Kosher Restaurant Review: EJ's Too, Dairy Restaurant

West Hempstead, Long Island is currently home to about 1000 religious orthodox Jewish families. Unfortunately it never fared very well in the way of restaurants. Many eateries have come and gone and there are only 2 that have been a mainstay: Wing Wan (kosher chinese) and Hunkis Pizza. You can imagine my surprise when I saw a sign for a dairy restaurant in the neighborhood. This new restaurant I refer to is EJ's too, located on Hempstead Ave right next to I & DGlatt. The great thing about this new establishment is that they are open later ( Till 12 AM Sat. nights) than Hunkis ever was. Hunkis isn't even open Sat. Nights after Passover, so that is a welcome change for the community. EJ's too is a offspring of Ej's Pizza in Teaneck owned by Elliot Rosenfeld. They went all out on the decor and space for this new establishment. Ej's too is by far one of the best looking kosher pizza stores you will find in Long Island. They feature a full salad bar and plenty of seating space to accommodate even the largest crowds (and they are getting them too). Ej's offers a nice selection of different pizzas as well as pasta dishes. Prices are reasonable: regular slices are $2, pasta dishes are $4.50 for sides and $6.50 as a main. I sampled a regular slice and thier garlic knots( 25 cents each). The garlic knots were a nice size but they lacked enough garlic flavor and should have been a bit oilier. The pizza was not bad: nice amount of cheese and the sauce although not my favorite was pretty good. It looks like the neighborhood is standing behind this new restaurant and many of the younger kids seems to like it as well. They are starting a special for Monday nights where pies are just $9.99. That will certainly capture a lot of interest I'm sure. Ej's too is set to be the next hotspot of West Hempstead and I think even some 5- Towners may start frequenting this new dairy restaurant.

Sheriff Raids Kosher Pizza Restaurant In LI

In an unusual scene for a kosher establishment: a sheriff was seen cutting open a lock to the basement of Hunkis Kosher Pizza store in the town of West Hempstead, LI last week. People looked on as they confiscated all the stores supplies etc..The understanding is that the owner(s) had not paid their rent for some time and the store was being closed forcefully. This is quiet sad considering this is one of the only kosher establishment in this town of about 1000 orthodox families. The word is that the old owner will be taking over the store. He currently owns the other hunkis in Plainview.

NYT: Introduces West Hempstead, Long Island

The NYT has a nice article on one of the fastest growing Jewish communities in Long Island: West Hempstead. Don't confuse it with New Hempstead, NY as it it often is, as it too is growing at a rapid clip. The article discusses the new library which recently opened up and the revitalization that is going on in this part of Long Island. The part of the article which I think hit the nail right on the head was:“It is a humble community,” said Mr. Slomnicki, 27, a teacher. “There is a wholesomeness, a community feeling" and affordability was “a priority,” but he also emphasized what had truly won everyone over: a lack of “pretension, which is good, especially considering it is Long Island.” I've been all over New York and I was always impressed by West Hempstead in that snobbery does not seem to exist there at all. Although the article does not really discuss the Kosher eateries of the town, (which are not many) West Hempstead is home to a favorite Chinese restaurant of many: Wing Wan. It remains to be seen how if any new kosher establishments will pop up in the future as it's proximity to the 5 towns makes it difficult. West Hempstead has also recently seen growth in learning programs with a Yeshivah Gedolah for college students as well as professionals who would like to set aside time to learn.

Blue Fringe comes To West Hempstead LI.

This Saturday Night March 10 at 8pm Blue Fringe will be live in concert at the JCC West Hempstead, located at 711 Dogwood Ave. Tickets are available at the door for a cost of $20.Refreshments will be sold as well as t-shirts, and cd's.