Long Island Restaurants

Pancho's Border Grill

Although its name sounds generic and it's actually the third link in a small Long Island chainlet, Pancho's Border Grill in Bethpage is an original of sorts. How many margarita joints do you know where the food is better than the drinks? And they do make a mean margarita.

The quality of fare is evident in the bright, chunky cilantro-spiked salsa; you'll dip many nacho chips. The music of the Grateful Dead plays on the sound system, and the walls of the place are covered with license plates from all over the USA.

At lunch, a delightful salad of mesclun greens comes topped with marinated skirt steak and sliced chicken, dressed with a dandy buttermilk chipotle dressing. A catfish po' boy sandwich with chiptole tarter sauce comes with fine sweet potato fries.

Appetizer platters are messy fun. The tidbit platter includes crisp, greaseless chicken fingers, meaty barbecued riblets and chicken wings, and good quesadillas.

Fajitas - to some, the measure of a Tex-Mex eatery - feature juicy, well-marinated steak and chicken; my quibble was that the pico de gallo of jalapenos and tomatoes does not have enough cilantro, and that it, as well as the guacamole, comes in a tiny paper thimble.

By Joan Reminick

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