This article was originally written by Melissa Azofeifa and published in Newsday.
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Rev your engines: Vespa Italian Kitchen & Cocktails has zoomed into Ronkonkoma’s Station Yards.
The second location of the Italian American restaurant by LoManto restaurant group has been in the works for about two years, owner Benedetto LoManto said. The eatery in the new mixed-use development in Ronkonkoma opened today, making neighbors with eateries such as Lucharitos, Great South Bay Brewery and Tap Room. The restaurant’s Farmingdale location on Main Street opened in 2016.
LoManto wasn’t looking to expand to another restaurant, but became intrigued by what Station Yards developer Tritec was doing.
“I thought to myself, it’d be nice to be in an area or a downtown that’s really being created from scratch,” LoManto said.
The Italian American spot serves an all-day menu with appetizers including meatballs and burrata ($23); pastas such as a’forno siciliana ($27) made with anellini (ring-shaped) pasta, meat sauce, eggplant, peas, mozzarella, ricotta and Pecorino Romano. An added lunch menu from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays includes sandwiches, soups and salads.
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Vespa’s extensive drinks menu includes cocktails such as a cucumber martini ($16) and the Sicilian Kiss ($16) made with strawberry vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, fragola, muddled strawberries and a splash of lemonade.
The 6,500-square-foot property is 70% larger than the Farmingdale location, LoManto said. There is space for 250 diners in the elegant chandelier-laden dining room with a striking backlit wall holding about 72 bottles of wine. There’s a 20-seat bar and a covered patio adds tables for another 45 guests. Vespa’s classic red booths and damask wallpaper are a wink to where it all began at the original location.
“I wanted to have a little link, other than just a name,” LoManto said. “That kind of familiarity and that conversation between us and our guests — that’s super important.”