At Tutto Pazzo, This ‘Stoop’ Comes With A View

By Danny & Betty

info@longislandergroup.com

Want a mini lobster roll with a killer view? Grab one from The Stoop at Tutto Pazzo, walk across the street, take a seat on the dock and enjoy.

Now, we know that Luigi and Joey Petrone, the culinary and marketing whizzes behind Tutto Pazzo in Halesite for the last two decades, say their latest dining venture, The Stoop, aims to recreate a certain five-boroughs style of al fresco dining on Long Island. But let’s be real. Your stoop in Brooklyn never had a killer view of the harbor like this.

Open since Memorial Day, The Stoop grab-and-go dining option at Tutto Pazzo is perfect for getting great, fresh finger foods on the go for a price that you simply can’t beat. Nosh indoors at the bar or the lounge area; take a seat on the cushy furnishings situated on “the stoop” facing New York Avenue, or do what we did – take your lunch to the Halesite marina, sit on the wooden beam by the harbor, soak up the rays and dig in.

Patrons enjoying 'The Stoop' at Tutto Pazzo.

The $5 seafood menu has all your bases covered: shrimp cocktail and fried shrimp, calamari fritti and more. Raw bar lovers will be happy to see a half dozen clams on the half shell and arrays of three juicy, succulent oysters available. Each is paired with a wedge of lemon, a single-serve hot sauce and zesty cocktail sauce. Juicy mini manila clams and PEI mussels, whether prepared in marinara or traditional garlic and wine, shine from the freshness of the seafood.

Sliders are impressive in their their simplicity and quality. They come in a variety of styles, ranging from mozzarella with roasted peppers to crab cake and Kobe hamburger. Each is $5 and comes with a mound of tasty, crispy fries. Grilled to medium, the Kobe beef is juicy and flavorful. The lobster slider is off-the-claw fresh and summery. Both sliders we had were piled into buttered miniature buns.

Gluten-free and vegetarian diners are included, too. They’ve got their choice of zucchini spaghetti with pomodoro sauce and grated walnuts, as well as gluten-free penne with fresh veggies, garlic and oil, fried baby artichokes with spicy mayo and zucchini sticks with marinara (all $5). It’s a nice, affordable addition to a restaurant with plenty of personality.

Luigi and Joey took over the sprawling space in 1991 and opened Tutto Pazzo a year later. Luigi commands the kitchen, while Joseph handles the front of the house. There are 200 seats indoors, as well as a 280-seat outdoor patio, all part of their major redesign following a 2005 fire that closed the space for nine months.

With that legacy in hand, The Stoop is sure to be another feather in the Petrone brothers’ caps from which diners will be the biggest winners.