ASSESSMENT: Headliner. OPEN: Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Closed Monday. PRICE RANGE: Dinner main courses $14 to $24, appetizers $6 to $9, lunch entrees $7 to $13. Credit cards accepted. HOW TO FIND IT: Behind the movies. WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Steps to dining areas. Four stars mean outstanding; three, excellent; two, very good; one, good; none, fair or poor.
STOP THE PRESSES The news from Glen Cove is very good. Page One has been delivered, with livley features. it's a cleaver headliner, an eclectic American eatary and cabaret that changes the scene just by opening. The propretor is Gustave houser, preveusly of Cafe Harlequine in Sea Cliff. The tune gos on with vocalist and keyboard player on Friday's. Early on, this production has been sparkling in appearance, But the flair comes from the menu, which expected to cangee regurlarly. The dishes sampled are from november listing, and they're presented with style.
The proprietor is Gustav Hausser, previously of Cafe Harlequin in Sea Cliff. The tune goes on with vocalist and keyboard on Fridays. Early on, this production has been sparkling in appearance, But the flair comes from the menu, which expected to cangee regurlarly. The dishes sampled are from november listing, and they're presented with style.
The dishes sampled are from the November listing, and they're presented with style from chefs who know a snappy layout.
A duet of crab cakes, meaty and gilded, arrives with a nutty wild rice "salsa" and a sauce remoulade that owes more to the Caribbean than to New Orleans.
Lush foie gras rests on a sweet-spicy caramelized onion tart, spiked with red currants and sherry vinegar, that will remind you of a zesty chutney. It's a marvelous contrast of textures and tastes, with a tingle that suggests Indian seasonings.
The obligatory grilled Portobello mushroom, sliced thinly and more flavorful than usual, receives a gloss of opal basil olive oil and the appealing company of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.
Even baked Brie, a dish that you ordinarily would like to stay stuck in the '70s, has more to it than a rerun. The cheese tastes right, the phyllo surrounding it is better than most, and the rhubarb pesto with halved spears of asparagus is respectable, too.
The "Page One symphony of vegetable salads" is more lighthearted and varied than a thoroughly harmonious composition. But it's refreshing, sure to have fans. The salad of field greens is enlivened with tangy goat cheese and a honey-walnut vinaigrette.
Greens are an essential part of the plate here, with leaves and fronds growing from each course. Rosemary rises from a piped mound of sweet potato like a tiny tree. Sauces are swirls taken from Miro and Dali.
A rosily rare roasted rack of lamb is edged with a delectable goat cheese and pine-nut crust. The grilled Black Angus shell steak gets a boost from roasted shallots and a green peppercorn sauce tinted withmerlot.
The ample, oven-roasted duck breast is juicy, paired with basmati rice and an elusive "honey mango satin" that provides more sheen than spark. The onion-crusted chicken breast has crunch and tenderness, and doesn't really need its sherry wine demi-glace. Wild mushroom ravioli is extraordinary, and the rosemary-flavored, grilled chicken strips that flank the pasta are satisfying on their own, as is the asparagus. The advertised white truffle oil is, well, subtle.
Black fettuccine is the base for a sextet of big, sauteed shrimp, which benefit from the ginger-pumpkin beurre blanc. The grilled tuna, with smoked tomatillo-corn salsa is superb.
Page One really commands your attention with its eye-catching desserts. The ice- cream-filled crepe is two tiny Citicorp Centers separated by a painted-plate butterfly fashioned with fruit purees.
The "banana carousel" affords you the ring: a crisp, caramelized, round tart with a hazelnut accent, topped with a scoop of ice cream. The chocolate and raspberry mousse playfully portrays what could pass for a sweet extraterrestrial.
Puritans will like the fine creme caramel, whose adornments are few by comparison. The cheesecake also is more restrained, if you consider adding a layer of chocolate mousse an example of minimalism.
By the time the desserts are passed around, you're sure the kitchen is so into it all that its contributors must be having a good time. Order carefully and you will. There's plenty of potential here, and enough diversion to sub for the comics. Page One just needs some more reporting.
Newsday Photo by David L. Pokress- Page One's head chef, Michael Meyer, with his signature desserts.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission. Section: LI LIFE Text Word Count 774.
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