This week The Forum introduces you to a new column, Hidden Gems,which will feature great restaurants and things to do that are off the beaten path that we feel you would absolutely enjoy.
We are happy to share our experiences with you and if you know of a place that you think should be featured in this category, please let us know about it at forumsouth@gmail.com. Thanks and enjoy!
Ekmek is a virtually indescribable dessert creation that’s meant to be eaten at least ten times before you die.
If a dessert can really be perfect, then we have found it. If you can pronounce it, that’s great – all that really matters is that you can eat it. Ekmek Katafi begins atop a pile of shredded phyllo dough that has been soaked in rich, dark, honey syrup then laden with a silky vanilla custard – the perfection that we speak of, builds from there. Freshly whipped cream (this stuff has never seen a can), cinnamon, roasted almonds and pistachio nuts finish off this combination which we heartily suggest you don’t share – better you should take it home with you for tomorrow.
The amazing thing is that this divine dessert is not alone in the spotlight. It is just a part of the line-up of additional dessertsand dinners all housed under one roof: Lucky Boy’s in Lawrence.
This restaurant is just about as unassuming as it gets. The dining room may not measure up to huge square footage, but there is nothing about this establishment that should ever be called small.
Lucky Boy’s has achieved what many who describe themselves as “cozy,” have tried to achieve. Here it exists. From the minute you walk through the door you feel as though you are coming home for dinner.
A pile of steaming fish–mussels, razor clams, calamari, St. Peter’s fish and shrimp–in a rich tomato broth sits over angel hair pasta and is crowned with a golden fried soft shell crab.
Expect most of the dining room to look up from their tables as you enter the room – don’t worry, they mean no harm, they’re just checking to see if they know you. Then they smile and go back to eating. The other expectation is that you will be greeted by owners, Jack and Nelson, and the rest of the staff as they quickly scan the room to see where they will fit you. One thing is for sure – when you walk into Lucky Boy’s you can count on being very comfortable.
This is a place where patrons get up from their seats in the middle of dinner to hug and kiss other patrons on their way in or out. I noticed it the first time I ate here – eight years ago. I remember thinking, ‘I guess a lot of people who know each other are out tonight’ and dismissing it. That was dozens and dozens of delightful, delectable, delicious dinners ago. Now, all this time later, I too rise to my feet when I see someone I know going out or coming in.
And now that I’ve finished ranting, let’s get to the food. An eclectic blend of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and magicmakes up the menu which arrives on laminated pages and offers up dishes featuring steak, chicken, salmon, shrimp, lamb and pork. They offer great gyro and souvlaki – the Tzatziki and pita that accompany are as good as the dish itself. Sausage here, along with most everything else is hand/homemade.
A quick glance around the room alerts you to the presence of chalkboards hung at vantage points – that’s the daily special line-up and at Lucky Boy’s they have every right to call these dishes special. Because they are – each and every one of them. We have decided not to do ameal by meal review here because the honest truth is we would have no idea what to choose. They are ALL equally as good.
A bustling dining room where everyone feels like they are home, with a rather large family, for a great home cooked meal.
Soft shell crabs, lamb kebobs, chicken meatballs over zucchini pasta, herbed salmon over angel hair, mousakka, grilled whole fish – bronzino and brooktrout among them – prepared blackened, herbed or whatever Jack comes up with. All dinners are served with what appears to be the biggest salad, either Greek or Caesar, you’ve ever been served with and hot bread – made right there. From appetizers to dessert, there are so many choices that it’s almost impossible that everyone of them would be reliably great. But they are.
The dessert lineup we mentioned earlier includes their signature coconut cream pie as well as other creams – chocolate and banana – a fresh berry tart, black and white cake, baklava, each one better than the last.
To sum up Lucky Boy’s is to say that the freshest and finest quality of ingredients are used in all the cooking, which is done right out in the open. This place is a masterful blend of cooking, congeniality, cleanliness and courtesy that will keep you coming back.
This is one Hidden Gem you’ll want to make tracks to. And as quickly as possible. It’s conveniently located across the street from Costco Wholesale Club on Rockaway Turnpike in the Five Towns area. Parking is a little bit tricky – but there’s a lot in the back and some space on the side of the restaurant in the front if you want to navigate a curb with no cut. Just remember not to park in the Gold Store’s lot across the street – if you do, you can go back into Lucky Boy’s and get another dessert while you wait for the tow truck to bring your car back.
Lucky Boy’s
636 Rockaway Turnpike
Lawrence, NY 11559
Open Monday-Saturday
11:30 A.M-8:30 P.M.
Tel: (516) 239-9352
(516) 239-9634
Story and Photos by Patricia Adams
