Newsday: feed-me / Lobster Night

Sophia Italian Bistro in Amityville Offers Tuesday Lobster Nights

Author: Erica Marcus
Date published: November 26, 2018
Publisher: Newsday
Original article: https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/sophia-italian-bistro-amityville-1.23804979

Lobster nights are nothing new on Long Island, but they don’t usually come with an Italian twist. Sophia Italian Bistro in Amityville is bucking that trend: Every Tuesday brings a dinner special that incorporates Long Island’s favorite crustacean into more than half a dozen Italian-style creations — all for $29.95.

You can have your 1½-pounder steamed, of course, and the kitchen will split it down the middle for easy access, garnishing the plate with broccoli, corn, mashed potatoes and sausage. You can also order the lobster broiled, stuffed with crabmeat.

But why not go for lobster fra diavolo, here conveniently served out of the shell on a huge mound of fettuccine? Or lobster tail scampi-style over linguine, lobster and bay scallop risotto, lobster in a sherry-ginger cream sauce over linguine, a tail-and-sirloin surf and turf, or a tropical salad featuring lobster and shrimp?

Each dish comes with a choice of salad or soup (recently, a refined split-pea soup with shreds of spinach) and coffee or tea.

On Wednesday night, Sophia offers a comparable steak night, with eight steaks and chops offered, with starter and coffee or tea, for $32. Reservations are recommended for lobster or steak night.

Chef-owner Enrique Bermeo, formerly the chef at Luigi Q in Hicksville, earned 2½ stars from Newsday when he and Richie Sanseverino opened Sophia in 2015. (Sanseverino has since departed.) With its widely spaced tables, separate bar-lounge and reasonably priced menu (steaks and chops are virtually the only items that cost more than $24), it remains a solid choice.