A Menu Of
The Something
Specials
La Nora: 158-22 Cross Bay Blvd.,
Howard Beach, 843-8651
Cuisine: Italian
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 11:30
a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday 5-11 p.m.; Sunday 1-9 p.m.
Credit Cards: All accepted except
Discover
Parking: Lot for diners only.
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
La Nora is not a place to go for dinner. It
is a place to go to dine and experience food to its fullest in the kind of comfort and
grace it was meant to be served in.
Owners Giovanni Graziuso and John Sindona
took over this long established dining tradition about seven months ago and their
leadership at La Nora is so new that their menus are only expected back from the printer
this week. But regulars can still select from the items on La Nora’s list of
standards or from the daily menu of something specials that will be featured when the
revised menus arrive.
The sophisticated and charming Danny helped
me to select from a verbal selection of specials filled with what sounded like gentle
touches for satisfying dining.
Among the appetizers I tried the seafood
salad . . . overflowing with fresh shrimp, calamari, scallops, squid, and crab meat and
tossed in a combination of lemon and garlic that was just enough to make it taste like it
came straight from the sea ($9.75).
I sampled three entrees, and all were
divine. Unbelievably tender medallions of beef were tucked under a beef
"reteullier" sauce ($21.95) and a Monk Fish Filet Marechiara offered a light and
lemony sauce to accent a generous and very fresh helping of fish ($18.95). Finally, a
beautifully prepared Chicken Breast Contadina was also incredibly tender and complimented
by a gently flavored sauce with tomatoes and onions ($16.95).
Each meal is topped off with a selection of
fresh fruits, which included slices of cantaloupe, orange, strawberry, kiwi, grapes and
watermelon the evening I was there.
As for the desserts – I enjoyed a
delightful Wild Berry Tart and I didn’t bother to ask the price . . . it just
didn’t matter. And it won’t for you, too. Whatever the cost, it is a bargain.
From the dark wood interior, to the central
skylight that made candles a pleasing addition as night fell, from the accent of flowers
in the wall paintings and on the tables, to the servers in tuxedoes . . . right down to
the espresso, La Nora offered the perfect evening meal for a Saturday night.
And as I left the restaurant, I suddenly
had the urge to go dancing and enjoy life. Was it the cool September evening or was it La
Nora? Go and find out for yourself.
— Tamara Hartman |
