparagus and oven roasted small red potatoes to accompany the veal. And based on this portion, no one ever goes away hungry from Four Doors Down.

Apart from the dishes we ate, the remainder of the menu offered something for everyone with four different homemade sauces and four different types of pasta, four shrimp, four veal dishes plus ribs, pulled pork, fish and chips and steak. Their chili, that unfortunately we just did not have room to taste, won the North Fork Environmental Council's Chili Cook-Off in 2006 and 2007. Then there are several salads, quesadillas, burgers, wraps and paninis, plus a kids menu for this really is a kid friendly restaurant.

Desserts always feature a cheesecake and a variety of pies but we selected to sample the chocolate ambrosia cake, which was a decadently rich and satisfying way to finish up.

The restaurant is also capable of taking care of up to 75 people for parties, reunions, showers or functions of all types and the sports bar has a number of TV's and the bar menu is available until late.

Appetizers are priced from $4.95 for a cup of chili to $10.95; paninis are $9.95 and dinner entrees range from $14.95 to $23.95 and include the choice of soup or salad. The wine list is predominately Long Island and a glass of wine is only $4 to $5 and you can get a bottle from $14 and up, again a very sensible approach to pricing and allowing people to continue to go out and enjoy a restaurant meal.