Focāris Neapolitan pizza opens in Lynbrook
The sausage pizza at Focāris in Lynbrook. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Pizza and a movie? Lynbrook has its fair share of pizza spots, but a stately new Neapolitan restaurant, Focāris, is upping the game.
Co-owner Sergio Sontay was looking for a location for his first restaurant when he was introduced to the historic building, which is literally tucked between the Regal movie theater that towers around it on both sides. In March, Sergio and his brother Melvin briefly took over the space, formerly B. Greek Kitchen, but quickly realized the concept wasn't for them.
Focāris is tucked between the Regal Cinemas movie theater in Lynbrook. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Sergio learned the craft of Neapolitan pizza while working at Sotto Casa and Simo Pizza, both in Manhattan. The brothers closed for renovations, reopening this May as Focāris, which he said means "hearth" in Latin.
"I'm the person who likes to have the kitchen clean, to have everything in the best way possible," he said.
Sontay brought in an Italian Fiero Forni oven and started making pizzas using only four ingredients: Caputo flour, water, salt and yeast. The pizza gets a 48-hour ferment before it's baked in the oven. The Focāris menu is small but mighty, with eight varieties of Neapolitan pizza including the classics (Margherita and marinara), mushroom, diavola and a white pie with ricotta cheese. Pizzas range from $16 to $20, and aren't too big, so you might want to get a couple or supplement it with one of their three fresh house-made pasta dishes.
Spaghetti a la marinara at Focāris in Lynbrook is made with fresh pasta. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
The sausage pizza ($19) is a highlight, with its characteristically floppy crust and spare toppings letting the bread shine. The fettucini ($18) is also lovely, with a lighter sauce that highlights the delicate fresh noodles.
Focāris, 323 Merrick Rd., Lynbrook, 516-837-3121, focarispizza.com. Open noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
