This past weekend we celebrated my Father in Law’s 65th birthday at a wonderful Italian Restaurant in Astoria, Trattoria L’Incontro. It is a little out of the way for those living in Westchester, but if you find yourself in Queens looking for a great place to eat without breaking the bank….this is it!
This is the third time we have been in their private party room in the back of the restaurant, and it never disappoints. All of their dishes are made with very fresh and quality ingredients. The food tastes so homemade you would think there was someone’s old Italian Grandma cooking in the kitchen.
On top of the authentic Italian menu (with the homemade pasta dishes definitely being my favorite), they have a rather large, Italian based wine list. Italian wines can be confusing, but we have gone the inexpensive route in choosing the wines for our parties, and have enjoyed what we drank every time.
For this party they poured a Bonterra Charonnay as the white option, an organic wine from Mendocino, CA. It is really drinking well and $30 a bottle was a very fair price (it usally runs about $12-16 in the store). For the Red they poured a Tuscan Sangiovese that I was not familiar with, but it paired nicely with the penne in a fresh tomato and basil sauce.
Lastly, what makes dining here such a pleasure is the service. From the Managers down to the Bus Boys, everyone goes out of their way to ensure that you are enjoying your experience at their restaurant. And if you are looking for a glass of wine before or after dinner, they own the wine bar right next door! Very cool joint with a lot of wines by the glass to choose from. For more info just check out the link below….
Marshall Tilden III, DWS, CSW 