Dining out in Queens doesn’t always mean staying in Queens. There are times when crossing over into Nassau County is not only recommended, it’s demanded.
Such is the case with Bob’s Restaurant in Floral Park. Bob’s offers eclectic fare combining flavors from America’s melting pot with traditional cooking techniques. Eastern Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean are represented in Bob’s mix of culinary trends and traditional comfort food.
The appetizers, or small plates, offer a number of great ways to prime your palate. Start with Bob’s chopped salad, which features assorted organic lettuces, tomatoes, imported olives, cucumbers, red onion and fresh mozzarella – all tossed in a light white balsamic vinaigrette. The salad is light and obviously fresh, as the chef explained that the ingredients are locally grown.
The calamari is lightly dusted in flavorful breadcrumbs and pairs nicely with fried artichoke hearts – both should be dipped, as the order comes with marinara sauce and a surprising spicy mustard.
Staying in the sea, the saki clams are an original creation from the mind of executive chef Jeff Eutsler. The chef takes whole little necks and prepares them with pancetta, garlic, sweet peppers and mirin – a sweet rice wine. The clams are the perfection vehicle for the ingredients, especially the pancetta, which adds the right amount of salty bite.
For an entrée, the bayou pasta stood out. Pappardelle pasta prepared with shrimp, scallops, chicken breast, Andouille sausage, sweet peppers and Pernod cream sauce resulting in a fusion of flavors with a Cajun kick. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the savory flavor of the sausage was evident throughout the entire dish.
The grilled marinated skirt steak, a favorite of a number of patrons, is so succulent that each bite elicits a sigh of satisfaction and an eye-roll of reverence. The skirt steak is cooked to order and served with frizzled onions, mashed potatoes and assorted vegetables.
The lamb porterhouse was robust and elegant, served on the bone for an elevated flavor quotient. Minimally seasoned, the chef gives the lamb’s natural succulence a chance to shine.
Other menu items worth considering are the smothered spring onion and mushroom chicken and the roasted honey horseradish Atlantic salmon. The chicken is marinated for three days in a white wine brine, while the salmon is served with caramelized onions, key lime covered cantaloupe, forbidden rice and fish broth.
Bob’s offers a three-course prix fixe menu for $24.95 per person. The menu is offered Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m. and Friday from 3 to 6:30 p.m.
Bob’s Restaurant
230 Jericho Turnpike
Floral Park, NY 11001
Tel: 516-354-8185
Fax: 516-354-8190
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 4 to 10 p.m.
Friday, 4 to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Noon to 11 p.m.
Sunday: Brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dinner 3 to 9 p.m.
All Major Credit Cards Accepted
Full Bar
Reservations: Yes
Take Out: Yes
