Tropical Restaurant mixes it up
Many a relationship has been broken by the debate over where to go for dinner. As cravings and preferences battle, one person usually ends up settling for something they didn’t want to eat. But New Cassel’s newest eatery offers a wide range of tasty fare that is sure to please anyone’s food craving.
Tropical Restaurant, which opened in December at 705 Prospect Ave., offers an eclectic range of fare, without compromising on taste. The restaurant is owned by Juan Collado and Luis Romero, with Chef Francis Fernandez heading up the kitchen. Romero, a 26-year Westbury resident whose son owns Punta Cana on Post Avenue, previously owned another New Cassel eatery, but had always wanted to own a sit-down restaurant.
“I wanted to mix it up too. I didn’t want to focus on just one thing,” said Romero. “I wanted to please everyone.”
There’s an option for every appetite at Tropical. The menu boasts Dominican, Jamaican and American food, in addition to a variety of seafood options, all cooked up by Fernandez, a Dominican Republic native who aims to make every plate pleasing not only to the taste buds, but the eyes as well.
“To sit down and eat well, you don’t have to go to another town, you can stay in New Cassel,” said Romero. “There’s no restaurant like that along Prospect Avenue, it’s all delis and bodegas.”
Guests can enjoy fare from the steam table, which includes standards like baked chicken, salmon, pepper steak and vegetables, pick an entrée off the menu or combine both options to create their own plate.
Of special note on the menu are the garlic shrimp and red snapper in garlic sauce, mofungo and sweet plantain cordon blue-grilled chicken with cordon blue cheese and sauce, wrapped around a sweet plantain. Romero also suggests the tropical chicken, a grilled chicken breast topped with sweet plantains and béchamel sauce.
“The saltiness of the chicken mixes with the sweetness of the plantains, and it’s like a party in your mouth,” said Romero of the tropical chicken.
The eatery opened in December and since then, has enjoyed a warm reception from the local community. Its location makes it a prime option for residents and workers looking for a quick bite to go, or a sit down meal.
“Everyone’s happy with the food, and the ambiance is inviting,” Romero said. “A lot of people are responding well.”
For more information about Tropical Restaurant, call 516-500-9559.
