The best things we ate on Long Island this summer

Teller's rib eye at Prime: An America Kitchen & Bar

Teller's rib eye at Prime: An American Kitchen & Bar (117 New York Ave., Huntington): Prime in Huntington lives up to its name with two great steaks, which highlighted summer and, fortunately, will be served year-round. The porterhouse for two, mineral-sweet and perfect medium-rare; and the Teller’s rib eye, named for Prime’s sibling in Islip, where it was first served, are the cuts of the season. Slight edge to the rib eye, a 21-day, dry-aged production that comes in at 40 ounces, on a showstopper, foot-long bone out of “The Flintstones.” You won’t need any sauces. But creamed spinach and whipped potatoes are the right company. More info: 631-385-1515, restaurantprime.com — Peter M. Gianotti 

Striped bass at Barn Door 49

Striped bass at Barn Door 49 (49 Main St., Bay Shore): This summer, Barn Door 49 took the place of the 18-year-old cafe Milk & Sugar (though Gina Jaworowski remains the owner). Barn Door 49’s rustic, gastropub looks belie the fact that some dishes have a fine-dining gloss, such as a showstopping entree of local striped bass draped across a ragout of cannellini beans. The fish skin was crackling-crisp, the flesh tender, and although the preparation appears to have changed — a summery tumble of vegetables now anchors the fillet — hope springs eternal that the original version will reappear. More info: 631-969-3655, barndoor49.com — Corin Hirsch 

Gnocchi alla bava at Bella Vie

Gnocchi alla bava at Bella Vie (240 W. Main St., Bay Shore): Gnocchi are abused on a daily basis across Long Island. Bullet-hard. Bland. Oversauced. But the gnocchi alla bava served at Bella Vie in Bay Shore make you forget all those abuses. They’re airy as a summer night, light and enriched with a creamy sauce of Fontina cheese, with threads of caramelized onion and tiny shavings of black truffle. Imagine what the dish will be like when white truffles are in season. So far, this is the pasta dell’anno. More info: 631-500-9045, thebellavie.com — Peter M. Gianotti

Shakshuka skillet at Rothchilds Coffee & Kitchen

Shakshuka skillet at Rothchilds Coffee & Kitchen (76 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck): The shakshuka skillet at Rothchilds Coffee & Kitchen in Great Neck: two poached eggs in a zesty sauce of tomatoes and peppers, with a little snowfall of crumbled feta cheese and a side of green tahini. The bright, savory dish started in North Africa and made its way to the Middle East. Shakshuka is a breakfast treat in Israel. And try the crushed-mint lemonade or any of the coffees. More info: 516-482-0434, rothchildskitchen.com — Peter M. Gianotti 

Capo delle tutte pizze at Avelino pizza truck

My path intersected with Avelino pizza twice this summer, once at the truck’s semi-permanent weekend home at Macari Vineyards in Mattituck, the other at a First Fridays festival on the town’s Love Lane, where the 32-foot-long repurposed shipping container is a regular visitor. The pies that Michael Vigliotti and Eddie Macari pull from their wood-burning oven are classically Neapolitan, puffy-crusted and pliant, with just the right amount of char. The capo delle tutte pizze is the “arrostito,” topped with fresh mozzarella, nduja (spreadable, spicy sausage), shaved red onion and cherry tomatoes. $20. Avelino Pizza is usually parked at Macari Vineyards, 150 Bergen Ave., Mattituck, from Thursday to Sunday, noon to 5:30 p.m. More info: 631-603-2590, go to avelinopizza.com, email hello@avalinopizza.com, follow @AvelinoPizza on Instagram.  — Erica Marcus

Tacos al pastor at Copper and Clay

Tacos al pastor at Copper and Clay (6 W. Park Ave., Long Beach): Tacos al pastor show up on a lot of Mexican menus on Long Island, but all too often they are filled with bits of pork that have been marinated and grilled. The true pastor (shepherd style) involves a vertical rotisserie stacked with slices of pork that are shaved off with a sharp knife, gyro style, and nestled into a tortilla with bits of pineapple. At Copper and Clay in Long Beach, the flavor ante is upped significantly by the use of Berkshire pork and fresh, handmade tortillas. These tortillas are not made from maseca (instant corn flour) but from field corn that is treated and ground on the premises. All of these extra steps conspire to make a taco that is one of Long Island’s very best, $4.50.  More info: 516-992-0628, copperandclaylb.com— Erica Marcus

Misto maromato at Il Vecchio Forno

Misto maromato at Il Vecchio Forno (1277 E. Jericho Tpke., Huntington): Though wood-fired pizza rules at Il Vecchio Forno, which opened late this spring, chef Pasquale Conte also proffers antipasti, seafood and pastas that exude soulfulness. I hope to return soon for the restaurant’s misto marinato, a plate of slivered and cured fish — tuna, anchovies, swordfish and salmon — with the texture of satin and a sheath of citrus vinaigrette. It’s light enough for a hot summer night, but sturdy enough to bridge the seasons (at least, I hope it will). More info: 631-271-8900 — Corin Hirsch

Saganaki at Elaia Estiatorio

Saganaki atElaia Estiatorio (95 School St., Bridgehampton): Saganaki is a familiar choice on the menus of Greek restaurants in Nassau and Suffolk. It’s usually a straightforward appetizer of fried cheese, often rubberized, using either kefalograviera or haloumi. The version at Elaia Estiatorio in Bridgehampton is made with feta cheese, sesame-crusted and pan-fried, accompanied by tomato marmalade. Cue a vacation on Santorini, and a bottle of Assyrtiko or Moschofilero. More info: 631-613-6469, elaiaestiatorio.com — Peter M. Gianotti 

Roasted bone marrow at Harley's American Grille

Roasted bone marrow at Harley’s American Grille (283 Main St., Farmingdale): Chops rule at Harley’s American Grille, the new downtown Farmingdale steakhouse, but the restaurant’s roasted bone marrow is just as alluring as the dry-aged steaks here. The kitchen’s bone marrow appetizer is probably the largest I’ve ever encountered, with deep, giving veins of fatty marrow prickling with zesty gremolata and a hint of sweetness from a bacon jam. Smeared on toast, it tastes almost illegal. More info: 516-586-8000, harleysamericangrille.com — Corin Hirsch

Fresh tomato sandwich

Come August, anyone who follows @erica_marcus on Instagram knows that my office lunch of choice is a tomato sandwich made with exactly four ingredients: tomato, toast, mayonnaise, salt. No restaurant version is more delicious. I’ve taken heat for my preference for American-style sliced white bread and commercial mayonnaise, but this is not the time for your ciabatta and homemade garlic aioli. Spread two pieces of toast thinly but surely with mayonnaise. Using a serrated knife, cut the tomato into half-inch slices and lay them close together on the toast. (You can cut remaining tomato slices into slivers that will fill in the gaps.) Salt the tomatoes, top with the second piece of toast and cut the sandwich in half. This is a fragile construction, so my advice is, once you start eating, don’t put the half sandwich down until you’re finished.  — Erica Marcus