Best of Long Island restaurants
On Long Island, it's hard to be a vegetarian -- at least one who eats out a lot. With so few exclusively vegetarian/vegan spots to choose from, where does one go? Here are just a few suggestions where a dinner costs $15 to $30 a person: (Sep 7, 2008)
Cafe Havana Bar & Grill, 1 1/2 Stars (Sep 4, 2008)
Here's a quintet of local establishments where any fan will be braced for the results: (Jan 19, 2007)
Sandwiches deserve as much respect as any other dish -
maybe more. Creating a great sandwich entails finding the proper bread and treating it correctly, filling it with just the right amount (or, perhaps, a little too much) of meats and/or vegetables, heightening the flavors with carefully considered condiments and serving the whole shebang with a collegial side dish. Here are some places that get it all right. (Apr 18, 2008)
Decades before Jimmy Buffett marketed beach-bum chic via
"Margaritaville" and endless tie-ins, there was ... the Margarita. After Buffett's Jones Beach concert, or any night, Margaritas, with or without salt, are crowd-pleasers. (Aug 27, 2008)
For the true food lover, eating is not enough. We want to immerse ourselves in every facet of the gastronomic experience. Of course we want to eat, but we also want to shop for food -- and for cooking tools and serving pieces. We want to talk about food. We want to learn about food, and we want to learn about the world through food. (Mar 7, 2007)
The lobster is Long Island's official shellfish. Here are some restaurants across Nassau and Suffolk where you'll catch it: (Aug 16, 2006)
By definition, a day of fun on Long Island includes good eating. At the following restaurants, you'll find spirited fare and a tab of less than $30 a person. It's always a good idea to call for hours and, when possible, make reservations. (Jun 2, 2006)
The family-style Italian restaurant outlasts trends, defies fads and keeps customers. (Apr 4, 2008)
These casual and inexpensive restaurants rule the dine-out scene for many Long Islanders. While you won't find any gourmet fare at these spots, you can count on them to be consistent. (May 3, 2006)
That's barbecue, not grilling. And what better way to celebrate the first day of summer than up-to-here in sauce and napkins? Head to one of these joints. They're smokin'. (Jun 19, 2008)
Nothing says summer like a meal outdoors, be it in a tree-shaded garden, on a deck overlooking the water or at a simple roadside stand. (Jun 21, 2007)
A place surrounded by water should sport a drift net full of seafood restaurants. The harvest varies in Nassau and Suffolk, but you'll never be short of fried calamari or linguine with clam sauce. (May 16, 2008)
Few foods offer more bang for the bite than the all-American hot dog. (May 14, 2008)
Long Island is blessed with dozens of independent ice-cream parlors. Here are some of the more popular. A single-scoop cone will cost between $2 and $4. (Jul 23, 2007)
These days, you almost need a score card to keep up with myriad openings and closings of barbecue joints. That's why this list of reliable sources of 'cue should come in handy - for now, at least. (May 30, 2008)
Brunch is the type of meal you want to eat on a lazy Sunday, when waking up early isn't a priority. The beauty of brunch is that there are no rules - you can eat almost anything you like, from poached eggs or pancakes to a salad or sandwich to a serious pasta or steak. (Apr 11, 2008)
In January, when the best of intentions rule, those who have partied a bit too heartily over the holidays may resolve to change their eating habits. Some may decide to actually go on a specific diet, be it low-calorie, low-fat or low-carb. Others may opt to simply make more sensible choices. (Jan 4, 2008)
Looking for a great pie? You've come to the right place.
There's magic in good ground beef that's been shaped by hand and grilled to an ideal state of juiciness. These five Long Island spots offer burgers that relegate fast food patties to the slow lane.
After a day at the beach or at the museum, the kids are going to want to eat. Of course, not just any place will do. First, you'd like to be somewhere near your activities. Then, you want your choice to be a family spot as well as one easy on the wallet. Good food and atmosphere count, too.
Having eaten my way through too many sliders, I've come to a new respect for the original White Castle model. I've also arrived at the conclusion that fancier and costlier -- i.e., American Kobe beef on a toasted brioche -- isn't always better. A slider, after all, does have to slide down easily. Here are some I've sampled recently. (Oct 26, 2007)
Any local diner can make you eggs, but how many places can serve you a breakfast that will make your day?
When was the last time you ordered pigs' knuckles and sauerkraut?
At times, it may seem that there is but one diner on Long Island - one that was somehow cloned and distributed throughout Nassau and Suffolk. How else to explain all the glitzy exteriors, 10-page menus and glass showcases of gorgeous but ghastly desserts? (Mar 14, 2007)
It takes millions of years for a star to form from clouds of dust and gas, from fusion and explosion. (Oct 12, 2007)
When you eat can be as important as what you eat, if you know the ropes. (Jan 10, 2007)
Eat all you care to for one price at these eateries, which only represent some of the Asian-style buffet restaurants on Long Island. When planning a family outing, keep in mind that children generally are charged by height; anyone over 4 1/2 feet tall usually is considered an adult.
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)
My quest for sushi outside the Asian restaurant realm led to some of the best and worst fish-eating experiences I've had on Long Island. Still, I came through it all without so much as a tummy ache. (Oct 4, 2006)
The sign at Frank's Steaks, a bastion of beef known for grilled rib eye, announces "We Ain't Just Steaks." (Jan 31, 2007)
First, you settled into a cozy vinyl-upholstered booth under hanging paper lanterns. Your waiter, dressed in a short red jacket, brought a pot of tea, a bowl of fried noodles and a saucer each of duck sauce and Chinese mustard. (Feb 21, 2007)
The word "deli" has come to characterize a store that prepares a vast array of sandwiches that are quickly assembled, wrapped and dispatched to on-the-go customers. Once upon a time, though, "deli" was short for "kosher delicatessen," a restaurant that specialized in the cured meats and hearty fare of a Jewish immigrant community that adapted its Eastern European cuisine to life in the American city. Long Island is lucky to have a number of great kosher and kosher-style delis. (May 18, 2007)
Add a good lunch to a day of shopping and you're looking at retail therapy at its most satisfying. (May 2, 2007)
Springtime starts with pasta primavera. (Mar 21, 2007)
The reputation of Ireland's cuisine traditionally has lagged behind that of the island's beverages. On Long Island, Irish food rarely rises above pub fare.
Here are just some of the restaurants offering authentic ethnic cuisine on Long Island. Keep in mind that most, but not all, items on each menu represent the food of that ethnicity or region.
Lobster bisque has its advocates; chicken noodle, ardent fans; minestrone, devotees everywhere. And cream of mushroom proves its versatility each week. (Feb 28, 2007)
Two of our critics chime in with their recommendations for romantic rendezvous. (Jan 26, 2007)
On a blustery winter's day, nothing beats a bowl of steaming soup. But can soup constitute an entire meal? To answer such a profound question (the subject of an entire "Seinfeld" episode), you might want to try one - or more - of the five stellar soups from these Long Island locales: (Jan 3, 2007)
The flavors of Thailand are multi-layered and complex, subtle yet assertive. We give you five of our favorite spots to sample Thai cuisine, both mild and mouth-tingling. (Dec 15, 2006)
From its origins in northern California, "New American" cuisine spread nationwide, redefining what the country cooks. Locally, the style has taken many forms, and resulted in some of Long Island's most appealing restaurants. Here are five.
Today, a "continental" restaurant could mean Asian, South American, Australian, African or combinations thereof. Things change. (Nov 17, 2006)
Some days, nothing quite hits the spot like a juicy kebab straight off the spit. The following five Turkish restaurants have a way with skewered meats, as well numerous other regional specialties. (Nov 8, 2006)
The words "bistro" and "brasserie" undergo a lot of definitions on Long Island. But the best way to categorize each is that a bistro is pretty small and mainly homey; a brasserie, pretty big and very busy. Plenty of fruity red wine flows in a bistro; beers highlight a brasserie. (Nov 8, 2006)
Where do you go for the lively flavors of Central and South America? This alphabetical list will guide you to five favorites. (Oct 20, 2006)
If you're planning a special evening for Valentine's Day, you'd better get cracking. Feb. 14 is one of the restaurant industry's busiest nights. Here are some choices to help you plan a romantic dinner.
She cooked dinner for you the whole time you were growing up -- or else she got takeout on her way home from work -- or else she ordered the pizza ... except when it was Dad's turn. Well, in any event, she paid for all your food. Now it's time to repay her with a knockout Mother's Day meal.
We are well into the soft-shell crab season when, having molted, the hard-shell crustaceans are temporarily stripped of their armor. No need for claw crackers or mallets; all you need are knife and fork to enjoy these briny, succulent specimens. Where to find them? You may want to start at one of these spots: (Jun 27, 2008)
Hungry landlubbers see Long Island as a network of roads leading to dinner. The view from the water is a little different: All around the Island -- from Point Lookout to Patchogue to Montauk, into Peconic Bay to Shelter Island and Greenport, then along the North Shore from Port Jefferson to Huntington to Port Washington -- inlets and coves lead to restaurants where you can dock your boat and then dine. Luckily for the landlubbers, all of these eateries are accessible by car as well. Here's a sampling. (Jul 17, 2008)
Developer Vincent Polimeni wants to build a tunnel between Syosset and Rye. He also likes to dig in at Giulio Cesare in Westbury. (Apr 23, 2008)
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