Sometimes the best Italian meal is the one you don’t have to make yourself. And have the option of enjoying in your own home.
In Hampton Bays tucked between a real estate office and an UPS center, Scotto’s Pork Store has all the supplies for a red sauce Italiano feast. If you’re on your way in/out of town or too lazy to recreate your grandmother’s gravy, this well-loved eatery’ll do the heavy lifting for you.
Many Italian grocery stores do what they do, but if you’re on the South Fork, it’s worth a stop for Scotto’s fresh sausages (both the hot and the sweet with fennel are favorites) and pork raciole. The Meat Market inside the restaurant can expensive but it’s pretty convenient. There’s a wide array of options that you can’t get at your local King Kullen.
After sitting in LIE traffic for hours and you’re pretty sure you’re going to cannibalize your passengers, pop in for a slice or a plate of eggplant parmigiana served over enough pasta for three people.
Cold lunch is your thing? I recommend the Combo — a hero with a tower of prosciutto, mortadella, fresh mozzarella and roasted peppers. The few café tables go fast and Scotto’s is not a place one dines. You get what you need and you get out.
If you like to spend your weekend at home and want to gorge yourself in your sweatpants with a bottle of red wine on your couch, Scotto’s offers plates (fresh or frozen), stuffed pasta or homemade sauce you can take away to eat as is or dress up and pass off as your own. Just like my mother never made.
I know what you’re going to say.
I’ve heard “God, that place is so touristy.”
Well, yeah. I’m not claiming it’s a secret hideaway authentically run by the love child of Mario Batali and Lidia Bastinich. But if you know what to get and aren’t expecting Marea, it’s a great spot.
Yes, Scotto’s is a little bit cheesy. And they’re a little on the slow side. But even if it’s just for the cityidiots, I’ll take the fresh mozzarella, thank you very much.