Eating around at Long Island hotels has turned up some spots that exceed expectations, others that are a food lover's nightmare. I have ranked the 10 restaurants I sampled from most to least satisfying.
1. NU Restaurant & Lounge (Entrees $25 to $38)
Hyatt Regency Long Island
1717 L.I. Motor Pkwy.
Hauppauge
631-784-1234
Dimly lit, tastefully decorated and woefully under-populated, this lobby restaurant turned out to be a surprise winner. For starters, chef George Apanasevich's sumptuous corn chowder with fresh lump crabmeat was a standout. Another hit was rare, seared coriander-crusted ahi tuna. I was impressed with fresh al dente ravioli stuffed with chicken, served in an aromatic fennel- and lemon-infused broth, and again with a lush pan-roasted slab of Chilean sea bass plated with sweet garlic
and saffron-stuffed tortelloni. Even a free-range chicken breast was juicier and more flavorful than most, served with a compelling scallion-soy noodle cake. An excellent pear-almandine tart with white chocolate mousse was an apt conclusion. A shortfall was service, which, while caring, didn't approach the caliber of the food.
2. Polo Restaurant (Entrees, $27 to $38) and
Rein Bar & Bistro
Garden City Hotel
45 Seventh St.
Garden City
516-877-9353
Polo is a "room" in the true sense, a plush and elegant retreat whose walls are lined with polo-themed art. Service is helpful, unobtrusive, first-rate. Dinner began with an intriguing grilled octopus salad with arugula, fennel, fava beans, black olives, orange sections, smoked paprika-toasted almonds and cucumber-mint yogurt. Chilled white asparagus soup with grilled corn-crabmeat salad was light and refreshing, while sautéed scallops in brown butter with caperberries and cauliflower puree proved highly savory. But an arugula, beet and goat cheese salad with red wine vinaigrette and sun-dried cherries seemed lackluster, as did an entree of overcooked lobster medallions, roasted in the shell with gratinéed fennel and claw meat fricassee. In a multi-part mushroom "tasting," a breaded portobello was heavy, a mushroom "cappuccino" separated, a novel truffled mac and cheese -- each piece of pasta stuffed with a cheese filling -- was nearly ice cold, while a wild mushroom strudel was just OK. On the other hand, an evening special of sautéed skate wing was executed flawlessly. For dessert, clementine cheesecake with plum salsa and coconut sorbet was good, but I expected great.
Rein Bar & Bistro is a place to enjoy power breakfasts served with style. Orange juice is freshly squeezed; apple pancakes are airy, a fluffy Cheddar-and-spinach omelet light and meltingly good. At lunch or dinner, you won't want to miss the dynamite burger, but ask them to hold the Boursin "cheese."
3. Bistro 58 (Entrees, $10 to $33)
Islandia Marriott
3635 Express Dr. N.
Islandia
631-232-3000
This soaring light-filled atrium makes a pleasant backdrop for a meal. At dinner, I observed business people as well as one family whose kids were at the table in bathing suits. An evening meal began with fine crab cakes, panko-crusted and virtually all crab within. Our waitress handed us a special Indian menu (every choice, curiously, priced at $25), usually offered, she said, to British and Indian customers. Both chicken tikka masala and saag paneer (spinach with cheese) were well-executed, accompanied by chapati, a too-sweet raita (cucumber-yogurt relish) and rice. A Thai ginger-grilled chicken salad with mizuna greens, toasted almonds and rice noodles, dressed with a ginger-soy vinaigrette, was a sprightly alternative. Dessert was a respectable (but not house-made) chocolate cake.
4. Cristina's (Entrees, $24 to $36)
Roslyn Claremont Hotel
1221 Old Northern Blvd.
Roslyn
516-625-2700
There's a dreamy, boudoir-like vibe to this cozy room done in lavender and white, with billowy white fabric and moon-shaped wall-hangings. We overheard our two waiters arguing about how they were going to tell the pork loin from the beef tenderloin once they were ready (perhaps they should have asked the chef). When the time came, they mixed up the two dishes. They also forgot one person's order, which arrived half an hour late. While a portobello-mushroom bisque was pleasingly herbal, a bready crab cake tasted more like a salmon croquette. Beef-tenderloin medallions turned out to be juicy and tender, as did a complex pork-tenderloin dish, which the menu said was dusted with the odd combo of Kona coffee and cocoa powder (those flavors were imperceptible) and finished with a blueberry Port reduction. Simple and good was a breast of chicken scallopine in a lemony piccata sauce. The restaurant turns out a pretty decent pizza margherita, pleasing two kids in our group. A grilled steak sandwich on garlic baguette was fine, once it arrived. So were the cheesecake and Key lime pie.
5. Baldino's (Entrees, $16 to $30)
Marriott Residence Inn
9 Gerhard Rd.
Plainview
516-433-6200
It's hard to locate this hotel and equally difficult to park. Once you've found it, Baldino's is a comfortable spot, its focal point a huge tank of bright tropical fish. To begin, chicken pot stickers teamed with peanut dipping sauce, an appealing choice. Cream of mushroom soup had a nice, woodsy flavor and crab cakes were mostly crab, served with a roasted sweet-red-pepper puree and pineapple salsa. I liked the "chef's classic" salad, a lively toss of mesclun, Gorgonzola, sesame walnuts, diced pears and dried cranberries in a hazelnut-oil dressing. Then, the meal veered off course. A New York strip steak was chewy and overcooked, as were grilled pork chops served with weird apple-cranberry slaw. The chef also overdid the sesame-crusted tuna; it came with a sloppy melange of Asian vegetables, lime, ginger, garlic, steamed rice and wasabi cream. I wished, too, that the pan-roasted Long Island breast of duck were medium rare and carefully plated instead of well-done and mangled with a dark mixture of honey-roasted plums and sweet chile-apple glacé. We finished with fairly decent caramel-fudge cake from an outside bakery and simple New York-style cheesecake.
6. Champions Sports Bar Restaurant (entrees, $10.25 to $32.95) and
Prime Seasons (entrees, $15 to $31)
Long Island Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
101 James Doolittle Blvd.
Uniondale, 516-794-3800.
Although there are two restaurants at this bustling hotel near the Nassau Coliseum, only Champions (a sports-themed eatery) was open the night we went. Both menus were available, though, executed by the same kitchen, we were assured. The cavernous crowded spot, with a lively bar scene, was festooned with all manner of memorabilia from every sport; there was even a miniature hockey rink. Dinner began with a thick, chunky Long Island clam chowder, a tomato-cream soup reminiscent of vodka sauce. Sliders (miniature cheeseburgers) were irresistible, scarfed down within moments. On the other hand, a tasting plate of salmon three ways (house-cured, pastrami-smoked and poached), from Prime Seasons' menu, was an over-salty, stingily portioned flop. A grilled rib-eye steak, a bit chewy, was flavorful, but grilled chicken fajitas were overcooked and uninspired. Best was an Atlantic seafood stew from Prime Seasons -- shrimp, scallops, clams, lobsters and mussels in a saffron-fennel broth. A decent brownie hot-fudge dessert was topped with something resembling shaving cream.
7. Monroe's Supper Club (Lunch entrees, $8.95 to $11.95)
Holiday Inn
215 Sunnyside Blvd.
Plainview
516-349-7400
It's not just the dining room but the entire hotel that can use an update. The room, with a stage on one side, is done in a retro teal and mauve motif, the vinyl placemats matching the color scheme. Servers were affable and efficient. A recent dinner began with crab cakes (a bit greasy but, at least, mostly crab) topped with a red pepper remoulade. A bowl of turkey gumbo proved rousing. Less impressive was an over-grilled salmon fillet topped with a congealed Dijon mustard sauce. But a special of rare spice-rubbed "cowboy" shell steak had lots of fiery flavor. Too bad the accompanying vegetables were cooked to a gray and watery state. Dessert was a decent chocolate mousse cake, from an outside bakery.
8. Great American Grill (entrees, $10.95 to $21)
Hilton Garden Inn Islip/MacArthur Airport
3485 Veterans Memorial Hwy.
Ronkonkoma
631-738-7800
Two years ago, I enjoyed a surprisingly successful dinner here, but, sadly, nowadays the menu has radically changed, as have the chef and the servers. A recent dinner started out with a salty but not-too-terrible sherry-spiked French onion soup. A Caesar salad, made with out-of-the-box croutons, was blah. While awaiting our entrees, we watched a man explode because the waitress had left his soup to cool on the ledge. My pesto-glazed salmon over mashed potatoes with asparagus was a plate of
insipid food. Best was a "blackened" burger -- overdone, yes, but at least passable.
9. Giraffe Room Lounge & Restaurant (Entrees, $17 to $27)
Inn at Great Neck
30 Cutter Mill Rd.
Great Neck
516-665-0501
When I initially reviewed this restaurant, six years ago, it was a vibrant spot with an interesting, well-executed menu. On a more recent visit, it was hardly recognizable. The faux Art Deco decor looked depressing; service was noncaring. An appetizer of seared tuna, requested very rare, was overcooked (and a cheap grade of fish, at that), served over droopy greens with a flavorless slaw. A salmon fillet, on the other hand, was nicely grilled but undermined by its accompaniment, a waterlogged medley of previously frozen vegetables and a rice pilaf. Rosemary-roasted chicken was another overcooked debacle, devoid of rosemary flavor. Paprika-dusted roasted potatoes, though, were fine.
10. Watercolors Garden Cafe (Lunch entrees, $7 to $12)
Hilton Long Island/Huntington
598 Broad Hollow Rd.
Melville
631-845-1000.
I remember when this sun-filled lobby restaurant overlooking the pool downstairs was new and grand. That was close to 20 years ago. While the decor seems unchanged, the cuisine has deteriorated markedly. Lunch began with a "crispy" oyster mushroom with a horseradish cream sauce, a garnish that took 15 minutes to be delivered. It couldn't save that mushroom, a tough, greasy, batter-crusted disaster. A grilled chicken-pesto muffaletta sandwich was odd and off-tasting, the chicken cooked to ossification. A pulled-pork sandwich had been made with bottled barbecue sauce. Then, there was a tropical shrimp "Cobb" salad of fruits, nuts and undercooked watery shrimp. The service was as clueless and uncaring as the cooking.
Whitman's Bar & Grill, just off the Hilton lobby, offers better service than Watercolors, but the food is inconsistent. Inedibly salty, bready baked clams were singed on top, but duck confit was decent. Pan-roasted salmon with crawfish risotto, a fussy dish, outclassed the Chinese "BBQ" skirt steak, which tasted of commercial marinade and was served over medicinal-tasting broccoli rabe and cold mashed potatoes.
