The doors at the former home to on Terry Road in Smithtown were not closed for long as it is now under new ownership with a new name – Porcini.
Porcini, which opened Tuesday, is owned by Patrick Hall and Hatem Fayez, who met while working together at in Hauppauge. Hall has more than 20 years of restaurant experience, working over the stove at not only Mario Restaurant but in Smithtown as well. Fayez, aside from working at Mario Restaurant is a former coffee shop owner.
Fayez's owned a New York City coffee shop some years ago and said theshop didn’t work out because it took too much time away from his family and children, but now that his kids are grown up now is the right time for him to own a business.
"If I can work hard for somebody why can't I work hard for myself?" he said.
Taking over the former Attilio's location was fast and furious, said the owners, as they closed the shop for just one week to prepare for opening. In that week the two said they moved the counter about 14 inches towards the ovens to allow for more room for customer seating, renovated the bathroom and extensively cleaned and power-washed the tile floor among numerous other changes to the eatery.
While you would be able to find items typical to pizzerias in Porcini, Hall said the eatery would specialize in made-to-order and homemade items, from ravioli to pasta and more. One walk into the eatery and you'll see a glass cooler filled with homemade cupcakes, cannolis, cheesecake and chocolate covered strawberries.
Hall also said customers would be drawn to the pizzeria's specialty slices, from Greek salad to meat lover’s pizza, chicken parmesan and eggplant rollatini.
If you're looking for suggestions on what to order Hall recommends the chicken ceaser wrap on homemade pita bread, the marinated flat iron steak and the homemade ravioli.
Porcini is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Sunday's are strictly for catering.
