First a Food Truck, A Wing Away Kitchen Now Open in Calverton at Old Got A Guy Eatery Spot
Chef Anthony Marengo and his business partner Stefanie Marengo (yep, they’re also married) are set to open a new place in Calverton called A Wing Away Kitchen at 4490 Middle Country, replacing the Got A Guy Eatery spot.
Marengos are busy restaurateurs with the success of their A Wing Away Kitchen in other locations inspiring them to migrate eastward.
This will be the second restaurant for the Marengo’s A Wing Away Kitchen, they currently have a sublease inside Coliseum Kitchen and Caterers in Plainview, one other location is still in the works in Islip Terrace after they finish working through the final red tape on that spot.
But, as with many ventures nowadays, the whole thing started as a food truck years ago.
“We were watching the movie Chef with John Favreau and my wife turns to me and says ‘we need to do that!’” Marengo said in a phone interview with LongIslandRestaurants.com.
“What can we do that hasn’t already been done?” he asked his wife.
It turns out that being the only food truck entry in a best wings contest versus 48 other Long Island restaurants and taking first place was the answer.
Six months after spending the last of their cash to convert an old camper into a A Wing Away Food Truck, the contest titled “Long Island Wing Hunt” gave the couple their first taste of success with the new venture and A Wing Away Kitchen took flight. Marengo even invented a character for the restaurant called WingsMcGee. After his first few posts online, the gimmick blew up so WingsMcGee became the logo and mascot for A Wing Away Kitchen.
Last July, the couple found the location in Islip Terrace, an abandoned building that they took on to convert to their second location after Plainview. “We’re still trying to get it opened,” Marengo said.
They’ve been working with various agencies to get final approvals but then in the middle of all that another opportunity presented itself.
“So we took a gamble in Calverton,” he said.
Photo: The Marengo family at their new restaurant.
The place was almost turnkey and they really saw the potential in the area with the current traffic and growth, with Island Water Park imminently opening down the road.
“It really came out of nowhere,” said Marengo.
In Calverton, A Wing Away Kitchen is going to be a little different. First, in addition to sit down and takeout they have a little walk-up window for ordering.
“We’re trying to separate ourselves from the others,” Marengo said. “We don’t think any other place around has this.”
Also, in addition to their regular menu that they’ve been popular for, A Wing Away Kitchen in Calverton will be serving pizza. They won’t be a full-fledged pizzeria but Marengo wants to bring the authentic pizza joint taste from his native Queens stomping grounds out east. They’ll offer four pies: a round pie, a Sicilian, a grandma and one additional novelty pie per week.
The menu that A Wing Away Kitchen has been known for will still be served.
“Like our huge sandwiches,” Marengo said. “They’re not normal; you will never leave our place hungry.”
They will also offer their famous chicken and rice with cilantro sauce served in a takeout platter. And of course, they will have wings.
The one that snagged first place will be on the menu, an “everything but the bagel” seasoning wing with scallion and a cream cheese flavor. (Believe us, it’s good!) They also have their roasted wing marinated in their homemade sauce and a Chinese spare rib sauce wing, which Marengo says is made with their own recipe and tastes and looks just like the Chinese spare ribs you remember from your youth.
They plan to have their soft opening on August 4th with a grand opening to follow a few months later. A Wing Away Kitchen in Calverton will be open Monday through Saturday from 11am-8pm and Sunday from 11am-7pm year round.
And you can expect a personal touch and a friendly face when you arrive at A Wing Away Kitchen for food.
“We like to make our customers feel like our friends,” said Marengo.
Location: 4490 Middle Country Road, Calverton.
📷 Courtesy of A Wing Away Kitchen and Anthony and Stefanie Marengo.
