Long Island Restaurants

Love Lane Kitchen

Chef-owner Mike Avella has carved out a North Fork niche at Love Lane Kitchen, which serves only breakfast and lunch, done with care and forethought. Early in the day, you can get steel-cut oatmeal porridge with crème fraîche and wildflower honey. For lunch, garlic fried potatoes are hand-cut. Aren't there enough places for dinner?

Far from fast food, the fare at midday was worth what turned out to be a long wait. A grilled hanger steak sandwich featured succulent slices of beef, arugula and red onion on a focaccia roll. Another success was a grilled pressed Cuban sandwich made with house-roasted pork, ham, Swiss, dill pickle, yellow mustard and garlic butter. I was partial to the "Parma," a summery sandwich of prosciutto di Parma, arugula, roasted pepper and fresh mozzarella. And then there was a big fat Kobe beef hot dog served Chicago style, with yellow mustard, sweet India relish, chopped tomato, chopped onion, dill pickle, hot peppers and a sprinkle of celery salt. Why make a hot dog from Kobe beef? "It's richer and juicier," Avella said. "And not every part of a cow has to be steak."

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 8/10/07.

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