About the Wine Spectator Award
After two challenging years, during which many customers took a long hiatus from dining out, restaurants are developing innovative ways to attract diners back, no matter their preferences. From wine flights to creative, quality “mocktails” and more, restaurants around the world are pulling out all the stops with their beverage programs to enhance the full dining experience, giving all wine lovers a reason to be excited about going out again.

For example, take a look at our newly revealed list of nearly 3,200 restaurants that have earned Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards in 2022. This year's winning restaurants, each offering outstanding wine programs, hail from all 50 states and more than 70 countries and territories. The awards are given across three categories: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence and Grand Award. We are excited to honor all of these restaurants for their hard work and dedication.

Explaining why the awards matter so much to restaurants, sommelier Jason Ferris said, “When guests see that [Wine Spectator] plaque, or that logo on your menu, it gives them confidence that your wine program stands out among its peers.” The restaurant where he works, the Park Inn in Hammondsport, in New York’s Finger Lakes wine region, was upgraded to Best of Award of Excellence this year.

Read the entire article https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-reveals-2022-restaurant-award-winners-1

Find Juniper here https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6331/juniper

To read the original article, please visit https://www.longisland.com

Juniper is already making a name for itself with its combination of delicious cuisine and fine décor.

Hailed as a “hidden gem” among Long Island’s competitive restaurant scene by their many ecstatic customers, Juniper at the Vanderbilt is a newer entry to the local eatery scene, but is already making a name for itself with its combination of delicious cuisine and fine décor, nestled in the center of the Vanderbilt By Beechwood Homes apartment complex in Westbury, New York. One of the four restaurants and event space venues under the umbrella of the Civetta Hospitality group – which also includes Amali in New York City, Calissa of Water Mill, and Bar Marseille of Rockaway Beach – Juniper at the Vanderbilt is the company's newest venue, having opened their doors for business just over one year ago on May 20 of 2021…smack dab in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Opening during the worst of the pandemic presented a unique set of challenges amid the various restrictions and lockdown measures that were in place at the time. However, Juniper not only managed to stay afloat during those very troubling times, but according to General Manager John Nicoletti, business has consistently increased month-to-month ever since they first opened. “It was definitely a war of attrition, surviving the spikes around the holidays,” he said. “Where we were and where we are, we've shown steady growth, and secretly, we've become a great destination for events that are under 100 people. We really do a fair number of events on the weekends, such as smaller weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, retirement parties.” 

 “I love when I read the reviews and I see the words ‘hidden gem’ and ‘secret spot,’” Nicoletti continued, referring to Juniper’s off-the-beaten-path location within the Vanderbilt. “The biggest hurdle we really face is getting people up the driveway at the Vanderbilt. We're in the middle of the building so we don't really have street frontage, so it's become more of a place for those that know about us. We rely on the buzz of people spreading the word.” Executive Chef Chris D'Ambrosio – trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie – categorizes Juniper as an American grill, but one diversely influenced by his many personal experiences while traveling abroad for a number of years. “We have a lot of different steaks and seafood, but I come from an Italian-American household and I've traveled the world, and what is America but a melting pot of ethnicities and cuisines? So I like to include those experiences in the menu as well,” he said. “So we have influences from Asia, Europe, and all the different places that I’ve visited. So our menu is sort of the story of my past, if you will.” D'Ambrosio noted that the restaurant offers a chef's seasonal menu, highlighting different products throughout the course of the year based on a lot of locally-sourced meats, fish, and vegetables. 

 “From the East Coast here we get oysters, halibut, sardines, and a lot of other local items that are very fresh and delicious,” he said.  Juniper at the Vanderbilt is deceptively spacious, Nicoletti said, able to accommodate up to 176 patrons if need be, and offering both indoor seating and an outdoor patio overlooking the Vanderbilt's pool, if weather permits. “The restaurant has a very natural resort-style feel to it, with lots of glass facing the outside, very high vaulted ceilings, good usage of natural light, and a lot of things that essentially highlight the space itself,” he said. “We use a lot of white marble, and it's a very beautiful space, it truly is. And the building itself...Beechwood Homes, the developer, always does a magnificent job, and they spare no expense. The quality of craftsmanship is second to none, and it really has helped us with wedding bookings as a venue.” Nicoletti boasts an extensive history in the restaurant business, having worked in it since the tender young age of 13; as time went by, his reputation grew and he began to hold a number of high profile gigs. 

 “As a Northport native, I started as a prep cook at the Shipwreck Diner in Northport, and later went to college while moonlighting as a bartender. But I started really getting into fine dining when I was working for the Bohlsen Restaurant group,” he said. “I was a long-time head bartender at Tellers Chophouse in Islip, and then became the corporate head bartender for them for many years.” From there, Nicoletti went on to Anthony Scotto Restaurants, initially hired to be the Director of Bar Operations. However, when the COVID-19 hit, things changed significantly, but while many employers laid off many of their workers during the worst of things, Nicoletti noted that he was treated about as well as could possibly be. “They were great to me, and they ensured that I would have a position,” he said. “So when they rebranded One North to Opus Steakhouse, they made me Assistant General Manager. Then I met the partners at Civetta Hospitality, and it was almost an instant connection. That's when I went over to be the General Manager at Juniper. It was just a no-brainer.” The decisively kind and empathic treatment he has experienced while employed by Civetta, he said, was outside of the norm of his involvement in the restaurant business throughout the years. 

 “It should be noted that for an industry that typically tends to be pretty thankless, the way that Civetta operates is really impressive. They treat their employees very well...we have every major holiday off, and they try to focus on kindness and understanding in a way that I've never experienced in this business,” he said. “Ultimately, the hospitality industry as a whole doesn’t really offer good quality-of-life, but Civetta really focuses on it and it's hard not to appreciate that.” Ultimately, Nicoletti said that he's found his time heading up Juniper at the Vanderbilt to be incredibly rewarding, and he relishes the opportunity he's had to continue build it from the ground-up into one of Long Island's premier eateries, combining ambiance, atmosphere, fine accommodations, and a unique take on popular American cuisine. “There are definitely more gray hairs on top of my head than when I started, but I wouldn't change a thing about it,” he said. “It's a pleasure to work with Chef Chris, and we have a small staff here that are incredibly hard-working, and a lot of them have been with me through multiple restaurants. I love to note that, because the success of this restaurant really has nothing to do with anybody but them. That's the truth.” To find out more about Juniper at the Vanderbilt, please call 516-820-1200 or visit https://www.juniperlongisland.com.

Chris D'Ambrosio (Photo by Ed Shin)
Some chefs find themselves in the restaurant business by accident or ending up there while they were planning on a different career. But Juniper at the Vanderbilt’s executive chef Chris D’Ambrosio says the culinary arts found him at an early age.
“I grew up in an Italian household, with a big family around the table that always seemed to be eating,” recalls D’Ambrosio, whose memories include growing tomatoes and eggplant in a garden in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn from the age of 5. He also recalls early inspiration working at an old Italian deli, serving classic dry cured pork cuts such as prosciutto and capicola.

He explains that he didn’t pursue culinary arts until high school, when he had an opportunity to participate in a vocational program with study options to become an electrician, a plumber, or a chef. “Cooking suited me best. It kind of found me,” he says, adding that his instructors were mostly culinary school graduates.

D’Ambrosio would go on to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie before landing a formative job at New York City venue Bouley, where he would spend nearly a decade working under the tutelage of acclaimed chef David Bouley.
“I firmly believe that to become the best, you have to work with the best,” says D’Ambrosio, adding that while at Bouley he was constantly “growing and evolving” as a chef.

“We used the finest ingredients and sourced both locally and globally. It never got boring.”
D’Ambrosio explains that his goal was to be able to “cook without a recipe,” relying solely on his palate for guidance and inspiration. “Everything at Bouley was feel and taste,” he says, adding that his philosophy was to not follow a recipe.
Still in his 30s, D’Ambrosio has packed a lot of culinary punch into his years, having discovered new cuisines in Japan, Italy and France during internships with chefs to expand his creative horizons.

While at Bouley, he did several Anthony Bourdain-style trips abroad over a few years to learn cultures and cuisines.
“The idea all along was to bring the experiences back to Bouley,” recalls D’Ambrosio. Following Bouley’s closure in 2017, he spent a couple of years at the Bedford Post Inn in Westchester, a gourmet restaurant and inn co-owned by actor Richard Gere.
“At Bedford, I sourced produce, such as radishes and tomatoes, directly from local farmers. Many of the recipes were seasonal.” He recalls getting produce from Union Square Market in Manhattan.

“That style of cooking is spontaneous, where Mother Nature determines the menu.”
After a brief stint at Manhattan’s Le Bilboquet, D’Ambrosio says he was laid off due to Covid before taking over at the new Juniper restaurant at the Vanderbilt hotel and residences in Westbury.

Juniper, which opened in late May, is the latest venue from restaurateur James Mallios and the Civetta Hospitality Group. Civetta also operates Amali in Manhattan, Calissa in the Hamptons and Bar Marseille in the Rockaways.
At Juniper, D’Ambrosio says he wants to help build a “destination that’s different.”
He says he plans to continue sourcing from local farms, including everything from fresh herbs and fruits such as strawberries to vegetables including peas and cucumbers.

“Sustainability governs everything we do at Civetta, including the meat, fish and produce we purchase, the wines we pour, and our labor practices,” says Civetta partner Kylie Monagan. “We choose to focus on long-term business goals because we believe they benefit our local community and the larger ecosystem, supporting family farms, fisheries, and winemakers and providing job stability for our team.”
D’Ambrosio aims to integrate sustainability into “food he likes to eat,” and that, he says, is how he writes his menus.
For example, one of his favorite dishes is the birria-style short ribs, influenced by Mexican birria herbs and stewed for hours, “like a deconstructed taco.”

He adds that he’s procuring seafood directly from Montauk fishermen, such as blue crude marinated in tomato and cilantro.
Monagan adds that the menu offers classic comforts including Cascun Farm Market fried chicken, six-cheese mac, and wild mushroom flatbread. Other specialties include hay-roasted oysters, Long Island Crescent Duck breast with Juniper honey, and Caraflex cabbage steak for vegans.
A well-stocked bar features gin-inspired cocktails and classic wines including Sancerre, Chablis, and Napa chardonnay.
D’Ambrosio, who has been cooking for more than 15 years, says his future will revolve around food, but he’s not sure he wants to own a restaurant since knows how much work and money go into successful ventures.

He says, “You have to find a balance in life between making money and enjoying what you’re doing. That’s the secret.”
Juniper at the Vanderbilt hotel and residences is located at 990 Corporate Dr. in Westbury. It can be reached at 516-820-1200 or juniperlongisland.com.

For more food and drink coverage, visit longislandpress.com/category/food-drink.
Sign up for Long Island Press’ email newsletters here. Sign up for home delivery of Long Island Press here. Sign up for discounts by becoming a Long Island Press community partner here.

Everyone obsesses over the cooking and the vibe and the décor and the service, but restaurant names make and break establishments more often than you might think, and selecting one often involves nervous meetings between restaurateurs and their backers. As managing partner of Civetta Hospitality, James Mallios has participated in his share of these tedious confabs, or "bad meetings," as he calls them, admitting that some are less painful than others.

"Juniper actually grows on the property," he said, referring to The Vanderbilt, a high-end Westbury apartment complex that until last March played host to Tom Schaudel’s Kingfish, one of the pandemic’s early restaurant casualties. Mallios and his team eventually took over the space, and their New American eatery, Juniper, opened May 20.

"It’s also native Long Island flora," he continued, perfect for a restaurant whose menu draws inspiration, along with much of its produce and meats, from local purveyors. And juniper berries are, of course, a key ingredient in gin, on which Juniper’s cocktail program is based. Building a bar around the spirit can be a challenge on an island where vodka and tequila are king, but general manager John Nicoletti likes his chances.

"I always tell people, if you like whiskey, you like gin. You just don’t know it yet," he said. Accordingly, Juniper plans to feature up to 8 gin cocktails at a time — a house barrel-aged negroni among them — using gins from Long Island Spirits (Deepwells) and Montauk Distilling (71st Regiment).

The Vanderbilt was one of four rentals featured by Marcelle Fischler in her luxe living spread for the September issue of DuJour.