By Carol Brock
LA GIOCONDA
21 North Station Plaza
Great Neck
516-466-2004 fax 516-466-4051
Smiles are definitely in order at La Gioconda. The restaurant's name translates to Mona Lisa and you know where that smile got her – wall space in the Louvre.
And smiles are definitely on the owners' faces or, at least, that's what you will surmise from the lilt in Jathy Verikos' voice when you phone to make a reservation.
The Verikoses opened the original La Gioconda on Main Street, Flushing in 1960. They sold it five years ago and searched for a new “perfect location.” In the fall of '99, they opened in Great Neck opposite the Long Island Rail Road station. From all indications it is the perfect location. It looks as though they have another long run on their plate.
La Giocanda is an upscale southern Italian restaurant. And that's actually very interesting. You see, the Verikoses were both born in Greece. Jimmy went to restaurant school in Italy and then boarded an Italian cruise ship, going all over the world while dishing up Italian cuisine.
Here's the lay of their shore-based restaurant: A small bar as you enter with a fringe of white lights circling it. The tablecloths are pink with white throws. And let me assure you that the chairs have roomy, ultra comfortable seats and I don't recall commenting on that too often. An array of paintings is lined up on the long side walls including two vesions of the “Mona Lisa.”
As for food, for an overture you can order escargot as well as zuppa di clams or di mussels. Or try a stuffed artichoke, stuffed peppers or shrimp or clam cocktail.
We opted for the cold antipasto which was a mound of greens topped with pimiento strips and mini black and green olives. Circling it were half-moon slices of provolone and salami.
There are 16 pastas listed from faglia e fieno al filet di pomidor (homemade green and white noodle pasta covered with a rich sauce made from fresh tomatoes, proscuitto and onions) to the last, pasta ala Sinatra (scallops, shrimp, clams and mussels over linguini in a light sauce) named after “Old Blue Eyes” “because Jimmy likes Sinatra.”
The pasta parade also includes ravioli, tortellini, gnocchi, lasagna and manicotti. We had the ziti with eggplant as an appetizer. A nice bonus, the eggplant had been breaded and saut
