8 best things we ate on Long Island this month

Newsday's food team eats out every day of the week on Long Island in search of standout meals at a good value. Here are their favorite dishes from the past few weeks:

Shortbread fries from Vienna Cookie Company

Selected famers markets

Heidi Riegler generally sticks to Austrian classics — apple strudel, Linzer cookies, Sacher tortes — at her Vienna Cookie Company. But this summer, she launched a cheeky all-American treat: buttery shortbread "fries" with homemade raspberry "ketchup." They are available for $10 at farmers markets in Westhampton Beach (Saturday), Montauk (Thursday) and alternate Sundays in Babylon. More info: 516-665-1710, viennacookiecompany.com

Clams casino at Schultzy’s

265 Bayville Ave., Bayville

There’s not much you can do to improve a local little neck clam aside from shucking it, but Schultzy’s makes the best clams casino ($18.72) I can remember eating. It helps that the restaurant’s owner, bayman Jimmy Schultz, rakes in the clams himself, and they are shucked immediately before being topped with (not buried in) seasoned breadcrumbs and bacon. Incidentally, this dish is not Italian; it was invented in 1917 by Julius Keller, maitre d' of The Casino, a restaurant in Narragansett, Rhode Island. More info: 516-588-6240, longislandrawbar.com/restaurant

— Erica Marcus 

From the owners of Sunset Club at Tappan Beach and nearby Cooper Bluff comes a new concession stand that nearly kisses the shoreline of Oyster Bay’s favorite under-the-radar summer spot, Theodore Roosevelt Beach. There, at The Sandbox, I had two of my favorite bites this month, from two of the rotating vendors that will be popping up at the space.

Prosciutto and arugula pizza from Corato Pizza Truck

Based out of Ridgewood, Queens, Corato II has been in the pizza business for over 50 years and their truck is a mobile version of what they’re doing in Ridgewood. Serving fresh-from-the-wood-burning-oven pies, ranging from $20-$26, these were some of the best slices I’ve had lately — perfectly cheesy, lightly crisp bottom, solid red sauce, airy crust. Choose from classic options like traditional cheese, Margherita, marinara, and pepperoni, while more creative options include the mortadella and burrata topped with pistachios, the colorful prosciutto and arugula, a ricotta topped white Bianco pie, and a Buffalo chicken pie. I admit; I tried them all. My favorite was the prosciutto and arugula, in a tie with the Bianco, but really, you can’t go wrong. More info: coratofood.com

Peconic Bay oysters from North Fork Big Oyster

There’s little that compares to slurping down a freshly caught and shucked oyster out on the bay. But Eric Koepele, from North Fork Big Oyster — who also happens to be the president of the Long Island Oyster Growers Association — shucking fresh oysters on-site from a cart full of ice at The Sandbox is a close second. The oysters we had were caught that morning and were LouLou Belle Peconic oysters grown by North Fork Big Oyster. Sold two for $5, these small but briny bivalves are the perfect way to take in summer next to the shore. More info: northforkbigoyster.com

— Marie Elena Martinez 

Loaded sweet potato at Sun Life Organics

1615 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Tpke., Sag Harbor

The Malibu-based health-focused brand Sun Life Organics opened at the end of May in the former Estia's Little Kitchen. Sun Life Organics' mouthwatering loaded sweet potato ($24) just deepened how much I love the earthy and sweet vegetable. The loaded whole sweet potato was made with miso chive sour cream, turmeric, chicken and citrus crema served on Tuscan citrus kale and microgreens. It's the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. More info: 631-919-5007, sunlifeorganics.com

Chicken Caesar Sando from Whiskey Down Diner

252 Main St., Farmingdale

I recently thought that I had eaten my fill of Caesar salad for at least a month or two after writing about "girl dinner," but Whiskey Down Diner's Chicken Caesar Sando ($24) changed my mind. This was an awesome take on my favorite type of sandwich, chicken. The sandwich is made with fried chicken topped with Caesar salad, served on a Parmesan-crusted pretzel croissant. The flavor of the cheesy and soft pretzel croissant blended well with the savory chicken and tangy Caesar dressing. More info: 516-927-8264, whiskeydowndiner.com

— Melissa Azofeifa  

Trabzon yagli pide at Lale

60 W. Montauk Hwy., Lindenhurst

The FeedMe team had a blowout lunch this month at strip-mall Turkish market Lale, which added a casual dining room earlier this year. It’s honestly hard to single out a specific dish because the table was packed with supremely flavorful spreads, yogurty dumplings and homestyle breads of various shapes and toppings. But the trabzon yagli pide ($16.99) was a sight to behold, a round pizzalike flatbread that’s topped with oodles of melted butter and a barely cooked egg yolk, which you pierce with your knife and spread around the oven-baked masterpiece. The best meal. More info: 631-592-4550, instagram.com/lalerestaurantny

The Smokey Garden cocktail at Harvest House

352 Hempstead Ave., Malverne

Now here’s a drink that’ll please even the most ardent and insufferable cocktail snob (me). The cocktail program at Harvest House follows the same farm-to-table logic as the food menu, using syrups and purees that are sourced with produce from nearby Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's. The most interesting of the bunch was a savory-ish take on a margarita, featuring a beautiful strained pea puree that amps up the green color of the drink. Instead of tequila, the mezcal gives it a slightly smoky undertone, but the Smokey Garden ($16) is still light and fresh like a patio sipper. It tastes like boozy veggie juice. More info: 516-400-9000, harvesthousetavern.com

— Andi Berlin