If you took a stroll down Main Street in Farmingdale just a couple of months ago, you would have found it has nearly every type of eatery to satisfy your tastebuds, but if you were in the mood for a good ol’ steak you’d be out of luck. Hungry to solve this problem and to give downtown Farmingdale a taste of everything—literally—Benedetto LoManto, the owner of Vespa Italian Kitchen & Bar that Dalers love and know so well, set plans in motion to open a restaurant that would fill in what Main Street was missing.
Just weeks after Vespa’s two-year anniversary in June, Harleys American Grille opened across the street serving a variety of meats, steaks and a selection of seafood dishes. Pork, lamb, chicken and duck are on the menu, as well as a classic porterhouse, both a Kansas City and a New York strip, ribeye and filet mignon. Using only USDA prime beef, the restaurant prides itself on its 49-day aging period that intensifies flavor and tenderizes the meat. Among seafood options are salmon, halibut, lobster, shrimp, oysters and clams. Soups, salads and plenty of side dishes, including lobster mac and cheese, are also available to order.
“It’s not just about the food,” said LoManto, who owns and operates the location with his wife, Cynthia, and his son, Michael. “It’s about the experience.”
The venue, which exudes a modern, yet old-school vibe with its clean, minimalist facade, wood and brass fixtures, and black and white tiling, offers guests utmost hospitality as family is prioritized over everything.
“We get to know you after a while,” LoManto said. “It’s a restaurant, but it’s more about making people feel at home. To come frequently enough to be able to feel like you’re at home—that’s really what we’re trying to create for all of our guests.”
LoManto emphasized that successfully running a restaurant boils down to the people you’re surrounded by. Just as guests become like family, so does the staff. Harleys chef, Allison Fasano, started as a guest in Vespa.
A former sous chef for Bobby Flay in his NoHo restaurant, Gato, Fasano studied at the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria, Italy. She specializes in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, hence Harleys Mediterranean-influenced menu.
“I’ve known I wanted to cook since I was 11 years old after watching the Food Network,” said Fasano, now 28, whose first job was working in an Italian bakery at the age of 14. “My biggest dream is to have my own show on the Food Network.”
With a motto of, “Food and laughter is what I’m after,” Fasano breezes through her kitchen duties with humor and a lighthearted attitude.
“I remember watching Rachel Ray on the Food Network and she always had a smile on her face. You could look at her and say that person loves what they do. Rachel Ray was my biggest inspiration,” Fasano said.
Priding herself on telling a story through her food, she recommends the octopus and steak for Harley’s newcomers as “it’s bold, layers of flavor food in every bite.”
As Harleys has already welcomed crowds in just the few weeks it’s been open, the LoManto’s look forward to greeting faces both old and new.
“I think over the years we build a lot of relationships with our customers that it actually becomes like it’s family,” said Michael. “I come to work and I’m with my dad and my mom and I think people love that about us. They come in here and see us together.”
