Dining Detours
Before or after your destination comes a detour. Dining Detours recommends places to eat across the communities and hubs of Long Island, from the beach to the ballpark, the downtowns to the resort areas. It's an ongoing series so you'll know where to go when you've reached where you want to be.
The Hamptons International Film Festival unspools Oct. 15-19. It's easy to find a fine, expensive meal close to the movies, but you can locate a few recession-busters, too. Here are four. (Oct 10, 2008)
After pumpkin picking, you'll need a comfortable, kid-friendly spot for a quick meal and a break from the action. Here are four unpretentious spots, near the fields or on the way back. (Oct 3, 2008)
Autumn moves in with bracing soups, roasts and big red wines. There are restaurants that seem as if they could serve these dishes and drinks year-round. Here are four to start the season. (Sep 26, 2008)
It's a big weekend for local school sports. But if you're more attuned to out-of-state college football, the NFL or crunchtime in major-league baseball, there are plenty of places to bring you the games, with a chaser. You'll never have a shortage of big-screen TVs at these four establishments.
Before you trade in that short-sleeve number for a sweater, squeeze in at least one more alfresco evening. After all, you can hum "Summer Wind" at least another week. Here are four outdoor tables: (Sep 12, 2008)
The Metro NY Balloon & Music Festival is slated to take flight Friday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 10, at Brookhaven Calabro Airport in Shirley. The events include more than 35 hot-air balloons and 40-plus bands. Tickets are $20 for adults; $12 for ages 5 to 11; and free for kids 4 and younger. For additional information: 516-794-4444; metronyballoonfest.com. (Aug 8, 2008)
The East End's catch of seafood restaurants is too big and not big enough: plenty of eateries, but not exactly full of stars. Here are four specialists to satisfy this season's appetite: (Aug 1, 2008)
The 10th Annual Riverhead Blues Festival sounds off this weekend, behind East Main Street along the Peconic River. Admission to the Saturday-Sunday show is $10; it's free for children younger than 12. Here are four choices for chow. (Jul 18, 2008)
You're sticky and salty after a day at the beach. Part of you wants to go home and shower before dinner; the other part just wants to eat. Relax. You and the family won't have to change out of your swimsuits or shake sand from your flip-flops at any these casual outdoor spots. Best of all, they're either right at the beach or a short drive away. (Jun 25, 2008)
Here are three of our choices for great places to eat in Sayville.
In spring and summer, Long Island's wine country harvests a new crop: tourists. On weekends, tasting rooms begin to fill up faster than the stemware. Weekdays, there's an increase in visitors, too. (May 22, 2008)
Ben's Kosher Deli & Restaurant, 59 Old Country Rd., Carle Place; 516-742-3354. The closest branch of the reliable deli. Recommended for soups and the overstuffed sandwiches, especially corned beef, pastrami, turkey, hard salami. (May 9, 2008)
It's Friday night and downtown Huntington is jumping. (Apr 1, 2008)
Looking for a good meal in the shadow of Yankee Stadium can be as hard as batting against Mariano Rivera in October.
There are some big questions about Opening Day. Will
Santana win 20? Will Reyes steal 75? Will Wright be MVP? (Mar 28, 2008)
Woodbury is serious restaurant country. This suburban hamlet without so much as a proper downtown is teeming with places to shop and dine. Should your car break down along Jericho Turnpike, you may not find a service station right away, but chances are you're within walking distance of a fine Asian chicken salad, a pastrami sandwich, a sashimi platter or a Kobe steak. (Nov 30, 2007)
Great Neck has one of Long Island's most vital boutique shopping districts. This year, instead of relying on the local mall, get an old-fashioned "Main Street" experience when shopping for Hanukkah and Christmas gifts. (Some of the shops have luxurious gift wrapping.) Best of all, these shops are situated alongside a wealth of good restaurants - not an Auntie Anne's pretzel in sight. (Nov 23, 2007)
If you're shopping at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, you can combine retail therapy with culinary adventure. Along with an upgraded assortment of stores, you'll find a good variety of lunch and dinner spots, both within the mall and nearby. In addition to the restaurants listed below, there's also a TGI Friday's and a Ruby Tuesday on-site, as well as an Applebee's, a Houlihan's and an IHOP a short distance away. (Nov 14, 2007)
Grasso's, 134 Main St.; 631-367-6060. Open for lunch and dinner, Grasso's retains some of the Italian flavor of its former incarnation, Trattoria Grasso, with plenty of pastas, but the menu now includes New American, Asian and Mediterranean flourishes as well. At lunch, burgers, main-dish salads and a fish sandwich are available. (Nov 7, 2007)
B.K. Sweeney's Parkside Tavern, 356 Broadway, Beth.page; 516-935-9597. Pubby and friendly, B.K. Sweeney's lures you with chicken potpie, meat loaf with garlic-mashed potatoes, shell steaks, hamburgers, and Monte Cristo and club sandwiches. (Sep 26, 2007)
You should find easy parking as well as satisfying eats at the following restaurants, all within close range of Nassau Coliseum in East Garden City. (Oct 17, 2007)
Wild Honey, 1 E. Main St.; 516-922-4690. A downtown star is Wild Honey, situated in what used to be Theodore Roosevelt's summer executive office. The fine fare includes a pulled pork quesadilla, sake-steamed clams with Chinese sausage, Thai-style snapper in coconut-lime broth, grilled hanger steak, a crab cake wrap and a riff on cobb salad. (Jul 11, 2007)
In West Islip proper, Nonnina Italian Bistro, 999 Montauk Hwy, West Islip, 631-321- 8717, makes for a worthy destination. Here, you'll find a vibrant Italian menu featuring such dishes as whole roasted branzino and a Berkshire Farms pork chop with cherry peppers and sweet apple. (Sep 19, 2007)
At the atmospheric and venerable Birchwood Tap Room, 512 Pulaski St., 631-727-4449, you can choose among an all-American burger, a steak or Polish kielbasa with sauerkraut. A roster of Irish and American specialties is the attraction at Digger's Fine Food & Spirits, 58 W. Main St., 631-369-3200, where there's shepherd's pie as well as marinated steak, salads and sandwiches. At Michaels' at the Boardwalk, 65 E. Main St., 631-591- 2710, well-known Long Island chef Michael Meehan's new spot, the contemporary American menu runs the gamut from free-range chicken potpie to lobster roll to roasted Crescent Farm duck. Meehan also offers an appetizer of Polish Town kielbasa, a nod to the town's heritage. Parto's, 12 W. Main St., 631-727-4828, is a lively downtown spot for brick-oven pizza, calzone and red-sauce Italian specialties. At Taqueria Mexico, 709 E. Main St., 631-208- 2902, a modest and authentically Mexican cafe, you'll find tacos made with handmade tortillas, along with satisfying huaraches and tamales. (Aug 13, 2007)
In Bridgehampton, World Pie, 2402 Montauk Hwy., 631-537-7999, is a popular destination for designer pizzas and a global menu. The Dutch-style hand-cut fries are a must. Almond, 1970 Montauk Hwy., Bridgehampton, 631-537-8885, is both a hip scene and a comfortable place for families with kids. The French bistro-style menu ranges from croque Monsieur sandwich to steak frites; the mac and cheese is a sure child-pleaser. Speaking of kids, they may be happy enough with a slice or a calzone at The Pizza Place, 2123 Montauk Hwy, Bridgehampton, 631-537-7865, which does the simple things well. (Aug 20, 2007)
Music fans wearing shorts and T-shirts will fit right in at Bobbique, 70 W. Main St., 631-447-7744, a barbecue joint where the smoky St. Louis ribs, chicken, pulled pork and brisket are complemented by fried pickle chips, mac and cheese and baked beans. Wash it all down with one of myriad beers and conclude with "Lincoln logs," ingenious little French toast sticks. (Jul 6, 2007)
A refreshing stop is the Tiger Lily Cafe, bastion of the healthful and the alternative. The cafe specializes in fruit juices and fruit smoothies, soy protein energy drinks, and assorted wraps and sandwiches, many of them vegetarian. The cappuccino-espresso bar will provide the drive for the rest of your day. Tiger Lily Cafe, 156 E. Main St.; 631-476-7080. (Jul 4, 2007)
Ships Inn, 78 Main St. Northport, 631-261-3000, is a nautical spot whose chef owner, Mark Bergbuchler, offers a menu stressing seafood and pasta. The restaurant, which bought two seats at every performance at the new theater, stages a nightly drawing for tickets to a subsequent show. Bergbuchler also features breakfast on weekends, offering everything from pancakes to eggs Benedict to steak and eggs.
Benten Japanese Restaurant, 331 Route 25A, Mount Sinai; 631-473-7878. Sushi and sashimi are the staples at Benten, but the restaurant also succeeds with assorted teriyakis and tempuras. The sukiyaki is made with either beef or chicken, as is the negimaki. The lunch specials include soup, salad, dumplings and pickles. Also satisfying are the buckwheat soba; and plump, white udon noodles. The sushi/sashimi choices may include fatty tuna, Spanish
mackerel, eel, fluke, bonito and yellowtail. (Sep 12, 2007)
Gino's Tuscany, 517 Main St., Islip; 631-581-9510. A haven for panini, pastas, huskier fare and Italian ices, Gino's knows how to satisfy the fan. Try the panino of eggplant, peppers and mozzarella. (Aug 1, 2007)
Salvatore's, 124 Shore Rd.; 516-883-8457. Coal-fired, brick-oven pizzas are the attraction. Go for the essential Margherita, or turn creative with toppings including ricotta, eggplant, garlic, black olives, anchovies and pepperoni. A destination. (Sep 7, 2007)
Michaels' at the Boardwalk in downtown Riverhead is a recent addition and a
very good spot for crab cakes, chicken potpie, roast duck and grilled
kielbasa; 65 E. Main St., Riverhead; 631-591-2710. (Jun 13, 2007)
East of the track is King Umberto, which has reigned in the neighborhood for a few years longer than the last Triple Crown winner. It's a traditional, very satisfying spot that sometimes mixes a few nouvelle dishes among the familiar fare. The specials can range from strawberry salad to king crab legs oreganata, stuffed artichoke and beef braciola. And note that one of the best pizzerias near Belmont is the King's own, next door. 1343 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont; 516-352-3232. (Jun 6, 2007)
New to the neighborhood is George Martin's Coastal Grill (40 E. Park Ave., 516-432-2690). This is the offspring of the very popular George Martin in Rockville Centre. Plenty of seafood and beachy fare, but steaks and chops, too. (May 23, 2007)
BEST FOR ORDER AND PICKUP (Jun 6, 2007)
When court recesses for lunch, do justice to your appetite by sampling the wealth of culinary options within walking or short driving distances. Most come recommended by court personnel; some are Newsday discoveries. (Apr 18, 2007)
|
Photo Gallery
More Coverage
Photo Gallery
|
