New York Newsday
Friday, May 16, 2003

From the outside, the Crossroads Café in East Northport gives the appearance of a neighborhood bar where you might expect to find a passable burger but little else of interest. Look closer.

For eight years, chef-owner Rob Haddow has been has been quietly keeping locals in the know happy with an eclectic menu that makes the most of quality ingredients. Most nights, a companionable crowd looks well entrenched at the bar. On weekends, the two dining rooms fill. This is a restaurant where people feel comfortable bringing the kids. The ambience is warm and understated.

Included in the price of every entrée is a perfectly dressed field of greens salad topped with gorgonzola cheese. What’s more, every table gets a gratis starter of bruscetta served with a chickpea puree plated alongside the individual ingredients included in that puree: whole chickpeas, basil oil, garlic and balsamic vinegar. This

means appetizers are not really necessary. Still, you might enjoy trying a few. One night, a crabmeat cocktail special came in a martini glass, the sweet lump crabmeat lightly dressed with an herbal vinaigrette.  Steamed Prince Edward Island mussels basked in a white wine, herb and garlic broth dotted with chopped tomatoes. I liked the fine eggplant Napoleon made with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Skewered Cajun shrimp were grilled to the precise degree of doneness, spiced to a gentle smolder.

Haddow’s penne a la vodka was luxurious, dotted with Proscuitto and plum shrimp. Rob’s spicy farfalle, made with Italian sausage, red pepper, spinach, bacon and Proscuitto, proved gratifying.

But chicken Christina, boneless breasts sautéed with artichokes, broccoli, roasted red peppers and mushrooms was bland. Equally fussy and uninteresting was veal Patricia, veal scallops sautéed with shrimp, baby artichokes and mushrooms in a sherry veal reduction. Opt instead for the terrific fillet of salmon with an herb and horseradish crust. One night, a special cumin-pecan crusted chicken with a chipolte beurre blanc proved a knockout, served with an addictive mound of saffron-spiked orzo.

A dessert must is the chocolate coupe, a dense, dark mousse served with freshly whipped cream and seasonal berries. The chocolate raspberry truffle cake that was offered another evening was intense and moist and worth the caloric expenditure.

Those prices for a few items may seem a bit high for the “eats” category, keep in mind that Haddow serves generous portions. Budget-conscious diners will get more than their money’s worth on Tuesday nights, when Crossroads serves an all-you-can-eat roster of pastas for $10.95 a person. Not bad for a Saturday night kind of place.

A “delightful” “little” “sleeper”, this “unassuming” East Northport New American is “truly a treat in casual dining” offering “something for everyone” with its “varied menu” of innovative dishes; the service can be “sporadic” and the “cramped” (“claustrophobic”?) setting “might lack bells and whistles”, but epicures allege that “the food is among the best” around and gets even “better each time we go”-“ not bad for a local joint!”

BON APPETIT
February 18, 2003

Dear Restaurant Owner:

One of the most popular features in Bon Appetit magazine is R.S.V.P. In it we publish two recipes requested by our readers who dine out frequently and travel widely.  These recipes bring variety and excitement to the magazine and give national publicity for fine restaurants all over the world.In answer to a recent request, we would be most grateful if you would send us your recipe for Onion-Encrusted Halibut.

Please adjust it to serve six to eight.  We realize that this may mean cutting down the recipe substantially but we rely on your expertise to alter and adjust the measurements accurately.  Only those recipes that test successfully in our test kitchen can be published.  Please note that recipes may be edited and adjusted to make them more approachable for the home cook.  We ask that you review and test your recipe as it is written before you send it to us to ensure against errors or omissions in measurements and techniques.

If the recipe tests well in our kitchen, we may include it in our magazine.  Please note that the recipe may also be used and published for other purposes by Conde Nast and others licensed by Conde Nast.  Also, you represent that you have the right to allow us to use and reproduce the recipe as provided in this letter.  A copy of the magazine in which your recipe appears will be sent to you upon publication.  Thank you for sharing your culinary triumphs with our readers.

Sincerely,
Barbara Fairchild
Editor-in-Chief