IT'S STILL THE GOOD OLD days, when the value of a meal was
calculated by the pound, not the calorie, at Randazzo's West
(offshoot of Randazzo's of Sheepshead Bay). A small Storefront
restaurant with Formica tables, tile floor, and modest rear clam
bar, it reminds us of a time when hearty home-cooked fare was
the apex of an eatery's appeal, not its surroundings.
Making you feel welcome is a basket of freshly baked, crusty
bread on the table, promptly followed by chewy slices of
outstanding garlic bread. Randazzo's believes in old fashioned
cooking, where more is more. More baked clams, shrimp, stuffed
peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, and mussels in the hot antipasto,
more seafood in the hot antipasto, more seafood in the seafood
salad, more calamari, shrimp, scungili, scallops and definitely
more of the family's hot red sauce on the plates. Hefty
portions of broiled, pristine filet of sole, and pith portions
of spicy lobster, fra diavolo or simply broiled or steamed, and
more monster-sized meatballs and spaghetti. and let us not
forget those puffy potato croquettes. Heavy food, yes, but
victuals for the puissant, and it all starts with fine, fresh
ingredients.
For dessert, don't even try to resist the homebaked Italian
ricotta cheese cake. Prices are tame and the staff seems like a
happy brood. So when you are searching for a small, casual
place in Greenwich Village, Randazzo's just might fill the bill.
KEY LARGO, A TASTEFUL
Modern, family-run restaurant, features lots of seafood dishes, but does not limit itself to them. The menu is creative regional American, with a cluster of pastas. Though some choices are a tad contrived, you'll be tempted by the likes of classic conch chowder, shellfish stew, herb-encrusted rack of lamb, and a stirfry amalgamation of Caribbean jerk chicken breast and sea scallops. Salads are heroic, ingredients fresh. Attention is likewise given to 
interesting vegetables and garnishes.
Say hello to one of Key Largo's least-expensive bowls of pasta ($9.95) and the best at that. It's a combination of lithe fettucine, chicken, and mixed fresh vegetables, tossed in a pungent, chunky tomato-basil sauce.
Grilled salmon comes with a sauce featuring pink peppercorns, but the fish is so flaky fresh, well cooked, and tasteful seasoned, it scores even without the competing creamy sauce. Jumbo shrimp and sea scallops kabob is a special that can't be faulted either - arriving at table succulent and moist and enticingly decorated with slices of pineapple, orange and melon. Steak and chops include a richly stuffed veal chop and chargrilled filet mignon.
The service staff is well meaning, knowledgeable, and members of the family. Desserts are rich and spirited. Among the best: banana mango cheese cake with nutty topping, white chocolate mousse cake, blueberry pie and Key lime pie - all baked by another famliy member, possibly the chef or his brother's wife. Key Largo sometimes stumbles in its execution, for example, the bland, watery rice pilaf, but nevertheless leaves one admiring its dauntlessness in a most reconciling environment.
