Vitolo Sorrentino Italian Supper Club opens in Garden City South

At Vitolo Sorrentino Italian Supper Club, Sal Sorrentino is happy to be back behind the stove. Up until a few months ago, the chef was a partner in ITA Kitchen, the over-the-top Italian American eatery that started in 2019 in Bay Shore and opened locations in Garden City South (2022), Patchogue and East Moriches (both, 2023). Sal and his wife, Christina, left that partnership this summer, but retained the lease in Garden City South. (They have no stake in the sole remaining ITA Kitchen, in Bay Shore.)

The Vitolo half of the restaurant's name is Anthony Vitolo, the chef whose family owns Emilio’s Ballato on Houston Street. Since Vitolo’s father, Emilio, bought the old-school Italian in 1992, it has become a celebrity magnet, attracting the likes of Taylor Swift, Rihanna, George Clooney, Gigi Hadid, Billy Joel and Jerry Seinfeld.

Both chefs had eaten at one another’s restaurants and were fans. And, after this ITA Kitchen closed this summer, they staged two pop-up dinners there that sealed the deal: They were going into business together. On Oct. 27, Vitolo Sorrentino Italian Supper Club opened. 

The team in Garden City South, which also includes general manager Chris Thireos and chef Manny Velasquez, leans hard into the clubby vibe. They ditched ITA’s contemporary black-and-white decor (with lots of fake greenery and flowers), swathing the 120-seat room with red velvet drapes and crisp white tablecloths, tiling the walls with black-and-white Brat Pack photos and hanging oversized crystal chandeliers. There's live music on Friday and Saturday nights. 

Sal described the menu as “less trendy" than ITA Kitchen. “We are not looking for everything to go viral," he said. “We are just cooking authentic food."

Many of the dishes here are off-the-menu favorites from Emilio’s Ballato. Among the starters, he is particularly proud of the braised beef-pork meatballs ($18) and the “casino"-style stuffed mushrooms ($20). The pasta you can’t miss is the spicy paccheri ($32), giant rigatoni veiled with a spicy Amatriciana sauce; the main you can’t miss is the veal Antonio ($84, serves two), a pounded, fried center-cut chop that’s covered with peas, crispy prosciutto, vodka sauce and mozzarella — and accompanied by a big potato croquette.

Not up for a veal chop? Chicken Antonio will run you $34.

Other menu highlights include linguine with fresh, local clams ($28), ricotta gnocchi alla Nerano (with roasted and fried zucchini, $30) and “Nonna’s pastina" ($16), a kid-friendly side of tiny pasta with butter, peas and Parmesan.

Vitolo Sorrentino Italian Supper Club, 9 Nassau Boulevard, Garden City South, 516-620-3945, vitolosorrentinoitalian.com. Open Monday to Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 to 11 p.m., Sunday 3 to 9 p.m.