Common Sense

Week of 1/28/2013

Restaurant Review:    Ephesus, 514 Park Boulevard Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Telephone: (516) 543.4258

Food:  Healthy, fresh, tasty          
Service:  Very good; everybody is your waiter!
Cost: Very Affordable, plus BYOB!

If you live in Massapequa Park, you drive by this restaurant a million times:  Yes, it’s the “little” place on the west side of Park Boulevard, just before Sunrise Highway.  I say “little” place because from the outside, it looks like it only has two tables right in the front.  One of the many pleasant surprises about Ephesus is that once you go in, you see that the place is very deep and a lot bigger than you thought as you drove by it.  The more important pleasant surprises are that the food is so, so fresh.  I had the bronzini fish with a salad, felt good about my healthy choice (something that I’m not really known for) but, what I really felt good about was that the fish was incredibly fresh, moist and grilled to perfection.  My advice: try everything!  From the pide (it’s almost like a stuffed pizza) to the baklava, everything is awesome, fresh and, yes, affordable.  Plus, since they don’t have a liquor license, you can bring in your favorite bottle of wine and enjoy it at the restaurant.  Run, do not walk, to this place and if you don’t mind, invite me when you go since I can’t get enough of it.  

Highlight/Lowlight:  I’ve been there many times with my wife and other couples, some more adventurous than others.  Everyone, regardless of their risk-taking when it comes to food, walked out singing the praises of Ephesus and thanking me for having picked a winner.

Common Sense:  You are supporting a local merchant, not putting a hole in your wallet, enjoying fresh, tasty food when you eat here.  And, to top it off, you can bring a nice bottle of wine.  And, oh, before I forget, the service is incredible.    

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Life After Sandy

I was putting out the garbage the other night and noticed how many empty cartons there were in front of my house and my neighbors’.  While it was annoying to make so many trips to the curb, it was good to notice what the cartons meant:  We are buying things.  Furniture, appliances, “stuff”, to replace the furniture, appliance and “stuff” that we lost during Sandy.  Don’t get me wrong, it goes without saying that Sandy was a disaster of LIPAnic (is that a word?) proportions but, as with everything else in life, the show must go on and we, just like you, are slowly but surely rebuilding and getting back on track.  While the purchase of material possessions will never make up for the tragic two weeks we lived through, the loss of pictures, mementos, and so many sentimental things that were in my crawlspace and first floor, the fact that we are rebuilding is a good sign. 
Aside from the rebuilding effort, I learned a couple of things from the Sandy experience.  I learned that I have the best friends in the world, who got down and dirty to help me get back on my feet.  I learned that I have the best neighbors in the world, the Buchanans, and I also learned to make up and befriend other neighbors with whom I had not been so  friendly.

Highlight/Lowlight: It’s nice to be throwing out empty cartons instead of my soaking, ruined furniture

Common Sense: Even from a tragedy of unparalleled proportions, we can glean a positive.  Look around you, and appreciate those who are there for you.  And let them know you appreciate them.