Today's Lunch: Scotto's Pizzeria Restaurant and Lounge

Today, October 20th 2010.

Well here we are, my 2nd entry. A small personal update: I am moving to Westbury, NY and today marked the first day we have officially owned the new house. So I decided to get a few things together to bring to the new place and load up my car, along with my friend Pete, and  grab some lunch near there.

We didn't have anything in particular in mind. Pete had suggested Carraba's grill which he thought was in the same spot as Cozymel's and Chili's. However, upon pulling in we were surprised to discover not a Carraba's but a Scotto's. I was like WTF is Scotto's but had remembered a friend of mind saying that it was pretty good. The sign outside made a pretty large claim: Voted best pizza in Long Island. We had to see if this was accurate.

Upong entering I was greeted with an awesome aroma of freshness and a pleasant atmosphere. It looked a bit fancier than I had imagined. We were seated immediately in a nice booth overlooking the rest of the dining room. The place was fairly large and well decorated in a classical Italian motif. There was also a really nice lounge area, perfect for a nice quiet evening of drinks and pleasant conversation. Well, enough about the decor, lets get to the damn food!

The menu was fairly large and full of a wide variety of choices. Everything from soups and salads, to pasta and fish graced our presence. But, we had to try the pizza. The claim of best pizza in LI had to be proven.

Service came with a smile, as our African American waiter Gadi had proven. Since it was Wednesday, if you presented a college I.D. you were able to save 20% on your bill. He was kind and cracked some well placed jokes throughout our meal. A nice basket of fresh garlic breadsticks and Italian bread was placed before us.We deciced to start off with an appetizer of Antipasto Italiano. Upon arrival at our table, this was some of the freshest antipasto I had ever seen or tasted. Sorry there's no picture folks, somehow my Iphone decided to be a douche and delete the picture. But on the plate was everything from fresh mozzarella (with a hint of basil and olive oil) to spicy soppressata and fresh prosciutto. The tomatoes alone were extremely pleasing, bathed in olive oil and topped with a touch of basil.

The choice of pizzas was extensive. They are all cooked in a wood burning oven, and can be topped with either shredded mozzarella or fresh mozzarella. I had to go with the fresh, in my opinion fresh mozzarella tops shredded any day. Pete had ordered the Venetian pie, which was made of fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, and truffle oil. I had opted for the Barese pie, which had fresh roasted peppers, onions, sweet Italian sausage, and spicy salami. You were able to either order a personal size or family size pie. The personal pizzas ranged in price from around $9 to around $18 a piece. We both ordered the personal size, and had more than enough food to go around. The leftovers are currently at home in my fridge.

THE LOVERDICT:

The claim of best pizza in Long Island had me wondering, is this really an accurate statement? After eating here at Scotto's I would unfortunately have to disagree with this statement. While the pizza was absolutely delicious and comforting, it was a tad bit pricey and greasier than I expected it to be. The atmosphere was very pleasing and the service was excellent. But the food was not as good as I had expected. Would I recommend you go here? Absolutely, but do not expect a life changing pizza experience. Heres the info on the place if your so inclined to give it a try:

1195 Corporate Drive
Westbury, NY 11590
Phone: (516) 222-1042
Email:  jscotto@westburymanor.com
URL:  http://www.scottosrestaurant.com