Catch a rising star
Porto Vivo-Huntington
Porto Vivo restaurant, in huntington, is one of long island's best kept culinary secrets... This stunning restaurant is owned by Joy Mangano, one of america's most successful women inventors/entrepreneurs. Aside from its beauty and sophistication, the restaurant features the culinary genius of Executive Chef Joe Balbo. Approximately 8 years ago, I first met Joe Balbo while dining in Babylon. At that time Joe was 21 years old and a cre-
ative and dynamic force as a manager and chef. Aside from his epicurean menu, Joe had assembled a young, highly professional staff who loved working for him. Flash forward to this past week, when I once again met with Joe at Porto Vivo, the ideal showcase for his many faceted talents. Porto Vivo is an exciting restaurant with a unique charm and sophistication not often found on Long Island. The restaurant has 3 distinct serving areas on three sepa-
rate levels. The main dining room on the first level is spacious, handsome and elegant; the second level has a large circular bar and a small mini stage for live music. The third level offers comfortable seating and banquets in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. Porto Vivo offers their regular menu, comfort food, tapas, and tasting menus on all three levels. We visited Porto Vivo anticipating an exciting dining adventure and were thrilled at the tasting menu we were