Toto’s Restaurant – Excellent new Italian steakhouse offering the most appetizing cuisine on the South Shore

When it comes to the crowded culinary landscape of Long Island’s south shore, it takes something special to stand out from the crowd, but that’s exactly what the owner of Toto’s Restaurant – a brand new restaurant in Wantagh – says. he brings to the table.

“I originally opened a restaurant at the Jones Beach Hotel called Per Un Angelo in 2000… I ran it for about 15 years, sold it, then took it over about a year ago” , did he declare. “It was originally an Italian restaurant, but I turned it into an A1 Italian steakhouse because I already own a successful Italian restaurant in Bellmore called Villa D’Aqua, and I just wanted to do something a little different for customers, create another success.

Tom describes Toto’s cuisine as a “premium product”, but maintains that its price remains affordable and fair given the high quality of its menu. But even based solely on word of mouth so far, Tom said business has already been booming and many diners have already become regular customers.

“We have a lot of customers who come back again and again, and that makes me feel very, very good and proud,” he said. “I can tell we are going to be a very successful restaurant based on the initial feedback I have received. So far I have to say that 95% of our customers keep coming back.”

Prior to Toto’s, Tom owned as many as eight restaurants during his career. he got into the business as a young man 53 years ago and over time owned numerous establishments in Manhattan, the Bronx, Westchester County and New Jersey, before finally moving to Seaford, Long Island 21 years ago.

“I love catering,” he says. “I’ve been very successful and I’ve been very lucky, but I’ve also put in a lot of effort to be successful. And thank God so far I’ve been.

There was a lot more effort to turn Per Un Angelo into Toto’s Restaurant than just changing its name; an all-new menu had to be concocted to go along with Tom’s unique vision for an Italian steakhouse, and to that end he recruited executive chef Enko Purisic, a gentleman who has over 30 years of experience preparing dishes appetizing in countless restaurants.

“I was very lucky to find Enko as my best executive chef, and worked closely with him to come up with a new menu for Toto’s,” said Tom. “Enko has also had great success when it comes to Italian restaurants, so we got together and came up with a menu that we believe will make us one of the best steakhouses on the South Shore of Long Island.”

Enko, who is also a co-owner of Toto’s, has worked at numerous restaurants over the years – including a Manhattan restaurant owned by famed actor Chazz Palminteri – and was kind enough to review some of the iconic dishes he has created so that Toto’s stands out from the competition.

“I’ve been the executive chef of many Italian restaurants and steakhouses over the years, and I wanted to come up with something new that would combine those two concepts,” he said. “We have excellent fish – including calamari, shellfish and lobster – and all American A1 premium meats, including sirloins, porterhouses, New York strip loin, chateaubriand and rack of domestic lamb. And we also have wonderful pastas for Italian dishes and delicious homemade desserts, including cheesecakes, creme brulee, pancakes and much more.

Another indispensable member of Tom’s team is his managing director and co-owner, Milla Vukmanovic, whom he said he diverted from a career in music to come work for him.

“She’s a really big help in my restaurant,” he said. “She’s worked for me for 13 years and she’s very successful in the restaurant business, even though she actually has a doctorate in music! But I changed my mind to have her come work for me, and she’s a big, big plus for my business.

Toto’s main dining room comfortably seats 65; in addition, the establishment has two other rooms, including an outdoor dining room and a space for organizing parties organized by the restaurant, which currently represents an important part of Toto’s activity. As business grows, Tom noted, the party room can also be used as a second dining room should the need arise.

Additionally, Toto’s also has an impressively stocked bar – with a second bar currently in the works for a front door seating area where people can enjoy a drink while waiting for their table – and a huge selection of wines, with more than 150 different vintages to choose from.

Tom said Toto had what the business is essentially calling a “soft opening” 5 months ago, meaning he avoided publicizing the new establishment in order to let his staff the time to do things right. But now he thinks it’s time to start spreading the word about the culinary delights people can expect to experience when they walk through the door of Toto’s restaurant.

Toto’s is open six days a week for lunch and dinner, with the only day of the week they are currently closed being Monday; however, this may change depending on demand. On weekdays, doors open at 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. on weekends.

Currently between managing Villa D’Aqua in Bellmore and Toto’s restaurant in Wantagh, Tom said he has no other aspirations at the moment to open additional restaurants but instead wants to focus on realizing its full potential as the premier Italian steakhouse on Long Island.

“I will try to keep what I have, try to be successful, try to please my customers as much as possible,” he said. “And no matter how good our restaurant may seem to someone, when you come and visit by yourself, it will be even better than you expected. I encourage you to come and try Toto Restaurant, I promise you will enjoy it and look forward to coming back.”