By Nicolette Emmino
The Lucky Duck doesn’t sound Italian, but it is! The Lucky Duck is the picture perfect “old fashioned” restaurant, with no new furniture or carpeting. Rather, it has a style stuck in a past of about 20 years ago. The restaurant is located approximately five miles away from the University, near Adelphi in Garden City, at 9 Nassau Boulevard.
Walk through the glass doors with pictures of ducks printed on them and be greeted by a friendly hostess who is stationed across from the low-key bar. After being seated at the stiff wooden booths that are situated on seafoam green rugs and surrounded by wooden paneled walls, the bus boy will drop a wicker basket on the table filled with warm garlic bread squares and toasted Italian bread.
The waitstaff was not young or inexperienced, instead middle-aged, and my waitress looked to be about 45 years old. While she was trying to be helpful, she did keep pestering with “Are you ready yet?” five times. Finally, we ordered the “Hot Antipasto for 2,” filled with a variety of appetizers such as eggplant rollatini, fried zucchini, fried mozzarella, baked clams and stuffed mushrooms for just $14.95. And they should have called it the Hot Antipasto for 4!
My only complaint was that the Hot Antipasto came out cold, and therefore the fried mozzarella was hard to chew, and the eggplant was not very enjoyable. I did not have very high expectations at that point, but I was later proved wrong about the food.
It took quite a while to decide on an entrée because there was such a large selection to choose from. Are you in the mood for a personal pizza? Maybe one with spinach, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese? Do you crave a traditional Italian specialty such as Penne ala Vodka or Chicken Francese?
All entrees are reasonably priced between $14.95 and $18.95. You are also given your choice of a side dish with each entrée. You can decide between pasta, potatoes, rice or french fries.
Want to eat light? The Lucky Duck offers many soups and salads, such as the Italian specialty “stracciatella soup” with spinach and egg or a traditional Caesar salad.
I finally decided on the “Chicken Caprese,” which included grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella cubes, diced tomatoes and fresh basil in a balsamic vinaigrette. It came out quickly and was very flavorful.
The restaurant is simple yet quaint and perfect for dates, quiet dinners or families. If you visit The Lucky Duck on Friday or Saturday between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., enjoy the early bird special and receive 10 percent off your entire check.
The average check per person is about $25, and you can have a quiet and enjoyable dining experience. I wouldn’t say The Lucky Duck is modern and exciting, but I do give it 3.5 Ducks! Bouno Appetito!