Tina And Tony’s Spumante
1650 Hempstead Tpke.
East Meadow
516-222-2611
www.spumanteonline.com

Spumante Ristorante thrives on locals and fellow Island travelers. The family-owned business has flourished at this location for more than five years, likely because of Tina and Tony Cervasio, who have been active in the restaurant community for 26 years.
Both Tina and Tony have blossomed from the traditional Italian household, where sauces were made daily and cooking was mandatory. Owner-restaurateur Tony has so much experience that his resumé could entice 20 different establishments. He started his niche at age 18 and has loved every single minute of the hospitality and service he has provided for his customers ever since. Tina specializes in pastries and the delectable desserts offered after the entrées, which chef Tony cooks himself.
I asked Tony what makes his business stand out. He responded, “Well, you can buy food anywhere; people come here for the smiles and pristine service we provide to our regulars and new customers.” Long Islanders are extremely high strung now, due to our economy, but Tina and Tony’s place offers a relaxing environment where people can enjoy a nice dinner out that is still affordable. Tony works hard to keep the atmosphere welcoming. As he says, “There is no such thing as a bad customer. I will go out of my way to please and satisfy anyone who walks into my restaurant with hopes of fulfilling their requests.”
I assure you that Spumante doesn’t serve the traditional Ciao Baby portions, where one entrée feeds five people. Normally, a Spumante antipasto platter is the perfect size to split among diners at the table or with the person next to you. For starters, as a single eater, I indulged in the perfect consumption of the Hot Antipasto ($8.95), sampling a variety that included baked clams, shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed zucchini and rollatini. Believe it or not, I learned that even though this is an Italian family-owned business, the fish is what keeps it going. After this tidbit of information, I took Tony’s advice and tried the Salmon ($18.95), stuffed with crab meat and broiled with garlic, lemon and white wine. Most fish I eat needs to be perfectly “cut-worthy,” if that makes any sense to you fish lovers. Every slice left the fish still intact and it was cooked to precision throughout. I highly recommend this. For meat eaters, I suggest the Veal Romagna topped with onions, shiitake mushrooms and Marsala ($16.95).
As the dessert came into play, I had to try Spumante’s famous Chocolate Pear Cake ($5.95). This excellent choice was, again, recommended by Tony. I was pleasantly shocked to see how great the presentation was. All the dishes were well accompanied by sides and crafted into excellent works of art.
Spumante accommodates diners holding events for work, business or pleasure. Its event room holds 100 guests and the staff is glad to work with people taking advantage of the space. If you have tickets to a Nassau Coliseum event and need a before-or-after place to dine, this is certainly the place to go. Whether you are with family, friends, co-workers or loved ones, Spumante is East Meadow’s Italian gold mine.