Bistro Etc

This is the best meal I have had in Port Washington in a long time. The food was creative and delicious, beautifully prepared and the ambiance was lovely. Service was very solid and I look forward to Another meal here. Highlights for our table of six was the striped bass, shrimp pixtos app, beet salad, pasta and sausage special was esp delicious. Nice wine selection too. Can’t wait to go back!

Bistro Etc.
Bistro Etcetera, on Main Street is a petite culinary gem. Karen Melanie LaRocco, owner/​chef, serves exciting, new american food with a diverse menu. The restaurant is quaint, with dark wood floors, wood panelling and assorted paintings, & wall adornments. There is also a small well stocked bar.
When we arrived on a warm spring evening, Chef Karen proceeded to serve us a series of incredibly delicious dishes to sample her culinary skills.
Our menu for the evening began with:
Meatballs in a rich natural gravy made with House Ground Beef & Pork ~ Ancho Chile Tomato Sauce ~ Topped with Shaved Manchego Cheese.
This was followed by two large denver lamb ribs, gluten free and accompanied by Tzatziki & Honey Lemon Black Pepper Dipping Sauces.
We then were served a fabulous Roasted Beet Salad, endive, candied walnuts, maytag blue cheese, lemon vinaigrette, and thinly sliced beets.
Our appetizers were followed by an assortment of incredible entrees
:A sensational Skirt Steak, perfectly portioned, tender, juicy, gluten free with Argentinean Chimichurri ~ Warm Potato Salad ~ Haricot Vert. On par with the very best New York Steak houses.
Wild Striped Bass Fillet
Wild Mushrooms ~ Wilted Spinach ~ Roasted Grape Tomatoes ~ Crisp Risotto Cake– colorful, delicious and exciting.
For Dessert– a plate of assorted home baked pastries came out on a sparkling white platter:
Apple Strudel Served Warm ~ Vanilla Gelato w/​Walnuts ~
Raspberry Linzer Tart
carrot cake– Each and every dessert was a winner!
Our meal from beginning to end was superb;
the service excellent and the ambiance, laid back and enjoyable.
Kudos to Chef Karen for a fabulous meal and her gracious hospitality.
Bistro Etcetera
43 Main Street
Port Washington
(516) 472‑7780

As we sat, the waitress started clearing the bread dishes. They had no bread, she explained. They didn’t get their delivery. I asked the owner why he didn’t just buy bread from a local bakery, after all, their in the middle of a town. He said he didn’t know until 4 PM. So? Then they didn’t have the one Belgian beer on the menu, and didn’t know they didn’t have it until the rest of our party had our drinks in front of us. We sat and sat with not a nibble on the table waiting for our appetizers. No bread, then put some crudite on the table. The food was good. I’ve had better, I’ve had worse. It was quite pricey, but it was nicely presented and the portions, not enormous, but adequate. The tea came in a lovely box filled with a selection, but the regular black tea was… drum roll, please… Lipton’s tea. At these prices and pretentions, I expected something a little more gourmet.

Would have given this a five star for the food… it was pretty fantastic. But when the bill arrives and you see you are charged $ 3 extra for asking to have a drink served in a martini glass instead of a rocks glass it’s a bit insulting. Especially when the bill for four of us was in excess of $ 400
When we questioned the charge, the owner (at least we believe he was the owner) became irritated and said that we must be construction workers… Not too sure what that was about and maybe he was just having a bad day but we won’t be coming back.

Hidden gem with a menu for all palates. My husband and I are constantly looking for new places to eat and are glad we stumbled upon this on Unilocal.Our server was very polite and attentive. We started off with the mussels and onion cheese soup. Both were very good. For main I had the skirt steak and my husband had the veal chops, both cooked perfectly and seasoned well. They give you so much meat that I actually took some home (I never do that, but it was too good to leave!) Great experience overall and would definitely go back.

Terrific! Great food, proper cocktails, attentive service. We love mid-​week dinners without the kids; and Bistro Etc. is the place to go.

Subtle touches and serious culinary skill make standard bistro fare amazing. Each course was literally perfect, balanced. Best skirt steak I’ve ever had. Arugula salad with a touch of pickled fennel. Amazing chocolate ice cream and brownie dessert, with torched marshmallows on top. Perfect with a Balvenie 12 from the bar. Warm, helpful, unpretentious staff. We’ll be back.

One of the best restaurants on the North Shore. Extremely skilled and creative chef prepares superb cuisine with a staff and bartender that make dining a pleasure.

We have been to this restaurant several times. We have sampled all of the entrées as well as appetizers and deserts.
The final results are, chef Karen can cook, and Peter knows how to pair the wine.
Every salad comes with garden fresh vegetables, plus plus plus, and served on a chilled plate.
The entrees are excellent in preparation, taste, and presentation.
If you want to have a great meal, great service and at reasonable prices.
Then Go, you will not be disappointed.
Shelly. G.

All 5 stars for this place? Hmmm, way too high. Food for me and my wife ranged from average to pretty good. I will give them credit for having craft beer, but forget about the European stuff, get some local or US craft beer, that is where the scene is at now, not in Europe.

Gem of a place. The drinks are perfectly made. The food is interesting and of the quality you would expect in a good Manhattan restaurant. Obviously a very talented chef. Quiet enough to talk to your companions! A wonderful evening, every time we have gone.

We have been several times and the food has been consistently wonderul. We love this place – wonderful chef and great menu. Very nice addition to PW scene – especially since Bistro Du Village closed (another favorite). Highly recommended.

My better half and I just went back to Bistro Etcetera for the third time and each time we go this place just gets better… I’m not the typical person who goes home and writes about this sort of thing but we couldn’t not say something… Hands down, some of the best food in Port Washington, if not Long Island on the whole. The Wine/​Beer menu is spectacular and unique and everything on the menu is 5 star. Kudos to Melanie & Peter for getting it right —

We came to Bistro Etcetera with another couple a few weekends ago and had a wonderful meal! I ordered the savory strudel to start and a salmon special for my entrée. Both were amazingly tasty. Everyone else in my party had great food as well! Would definitely come back here.

Wonderful, intimate bistro fare in Port Washington with great service to match the food.
I had the duck quesadilla (hold the goat cheese, thanks) which paired perfectly with hoisin sauce. This was followed by a fabulous wild striped bass, which was served with spinach and a delicious potato cake.
My wife chose the mussels — she thought they were some of the best she’s ever had. This was followed by the pork semifreddo, which came topped with a luscious-​looking salad. She only ate a few bites because she was too full from all the mussels!
We each had a drink — I had the Great Neck, which is grapefruit vodka and grapefruit Izze (sparkling soda). Yum!
We were too full for dessert — maybe next time!

Fantastic! Was here last week wth my boyfriend. Finally, a place in Port Washington that gets it. My boyfriend is a chef in NYC and we are hard to please. Thumbs up! We had the NY Strip and the Pork Chop and shared the Pâté for an app! They don’t have their liquor license yet which didn’t bother us. I am pretty sure you can BYOB. We will be going back shortly!