Text size:

Business lunches on Long Island

Making a deal or breaking for lunch, these restaurants fit the bill

BY PETER M. GIANOTTI | peter.gianotti@newsday.com

April 23, 2008

Developer Vincent Polimeni wants to build a tunnel between Syosset and Rye. He also likes to dig in at Giulio Cesare in Westbury.

"Eating and exchanging information are tied together," the chairman of Polimeni International said. "You get more done when you have a nice lunch, can talk and relax."

And when it's time for a major business lunch, Polimeni's choices are the nearby Giulio Cesare and the still-nearer Ruth's Chris Steak House, located in his Garden City building.

These eateries, close to the business centers and courts in Nassau County, are busy midday. So are restaurants in Mineola and Garden City, Hauppauge and Riverhead, and almost every neighborhood where the business schedule has gone from martini-times-three to 24/7.

Popular spots for a business lunch aren't limited to white-tablecloth establishments, either. Everyone from the veteran CEO to the last-hired part-timer might need more than an energy bar at noon.

Your table is ready.

Big deal, fixed-price

Panama Hatties in Huntington Station has a $21 prix-fixe for polished New American food.

Beefeater, not in the glass

Heading the high-steaks race: Bryant & Cooper in Roslyn and Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville, if you like some noise on the side; Pace's in Hauppauge, Tellers Chophouse in Islip, Mac's Steakhouse and The Clubhouse in Huntington, if you don't.

Small budget, large appetite

The Nassau-Suffolk branches of Ben's Kosher Deli & Restaurant, Bagel Boss and Panera Bread all have portions suitable to satisfy the working appetite, and prices to match.

Tradition, tradition

One of the last first-class Continentals on Long Island is La Marmite in Williston Park. Order onion soup gratinee, pasta Bolognese, gâteau Saint-Honore, feel good about it. French: Bistro Cassis in Huntington, Brasserie Cassis in Plainview, Mirabelle in St. James.

Three-beer lunch

Southampton Publick House brews its own and has pubby stuff to go with it. Waterzooi in Garden City has what ales you, especially Belgian, and the right cuisine to go with the brews.

Molto

Casa Rustica in Smithtown is a star that's just removed enough from the biz galaxy to ensure some privacy, along with great pasta and seafood. Luigi Q in Hicksville is relaxed in approach, exciting on the plate. Arturo's in Bellerose and Caracalla in Syosset uphold Italian classics; so does La Spada on Route 110 in Huntington Station. Benny's in Westbury and Jonathan's in Huntington combine old and new. Stresa in Manhasset and Stresa East in Woodbury: elegant twins.

The Hauupauge Stretch

In Hauppauge, go the old-fashioned Italian route along Motor Parkway at Mario, San Marco and Sempre Vivolo; or veer off to New American at The Grill Room. Look for Cafe La Strada for Italian cooking away from the crowds.

Where the paparazzi won't find us

Spare, ultracasual, House of Dosas in Hicksville specializes in vegetarian Indian cooking without a camera in sight. Fortune in Westbury does the same with familiar Chinese. The Orient, top Chinese in Bethpage, is tucked away, but its profile is rising. Likewise, modest Siam Lotus Thai restaurant in Bay Shore and Nanking, a snappy Asian eatery in New Hyde Park. Elmer's in Commack is comfortably clear of the Vespa set. Three-star Jedediah's in Jamesport is New American well off the main road. And terrific Maxxels in Mineola, also New American, is buried in a shopping center anchored by a big bank.

Where we'll see and be seen

Giulio Cesare in Westbury still sends out spaghetti carbonara and seafood salad with fanfare. And since last year, Westbury's City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill sparks the business area that used to be Roosevelt Raceway. Rein Bar & Grill is the lunchtime magnet at the Garden City Hotel. So are Novita in Garden City and Riverbay in Williston Park. Davenport Press and The St. James in Mineola lure business clientele. And Toku is the hub of the Americana Manhasset shopping center. George Martin presides over Rockville Centre. Frederick's professionally does the Continental in Melville as it has for decades. And Four Food Studio & Cocktail Salon lights up Route 110 south of the LIEwith food, beverages and cotton candy, too. Rowdy Hall in East Hampton has bistro-pub dishes, a comfortable style, and, intended or not, a spotlight. The Riverhead Grill preserves the Fifties in menu and style. Accordingly, jammed.

Vox biz

Re: lunch, business - Matthew T. Crosson, president of the Long Island Association, says "I really do try to avoid it." Too much time. But "I'm in the Melville area ... Blackstone Steakhouse, Frederick's or Barolo - They are the most convenient." Elsewhere? "La Primavera," Hicksville.

This sporting life

Pregame, postgame, between innings, Frank Boulton is busy as a shortstop. The ex-bond trader is principal owner of the Long Island Ducks. His business lunches are off-season. "I like Tellers quite a bit." And when he's working on marketing, The Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip.