"Get your motor runnin' Head out on the highwayyyyy...."…read more I'm a City and Highway driver. I actually love to drive when the conditions are ideal. For that matter, who doesn't? After cruising East off the seemingly always Clear-Clearview Expressway, I then navigate through a nice stretch of picturesque, early sunrise, tree lined view of the Northern State Parkway. For those who don't know, the autumnal foliage is a worthy glance while on the NSP. In my experience most of the portion I've driven on this parkway has been relatively pothole free and provides this speedster a pleasantly smooth, curvy ride, pre and post rush hour traffic. For some reason Troopers appear to be less active on the NSP than any stretch of the notorious LIE. But don't be fooled, always ensure you have your navigation on for police activity and obstacle notifications to enhance a trouble free driving experience. "...born to be wilddddd..."

My Favorite Highway hands down you can keep the rest of the pothole crater infested crunchy…read moreparkways in NY. I'm a Driver and the road is my oyster.

At the farmer's market with my so-called girlfriend. She hands me my cell phone, says it's my boss…read more Man, this ain't my boss! This is a cell phone! I threw it on the ground! Dropped $15 here during the heat wave -where there were around 10 vendors: auto loans, plants, and food spots - on items from 3 tents: 2 plums and a basket of gooseberries from the Orchards of Concklin for $5, an eggplant round loaf for $6 from Monty Breads, and a pear & plum crostada for $4 from Sugar Rush Bake Shop (sampled hummus/baba ghanoush from a dude offering them for $10 with grape leaves and falafel and said he wouldn't return). Was disappointed but not surprised to see very little to no LI representation despite them having a shorter commute and likely better offerings - was essentially the converse of some Manhattan greenmarkets, with less in-county options. That said, it was easily accessible from work (and for many off the LIE, though can't see that fitting into a trip route for the stuff available here) and is not to be confused with the other Hauppauge farmers market http://www.yelp.com/biz/hauppauge-farmers-market-hauppauge . Overall the Long Island Growers Market event http://www.longislandgrowersmarket.com/LIGrowersMarketFarmersMarkets/HauppaugeFarmersMarket.aspx was alright - met but did not exceed my mediocre expectations. "Every Thursday from 7:30am - 2:00pm, from June 6 to August 29, the market will be held right at 102 Motor Parkway in our headquarters parking lot, with many local growers participating."

I had an engagement party for my daughter last night at my home. I searched for restaurants who…read morecater and came across Mabella. I knew they had great reviews so I took a chance and ordered food. Without hesitation, this was hands down the most delicious Italian food I have ever had!!! Maria took my order on a day the restaurant was not open yet. She was extremely helpful with how much food I needed. She did not over sell me on quantity where as most others would try to sell more. When food arrived, I met Frank who was also very helpful in setting up the trays in an order in which guests would choose from. It was an absolute pleasure meeting them both!!! Very professional and great people! Thank you very much to Maria and Frank!!!! Did I mention the food was absolutely AMAZING!!!!!

Came here for dinner to celebrate an exciting milestone, and had an okay meal but would try other…read moreItalian restaurants vs rushing to come back. The hostess was super nice, but our servers were okay. We didn't have reservations but were seated quickly since there was a cancellation. The restaurant is cozy and not too loud. We ordered an arugula salad and a Manhattan tartufo (dessert) to share. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs as my entree. Everything was alright--the spaghetti was probably my favorite dish. We also received complimentary bread which was nice.

Our first time going to Taormina and it was a success. Vida our server was fantastic, very…read morefriendly and attentive. The restaurant was quite busy but i made a reservation and was seated immediately. We started out with the fried Zucchini with tomato sauce as a dip and was loved by all. Then we had a small salad with the house made dressing which was champagne vinegrette which was very tasty. For our main course Franchese was the pick of the night. I had the Veal which was delicious, my wife Fran the sole and Debbie had the chicken all came with pasta which we asked for the same sauce. We all agreed each dish was delicious. John ordered the Seafood special which included clams and fish and vegetables. We definitely will be back, Thank you for great food and service.

I came to Taormina on a whim as I was in the mood for pizza and in the area! A fresh pie was just…read moretaken out, so I got a slice, still piping hot, lucky me! It was really good pizza and they don't skimp on the cheese! I had the Napolitano but all other pizza displayed was fresh, not sitting out for hours like some places I have been to. I will be back for more or possibly dinner! I got a good feel for this place, even if only by my one slice of really tasty pizza!!

Always a great place to pop into for a bite to eat. We had a super sweet waitress her name is…read moreJulia. Meals -Soup we order minestrone it was a big bowl but lack flavor & minimal veggies no beans. -Pizza alway delicious & customizable. -Pork Chop Martini was delicious but would have loved more sauce it was in. A little dry

I wanted to give 4 and a half stars but couldn't…read more This spot was a recommendation from a vendor, who took co-workers there for lunch. I called 2 days in advance to see if it was possible to get a table for 3 on a Saturday night for a 50th birthday dinner. I knew the chances were slim but I had to try. The girl who answered the phone (Amy), said they had seating on Friday night, Saturday was booked. So I took the reservation, not knowing much about the place. After reading reviews in different places, I had learned that they have a DJ on Friday nights. I was looking for a quieter type of dinner so I called back to inquire. The 2nd person (Evelyn) confirmed that they have a DJ that usually starts at 730pm on Friday nights. After a short chat, she changed my reservation to an earlier time so we could enjoy our meal without feeling like we're in the club! ;-) Both gals were patient and kind with our first timer questions. We arrived a little earlier than our reserved time (close to 6pm) and the parking lot had lots of open spaces. We parked and we were greeted by a nice woman who looked happy that we arrived early. We had planned to sit and wait, being that it was a Friday. But we were led to a table right away by a gentleman who looked to be a manager? He didn't say anything but we later saw him walking the room delegating, so to speak. Our 4 seater table was smack dab in the middle of a huge, high ceiling, open concept room that was filled with very long banquet tables. Each table was set for what looked like celebrations. There were a few other smaller tables. Parties were happening at some of the long tables and some of the smaller tables were filled with families that had kids. It was a bit loud but tolerable. We could hear one another speak just fine. Our waitress Alisha came over after a bit to greet us. She took drink orders as we explained it was out 1st time there and we were celebrating a 50th birthday. She was very busy handling one of the larger tables next to us, but we were never ignored. On the table was an open glass bottle of filtered water that was not very chilled. We poured ourselves and it was refilled without us asking by runners. Also on the table was seasoned olive oil for dipping bread. I didn't like that it was already there when we sat down, exposed to the air for who knows how long. But.....all was forgiven when the basket of warm bread came out. It was some of THE best table bread I have ever had. Alisha said it was their pizza dough. I could have eaten that all night and been satisfied. We had to stop ourselves! We each looked over the menu for a bit and ordered just entrees because of the bread! - One order of Ossobuco off the specials menu that came with paparadelle in a brown gravy like sauce. - One order of Filet of Sole Oreganata & Shrimp over sautéed spinach off the regular menu. (Both entrees came with a salad, choice of garden or caesar. The garden salad comes already mixed in their dressing. I ordered the dressing on the side. Good size, spring mix, very fresh). - The tweenager ordered mozzarella sticks appetizer as their dinner. It took a little bit for the food to come out but we were happy about that. We got to admire the greatness of the room. The huge photos on the wall, the birthday celebrations, the food coming and going (including massive amounts of take out orders). It was a well oiled machine and we enjoyed watching it all transpire. The birthday acknowledgement is a thing in itself. We had NO idea but it was all about to go down for us the same way after we ate! First a super loud speaker blasts a birthday song, then the other people dining in the restaurant stop what they're doing and start spinning their napkins in the air, while the wait staff brings over a dessert with a big flaming sparkler in it. How embarrassingly awesome! Which brings us to the dessert. A mint tartufo (Amazing). Also ordered to go, was a tiramisu (it was "ok"). No desserts made in house. By the time we got up to leave, the place was packed and the bar was full. As was the parking lot. Side note: due to Mother's Day being the week before, there was a schedule change and there was no DJ. Food = 4 stars. Piping hot and fresh but no wow factor with flavors. (Except for that bread!) Service = 5 stars Experience/Ambiance = 5 stars Points off for the parking lot being full of huge pot holes. I'm sure that could be fixed with the revenue being brought in. Water was warm-ish, apple juice was over iced and watered down, and bread dipping olive oil was out on the table before we sat down. We had no idea this was a chain of restaurants with other locations! All in all, we look forward to going back again and trying more food!

Another 5 star review. I went to this Italian restaurant this past weekend. The food was fantastic…read more The service was amazing. Leo and Sergio are the best servers. The ambiance was very busy!!

We were a party of 20 for a weekday lunch. We had excellent service and the food was amazing…read more Those of us who had classic Italian entrees and appetizers were very pleased with our choices. Service was excellent. Outstanding choices were the eggplant parm stack appetizer and the pasta dishes. The meatballs and red sauce are magnificent and just like in make at home. We all went home and took a nap.

Overall a good experience. We had a reservation for four people on Sunday at 3pm. The restaurant is…read moredecorated nicely, and has an upscale look to it. We were a little early, so we went to the bar for a cocktail. The only negative part of our experience was the bartender ignored us for 10 minutes while telling a story to her only other customer. When we got our drinks, they were okay and not as elevated as I would hoped for. When we sat down at our table, our waiter was excellent and very friendly. He made fantastic recommendations off the menu and we enjoyed everything we ordered. I will come back as we really enjoyed the food and our waiter. We've been to the Oakdale location as well and loved it.

The ambiance is nice. Upscale restaurant with quality food. Our server was good, but she did not…read morehave any personality. Drinks tasted great! No complaints on the food or drink, but the lack of hospitality is disappointing.. especially considering the ambiance and the cost of the meal. Good spot if you want a solid Italian meal and a cocktail The rigatoni mignon was delicious. The meat was so tender, and the sauce paired the meat and pasta perfectly.