Twenty years of old world charm

Tre Bambini Ristorante
159 Sunrise Highway
Lynbrook
(516) 599-5858

Recommendations:
Escargot
Tre Bambini Salad
Seafood Salad
Provoleta Italiana
Fettuccini Gorgonzola
Chicken Rustic
Veal Tre Bambini
Chicken Special
Veal Tre Funghi
Apple Tart


Several times a week, 84-year-old Angela “Mama” Marchissio comes to Tre Bambini to prepare her sensational pastas by hand. She and her daughter, Christina, celebrate 20 years in business. This exemplary Northern Italian restaurant is a true labor of love. Old world style dining, combined with a friendly, eager-to-please staff, allows everyone to feel like family.

Crisp white napery dressed our candle-lit table. Warm assorted breads arrived with beverages. We started with Provoleta Italiana, red lettuce leaves blanketed with grilled and melted provolone cheese. Escargot aficionados will enjoy the Tre Bambini version, cradled in a potato, which shared the luscious garlic parsley sauce.

Tre Bambini Salad offered a pleasing twist – beets, string beans, white cannelloni beans and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese perched on a bed of mesculin greens. Seafood Salad was refreshingly delightful, a tangle of marinated shrimp, calamari and mussels with chopped olives in light vinaigrette.

Impressive pastas grace the menu, such as Duck Ravioli or Capellini Tre Bambini (angel hair with morsels of salmon, white wine and two types of caviar). We were wowed by Fettuccini Gorgonzola, homemade pasta with bits of roasted red pepper tossed in creamy sauce. A lighter cheese-based version offers whole wheat linguini with chopped asparagus and shrimp.

Entrees are veal, chicken or fish, and those we tried were prepared to perfection. Since everything is made to order, even a special from a different night can be requested. Veal Tre Funghi offered tender scaloppini with sun dried tomatoes and a variety of mushrooms, brought together in sherry brown sauce. Chicken Rustic was a union of roasted red peppers, Italian sweet sausage, Portobello mushrooms and chunks of white meat sautéed in apricot brandy sauce. Similarly, the Chicken Special brought roasted peppers, asparagus, and fresh mozzarella together with brandy brown sauce. The signature Veal Tre Bambini merged scaloppini with rock shrimp, chopped tomatoes, leeks, and basil in garlic white wine sauce.

Desserts are mostly homemade and traditional, like Italian Cheesecake and Tiramisu. We adored the Apple Tart, which was light and delicious, served with dollops of whipped cream and vanilla ice cream.

Appetizers range from $7.95 for Polenta served with mushrooms in brandy sauce, to $12.50 for Shrimp Cocktail. Soups and salads are $6 to $10.50. Pastas, all homemade, are $15.50 to $18.95. Entrees run from $15.50 for Chicken Parmigiana to $24.95 for Costoletta Semifredo, a pan-fried veal chop topped with red onions, arugula, tomatoes and vinaigrette. A unique and expansive international wine list ranges from $20 to $130 a bottle. Lunch prices are lower, adding wraps and a few less entrees.

Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 12 noon to 3 PM. Dinner hours are 5 to 10 PM Monday through Thursday, 5 to 11 PM Friday and Saturday, and 4 to 9 PM on Sunday. Catering is available for groups up to 90. Children are accommodated with kid-friendly options. Reservations are suggested. Valet parking is available on weekends.