Every Christmas Eve, Andrea Rossi’s mother, aunts, friends and neighbors would come together for the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes, a religious tradition that began in southern Italy but now is found throughout Italy and with Italian Americans.
(Photos by Lyn Dobrin)
Rossi, the general manager of Spuntino Restaurant in Westbury seeks to bring the spirit of the feast to diners at the restaurant with a seven-course small plates feast. The meal starts with branzino crudo—thinly sliced fresh branzino, blood orange, capers and fennel pollen—and moves through dishes featuring house-cured salmon, Manila clams, cod fritters, lobster cannelloni, squid ink pappardelle and ends with crispy skin Artic char.
If desired, the meal can be paired with specially selected wines for each course, such as Zardetto Prosecco Brut with the branzino course. “Prosecco is a good way to start a meal,” says Rossi. With the exception of the Dei Sangiovese Rosso di Montepulciano that is served with the Artic char, all the other wines are white. “Red will overpower the fish dishes,” says Rossi.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes can be ordered without the wine or individual dishes can be selected. Dinner without wine costs $45; the dinner and wine pairing (two ounces of wine with each course) is $65. This special dinner is available until Dec. 24.
Spuntino is located at 1002 Old Country Road in Westbury at the Gallery at Westbury Plaza shopping center.
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