Feed Me

Now, as in summers past, Nick & Toni's continues to draw a star-studded crowd. Here's the past week's rundown, so far:

On Tuesday, Naomi Watts and four girlfriends had fresh pasta and zucchini chips followed by house-made tartufo in the front room.

On Wednesday, Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky sat outside on the patio. They had a light dinner but went wild with tartufo for dessert

On Thursday, Mrs. Jon Bon Jovi (Dorothea Hurley) had a girls' night out while theater director Susan Stroman made the scene with friends, as well.

Friday night, our spies report that Kelsey and Camille Grammer were there. So was record executive L.A. Reid (chairman and CEO of Island Def Jam Music Group), accompanied by his wife.

What intrigues me about Nick & Toni's is not so much the Who's Who list but rather the house-made tartufo. I mean how many places outside of Italy actually make their own?

Nick & Toni's is at 136 N Main St., East Hampton, 631-324-3550, nickandtonis.com.

— Joan Reminick

Howard Stern and wife Beth Ostrosky (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Sushi-holics who could never get enough of the raw stuff at Nisen Sushi in Commack may want to travel to Woodbury for their fish fixes. At least for awhile. That's because the Commack restaurant is closed while it undergoes expansion and renovation.

The place is scheduled to reopen August 6th. In case you're wondering, the restaurant won't be a clone of the Woodbury locale (which features a New American bill of fare) but rather a bigger, more contemporary-looking version of its traditional Japanese self.

Nisen Sushi of Commack is at 5032 Jericho Tpke., Commack, 631-462-1000
Nisen Sushi is 7967 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury, 516-496-7000, nisensushi.com.

— Joan Reminick

Photo of construction/expansion site/Joan Reminick

A 21-year old Williston Park pizza parlor/Italian eatery has spawned a more sophisticated new offspring.

Frantoni’s Pizzeria & Ristorante made its debut an East Meadow strip mall nine weeks ago. Half of the place is a seat-yourself pizzeria, the rest a full service dining room. And, yes, you can order pizza if you’re dining in the restaurant section.

The place is owned by two brothers, Steve and Michael Mistretta. In a gesture of respect, they named it in honor of their parents, Francesca and Antonio Mistretta. Michael, who is executive chef, relies mostly upon family recipes. The brothers are constantly going back and forth between the two locales, staying on top of operations, maintaining old relationships and cultivating new ones.

Frantoni’s is at 1928 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow, 516-794-7878, frantonis.com.

—Joan Reminick

Pizza photo courtesy of frantonis.com

Golfers working up an appetite can take advantage of a deal at Stonewalls Restaurant, located at The Woods at Cherry Creek Golf Course in Riverhead. Every Sunday and Monday this summer, $50 will buy you nine holes of golf, with a golf cart; tee times start at 3 p.m.

Afterward, a three-course prix-fixe goes for $27.50. Appetizer choices include a Long Island Crescent Farm duck terrine with foie gras and truffles, followed, perhaps by a fricassee of organic chicken Basquaise with rice pilaf. Dessert might be a Tahitian vanilla caramel custard.

Stonewalls is at 967 Reeves Ave., Riverhead. For reservations, call 631-506-0777x4 or go online to stonewalls-restaurant.com.

— Joan Reminick

Driving along Montauk Highway, I came upon the Garage Bar & Grill in Bayport. Open all of two weeks, it looks to be a highly informal – and attractive – spot for classic pub grub: appetizers, burgers, wraps and salads.

Later, I called executive chef owner Chris Havlik, who said he hand-forms burgers and freshly cuts potatoes before frying them up. Hand cut fries instead of frozen crinkle-cuts? That's raising the bar on bar food.

The Garage will be closed for the day this Saturday, reopening on Sunday. It's located at 667 Montauk Hwy., Bayport, 631-207-2000.

—Joan Reminick

Photo/Joan Reminick

Remember when Chinese food on Long Island was as easy to find as pizza? Hardly the case these days. So you can imagine how my pulse quickened when I came upon a new Chinese restaurant – a real one that doesn’t serve sushi – in Mineola.

Wong’s Noodle House made its debut last month on the site that used to house Chinatown Chef. I popped in and found a bright modern yellow-hued dining room and a menu that listed noodle soups (like shredded pork with pickled cabbage), noodle dishes (like chow fun and mei fun) and such suburban classics as twice cooked pork and General Tso’s chicken.

Hope the eating is as good as the reading.

Wong's Noodle House is at 98 Mineola Blvd., Mineola, 516-747-4547.

—Joan Reminick

Photo of noodles (not from Wong's) from photos.com

This past weekend saw a slew of boldface names at Hamptons eating spots both haute and humble.

On Thursday, Ed Burns got into ribs and chargrilled corn at Turtle Crossing in East Hampton. He was with his two kids plus two friends, but the young’uns got restless, so Burns had everything packed up to go.

Late Friday afternoon, Iron chef Bobby Flay and wife Stephanie were seen putting away tacos at a picnic table at La Fondita in Amagansett. Also on Friday, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber were spotted having an uber casual early-evening meal with son Sasha in the outdoor courtyard of Rowdy Hall in East Hampton. Sasha was tired, so they didn’t stay all that long. Later that same evening, hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons was seen dining at Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton with his daughters and his girlfriend.

Nick and Toni’s was swimming in stars Saturday night: Alec Baldwin and girlfriend Nicole Seidel were there. So were model-actress Molly Sims and a few girlfriends, as well as “Sex and the City” writer Darren Star and friends. Big-time investor Ron Perelman’s daughter Samantha celebrated her 19th birthday with friends on the porch while dad dined inside with his own crowd. Actress Amy Irving was on hand with her husband and mega-publicist Peggy Siegal. So was Patricia Wettig of “Brothers & Sisters,” accompanied by friends.

Sunday night, Kelsey Grammer was spotted picking up barbecue to go at Townline BBQ in Sagaponack. Artist Julian Schnabel, too, later on.

Hey, I've had the 'cue at Townline, so I can't blame these guys. But, really, someone should tell them that food tastes better eaten at its source than it does when reheated at home.

— Joan Reminick

Liev Schreiber in "Wolverine" (Twentieth Century Fox Film Photo)

I see potential at The Lark Pub & Grub, which opened about two weeks ago in the East Northport digs of the former Blue Room. Under the same co-ownership as The Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale and T.J. Finley’s in Bay Shore, this looks to be a more ambitious spot, serving a vast assortment of beers from both local, national and international brewers, along with a contemporary budget-friendly menu of small plates and sandwiches. There are only four entrees, the costliest (a skirt steak) ringing up at $19.

At a table on the newly built rear patio, I enjoyed an appetizer of Thai meat ball “lollipops” as well as a bright Caprese (tomato, basil and mozzarella) flatbread pizza, courtesy of chef Andrew Hartmann, a recent French Culinary Institute graduate. But a grilled chicken sandwich featured cold poultry with a "pesto mayonnaise" that was virtually basil-free. And the restaurant had no coffee.

Clearly, the place is in formative stages. I hope to return when it’s in full gear.

The Lark Pub & Grub is at 93 Larkfield Rd., East Northport, 631-262-9700.

— Joan Reminick

The patio of The Lark/Joan Reminick

A trip to the mall led to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, a chain I think is better than most. There, I came upon some welcome new menu items.

For starters, a creamy (but cream-free) asparagus soup was vivid in both color and flavor. The restaurant lists it as a vegetarian item, a plus for those who always have to ask “Is this made with chicken stock?”

Since I’m no vegetarian, I had the new Moroccan chicken salad, a vibrant toss of Moroccan-spiced boneless breast meat, romaine, roasted butternut squash, Medjool dates, avocado, toasted almonds, cubed beets, chopped egg, carrots, dried cranberries and red bell peppers. I requested the Champagne vinaigrette on the side and didn’t need more than a dab. One criticism, though: dried cranberries are getting boring and have no place in such an original salad. Next time, I’d ask the kitchen to hold them.

A new take on an old standby, the restaurant’s BBQ chicken pizza, featured pieces of barbecue-sauced boneless chicken, applewood smoked bacon, smoked Gouda and mozzarella cheeses, barbecue sauce, sliced red onions and cilantro. I liked the smoky edge the Gouda and bacon imparted.

California Pizza Kitchen is at 160 Walt Whitman Rd., Huntington Station, 631-423-7565 and 618 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, 631-382-9610 and 1256 Old Country Rd., Westbury 516-683-3338, cpk.com

— Joan Reminick

California Pizza Kitchen restaurant at the Source Mall in Westbury, April 26 2006. Viorel Florescu/Newsday

You can celebrate the bounty of Long Island's farms and vineyards at City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill's harvest wine dinner this Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Chef Chris Randell's multicourse meal, at $90 a couple, is the first in a series of similar meals, this one focusing on the vintages of Bedell Cellars.

Here's how the evening shapes up:

Amuses Bouches on the Lawn
Gougeres, country pate on toasted brioche, Chris’ little pistachio butter and chili jam sandwiches
Limoncello and 2004 Bedell Cellars Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine cocktails

First Course
Local fennel and oyster pan Roast with Saltines and bacon foam
2007 Bedell Cellars Gallery

Second Course
Creekstone natural beef and little brown butter gnocchi, Parmesan and Satur Farms summer vegetables
2008 Bedell Cellars First Crush Red
Fresh cheeses at the communal table

Dessert
Strawberry milkshake, chocolate-caramel tartlet, cherry sorbet, tiny carrot cake with spiced cream, cookies and press pot coffee

On top of all that, guests are sent out with breakfast granola and coffee beans for the next day’s breakfast.

Do the math: $90 a couple works out to $45 a person — in other words, quite a nice deal.

City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill is at 1080 Corporate Drive, Westbury, 516-693-5400, www.citycellarny.com.

— Joan Reminick

An exterior view of City Cellar restaurant. (Newsday Photo / Audrey C. Tiernan)

Is it a restaurant or a biker bar? The new Wild Hog Bar & Grill in Melville looks to be a little of each.

The place has an Old West-meets-Woodstock kind of vibe. The menu is American casual — heavy on sandwiches (pulled pork, grilled chicken) and burgers with a few platters, such as baby back ribs and "bbq chicken tenders." A kids' menu features grilled cheese, mini burgers and chicken fingers. No sticker shock here, since most choices average around $10 and the costliest entree (a full rack of ribs) rings up at $19.95

At lunch recently, I liked a hyper-flavorful grilled hibachi chicken sandwich with peppers and onions. A chunky beef chili with sour cream, Cheddar and jack cheese made for hearty eating, as well.

But a burger, ordered medium-rare, was mushy, its color dark brown. I was told that’s because of all the “stuff” (spices, Worcestershire sauce) that goes into the mix. I’d say it’s time to simplify.

Also questionable was a mural depicting Britney Spears with a red star positioned somewhere south of her navel; its inscription read "your photo here."

Worth checking out? If you like an unrelenting flow of heavy-metal headbanger music, this may be a candidate for your new hangout.

Wild Hog Bar & Grill is at 508 Walt Whitman Rd., Melville, 631-629-4674

— Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / Joan Reminick

One thing’s for certain — the photo of the new dining patio at Cielo in Hauppauge wasn’t taken today. But during this crazy monsoon season, how inviting is the notion of eating under an umbrella on a sunny day surrounded by lush summer foliage?

This Long Island Italian restaurant is also offering the lure of a Friday and Saturday $24.99 four-course prix fixe that includes 3 courses of wine pairings, dessert and coffee. Sunday to Thursday, you can sample 12 to 15 wines for an additional $12 with the purchase of any entree.

Cielo is at 321 Nesconset Hwy., Hauppauge, 631-724-1918

— Joan Reminick

Photo of Cielo's new patio courtesy of chef Michael Ufholz

Huntington now has its own La Bottega, an offshoot of the Garden City South original (there are other La Bottega restaurants in Rockville Centre, Carle Place, Oceanside and Merrick). The informal spot specializes in panini and salads, most of which are authentically Italian, all of which are eminently affordable.

I stopped by for lunch: a big, bright bodacious grilled calamari salad made with sun dried tomato, Gaeta olives (with pits, so be careful), fried capers and chopped scallions over greens. I requested the lime dressing on the side and didn’t need much, since the salad was so vibrant. My companion's “Caltanissetta” panino was an electrifying combination of hot sopressata, fontina, roasted hot peppers, tomatoes and baby arugula on ciabatta. Better tomatoes would have made it an even better sandwich.

We ate at a sidewalk table. Lunch, including drinks, tax and tip, came to $25 for the two of us. On a fine June day, who could ask for more?

La Bottega is at 9 Wall St., Huntington, 631-271-3540.

—Joan Reminick

My calamari salad/Joan Reminick

What happens when you put two eccentric guys – veteran rocker Lou Reed and actor Harvey Keitel – together at one table?

Spontaneous combustion? More like spontaneous conversation. And dinner. That’s what occurred this weekend when the two legends and their respective wives shared a table at Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton. They dined on zucchini chips, salads and fresh swordfish and fluke.

Keitel must have liked everything he ate, because the next night, he and his wife returned, this time with a group of eight.

—Joan Reminick

Lou Reed performs during a concert at the Caprices Festival in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, March 11, 2006. (AP Photo/Keystone/Olivier Maire)

Having just eaten somewhere else, I happened upon Cuzco, a small and neat little Peruvian place on traffic-heavy Austin Boulevard in Island Park. It’s been around several months, I learned when I went inside to pick up a menu.

Can't wait to try some of the dishes listed: parihuela (seafood chowder), aji de gallina (chicken in a creamy cheese and chili sauce), seviche (raw fish “cooked” by lime juice) and chaufa de mariscos (Chinese-style fried rice with seafood).

And, of course, the pollo alla brasa. Peruvian rotisserie chicken can be one of life's great pleasures.

Cuzco is at 4343 Austin Blvd, Island Park, 516-543-5229.

—Joan Reminick

Newsday photo / Joan Reminick

Like a kid after Little League practice, Justin Timberlake went out for a bite with Mom and step-Dad following some heavy duty golf at the Bethpage Black on Monday. Instead of heading out to someplace swank and pricey, celeb and fam landed at the down-to-earth Library Cafe in Farmingdale. There, Timberlake put away a burger and chased it down with a Stella Artois.

After he'd eaten, Timberlake shook things up while “SexyBack” played on the jukebox. He graciously posed for photos with anyone and everyone__a regular guy all around.

What was he doing in this neck of the woods? He'd played a practice round at Bethpage Black in prep for Golf Digest's U.S. Open Challenge (a pro-am event) Friday. That's when he'll play with former NBA great Michael Jordan, current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Larry Giebelhausen, the amateur who won a contest to complete the high profile foursome.

The all-important question arises: Who picked up the check? Turns out Timberlake's family is just like yours and mine. It was the parents, natch.

The Library Cafe is at 274 Main St., Farmingdale, 516-752-7678.

— Joan Reminick

(Newsday Photo)

One Long Island restaurant is doing its part to extend your day at the beach. This summer, Cannon’s Blackthorn in Rockville Centre is doing an after-beach clambake prix-fixe every Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. At $19.95 a person, it includes two draft beers, barbecue chicken and ribs, baked clams, corn on the cob, cole slaw and Buffalo-style mussels. Chef Axell Urrutia's barbecue sauce (which he uses on the ribs and chicken) is made with Jim Beam’s Red Stag, a black cherry-infused Kentucky bourbon.

Another hot summer deal runs on Tuesday night, when a jumbo burger goes for $10.95 with any pint. Among the five styles of burgers to choose from is the house specialty, a cracked peppercorn crusted sirloin burger with sharp provolone, and balsamic glazed mushrooms.

Cannon's Blackthorn is at 49 N. Village Ave., Rockville Centre, 516-594-1222

—Joan Reminick

Feet of lifeguard at Field 4 in Jones Beach State Park on July 11, 2004. (Newsday Photo by Joel Cairo)

That eternally young and gorgeous TV blonde Heather Locklear was seen eating around East Hampton on Saturday.

In the afternoon, she and two girlfriends descended upon Rowdy Hall for burgers and beers. Later that evening, she was again spotted at Nick & Toni’s with adman and former CNBC talk show host Donny Deutsch and a large group. Our sources don’t say what Heather or Donny ate.

Having dined at Nick & Toni's recently (not a celeb in sight), I can vouch for the excellent wood-oven pizza Margherita as well as the delicate house-made ricotta gnocchi with fava beans. Really, I don't think Heather could have gone wrong ordering anything on that menu.

Rowdy Hall is at 10 Main St, East Hampton, 631-324-8555, www.rowdyhall.com.
Nick & Toni's is at 136 N. Main St., East Hampton, 631-324-3550, www.nickandtonis.com.

—Joan Reminick

Heather Locklear poses at the world premiere of the film "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in Los Angeles, on Jan. 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Wednesday may be a red letter day for shellfish-loving Long Island restaurant goers now that chef Elmer Rubio is doing weekly lobster specials at Chachama Grill in East Patchogue.

The four course, $45 prix-fixe starts with a lobster consommé with lobster dumpling and pearl vegetables, followed by a summer citrus salad (arugula, oranges and peaches in a lemon and citrus soy vinaigrette). Then comes the big event — a steamed lobster (minimum two pounds) plated with grilled sweet white corn with ancho chile lemon butter and a baked Idaho potato. The meal concludes with a medley of sorbets and coffee or tea.

Sounds like a deal to get your claws around.

Chachama Grill is at 655-08 Montauk Hwy., East Patchogue, 631- 758-7640, chachamagrill.com.

—Joan Reminick

Photo courtesy of Chachama Grill

If bliss is good, then bliss taken to a higher power should be even better. That’s the thinking of restaurateur Ron Hoffman, who just opened bliss2 (or bliss squared) in Blue Point. It's actually the offshoot of another Long Island restaurant, bliss in East Setauket, and makes its home in the digs of the former Cilantro's.

The menu, while not identical to the original East Setauket spot, is quite similar. Executive chef Danny Avalos offers such dishes as pignoli crusted red snapper over roasted garlic couscous with fresh pineapple salsa as well as a pot roast & pasta sheet mille-feuille with truffle oil and Parmesan foam.

Bliss2 is at 154 Montauk Hwy., Blue Point, 631-419-6850 for reservations.

— Joan Reminick

Photo of bliss2 by Ron Hoffman

Say goodbye to another Long Island restaurant. Downtown Bar & Grill in Mineola is no more.

It was a congenial neighborhood spot decorated with archival photos of old Mineola. What I will remember most is the restaurant's potent, fruity sangria, which I had with house-baked bread and basil-scented hummus.

Word has it that a Thai restaurant will be starting up at that site sometime soon. Stay tuned for updates.

—Joan Reminick

Downtown Bar & Grill in August, 2007 — Newsday Photo/Ken Sawchuk

Have to say I agree with President Obama’s takeout choice when it came to feeding Brian Williams and his NBC News crew last Friday. The prez was being filmed for a "day in the life" documentary and decided to motorcade over to the nearest Five Guys Famous Burgers & Fries for some takeout. For $72.50, he managed to feed 10.

>> PHOTOS: Obama -- He's just like us!

But you don't have to live in the White House to make the same kind of burger run. On Long Island, the Five Guys franchise operation has locations in Levittown, Long Beach, Hauppauge, Amityville, and a store opening soon in Huntington. The lure is freshly ground beef that's hand-shaped into patties before being grilled; toppings are gratis. Although the chain won't make the burgers rare (safety rules, you know), they're juicy just the same.

It's the fries, though, that are truly amazing. A veritable mountain of hand-cut cooked-to-order golden brown oblongs emerge from the fryer lightly crisp on the outside, creamy in the middle.

Actually, I could go for a burger run about now.

Five Guys Famous Burgers & Fries is at 3497 Hempstead Tpke., Levittown, 516-796-1237; 2-4 W. Park Ave., Long Beach, 516-431-1999; 601 Veterans Hwy., Hauppauge, 631-265-0335 and 35 Merrick Rd., Amityville, 631-691-6800.

— Joan Reminick

Washington, Friday, May 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

While the East End celeb watch didn't turn up any Brangelina reports this past weekend (not even a Spielberg sighting), you may recognize some of the names making the Hamptons restaurant scene.

Those who watch “America’s Next Top Model” (which I confess I do), are probably familiar with Elle editor Nolé Marin, who was a judge on seasons past. Anyway, on Saturday, Marin stopped into Turtle Crossing in East Hampton for some barbecued chicken.

Another fashion name, photographer Patrick Demarchelier, was seen dining Friday night with his wife and son at Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton. Also observed at N&T's was former NY Met turned sportscaster Keith Hernandez, who was celebrating his wife’s birthday with friends on Thursday.

Want some bigger names? Stick around. Hey, it isn't even July Fourth yet.

— Joan Reminick

Former Mets player Keith Hernandez in SNY broadcasting booth at Mets game

The Catch Seafood Tavern gets into the swim in Port Jefferson. The new Long Island restaurant is a bi-level space incorporating the modern and the antique in its design. Downstairs, everything is pub-like, while on the open air upper deck, picnic tables overlook the harbor.

The place is owned by two brothers, executive chef Eric Miller and manager Marc Miller (they also own Cavo in Queens and FOOD & CO in East Hampton). Their menu centers around fresh locally caught seafood – Long Island little neck clams, Montauk tuna and steamed Long Island blue claw crabs, to name a few.

Eat a low-cal dinner of simply grilled fish and then blow the entire diet with the signature dessert — house-made waffles with fresh fruit toppings, ice cream and chocolate syrup.

The Catch Seafood Tavern is at 111 W. Broadway, Port Jefferson, 631-64CATCH, thecatchtavern.com.

—Joan Reminick

You don't have to fly Alitalia to get in on an authentic Italian wine dinner this Thursday night, at Bistro M in Glen Cove. Chef-owner Mitchell SuDock has put together the following tasting menu, at $68 a person (plus tax and gratuities):

Grilled Sardines with arugula, fennel, red onion, oranges and Italian couscous
(Moma White, Umberto Cesari, Emilia-Romagna, 2008)
House-Made fettuccine with swordfish, fresh tomato, capers, anchovies
(Chianti Classico, Luiano, Tuscany, 2007)
Rabbit cacciatore with roasted peppers, tomatoes, polenta, sage
(Vino di Ripasso, Cesari Mara, Piedmont, 2006)
Basil and pine nut stuffed filet mignon with "crushed" potatoes with lemon, garlic & parsley, green bean and mozzarella gratinée
(Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Carpineto, Tuscany, 2001)
Rosemary olive oil cake with peaches, mascarpone cheese, almonds, balsamic
(Moscato d'Asti, Villa Rosa, Piedmont)

There's more summer romance. On clear evenings, the restaurant’s patio is open for dining. Fridays, there’s also live music, along with a tapas-style menu.

Bistro M is at 70 Gen Head Rd., Glen Head, 516-671-2498

—Joan Reminick

2006 (Newsday photo/Michael E. Ach)

It was awhile since I’d been to Swingbellys in Long Beach – not since opening pit master Brian Forgione split for Vegas last year. Driven by curiosity and a yen for barbecue, I returned.

The new pit master, I just learned, is Danny Monteforte. Monteforte worked at Swingbellys in several capacities over the past few years and, last month, spent a week with southern Illinois ‘cue legend Mike Mills (author of “Peace, Love and Barbecue”).

So what were the results? I ordered everything dry-rubbed (sauce on the side) and found both the St. Louis ribs and smoked chicken utterly delectable, deeply smoky and spice crusted. Pulled pork was a mound of soft, juicy shreds, an ideal union of pig and smoker. While a side of macaroni and cheese was a little soupy, sweet potato fries were terrific.

Here's one Long Island barbecue restaurant I'll be revisiting again and again.

Swingbellys Beach Side BBQ is at 909 W. Beech St., Long Beach, 516-431-3464

— Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo by George Tsourovakas

Day & Night Restaurant Beach Club is aiming to bring a sybaritic French Riviera vibe to the East End.

The just-opened spot (in the Capri Hotel in Southampton and under the same ownership as Merkato 55 in Manhattan) starts Saturday and Sunday off with a leisurely poolside brunch. But instead of packing up and leaving after you've eaten, you're encouraged to hang out and luxuriate on a chaise longue or daybed. Private dressing rooms are at hand so you can change out of your bathing suit and get glammed-up for dinner and some night action.

After July 4 weekend, that means a DJ, an extensive beverage menu (Champagne, top-shelf liquor bottles and cocktails) and a Mediterranean menu that includes raw bar items. Chef Marc Elliot turns out such dishes as a chicken paillard, heirloom tomato salad, grilled wild salmon medallions and a grass-fed Angus burger.

Day & Night Restaurant Beach Club is at the Capri Hotel, 281 County Rd. 39A, Southampton, 631-731-3099. It's open to the public but reservations are required. Until July 4 weekend, hours are Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m and then Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Dinner will also be served weeknights after July 4. Call for exact times.

— Joan Reminick

Day & Night Restaurant Beach Club Photo

Anyone know where Reverend Run (Joseph Simmons) of Run-DMC ate this weekend out in the Hamptons? Reliable sources say that the iconic rapper just couldn’t get enough of the ‘cue at Townline BBQ in Sagaponack. Not only did he pick up a huge takeout order Friday night, but Run ran back Saturday night for another ribs and coleslaw hit.

And how about rocker-actor Jon Bon Jovi? He and a friend popped into Turtle Crossing in East Hampton for a Sunday afternoon nosh of zucchini chips and a pork quesadilla.

Only today, celeb Iron Chef Bobby Flay was seen lunching with his wife and a friend at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton. He had a burger while his compadres chowed down on a croque monsieur and chicken salad.

And just in case you're wondering where Martha Stewart ate this Saturday night, you can rule out the pricey and the fancy. The diva of domesticity stopped into La Fondita in Amagansett for chicken tacos. Hey, I’ve had those tacos and I’m on the same page as Martha.

The 2009 season is on and it looks as though low tabs and unpretentious vibes rule.

>> More Hamptons dish
>> Hamptons nightclubs and bars

La Fondita is at 74 Montauk Hwy., Amagansett, 631-267- 8800, lafondita.net
Townline BBQ is at 3593 Townline Rd., Sagaponack, 631-537-BBQ1, townlinebbq.com
Turtle Crossing is at 221 Pantigo Rd. East Hampton, 631-324-7166, turtlecrossing.com
Rowdy Hall is at 10 Main St. East Hampton, 631-324-8555, rowdyhall.com

— Joan Reminick

AP Photo of Reverend Run/Stephen Chernin
Handout Photo of Bobby Flay from cover of "Bobby's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes"
Newsday Photo of Martha Stewart/Scott Duncan

Aldo Maiorana — coffee roaster, barista and biscotti baker extraordinaire – is back again in Greenport, pulling shots on Front Street. Although Maiorana vacated his old digs, now occupied by F.O.B. - Frisky Oyster Bar, he's relocated his coffee house and biscotteria across the street - and directly opposite Starbucks. Those who know Greenport will remember the location as the home of the former Sushi at Aldo’s.

Aldo's – filled with mismatched furniture and the aroma of freshly roasted beans — wasn’t yet in full gear the afternoon I ventured in. Aldo himself was, though. Crowned with a mane of Harpo Marx-style white curls, he spent 15 minutes explaining the concept of a caffe macchiato to a young woman who asked him to define the drink. He even went so far as to make her a free sample. Meanwhile, everyone else on the growing line waited patiently. They all seemed to know the way Aldo could be.

When it was my turn, I asked Maiorana what days he would be open and the answer was, more or less, whatever days he decided to. I wanted to buy some of his incomparable biscotti. “Do you have any of the chocolate dipped ones?” I asked. He pulled out a piece of chocolate and handed it to me. “Take one bite of this and one bite of those,” he said, pointing to the bag. Then he said, “I was only joking; we don’t have the chocolate ones yet.” I bought a small bag of almond biscotti for $8. They were superb. The friend who got a cup of Aldo’s coffee said he never knew the drink could possess such depth and potency.

Starbucks, look out.

Aldo’s is at 103-105 Front St., Greenport, 631-477-1699

— Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of the new Aldo's/Joan Reminick
Newsday photo of Aldo in 2007/ Adam Richins

Did you know that June 13 is National Kitchen Klutz Day? I, for one, hadn't a clue. But, thankfully, at least one Long Island restaurant understands the import of that big day.

In fact, WAVE Restaurant & Lounge at Danfords Hotel & Marina in Port Jefferson is staging a contest to find Long Island's top kitchen-klutz story. The prize is an escape from the home kitchen to a three-course prix-fixe dinner for four at WAVE (gratuity and beverages not included).

Entrants must write an essay of 500 words or less describing their most embarrassing kitchen-klutz moment. The deadline is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10. Entries must include a phone number and/or e-mail address.

You can either submit via e-mail to Therese Coppola at tcoppola@danfords.com,
or by snail mail to Danfords Hotel & Marina (att.: Therese Coppola) 25 East Broadway, Port Jefferson, NY 11777. Questions? Call 631-928-5200 x170. Dialing should be a breeze for the true kitchen klutz — one who never has a problem making... reservations.

— Joan Reminick

Image from photos.com

I went to Target in search of a doormat and ended up having lunch there.

OK, grabbing lunch would be more like it. But the hot dog I got turned out to be a real surprise. Here was no eensy-weensy four-bite weiner but rather a big fat Vienna Beef frankfurter, a Chicago classic. I found it to be a juicy, spicy guilty pleasure. And a cheap one, too at just $1.54. My Diet Coke cost a whopping 96 cents, bringing my lunch total to $2.72.

Admittedly, this isn't health food. Nor will Target ever be a destination spot on the Long Island restaurant circuit. Still, that satisfying sausage may be handy to know about if you simultaneously have shopping needs and a rumbling stomach.

— Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo/Joan Reminick

With all the frilly, kitschy pretentious tea rooms out there, it’s refreshing to come across one that's genuinely tasteful. The new Chat Noir in Rockville Centre is the realization of a dream for chef-owner Emma Tso, who left a 15-year career as an X-ray technician to study pastry making at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan.

She was clearly a good student; one forkful of her light, savory spinach-and-bacon quiche says as much. I was impressed by a tiered tea service holding excellent miniature sandwiches (the light and tangy cucumber and crème fraîche combination was a standout), buttery scones and miniature pastries, one a lovely swan-shaped cream puff.

Right now, the place serves breakfast and lunch six days a week (closed Monday), but Tso hopes to launch dinner service once her liquor license comes through.

I’ll be there when that happens.

Chat Noir is at 230 Merrick Rd., Rockville Centre, 516-208-8521, chatnoirtea.com.

—Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo/Joan Reminick

Just checked out the Smokin’ Al’s in Massapequa Park and can report that the six-month-old newcomer to the Long Island restaurant scene looks every bit as hot as the original Bay Shore venue. This one, however, is a bit bigger than its older sibling. Porcine-themed art predominates at both locales, which share identical menus.

I started with Brunswick stew, a thick and hearty amalgam of various pit-smoked meats and vegetables. St. Louis ribs (ordered without barbecue sauce) were tender beneath a crusty surface but sliced brisket was a tad dry. Half a bbq chicken, though, had everything I craved – burnished skin and juicy smoke-infused meat.

Smokin’ Al’s Famous BBQ Joint is at 4847 Merrick Rd., Massapequa Park, 516-799-4900

— Joan Reminick

Close-up from Newsday Photo by Ken Spencer taken at Smokin' Al's in Bay Shore

Mirabelle Restaurant at Three Village Inn is officially cooking. Now, there are two dining spaces at the historic Stony Brook landmark, both under the aegis of executive chef Guy Reuge.

The newly opened spot features a French-New American menu with such dishes as pan-roasted foie gras, poached halibut with pistachio crumbs and, for dessert, blueberry financier with fennel confit and chocolate ice cream.

Will this new Long Island restaurant equal or top the three star rating Newday’s Peter Gianotti gave the more casual Mirabelle Tavern? Stay tuned.

Mirabelle Restaurant at Three Village Inn is at 150 Main St., Stony Brook, 631-751-0555.

—Joan Reminick

Photo from Wordhampton

One of Long Island's newest restaurants has one of its catchiest names: Gyro Time. (“What time is it, girls and boys? Gyro time!”)

Right now, only half of the casual East Northport taverna is operational. Later this summer, a more formal dining room will debut and the menu will expand to include more Greek specialties as well as whole fish from chef co-owner Constantin Dionysiou. I stopped in and gravitated immediately to Dionysiou's grilled octopus. It was smoky and tender, so I left the place eight times happier than when I'd gone in.

In warm weather, French doors will be thrown open and tables will be set up outdoors for alfresco dining.

Gyro Time is at 354 Larkfield Rd., East Northport, 631-266-3300

—Joan Reminick

Newsday photo by Joan Reminick

It used to be nearly impossible for anyone with celiac disease to find a decent substitute for foods containing gluten, found in wheat flour. A sign that times have changed is the new gluten-free Valencia-orange cake at Starbucks.

I tried one, not expecting very much. What I got, though, was a moist citrusy dessert with a bit of crunch from sliced almonds on top.

The cake costs $1.95 and weighs in at 290 calories — hardly diet food but, as I see it, worth breaking a diet to try.

— Joan Reminick

Starbucks photo

It was seven years ago that I fell for the crab cakes at Silver’s in Southampton. Recently, I returned to see whether the “fist-sized sensations” made almost entirely of blue-claw crabmeat still qualified as the crab cakes against which I'd measure all others.

They were, at $25 for two, certainly the costliest I’ve seen in a while. I asked whether I could order just one and was told I could. Big mistake. Not only was I charged $19, but the phrase “fist-sized” would only be accurate if describing a toddler’s clenched hand. True, it was a very good (if petite) crab cake. But no longer the gold standard.

The BLT – then $12, now $16 – was still perfection: lots of smoky-sweet bacon, ripe crimson tomatoes, bright romaine lettuce on thick grilled Tuscan bread spread with just the right amount of mayo.

I didn’t try the lobster roll. At $34, it seemed excessive.

Silver's is at 15 Main St., Southampton, 631-283-6443

—Joan Reminick

Newsday photo

Director Martin Scorsese was spotted lunching today at Vittorio’s Restaurant & Wine Bar in Amityville. He was with a party of 10 and had pan-seared ahi tuna with bok choy.

Questions arise: What was he doing in Amityville? Will the town be the setting of Scorsese's next movie? Or did he simply read Newsday's guide to dining near the LIRR stations, hop a train with 10 friends and decide to get off at Amityville?

— Joan Reminick

2007 AP Photo/Stuart Ramson

A big fat drippy burger may be it all it takes to turn a day around.

The 1/3 pounder (dubbed the "Original") I had at the new Melville’s All American Grill was made with Angus beef and came on a fine brioche bun piled with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, pickle, ketchup and mayo. The meat had really good mineral flavor and was crusty on the outside, juicy within. I wish I could say I was as impressed with the fries, which tasted mainly of salt rather than potato.

The casual month-old spot (with outdoor tables) also has sandwiches (the “Texan” features grilled roast beef with bacon, melted Cheddar and bbq sauce), soups, salads and – next on my list to try – shakes.

Melville's All American Grill is at 736 Rte. 25 A, East Setauket, 631-675-1441

—Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Joan Reminick

The former Antares Cafe caught a wave and morphed into the uber-casual moderately priced Antares Tiki. It opens tonight.

If you've been a fan of the old Antares, don't worry — the ownership and crew remains the same as in past years. Matt Murphy continues as chef-owner, but since he'll be spending much of his time at Jedediah's in Jamesport (where he's executive chef) longtime sous chef David Ospina takes over as chef de cuisine.

Befitting any self-respecting tiki bar, this one has a thatched roof, lots of frozen drinks and a Caribbean-American menu featuring such dishes as a miso-marinated steak sandwich, duck confit and jerk-rubbed fried half chicken. And how about a burger plated on a Frisbee?

Antares Tiki is at 2530 Manhasset Ave., Greenport, 631-477-8839.

—Joan Reminick

Illustration from photos.com

Cock-a-doodle doo! Red Rooster Bistro reawakens the dormant Cutchogue site that used to house Farmer Bar Cutchogue BBQ Co.

What’s on the menu? Comfort food, reasonably priced, much of it is organic, according to chef-owner Nick Nickolov (who also owns Pepi’s Cucina di Casa in Southold).

The country-cute place has a big rooster sculpture on the lawn, assorted rooster artifacts inside (Nikolov puts the count at 500) and some very attractive rooster themed crockery.

I recently stopped in and had a particularly fine crab cake – moist and made with mucho lump crab meat. I can't figure out, though, why it came nestled inside a Portobello mushroom (talk about gilding the lily), but maybe I'm just being peckish. The restaurant also stuffs their burgers; you can get feta or goat cheese or spinach, among other fillings at the center of your bison, turkey or beef burger. No rooster burgers, so far as I can deduce.

Red Rooster Bistro is at 4805 Depot Lane, Cutchogue, 631-734-8267.

--Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Joan Reminick

Fiddleheads swims again.

The stylish fish house reopens with a spiffier interior under the new ownership of Bernie Del Bello (who used to own Walk Street and Newport Grill in Garden City). Chef David Glatzerman, who’s been at Fiddleheads through the last two ownership changes, continues to offer a menu that centers around seafood, with meat and poultry side trips.

And here's some good news for those watching their wallets (and who isn’t these days?): A $25.95 three-course prix-fixe is offered every night but Saturday, when it runs until 7 p.m. Appetizer choices include five spice tuna with honey jalapeño dressing and wok fried edamame sauteed with garlic and ginger; for an entree, you might opt for blackened catfish with Creole mustard sauce or hickory spiced crusted loin of pork. Finish with warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. Coffee or tea is included, too.

Fiddleheads is at 62 South St., Oyster Bay, 516-922-2999, fiddleheadsnewyork.com

— Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Ken Spencer

Tipped off by a reader, I ventured out to try the $5.95 “executive” lunch at Marcia’s Kitchen in Huntington.

The restaurant (formerly featuring Brazilian buffet) still offers unlimited “rodizio” style rotisseried meat at night, but these days, it’s more of a sideline, with the focus on grilled-to-order dishes.

Lunch was a bona fide bargain. For my $5.95, I got four very good jumbo grilled shrimp with grilled vegetables, vibrant collard greens, rice and beans while my companion had a salad, succulent grilled hanger steak (rare, as specified) and rice.

I hope to return and try the $11.95 dinner menu, which includes house-made Brazilian style lasagna.

Marcia's Kitchen is at 10 New St., Huntington, 631-351-1010

— Joan Reminick

Newsday photos/Joan Reminick

What's the latest thing chef Guy Reuge has cooking at Mirabelle Tavern in Stony Brook? A $13 three-course prix-fixe for the 10-and-under set.

For starters, young epicures get to choose between freshly cut fruits or house-made applesauce. Main-course options include mac & cheese, grilled hamburger or cheeseburger with fries, crispy chicken tenders with fries and penne with either marinara sauce or butter. For dessert, there’s an ice cream sundae (vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles and freshly whipped cream) or a chocolate chip cookie-vanilla ice cream sandwich. To drink? Pink lemonade, soda, apple juice, milk or a Shirley Temple.

Sounds like a plan with enough wiggle room for even the most finicky eater.

Mirabelle Tavern is at Three Village Inn, 150 Main St., Stony Brook, 631-750-0555, threevillageinn.com.

--Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of family dining at Mirabelle Tavern/Joel Cairo

Polo, the ritzy Garden City Hotel restaurant, is no longer a dining destination since it no longer serves dinner. Which leaves the more casual and affordably priced Rein Bar & Bistro as the hotel's main restaurant. Chef Steven de Bruyn offers a New American menu in the evening and also oversees breakfast and lunch.

Garden City Hotel general manager Nasser Samman said Polo will continue to serve Sunday brunch as well as Saturday afternoon tea. And it will also open for special events and corporate affairs.

Why the change? Samman blames the economy and a downturn in traffic at Polo. Last time I ate there, in 2007, entree prices ran from the high $20s to close to $40. At Rein, main courses start at $22 (for braised short ribs) and top out at $29 (for pan seared lamb chops). A late night menu features items to share (such as cheese fondue, for $17, and a trio of Mediterranean-style dips, at $14) as well as a $16 burger and $15 turkey club sandwich.

Not exactly cheap, but, hey, this is the Garden City Hotel.

— Joan Reminick

Photo of Polo courtesy of the Garden City Hotel
Photo of chef Steven De Bruyn courtesy of Wordhampton

Eating lobster doesn’t have to pinch. At least not on Monday and Tuesday nights, when Red Fish Grille in Plainview features an $18.95 lobster bake.

Included in the deal are house-baked flatbread and rolls served with hummus and a chopped tomato bruschetta mix, a salad, a 1½ pound lobster, clams, mussels and shrimp in scampi sauce, along with baked potato and corn.

Red Fish Grille is at 430 Woodbury Rd., Plainview, 516-932-8460.

— Joan Reminick

Photos.com Photo

There’s something about a gleaming old diner that just gets to me. Maybe it's all about an American innocence we don’t see much of any more. Or else it’s just the promise of simple, good food. All I know is that The CookRoom in Middle Island – a classic 1950s model – made me feel good.

Jim Mandler and his mom, Annie, opened the place in October; the recipes are Annie Mandler’s. At breakfast, one morning, “oaty oat” pancakes were a real treat. Made with both oatmeal and oat flour, they were meltingly tender, studded with pieces of apple and walnuts and topped with apple slices (not a gloppy sauce, as is too often the case). Egg sliders were two flaky Cheddar biscuits sandwiching eggs, melted cheese and Canadian bacon. On the side were some of the best — and spiciest — home fries I've had in awhile. I don’t think people worried about cholesterol in the 50s, did they?

The rest of the menu is big on burgers. There are also panini and such specials as pulled pork with mac 'n cheese and baked beans as well as house-made desserts such as strawberry shortcake.

Service exemplified old fashioned friendliness. Time will tell if this place (unlike its predecessors, the Middle Island Diner and Daisy's Roadside Diner) has what it takes to make it in Middle Island.

Right now, the CookRoom's hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The CookRoom is at 25 Middle Country Rd., Middle Island, 631-696-4260.

— Joan Reminick

Newsday photo by Joan Reminick

Splashy and flashy doesn’t always cut it in these parts; just check out the Top Five restaurants rated for food in the 2009/10 Zagat Survey of Long Island Restaurants released today — all five in Suffolk County (what gives, Nassau?).

The big winner is Kitchen A Bistro in St. James, chef-owner Eric Lomando’s moderately priced French bistro, up from third place last year (and newly relocated to larger quarters post survey).

Lomando learned the good news prematurely; even though the book was supposed to be off limits until tomorrow, it appeared on shelves at a local Borders this past weekend. “I found out in the middle of dinner service,” said Lomando, who confessed to some jumping up and down. “It’s really incredibly exciting and a nice perspective from the people who are eating at my restaurant on a regular basis.”

Snagging second place is North Fork Table & Inn in Southold, a New American labor of love for husband and wife team of chef Gerry Hayden and pastry chef Claudia Fleming (the restaurant placed fourth last year). The cozy, quirky Italian, Maroni Cuisine (chef Michael Maroni) in Northport, takes third position, slipping a notch. Fourth and fifth place winners are new to the top five: Chachama Grill in Patchogue, chef-owner Elmer Rubio’s New American storefront, and The Lake House in Bay Shore, a scenic New American spot with Matthew Connors and Charles Treadwell behind the stove

A nice surprise is that Aji 53, a relatively new Asian Fusion in Bay Shore, made it into the lineup as number six. In seventh place (but number one in Nassau County) is Mill River Inn in Oyster Bay, a restaurant at a crossroads, followed by Dario's in Rockville Centre. Kotobuki (in Hauppauge, Babylon and Roslyn) has fallen from its long-held first place spot to ninth. (Maybe they're spreading themselves too thin. Or people are just getting jaded about sushi.) Finally, in tenth, is Peter Luger, still rated the most popular restaurant on Long Island, dropping from eighth place. Which means that Long Islanders continue to flock to Peter Luger for steak but don't think it's quite what it used to be.

— Joan Reminick

2007 Newsday Photo of Kitchen A Bistro chef Eric Lomando/ Patrick Oehler

The stunning water-view site that was once Louis XVI will soon have an Italian name: Lombardi's on the Bay.

"Now, there's a Lombardi's on the North Shore and the South Shore," said Filomena Lombardi, co-owner of what's starting to look like an Italian empire: Lombardi's on the Sound, Mamma Lombardi's, Lombardi's Market and Villa Lombardi.

The catering arm of the multipurpose spot is already up and running. When the restaurant opens — which should happen the second week in May — it will have an outdoor patio and a glass pavilion room. The menu will spotlight steaks and seafood and feature specialty dishes from the original Mamma Lombardi's.

Lombardi's on the Bay is at 600 S. Ocean Ave., Patchogue, 631-654-8970

— Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of view of Great South Bay from the former Louis XVI/ Ana P. Gutierrez

Chef Michael Merida has kitchen cred. Not only did he cook at some of New York’s top restaurants (Le Bernardin and Park Avenue Cafe in Manhattan), but he also spent time at Spain's renowned temple of molecular gastronomy, El Bulli. Not to mention stints at Panama Hatties in Huntington and several Long Island country clubs.

Last week, Merida launched a casual Commack Latin restaurant called Maize Cantina. Its specialties are pupusas (thick stuffed corn tortillas with a variety of toppings), arepas (cornmeal cakes) stuffed with sandwich fillings as well as salads. The priciest dish (a combination platter) rings up at $15.

A once-over of the menu reveals such intriguing dishes as a “remolacha” salad of mixed greens, pickled beets, cheese, red onion and chickpeas in a lemon vinaigrette. There is also a pupusa called “le cluck” topped with a combo of roasted chicken, chipotle hash browns, jack cheese and pickled onions.

Merida comes to Latin cooking by way of family ties; although born in Smithtown, he has roots in both Guatemala and Cuba.

He also has his work cut out for him. The eatery is situated in a hard-to-find corner of the Northgate Shopping Center, a location that’s housed a string of dining spots, the last two Olives & Oregano and Elmer’s. Does Maize have what it takes to make it in this difficult spot? Time will tell.

Maize Cantina is at 1141 Jericho Tpke. (Northgate Shopping Center), Commack, 631-864-2777

— Joan Reminick

Photo of Michael Merida courtesy of Maize Cantina

My mistake, visiting Best Buffet (former East Buffet) in Huntington Station on a quiet week night. Quiet is good for conversation, bad for buffet, whose quality depends upon frequency of replenishment.

Steamed dumplings had been sitting around so long they’d virtually ossified; orange beef and sesame chicken were mushy and bland. Even the hot and sour soup was lukewarm.

But not everyone had bones to pick. I saw a man with a plate of cold cooked shrimp piled almost chin-high, a saucer of cocktail sauce at the ready. The look he wore was one of utter bliss.

For me, the highlights of the night were excellent sliced- to- order Peking duck and a dessert of warm Japanese egg custard.

A bigger weekend crowd may mean a much better Best.

(Dinner was $21.99 plus a 12 percent gratuity charge; on Friday and Saturday nights, it's $26.99).
Best Buffet is at 179 Walt Whitman Rd., Huntington Station, 631-385-0800.

—Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Joan Reminick

For the entire month of May, Rothmann’s Steakhouse is giving people a chance to feel good about overindulging. The restaurant will donate 10 percent of proceeds from Sunday brunch to the North Shore Long Island Jewish “Every Woman Counts” campaign aimed at building the Katz Women's Hospital and Women's Health Institute.

What does $54.95 ($20 for children) get you? For one thing, a lot of liquid: unlimited Bloody Marys, screwdrivers, mimosas, Bellinis, Champagne, coffee and tea.

For another, access to a raw bar with sushi, sashimi, Alaskan crab legs and lobster cocktail as well as a carving station with roasted prime rib and turkey breast. You can have waffles and omelets made to order. And then there's French toast, cheese blintzes, bagels, sturgeon, sable, smoked salmon, pastrami salmon and white fish, quiche and lots of other items. And, of course, the dessert table with Haagen-Dazs ice cream, fruit and cotton candy, among other finales.

Rothmann’s Steakhouse is at 6319 Northern Blvd., East Norwich. To reserve, call 516-922-2500.

— Joan Reminick

The seafood on buffet at Rothmann's (Wordhampton Photo)

Driven by curiosity, I simply had to taste KFC’s new Kentucky grilled chicken, a relatively low-cal low-fat alternative to the iconic fried stuff.

I liked that I could get all dark meat in my 2-piece meal, which cost $3.99 without a drink, $4.99 with (thigh, 140 calories, 9 grams fat; drumstick 70 calories, 4 grams fat; breast, 180 calories, 4 grams fat; wing, 80 calories, 4 grams fat). The "secret blend" of herbs and spices used in the grilling wasn't bad at all. I also approved of the somewhat sweet coleslaw and flaky hot biscuit.

So what was wrong with my lunch? For one thing, the reheated flavor of what had to be a pretty scrawny bird. For another, the ghastly Day-Glo orange mac and cheese on the side. But the worst indignity came when I requested butter for my biscuit and was handed a plastic squeeze package that read “Colonel’s buttery spread.”

— Joan Reminick

Newsday photos/Joan Reminick

If you used to get your Nuevo Latino food fix at Laguna Grille in Westbury, you'll be sad to hear that location is now closed. Co-owner Elizabeth Minier said that she and her husband Frank pulled out of Westbury because parking facilities were inadequate. They’re currently scouting about Nassau County for a new site and hope to get it going soon. Stay tuned for updates.

This leaves only the original Woodbury location, which continues to offer a "bailout" deal daily at lunch and dinner: one table number is randomly drawn and for the lucky winner, everything except alcohol is free.

Even if you're not picked, at every table, two kids aged 10 and under eat for free. And grown-ups can take advantage of a $19.95 price-fixed, three-course prix-fixe offered Monday to Thursday evenings.

Good deals for tough times.

The one and only Laguna Grille is at 7927 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury, 516-682-8000.

— — Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Frank Minier holding "bailout"/ John Paraskevas

I'm still chirping about the grand grilled chicken I got at the new Lindenhurst branch of Pollo Campero, a spiffy yellow and orange eatery that's equipped with a kiddie play area.

It was raining buckets the night I drove there, so I ordered a whole quartered chicken ($17.99, with two side dishes) from the convenient takeout window. Accompanied by wedges of lime, this was a super bird — spice-encrusted, savory to the bone, hyper-juicy.

The chain, which got its start in Guatemala, has its U.S. corporate headquarters in Dallas. There are branches all over the world, including Central American and China. On Long Island, there are three:

1665 Fifth Ave. Bay Shore, 631-435-7426
50 Fulton Ave., Hempstead, 516-281-0070
155 W. Sunrise Hwy Lindenhurst, 631-226-2001.

— Joan Reminick

Photo courtesy of Pollo Campero

The moment Feed Me's item on Palio's free dinners was posted on newsday.com's home page, the restaurant was deluged with calls. Within an hour, all tables for both nights (April 28 and 29) of the jaw-dropping offer were fully booked.

The early birds certainly caught that worm.

You later birds might consider giving Palio a try for a regular (i.e. not free) meal. Here's a little consolation: On weeknights, the restaurant offers every bottle on its impressive wine list at half price.

--Erica Marcus

The shepherd’s pie I tasted at McQuade’s Neighborhood Grill in Lynbrook was a knockout: a casserole of well-seasoned ground beef and vegetables wearing an opulent crust of Cheddar-enriched mashed potatoes.

So why am I not running back to the bustling, handsomely appointed pub?

Blame it on carelessness, which became apparent on arrival. My party stood around for several minutes, ignored by passing waiters until a hostess finally seated us. Later on, the breadbasket didn’t materialize until someone corralled our hard-to-get waiter and asked. When ordering, I requested my pork chop medium-rare; it arrived overcooked. Both the chop and a side of rice were half-drenched by the coleslaw someone in the kitchen had haphazardly slopped onto the plate.

The entree was part of a $19.95 prix fixe that also include crispy Asian-style chicken dumplings (pretty good ones) and a slice of pecan pie that was somewhat short on pecans. The scoop of ice cream a friend ordered never materialized.

Sometimes, even when things go wrong, all you want is the sense that somebody cares.

McQuade’s is under the same co-ownership as the former McQuades pub-restaurants in Rockville Centre and Long Beach. It's now at 275 Merrick Rd., Lynbrook, 516-256-2820.

--Joan Reminick

Newsday photo / Joan Reminick

Stresa is back.

The Italian classic in Manhasset, which closed temporarily following a kitchen fire, reopened Saturday night. While it's structurally the same, it's got new carpet, furnishings, lighting and art work.

Chef Alfredo Barone, originally from Milan, also cooked at Stresa East. New on the menu are roast duck in a rose wine sauce with semolina gnocchi and lentils and fettucine all' Boccelli - fresh house-made noodles with a veal-and-chicken Bolognese sauce and a dollop of ricotta on top.

Desserts (especially the divine chocolate souffle) are unchanged. "We've got the same pastry man," said co-owner Giorgio Merrigi, alluding to himself.

Stresa is at 1524 Northern Blvd., Manhasset, 516-365-6956

--Joan Reminick

Photo of new dining room courtesy of interior decorator Grant Koerner

La Cuvée Bistro & Wine Bar in Greenport gets the Cinco de Mayo partying going three days early with a three-course $25 dinner. Wines, priced by the glass, will be presented by Winemaker Kelly Urbanik of Bedell Cellars and Corey Creek Vineyard.

On May 2, chef Deborah Rivera Pittorino will prepare this menu (and offer these wine pairings):

Appetizer
Fire-Roasted Poblano bisque
a glass of Corey Creek Domaines C.C. Rosé 2007, $8
or
Quesadilla of truffled corn and queso fresco
Bedell Cabernet Franc 2006, $12

Main Course (served with Mexican rice and frijoles Negros)
Crepes filled with pulled chicken in a Salsa Verde topped with crema fresca
Corey Creek Gewürztraminer 2007, $15
or
Marinated boneless pork chop with poblano sauce
Bedell First Crush Red, a merlot-cabernet franc blend, $10

Dessert
Chili-peppered chocolate truffles
Corey Creek Late Harvest Riesling, $20

La Cuvée Bistro & Wine Bar is at the Greenporter Hotel, 325 Front St., Greenport. Call to reserve, 631-477-0066, thegreenporter.com

--Joan Reminick

Illustration from photos.com

You, too, can be a sushi chef.

OK, maybe you can’t. But at least you can take lessons from a pro who worked under Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto at Morimoto in Philadelphia.

On Monday, May 4, at Mumon in Garden City, executive sushi chef Tomoyuki Takasu will lecture on how to pick out perfect fish as well as how to cut, prepare and roll it. Students will make their own rolls, with guidance from Takasu, who will also fashion such appetizers as yellowtail ceviche and red snapper carpaccio. Best of all, everything gets eaten in class.

The cost of the seminar is $40 a person, which includes both the sushi and a glass of premium sake. Considering what you’d pay for a regular night at a sushi restaurant, not a bad deal at all.

Mumon Japanese Restaurant is at 1300 Franklin Ave., Garden City, 516-747-3388.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Tomoyuki Takasu/Jonathan Young

Long Island will be losing an iconic restaurant come mid-June. That's when Juanita Cooke plans to close The Cooke’s In.

“My lease is up and I’m not going to renew,” said Cooke. When asked whether she might reopen somewhere else, her answer was pointed: "Not unless I find a wealthy investor who wants to pay me a salary to walk through the door.”

The Cooke’s In opened in 1996 at a small Huntington Station storefront, moving to its current address in 2000. It's been lots more than just a place to eat. On weekends, people gather to hear Cooke singing at the piano.

This multi-talented former teacher also serves what may be the best fried chicken on all Long Island. And don't get me started on her addictive corn pudding, which comes with just about every entree, including a rousing jerk pork and chicken curry.

Now's the time to forget the calorie counting and get your Southern-Caribbean food fix while it's still available.

The Cooke’s In is at 767 New York Avenue, Huntington Station, 631- 424-2181

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Juanita Cooke and her fried chicken by Alejandra Villa

There's been a changing of the guard at The Bench in Stony Brook, a place that has gone through more than its share of failed incarnations over the past few years.

Scott Young, formerly of Mac's Steakhouse in Huntington, comes on board as new manager. The executive chef is now Kevin Vincelette, who cooked at La Coquille in Manhasset, Rothmann's in East Norwich and Singleton's Seafood Shack at Tobay Beach.

Vincelette's "comfort food" menu lists such dishes as chicken pot pie and mac'n cheese with bacon and scallions. There's also a late-night menu with pulled-pork sliders and New Orleans gumbo.

It all looks good on paper, but the proof will be in the eating.

The Bench is at 1095 Rte. 25A, Stony Brook, 675-1474.

- - Joan Reminick

Photo from Scott Young

One of the first Hamptons celebrity sightings of the season comes from the world of fashion.

Designer Betsey Johnson stopped into Matto in East Hampton on Saturday night for some takeout. She ordered a Margherita pizza as well as grilled salmon with lemon and steamed broccoli rabe. While waiting for her order, she sampled a glass of sauvignon blanc at the bar.

Now, Bestsey didn’t ask my advice, but if she had, I would have urged her to have that pizza with the wine, right there at the bar. Reheated pie – no matter how good – doesn't come close to pizza right out of the oven.

- -Joan Reminick

2007 Newsday photo of Betsey Johnson and her graddaughter, Layla, on the runway/ Ari Mintz

Fine sushi isn’t hard to come by on Long Island these days. But great soup – especially at a Japanese restaurant – can prove a bit more elusive.

So while I can only say good things about the fresh and attractive raw fish I had at the month-old Ruby Japanese restaurant in Plainview, I was especially heartened by a bowl of seafood soup. The broth had surprising depth and clarity of flavor; floating in it were shrimp, cooked to sweet succulence, as well as scallops and the fish cake I've heard called “bologna of the sea.” Best, though, were the vibrant, beautifully-cut vegetables: asparagus, peppers, snow peas. This was the soup of springtime.

Ruby Japanese Restaurant is located in the Plainview Shopping Center, near Starbucks, 397-C South Oyster Bay Rd., Plainview, 516-932-7874.

- - Joan Reminick

Photo from photos.com

The Montauk Yacht Club has gone South – but in a good way. The luxury resort kicks off this season with new restaurants, all celebrating the cooking of Louisiana, the Deep South, the Florida Keys, Cuba, Mexico and Texas.

Chef Michael Domitrovich, who was born into a Greek-Croatian restaurant family, spent years working at Lola's Kitchen, the Martha’s Vineyard restaurant owned by his mother, chef Lola Domitrovich. Domitrovich went on to write a play produced off-Broadway (called “On Island”) about life as a restaurant brat. He also co-authored a cookbook about Cuban food.

His new fine-dining restaurant, Gulf Coast Kitchen, is decorated in the manner of a Southern coastal estate, with wicker couches, lots of greenery and water views. Here, sweet-potato biscuits precede every meal. The menu includes fried oysters Rockefeller and locally caught striped bass glazed in sour orange and achiote powder and served with sweet plantains, salsa cruda, lime and habanero salt.

At Hurricane Alley, the resort’s informal breakfast-lunch spot, you might start a morning with Southern cornmeal pancakes and a side of house-made chorizo patties. For lunch, there’s a Cuban sandwich as well as a New-Orleans style muffuletta sandwich. Seating is both indoors and out.

The Barracuda Bar and Turtle Lounge serves up such noshes as fried green tomatoes and LI duck sliders on mini sweet-potato biscuits with caramelized onions and house-made orange marmalade.

Not exactly the place to go for spa cuisine.

The Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina is at 32 Star Island Rd., Montauk, 631-668-3100.

- - Joan Reminick

Photo of chef Michael Domitrovich

2009 is shaping up as the year of the restaurant week.

The one coming up in Long Beach will actually last more than a week. From April 17 to May 3, a three-course meal will cost 19.99 at wide range of local restaurants. Participants include Sugo, SwingBelly’s BBQ, Nick Diangelo, Geri’s, George Martin’s Coastal Grill, Speakeasy and Lola’s Kitchen & Wine Bar, to name just a few.

For the complete list, check out lbnychamberrestaurantweek.com. Most menus are viewable on pointclickeat.com.

-- Joan Reminick

Downtown Long Beach (Newsday Photo / Bill Davis)

Remember East Buffet, Huntington Station's epicenter of epicurean excess? The wildly popular Asian buffet closed last year after a fire, to the dismay of many.

Well, it's time to take heart - or heart medication - for the place has reopened as Best Buffet (did they get a discount on the sign?). I poked my head inside to have a look and was told that the restaurant is under new management but has kept the culinary crew from East.

From the looks of all the food - from sushi to Peking duck to pasta - not much is different. I'll have to stop by on a Saturday night to see if Best has inherited East's manic magnetic mojo.

Best Buffet is at 179 Walt Whitman Rd., Huntington Station, 631-385-0800.

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / Joan Reminick

The past week has been crammed with more negative restaurant experiences than I usually see in several months.

At the newly remodeled J.T.’s Corner Cafe in Nesconset, I ordered a grilled hanger steak very rare, only to be served sliced meat charred through. The replacement – which took some 20 minutes to arrive - was medium. Still, I took it. A chicken pot pie with a puff pastry top crust was gluey and short on chicken.

At the Palace Restaurant Bar & Grill, newly opened at the OTB Race Palace in Plainview, a salmon steak, ordered medium-rare, turned up ultra well-done. To the waiter’s credit, he observed the problem and brought a new piece of fish - cooked to specifications, if oh so bland. A friend's shoestring fries were lukewarm, tasting of oil.

Benny's in Westbury served me crabcakes so crusty on the outside, I could virtually scrape out their interiors; they were plated on a bed of shredded iceberg, no less. And the signature fassoletti alla Benny - house-made crepes filled with spinach and ricotta - featured thin pancakes cooked to dark brown on the inner side, their fillings virtually flavor-free.

Then, there was Cafe Symposio in Bellmore, where I was at a loss to understand the puzzling similarity of two differently described chicken dishes. One was listed as egg-battered with Parmesan and baked with vermouth and artichokes, the other as topped with Fontina, prosciutto and sage sauce. In fact, both were blanketed in the identical brown gravy, the first crowned with 3 artichoke pieces. This was salty, characterless food from a place that (based on an earlier visit) should have performed much better.

Brunch, at Main Street Bakery in Port Washington, proved a partial letdown. Caramelized apple pancakes, drowning in syrup, were coated with burnt bits. And while a scrambled eggs with creme fraiche and smoked salmon proved excellent, I had to request bread to accompany it. This at a bakery.

Waah!

- - Joan Reminick

Photos from photos.com

Office workers in Melville may want to take note that La Focaccia Gourmet Eatery Pizzeria opened last week in a Starbucks strip mall. The Route 110 corridor, filled with office parks, is sadly deficient in places to eat, so, no question, La Focaccia fills a niche.

I can vouch for the marinara pizza – a bright sauce atop a crisp crust - as well as for the fresh and sprightly cold seafood salad (shrimp, mussels, calamari and scungilli in a lemon, garlic and oil vinaigrette). But an otherwise fine panino made with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted red pepper, tomato and basil would have been way better without any balsamic vinaigrette. Come to think of it, we could all use a lot less balsamic in our lives.

Good to know: La Focaccia delivers within a half mile radius of its address, 64 Broadhollow Rd., Melville, 631-385-5000. While it seems largely geared to takeout, there are also several tables for onsite eating.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Joan Reminick

The papered windows and "restaurant opening soon" sign says it all. Michaels' at the Boardwalk is out of business.

What's moving into the vacated space? Hopefully, a dining spot that's both good and affordable. These days, it's just what Riverhead (and all of Long Island) could use.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Joan Reminick

Lynbrook newcomer Kenji Sushi serves up raw fish fixes in a storefront the size of a bento box.

At the sushi bar, I sampled a "crazy tuna" roll - spicy tuna and avocado overlaid by pepper-seared tuna. Fresh and lively. A salmon avocado roll was quite good, too.

Prices are modest, as are facilities (no public restrooms). As the menu states, this is, basically, a takeout restaurant.

Kenji Sushi is at 427 Sunrise Hwy., Lynbrook, 516-612-7219

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / Joan Reminick

Matto in East Hampton reopened for the 2009 season shaken and stirred. Owner Lidia Buonanno brought in an Italian-born team (alums of Cipriani Worldwide) to run the Italian restaurant.

Giovanni Zuanon, who worked at Harry’s Bar in Venice and Cipriani in London, has revamped the menu and is overseeing its execution. Pietro Molendini, who hails from Rome and managed Cipriani Downtown in Manhattan, is now general manager.

The new bill of fare features house-made pastas (like tagliolini al gamberi), fresh local fish and specialty pizzas. A late-night pizza bar and lounge will offer a menu of pizzas, salads, bruschette, focacce and crostini. And, of course, that Harry Cipriani cocktail classic, the Bellini.

Matto is at 104 N. Main St., East Hampton, 631-329-0200

-- Joan Reminick

Matto's interior (Newsday Photo, 2007/ Ken Spencer)

The word “topoli” in Farsi means “cutie.” It’s also the name of a new Mediterranean restaurant serving a combination of Persian, Italian, Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern dishes.

Instead of one chef, the restaurant has three: one from Italy, one from Iran and one from El Salvador. Which makes it, in effect, a quintessentially Long Island-American spot.

A big hit at our dinner table, on a recent evening, was an appetizer called mirza ghasemi - char grilled eggplant with tomato and garlic sauce. Rack of lamb - three lovely chops in a spicy garlic marinade - was skillfully cooked and served with fine hand-cut fries.

Because it was Persian New Year, the kitchen was out of many items, including most desserts. Guess I'll just have to check back.

Topoli is at 68 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck, 516-482-5555

- - Joan Reminick

Photo of dining room/Joan Reminick

Zong’s Shanghai in Bethpage is out of business.

The restaurant’s opening chef was the elusive Zong Xing Tu (formerly of Joe’s Shanghi in Flushing and Manhattan), known for his sublime soup dumplings (also called juicy dumplings). A notice on the restaurant's Web site states that Zong left the restaurant Jan. 8, 2008.

Where is Zong right now? If I had my way, he'd be getting ready to open a new Shanghai-style place in Melville, near Newsday's headquarters.

-- Joan Reminick

Zong's juicy dumplings (Newsday File Photo / Ken Spencer)

The latest celebrity food gossip comes from the political front.

Conservative commentators Sean Hannity and Mark R. Levin were part of a party of 14 dining at Prime – An American Kitchen & Bar in Huntington Harbor. They arrived at the restaurant late Saturday night, after a well-attended signing at Book Revue in Huntington for Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny."

The group shared a large selection of appetizers, including a 6-pound lobster presented as a mega lobster cocktail. Sources report that Levin, the last to arrive, ordered filet mignon, medium well-done. Hannity had New England clam chowder and a rib-eye steak, cooked medium.

When it comes to steak, it seems, Hannity is pretty much a centrist.

-- Joan Reminick

Sean Hannity (Photo by Jori Klein)

Sushi and garlic knots?

That’s what you can get at Cirella’s in Melville. Sushi chef Alan Kim, who won me over with his raw fish and rice at Cirella’s at Saks Fifth Avenue in Huntington Station, now has a sushi bar in this bustling Italian restaurant.

I stopped by at lunch and was surprised that my salmon and salmon-avocado rolls were cut into 6 rather than 8 pieces. Perhaps the business lunch crowd prefers large mouthfuls; I'm partial to the small and delicate. While the fish was as pristinely fresh as what I’d had at Saks just days earlier, the rice fell short of Kim’s ideal temperature and texture.

Good Japanese restaurant-style sushi - but not the magic I'd come to expect.

Cirella's is at 14 Broadhollow Rd., Melville, 631-385-7380

- - Joan Reminick

Photo of my sushi (note the garlic knots and olive oil cruet) at Cirella's/Joan Reminick

One of the best and most beautiful restaurants on Long Island is no more.

Louis XVI in Patchogue closed last week. Its commanding view of Great South Bay was only one of several attractions. There was also Jean-Claude Teulade’s impeccable French cooking and the attentive service by a skilled crew.

Look for an update, later this week, on who bought the property.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo by Ana P. Gutierrez

You can get a chopped salad as well as pork chops at the new Chop Shop in Smithtown.

The New American restaurant, which made its debut last week, is under the same ownership as Hudson’s Mill in Massapequa. Michael Fiorentino, who reigned over the kitchen at Hudson’s Mill for the past six years, is executive chef. In Smithtown, as in Massapequa, a large selection of wines is available by the glass as well as the bottle.

As for the menu, it's about lots more than just bone-in chops and chopped vegetables. There's a hot pastrami sandwich, a burger and sesame seared yellowfin tuna, as well as rack of lamb. Oh, wait - that's lamb chops.

Chop Shop is at 47-49 E. Main St., Smithtown, 631-360-3383.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo by Joan Reminick

Believe it or not, the mystery food I blogged about last Thursday was fried shrimp. Nobody guessed it.

I encountered the shrimp on a platter called the “mixed grill” at a Plainview eatery named - quite aptly - the Mixed Grill. Forget that the shrimp wasn’t grilled. Fried shrimp I can accept; shrimp that may as well be encased in stone is more problematic. Interestingly, I'd said to the waiter when I ordered, “Please ask the chef not to overcook anything.” With the exception of some perfectly respectable gyro meat, everything on that plate - chicken, pork, lamb and beef - was virtually incinerated.

Still, I found some bright spots at the Mixed Grill, a mixed experience, for sure. Unlike the cubes of grilled chicken on my unfortunate platter, the strips of grilled chicken on a pretty good Cobb salad were savory and juicy. And a crab cake – made with lump crab meat – was actually very good.

The place is wildly popular at lunch. I’m assuming that fried shrimp has nothing to do with it.

The Mixed Grill is at 1135 Old Country Rd., Plainview, 516-932-7300

--Joan Reminick

Spring is here and summer can’t be far off; the Clam Bar in Amagansett just opened for the season.

True, the outdoor stand is only open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. (weather permitting), but if the sun is shining and you’re bundled up, what could be more invigorating than slurping clams on the half shell or getting into a lobster roll at an outdoor table?

The Clam Bar is at 2025 Montauk Hwy., Amagansett, 631-329-0500

- - Joan Reminick

Photo courtesy of Wordhampton

A quirky and intriguing little spot called Dish quietly slipped into the former quarters of a deli in Water Mill. It’s co-owned by two CIA grads, Peter Cain Robertson and Merrill Indoe, both of whom share the kitchen.

The place seats only 12 and serves dinner by reservation on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. But, said Robertson, he and Indoe would cook for a party of 6 or more any other night of the week - provided they get 48 hours advance notice.

Right now, a five-course meal goes for $35, but, said Robertson, the price will probably go up when the season starts. Tonight’s menu includes a first course of seared sea scallop with confit of cipollini onion, a fourth (main) course of oxtail risotto with roasted monkfish and fresh herbs and a finale of lemon tart with raspberry coulis. Diners are invited to bring their own wine.

Bear in mind that the restaurant will temporarily shut down for the month of May, when the couple will go to California to get married.

Dish is at 760 Montauk Hwy. (in the same shopping center as Citarella), Water Mill.
631-726-0246

- - Joan Reminick

Photo of dishes from photos.com

This was part of my lunch. It took awhile (and the help of a waiter) to identify it.

Can you figure out what it is and where I ate it?

Unless someone guesses first, I'll have the answer next week.

-- Joan Reminick

Just the other day, I was daydreaming about the sublime grilled calamari at Santorini My Love in Great Neck. But I learned my yearning may go unrequited.

When I called the restaurant's number, I got a "temporarily disconnected" message. A colleague stopped in at a nearby dry cleaner, who didn't know whether the place was permanently closed.

My hope is that the "temporarily" part of the message is true and that the taverna's owners are off on vacation in Santorini.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Santorini My Love in 2006 by Howard Schnapp

The Palace Restaurant Bar & Grill just moved into the OTB space in Plainview once home to the up-market Maxwell & Dunne's Steakhouse.

Odds are you'll spend a lot less than you would have at this address last year, since most dishes are priced under $20. The restaurant’s owner, Butch Yamali, is a member of the family that owns Pastrami King in Merrick; chef John Sousa (no relation to "march king" John Philip Sousa) was head chef at the Friars Club in Manhattan. His three-course prix-fixe dinner goes for $20. That could mean an appetizer of duck tacos, an entree of thinly sliced peppered salmon and, for dessert, crème brûlée. A two-course lunch is $12.

This Thursday, starting at 5:30 p.m., former New York Giants player Sean Landeta is scheduled to take part in the grand-opening ceremonies, along with “The Wise Man and Frank” from B-103 Radio. There will be prizes, food samplings and giveaways, along with live entertainment. And - most crucially - pastrami.

The Palace Restaurant Bar & Grill is at 1600 Round Swamp Rd., Plainview, 516-847-7777

-- Joan Reminick

The Race Palace Restaurant Bar & Grill Photo

Bay Shore, billing itself as the “restaurant Mecca of the South Shore” has a restaurant week of its own, running March 23 to April 3.

More than 20 restaurants are offering a three-course meal for $20.09. Participants include Cool Water Grill, fatfish Wine Bar & Bistro, Smokin’ Al’s BBQ, Molly Malone’s and Sea Levels, to name a few. Aji 53 and The Lake House are doing the deal at lunch only.

For the entire list, click "Continue reading" below. Or check out bayshore-brightwaters.com.

— Joan Reminick

Chef Brian Valdini at fatfish (Newsday Photo / Michael E. Ach)

Is it that time of year again? Hamptons Restaurant Week is almost upon us.

From Sunday, March 29 until Sunday, April 5, a host of East End restaurants (both the North Fork and South Fork) will offer a three-course $24.95 prix-fixe all night except Saturday (when it will only be featured until 7 p.m.).

Some restaurants are also discounting Long Island wines. And a lot of wineries, lodging facilities and local businesses are offering deals, too.

-- Joan Reminick

Muse in Water Mill (Newsday Photo / Ken Spencer)

Instead of the traditional corned beef and cabbage, Bob’s Place in Floral Park has put together a five-course Samuel Adams beer dinner for next Tuesday, March 17, St. Patrick's Day.

How unconventional is the menu? The second course will be a very non-Irish shrimp scampi ravioli with red, white and blue tortilla "matchsticks" and chipotle, corn and sweet pepper salsa paired with a Samuel Adams Irish Red. A main course of ale-braised beef short ribs with smashed Yukon gold potatoes, French green beans, caramelized shallots and roasted tomatoes will match up with a full-flavored Samuel Adams Honey Porter. To see the entire menu, go to bobsplacerestaurant.com.

The cost of the dinner is $60 a person, advance reservations only. Reserve online or call 516-354-8185. Bob's Place is at 230 Jericho Tpke., Floral Park.

-- Joan Reminick

Bob's Place Photo

Finally, it looks as though there may be an end to the hex on the big old house at 37 Shore Rd. in Port Washington.

That's because Diwan, an Indian restaurant (with a branch in Hicksville), was reborn last week in that house, which it occupied from 1989 to 2000 - a big 11 years. Since then, the building has been a virtual revolving door for restaurants - Port Seafood Grill, Tease, Louis & Marxx, 360, The Wreck, Cinnamon Club and, most recently, Iavarone’s Prime View.

Chef co-owner Bobby Chhikara said that he plans on soon opening another restaurant — a “basic American” grill with an outdoor deck — in the space upstairs. Brave guy.

Stay tuned for updates.

— Joan Reminick

The Diwan site when it was Iavarone's Prime View. (Newsday Photo / Patrick McCarthy)

I brake for wood-oven pizza; can't help it - it's just reflex.

But the afternoon I happened upon Centro Cucina, a casual-looking spot in Greenvale, I'd already eaten lunch. So I made up my mind to return for dinner.

When I did, the first thing I ordered was a Margherita pizza. And it was all I hoped it would be - crisp but light, its simple flavors evocative of what I remember tasting in Rome. Later, I found out that it was fashioned of imported Italian flour, San Marzano tomatoes and house-made mozzarella and baked in a double-hooded brick oven fueled by a mix of cherry and oak. I also learned that the place is family-owned by Sicilian-born chef Antonio Caronna and his son, manager Guiseppe Caronna.

The elder Caronna turned out a lovely salad of fennel and oranges tossed in a lemon olive oil dressing (thankfully, no balsamic vinegar used here). That was followed by pasta ai funghi - house-made scialatielli with a variety of wild mushrooms in a tomato and Parmigiano sauce. Rich and aromatic.

Prices, while not outlandish, weren't quite cheap; $11 for the salad, $16 for the pasta. Even so, the place was filled with lots of families. A cheering sight in this economy.

Centro Cucina is at 43C Glen Cove Rd., Greenvale, 516-4484-3880, centrocucinacafe.com.

-- Joan Reminick

Pizzas in wood oven (Centrocucinacafe.com Photo)

A first for Smithtown: its very own Restaurant Week.

From Sunday, March 22, to Sunday, March 29, several dining spots throughout the Smithtown area will offer a three-course prix fixe at $25. The deal runs every night but Saturday, when it's available only until 7 p.m. After that, each restaurant's regular menu will prevail.

Who’s signed on? Among the participants so far are Butera’s, Café Havana, Casa Rustica and H2O Seafood Grill & Sushi bar in Smithtown as well as Bella Vita City Grill and Oscar’s Restaurant in St. James and The Grill Room in Hauppauge.

For the full list click here.

-- Joan Reminick

Cafe Havana (Newsday Photo / Ana P. Gutierrez)

Rumors have been swirling that Mill River Inn in Oyster Bay is on the verge of closing. True or false?

False - but with a grain of truth.

I called owner Ken Stephens, who said that business has, indeed, fallen off, especially on weeknights.

What is the restaurant doing to stay open? Right now, chef Nicholas Molfetta is offering a three-course $34.95 prix fixe that’s available Wednesday to Sunday night from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

But that may not be enough, admitted Stephens, who said he's seriously contemplating a reinvention. Just what that will mean remains to be seen.

Mill River Inn is at 160 Mill River Rd., Oyster Bay, 516-922-7768.

-- Joan Reminick

Millriverinn.com Photo

It’s so sad, all these restaurant closings.

The latest to leave us is Baang Cafe & Bar, an Asian Fusion restaurant that was in the Woodbury Common shopping center in Woodbury.

“How am I going to get by without that great Asian chicken salad?” a friend wonders. Guess she’ll have to trek up to Greenwich, Connecticut, where the original Baang remains open and running.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Baang's fab chicken salad, circa 2007/Ken Spencer

You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a culinary way. And – unless you’ve got a date with a stock pot, a head of cabbage and a corned beef - it’s never too early to start making dinner plans.

At Cannon’s Blackthorn in Rockville Centre, chef Axell R. Urrutia has come up with a roster of traditional and non-traditional Irish dishes for the big day as well as the weekend before, March 14 to 17. As specials, he’ll be featuring a lobster and shrimp shepherd’s pie, Guinness braised short ribs with caramelized cabbage and whiskey mashed potatoes as well as fish and chips smothered with curry and onions. A three-course corned beef and cabbage prix-fixe will go for $15.95 all day, from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m..

Live Irish music starts at 4.30 p.m. on Sunday as well as on Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day.

Cannon’s Blackthorn is at 49 N. Village Ave., Rockville Centre, 516-594-1222

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Bruce Gilbert

With so many meal deals competing for your attention, it pays to know about the better ones. I found myself won over by the prix-fixe at Crossroads Cafe in East Northport.

Chef-owner Rob Haddow's considerable culinary talents outshine the modest-looking setting. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights, Haddow offers a $22 three-course dinner that might tempt budget-watchers to declare Sunday the new Saturday night.

I began with convincingly Asian-style dumplings filled with a chicken and vegetable mixture and drizzled with teriyaki sauce (ordinarily $9). That was followed by a beautifully crisp-on-the-outside, flaky-within whole branzino (ordinarily $25) elegantly curled on the plate as though swimming. In cool counterpoint was a tomato-caper-onion salsa. I finished with profiteroles (ordinarily $7) filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot fudge and freshly whipped cream. Really, a lovely meal.

Now, I'm no math genius, but to me, this looks like $41 worth of food for $22.

Crossroads Cafe is at 26 Laurel Rd., East Northport, 631-754-2000.

-- Joan Reminick

Crossroads Cafe Logo

Mama mia! One of my all-time favorite LI dining spots is having a bambino. Kitchen A Trattoria opens tonight in St. James in the former digs of parent Kitchen A Bistro. (The bistro has been up and running for a month in the former home of Mirabelle, also in St. James.)

Executive chef Eric Lomando and chef de cuisine Eric Bolyard offer a moderately priced, carefully sourced menu they're calling "rustic Italian.” The place is now serving dinner only, Tuesday to Thursday, first come, first served, and Friday and Saturday, reservations only. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday.

A sneak peek at the menu reveals such dishes as an antipasto of braised tripe with Parmigiano at $8, a "primo" of chittara pasta with garlic, chile, roast tomato and bottarga (roe) for $11 and a "secondo" of roast quail stuffed with duck, grapes and saba (grape must) for $15.

Kitchen A Trattoria is at 532 N. Country Rd., St. James, 631-862-0151, kitchenatrattoria.com.

-- Joan Reminick

The new home of Kitchen A Trattoria, back when it was Kitchen A Bistro (Newsday Photo / Audrey C. Tiernan)

Heard it on the grapevine: Michael Affatato, a Long Island native who owns a winery in France (how odd is that?) will showcase his vintages at a dinner this Friday night at Jedediah’s in Jamesport.

Affatato and his French-born wife, Hélène, bought the historic Chateau La Gatte in Bordeaux in 2004.

Chef Matt Murphy’s dinner (at $65 a person) looks like this:

Local Fluke Poached in Champagne
watercress sabayon
Chateau La Gatte "Rose" 2007

Desserts on table
After dinner drinks

Jedediah's in the Jedediah Hawkins Inn is at 400 S. Jamesport Ave., Jamesport. To reserve, call 631-722-2900 or visit opentable.com.

-- Joan Reminick

Photo of Chateau La Gatte courtesy of Michael Affatato

The hyperactive Reststar Hospitality Group (whose holdings include Bistro Cassis, Toast, Cafe Buenos Aires and Osteria Toscana, to name a few in Huntington), just opened Bin 56, a wine bar, in the space next door to Toast.

The menu is all about tapas-style small plate items. Choose among such dishes as sweet and spicy calamari, cheese bread sliders stuffed with chorizo, and lamb chops with mint chimichurri over caramelized apple.

Furnishings include a communal table as well as couches, good for socializing as well as eating and imbibing.

Bin 56 is at 56 Stewart Ave., Huntington, 631-812-0060

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo Illustration / Tony Jerome

Mediterranean Snack Bar in Huntington is one of those perennials that seem virtually recession-proof. I found out why when I stopped for some carryout to bring back to the office.

A friend and I shared a hefty hunk of moussaka, a layered Greek lamb, potato and eggplant casserole topped with a creamy cloud of béchamel. Hard to imagine a more soul-warming lunch. I liked the Greek salad, punctuated by just the right amounts of fresh dill and feta, but the tomatoes weren't quite as red and gorgeous as the ones that stood out in an otherwise ordinary chicken souvlaki sandwich.

The place is very 1975 (the year of its opening) in both decor and cash-only policy. Still, as long as the kitchen can turn out moussaka such as that, who cares?

Mediterranean Snack Bar is at 360 New York Ave., Huntington, 631-423-8982

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / Howard Schnapp

Tonight. That’s when Speranza Food Studio officially opens in the former Woodbury digs of Stresa East. After an extravagant renovation and much controversial news coverage, attention turns to the food.

In charge of the kitchen is executive chef Michael Meehan (formerly of Tupelo Honey in Sea Cliff and Michaels' on the Boardwalk in Riverhead) and chef de cuisine Anthony Trobiano (of the former Trobiano’s in Great Neck, featured on "Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares").

It's not exactly a recession-priced bill of fare, with appetizers ranging from $9 to $17 and entrees from $23 to $42. Meehan named as some of his specialties a hand-crafted meatball with wild arugula salad and pan-roasted prawns with herb salad, peperonata and pino grigio butter. Right now, wood-oven pizzas are only available in the lounge.

For the time being, the restaurant (oops, I mean food studio) is open for dinner only, with lunch slated to kick in mid-March.

Speranza Fine Italian Food Studio is at 7940 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury, 516-922-2400

-- Joan Reminick

Michael Meehan at Michaels' on the Boardwalk (Wordhampton Photo)

There’s good news and there’s bad news on the Huntington eating front.

Let’s get the bad over with first. Renaissance Gourmet, a top delicatessen for the past 18 years, closed two weeks ago. I had all I could do to calm a colleague, at a loss for where to get her favorite tuna vegetable salad.

Now for the good news: Restaurant Joanina, under the same roof and ownership as Renaissance for 11 years, is expanding to fill the building. During construction, the restaurant will remain open nightly for dinner. Once work is complete, the fully renovated spot will add lunch to the mix - mostly wood-oven pizzas, pastas and panini. “But no more chicken Waldorf salad,” owner Robert Oliva said.

The Oliva family also opened the Joanina Wine Shop in the former digs of Haagen Dasz, 52 Wall St., 631-629-4098. Which means that any wine ordered from the restaurant’s list can also be bought retail around the corner.

Restaurant Joanina is at 35 Gerard St., Huntington, 631-549-2727.

-- Joan Reminick

Restaurant Joanina (Newsday Photo, 2004 / Ken Spencer)

At Christiano’s (reputed to be the inspiration for Billy Joel’s “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” ), it may as well be 1975. And I mean that in the best possible way.

The atmospheric spot favored by Brenda and Eddie first opened in 1958. It has dark wood paneling, walls lined with bottles of red and of white, and - most crucially - a $6.95 lunch special.

My midday meal began with a big bowl (not a cup) of hearty minestrone, followed by a towering hunk of baked meat lasagna, which I found meltingly good. I ate about a sixth of it and had the rest (enough for a hungry person's dinner) wrapped to go.

Deals like this are like found money.

Christiano's is at 19 Ira Rd., Syosset, 516-921-5588

-- Joan Reminick

The interior of Christiano's (Newsday Photo / Joan Reminick)

Here’s yet another restaurant transformation (so hard keeping track of them these days): Jackson’s Landing in Bellmore is now 101 Bar & Grill.

Relax; the ownership and crew are still the same - which means that fans of chef Hal Goldman will still get to taste his cooking. It’s just that the mood and the menu have been re-cast in a more casual, affordable vein. Now, there’s a roster of burgers, quesadillas, bar classics, pastas and entrees, most (but not all) items costing less than $20.

Check out the Web site (101bargrill.com) for daily specials.

101 Bar & Grill is at 2565 Bellmore Ave., Bellmore, 516-785-5353.

-- Joan Reminick

A view of the restaurant's exterior (101bargrill.com Photo)

Small bites and spirits - that’s the concept behind the new Bennett’s in Locust Valley. So says Bennett Schwartz, who opened the casual, lounge-y spot in late September where Bin 23 used to be.

On weekends, Schwartz said, there’s live entertainment – light jazz and classic contemporary music. The menu features "bar bites," panini, cheese plates, cured meats, fondues, salads and desserts. Check out the Web site, bennettswineandcheese.com.

The place is open from noon to midnight Monday to Saturday. Good to know about if you’re looking for an evening’s entertainment or late-night nibble

Bennett's is at 23 Birch Hill Rd., Locust Valley, 516-676-2620.

-- Joan Reminick

Bennett's interior (Photo by Bennett Schwartz)

What will you be up to this Sunday, Oscar night? Partying with a cast member of "The Wrestler"?

That's what you can do if you reserve a place at the Oscar party at Mangia Mangia in Patchogue. Armond Cecere, Mickey Rourke's stunt double from "The Wrestler," will be chatting it up, hanging out and (perhaps) celebrating during an evening of festivities.

You can order cocktails with names like the "Angelina," the "Jennifer," and the "Randy the Ram." And bar snacks (sliders, rosemary French fries, mac and cheese, and fried calamari, to name a few) will go for $5 apiece.

To vote on your choice of winners, you'll have to get to the restaurant before 8 p.m. and fill out a ballot. Call for details and reservations.

Mangia Mangia is at 69 E. Main St., Patchogue, 631-475-4774.

-- Joan Reminick

Photos of Mickey Rourke and Armond Cecere courtesy of Armond Cecere

Think you've heard the phrase "economic stimulus package" enough? Maybe, but here it comes again. This latest "package" is from the world of chain restaurants.

T.G.I. Friday's has just come out with a buy-one-get-one entree deal. Print out a coupon from the restaurant’s website, and with the purchase of an entree (they run $5.99 to $18.29), you can get another of equal or lesser value. The restriction is one offer per party per visit.

If you're thinking of taking advantage, bear in mind that the deal runs now through March 1.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of sign at Huntington Station T.G.I. Friday's/Bill Davis

Just had such a great little pizza.
The Margherita super thin “pizzette” at Gino’s of Lindenhurst had all the right things going on – crisp blistered paper-thin crust, creamy house-made mozzarella, bright tomato basil sauce and fresh basil strewn on top.

What made lunch even better was that the sound system pumped out one upbeat oldie after another - songs by the likes of Wilson Pickett, James Brown, the Rolling Stones and the Isley Brothers. I mean, how can you not sing along when “It’s Your Thing” is playing?

Gino's of Lindenhurst is at 740 Wellwood Ave., Lindenhurst, 631-225-1555

Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Joan Reminick

Another day, another restaurant reinvention.

This time it’s Mazzi in Huntington Station, which has become Rocco’s Italian Kitchen. It’s named in honor of owner Kathy Catanzaro's grandfather, a major culinary inspiration in her life.

Catanzaro said that the place has been redecorated, the new menu now more “economically friendly” than before. Chef Jack Mutell still runs the kitchen at this Kitchen, turning out such dishes as orecchiette with butternut squash, cranberries and almonds in herb brown butter sauce and pork osso buco.

And add one more name to the growing list of “kitchens” that don’t want to be known as restaurants.

Rocco's Italian Kitchen is at 493 Jericho Tpke., Huntington Station, 631-421-3390.

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / Joan Reminick

There may be more sushi in Garden City than Tokyo. OK, I exaggerate, but just when you thought the town couldn’t hold another Japanese or pan-Asian restaurant, along comes Mumon.

This one looks like a major player. Executive sushi chef Tomoyuki Takasu comes from Morimoto in Philadelphia and chef Atsushi Yokota from Komegashi in Manhattan. His specialty is French and Japanese cuisine.

Check out the menu on mumonrestaurant.com.

Mumon is at 1300 Franklin Ave., Garden City, 516-747-3388

-- Joan Reminick

Mumon's swank-looking interior (Wordhampton Photo)

Au revoir, Aix-en Provence; ahoy there, Crew Kitchen & Bar.

If you’re attached to the people at Aix, don’t worry – its owners and crew (but not its menu) remain. It's an identity change that’s taken place in Huntington.

Manager Remy van Driel attributes several meanings to the restaurant's new name. For one thing, he said, the place often serves crew (rowing) teams in summer. And the new menu, which he described as “travelers' cuisine” – is the global food chef Gene Defreitas and the rest of the crew favor. Dishes like open-faced pulled pork pot pie and tandoori fried chicken.

In keeping with the current economy, prices are lower and the look (“Hamptons meets Caribbean chic”) more lighthearted than before.

Who, besides me, has noticed that nobody’s calling themselves a restaurant any more? Can you name some of the other new “kitchens?”

Crew Kitchen & Bar is at 134 New York Ave., Huntington, 631-549-3338

- - Joan Reminick

Photo of dining room (note oar on the wall) from Crew Kitchen & Bar

Last night, Stresa in Manhasset suffered damage due to an electrical fire that started in the basement. Co-owner Giorgio Meriggi said that fortunately, nobody was hurt.

Meriggi estimated it should take 10 days to get the place restored and running again. Stay tuned for updates.

Stresa is at 1524 Northern Blvd., Manhasset, 516-365-6956

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Stresa

So glad that one of my all-time favorite Greek restaurants, Alexandros, has reopened in new digs. This after an absence of nearly three years. Owner Sam Constantis, who sold his Miller Place location in 2006, renovated the former Eddie G’s Steak House in Mount Sinai and, two weeks ago, opened during a raging blizzard. The weather didn't discourage a large contingent of former customers, he said.

Constantis’ father, Anthony, who helped him open the first place, has returned to Long Island from Athens to act as adviser. Constantis, as executive chef, has two sous chefs working with him in the kitchen. A glance at the menu (entrees are $15 to $34; whole fish is priced by the pound) reveals such favorites as grilled octopus, whole fish and lamb chops. You can also get home-style dishes, like pastitsio and gyro.

Constantis described the decor as “soft and warm” with Venetian plaster on the walls and a mural of Alexander the Great.

An inspiration, given these challenging economic times. "No guts, no glory," Constantis said.

Alexandros is at 1060 Rte. 25A, Mount Sinai, 631-928-8600.

-- Joan Reminick
Sam Constantis at the former Miller Place Alexandros (Newsday Photo, 2004 / Thomas A. Ferrara)

Coal oven pizza at a deli that doesn’t even have a coal oven? It’s true and it’s awesome.

That’s how I felt after sampling an individual Margherita pie at the newly transplanted Massa’s pizza. It's now at the Elm Street Eatery in Huntington at 12 Elm St. (631-629-4212), which is only open until 5 p.m. Pizza wizard Bill Massa makes a crust that’s crisp, flavorful and beautifully blistered, its tomato-mozzarella topping simple and lush.

Massa’s secret? He starts the crust in the coal oven of his former locale in Huntington Station, which is under new ownership (146 W. Jericho Tpke., 631-935-0200). Read the whole story by clicking here.

About the Elm Street Eatery: It’s a mega-deli and takeout place with lots of tables for eating in. There, I had a bracing bowl of mushroom barley soup which I’d go back for in a minute.

That and Massa’s incomparable pizza.

-- Joan Reminick

I photographed my pizza; does it make you hungry?

You read that right -- a burger for just $1. And a worthy one, at that. I know because I had it the Tara Inn in Port Jefferson, a friendly neighborhood pub that’s been around over 30 years.

The burger -- a third of a pound of fresh ground beef from a local butcher -- was $1 when Joe Higgins first opened the pub in 1977. Higgins' daughter Pat said the price will hold as long as the place exists, since her father (now retired) vowed that after he's gone, he'll return to haunt his children if they dare raise it.

Lunch at the Tara Inn amounts to a certifiable steal. Today, chef Kevin McLaughlin’s special is a prime rib and Swiss sandwich with soup, salad and fries, the whole shebang for $5.99. On Friday, it'll be a cup of clam chowder, a salad and roast turkey with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and stuffing, the works for $3.99.

The drawbacks? Most everything (except big-time entrees) comes on paper plates. When I visited, I had to keep my coat on to stay warm. But today, I'm told, the heating system should be fixed.

The Tara Inn is at 1519 Main St., Port Jefferson, 631-473-9602

-- Joan Reminick

I took a photo of my burger, which cost $1.25 (a quarter extra for the tomato); the chips were gratis.

He's back! Kent Monkan is cooking again at his old digs in Locust Valley. Now, however, everything’s different. Heirloom, the restaurant he opened and then sold, had been damaged in a fire last year. Monkan (who was executive chef at Nisen Sushi in Woodbury) has reclaimed the spot, refurbished it and reopened it as The Brass Rail Gastro Pub. (In case you're wondering about that name, the restaurant's antique bar, crafted in the 1880s, used to be part of the old Brass Rail restaurant in midtown Manhattan).

Unlike the up-market Heirloom, the new gastro pub is "geared toward everybody,” in Monkan's words. The well-priced menu features bar snacks for $5, soups for $6, salads for $7, small plates for $11 and sandwiches for $15. Entrees include dishes like grilled skirt steak for $19 and crisp roast organic chicken for $18.

“Now, people bring their kids, who can get mac ‘n cheese and burgers,” Monkan said. There’s even a Cubano sandwich.

My kind of place.

The Brass Rail is at 107 Forest Ave., Locust Valley, 516-723-9103

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Kent and Susan Monkan at the former Heirloom in 2005 (the bar is the same).

What makes CoolFish's new "stimulus package" prix-fixe different from previous meal deals at the restaurant? Extended hours, for one thing: the offer runs Sunday to Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Also, the $29.95 tab includes not only a three-course dinner but also a glass of either 2007 Montasolo pinot grigio from Italy or 2006 Oxford Landing merlot from Australia.

Chef owner Tom Schaudel's ever-changing menu might feature a first course of pulled-pork quesadilla or grilled calamari, a main course of pan-seared St. Peter's fish or Tuscan-style meat loaf and, as a finale, a chocolate-hazelnut mousse or Sicilian almond cake with roasted pears.

Sounds stimulating enough.

CoolFish is at 6800 Jericho Tpke., Syosset, 516-921-3250.

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of CoolFish's dining room by Jim Peppler

A very Victorian Jamesport restaurant and inn has has loosened its collar and rolled up its sleeves to survive the new economy. When the Jedediah Hawkins Inn reopens this Friday under new executive chef, general manager and operator Matt Murphy, it will be a somewhat different place than it was under predecessor Tom Schaudel. Murphy, for those of you unfamiliar with the name, is also the chef owner of Antares Cafe in Greenport, which is slated for its own transformations this spring.

“We’re making Jedediah's a lot more casual and comfortable and have lowered prices on everything from the wine list to the food,” Murphy said. Entrees (not exactly cheap but down from what they were) range from $18 for a risotto with mushrooms and braised chicken to $34 for a salt-crusted filet mignon. There are also two prix-fixe deals, one at $29, the other at $45 and a wine list that offers 15 bottles under $30. The bar menu features such dishes as duck-and-cranberry sliders and – yes – a hamburger and even a meatball. And sports fans might want to know that the bar now sports a flat screen TV.

Jedediah’s is at 400 S.Jamesport Ave., Jamesport, 631-722-2900

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Jedediah Hawkins Inn by Ken Spencer

Interested in some good fortune? How about $10 off your next restaurant dinner?

During the Chinese New Year season (which runs Monday until Feb. 8), West East Bistro in Hicksville will be giving all diners a red envelope, the Chinese symbol of luck and prosperity. Inside will be a $10 West East Bistro gift certificate.

Having dined at West East Bistro (check out my review), I'd say that dinner there is a fortunate occurence to begin with.

West East Bistro is at 758 S. Broadway, Hicksville, 516-939-6618, westeastbistro.com

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of owner Danny Wu by Viorel Florescu

Did you find your engagement ring at the bottom of a Champagne glass? Or maybe a did a zeppelin fly over Shea Stadium with the words, "Jen, will you marry me?"

Whatever your marriage proposal story, if you're thinking it's the best one on earth, you may want to enter it in City Cellar’s Valentine’s Day contest. Entries should be 300 words or less and may be submitted with supporting videos or photos. The judges are looking for romance, spontaneity and creativity. What about the prize? A dinner for two at City Cellar ( food, beverages and tax included but not gratuities, the total not exceeding $200).

You can submit your entry either on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Westbury-NY/City-Cellar-Wine-Bar-Grill/29708182756 or at or at Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/citycellarwinebar.

City Cellar is at 1080 Corporate Dr., Westbury, 516-693-5400, www.bigtimerestaurants.com

- - Joan Reminick

Photo from photos.com

There's a compelling little secret behind the deceptive facade of Fortune Asian Bistro in Westbury. Forget that the restaurant (which used to be called simply "Fortune") now has a sushi bar and pan-Asian menu, that its window is plastered with signs advertising reduced-priced sushi. This I see as a front for what seems at heart an authentic Chinese dining spot, the kind you'd find in Chinatown.

I learned about the place from a post on Chowhound . Toby1355 exulted, "this is the closest thing to Flushing I've seen in these parts in my thirty years in Nassau County." But when I called the restaurant to inquire, they told me that the regular pan Asian menu was all there was.

Not so, I found when I visited and was handed, along with that boring pan-Asian roster I've seen in a hundred other places, a laminated insert with such dishes as Shanghai-style preserved chicken, sliced pork belly with chili garlic soy and braised sea cucumber with shrimp seeds. Aha!

My mouth is still ringing from the dan dan noodles with chili, a dish I found electrifying. (Too bad I didn't know about this place when I wrote an article last month on hot and spicy dishes). "Tender sliced lamb with 3 kinds of peppers" was as fiery as it was delicious. And, oh, those big voluptuous "meatballs Shanghai style" (actually, the dish known as lion's head), encircled by baby bok choy - soooo good!

I asked whether the restaurant has dim sum roving cart service, and it does not. Ah, well.

Can't wait to return and eat my way through the menu.

Fortune Asian Bistro is at 377 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-333-8686.

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / Joan Reminick

"Uncle Junior ate here."

That’s what Angelo Galeotafiore, chef-owner of Mangia Mangia in Patchogue, can brag about -- and he’s got the photo to prove it. "Sopranos" actor (and talented singer) Dominic Chianese, who was performing at the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts, stopped into the restaurant with a group on Jan. 14.

Here’s what he ate: first, a spinach salad with pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and red onions, followed by linguine with clams. No dessert but, for sure, some Chianti.

-- Joan Reminick

Angelo Galeotafiore and Dominic Chianese (Photo by Colby James Sadeghi)

It’s been a tough year for restaurateurs John Durkin and Diane Margaritis. Just weeks ago, their new Roslyn fish house, Day Boat, was destroyed by a fire. Now, they've closed the-three-star Cafe Diane in Woodbury, citing lack of business and a poor economy as the deciding factors.

Durkin, who is executive chef, and his wife, Margaritis, pastry chef, continue to do well at their original restaurant, Trattoria Diane in Roslyn and at Diane's Bakery and Cafe next door.

And they're not letting setbacks keep them down. Looking ahead, the couple plan on reopening the Roslyn Day Boat and are actively scouting a site for yet another Day Boat. "I was having so much fun cooking there," Durkin said. "It was the right menu for the right time.”

As someone who never got the chance to try Durkin's clam chowder or lobster roll, I look forward to having a chance to do so real soon.

-- Joan Reminick

John Durkin and Diana Margaritis in 2007 at Cafe Diane in Woodbury (Newsday Photo / Robert Mecea)

There’s a new chef in Long Beach, and she wants to change things around. Christina LoSasso has taken over the kitchen of George Martin’s Coastal Grill in Long Beach. For the past four years, LoSasso cooked at George Martin the Original in Rockville Centre.

LoSasso said she wants to alter perceptions about the restaurant's menu, which she plans on simplifying somewhat. One special she wants to feature is a paella made with littleneck clams, mussels, shrimp and chorizo over basmati rice. She’ll also put several nonfish items on the menu, among them filet mignon and wok-seared sesame beef.

Answering earlier criticism on this blog about the lack of locally caught fish, LoSasso said she’ll be featuring local fish as blackboard specials. Among those she plans on offering are monkfish, swordfish and filet of sole but not bluefish. “People are scared of it,” she said.

-- Joan Reminick

Christina LoSasso (George Martin Group Photo)

The economy has apparently eaten up another restaurant. Corbin & Reynolds in Long Beach is now closed.

As we wait for a new restaurant to take over the space, it may be a good time to make a wish list for what you'd like to see in Long Beach. Feel free to elaborate.

-- Joan Reminick

Corbin & Reynolds (Newsday Photo, 2004)

Asian Fusion, French or Southwestern? Italian, New American or French? Wine or beer?

Oh, what the heck, have it all – and help raise money for a good cause while you stuff your face. It all happens in East Meadow on Monday, Jan. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at The Carltun in Eisenhower Park. The event, “A Taste of Long Island 2009,” benefits the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Who'll be cooking? R.S. Jones in Merrick, Sage Bistro in Bellmore, LL Dent in Carle Place and Black & Blue Seafood Chophouse of Huntington, to name just a few restaurants. Other participants include the renowned Tom Cat Bakery from Long Island City and Raphael Winery of Peconic. For the full list, click on the link below.

Tickets are $100 for general admission, $150 for reserved seating, available to the first 100 people responding. For information or reservations, call 516-572-0700.

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / Karen Wiles Stabile

Yes, folks, it’s true. Four Food Studio & Cocktail Salon in Melville is suing the soon-to-open Speranza Fine Italian Food Studio in Woodbury for using the term “food studio” in its name.

The lawsuit asks that Speranza be restrained and enjoined from using the name as well as for monetary damages to be determined by the courts if the restaurant doesn't change its name.

Jay Grossman, co-owner of Four Food Studio & Cocktail Salon, said he bears Speranza Fine Italian Food Studio no ill will. It’s just that his restaurant has a trademark on that name, he said, and he doesn’t want his guests confusing the Melville restaurant with the Woodbury place.

Douglas Bilotti, in-house attorney for Four Food Studio & Cocktail Salon had this to say: “All we’re looking to do is prevent Speranza’s deceptive use of the term 'food studio.' We don’t want anybody piggybacking on our name and reputation and we intend to fully prosecute our case against anyone that’s going to infringe upon our service mark.”

Stuart Berg, attorney for the 7940 Jericho Turnpike Corp. (which owns Speranza) said that he only recently saw the lawsuit and believes it to be baseless. “All you need to do is Google "food studio" and you’ll see the use of the term across the country in hundreds of restaurants,” Berg said, adding he's moving to have the lawsuit dismissed in the Supreme Court of Nassau County.

We’ll update you if and when this stew hits the courts.

-- Joan Reminick

Newsday Photo / J. Conrad Williams Jr.

Planning on being in D.C. for the inauguration? Want to meet some other professional and entrepreneurial types headed there, too? Then sign up for GoldenNetworking.com’s pre-inauguaration business networking reception at Waterzooi in Garden City tomorrow night (Jan. 16), which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

What that gets you is a complimentary Belgian hors d’oeuvres buffet, which runs from 6 to 7 p.m. and will include moules (mussels) and frites, those awesome Belgian fries.

To sign up for the event, register on the Web site, goldennetworking.com.

Waterzooi is at 850 Franklin Ave., Garden City, 516-877-2177.

For more info on inauguration happenings, check out Newsday’s special section this Sunday.

-- Joan Reminick

Waterzooi's mussels with Thai sauce (Newsday Photo / Jim Peppler)

Feeling left out of the government's bailouts? Laguna Grille , with locations in Westbury and Woodbury, wants to make sure that ordinary people – not just the banks and the auto industry – have a chance cash in on the action. Every day through April 30, the restaurant will “bail out” one lunch and one dinner check by randomly drawing a table number. Which means that everything except alcohol is free.

If you’re not a member of the chosen party, what then? There are consolations. No matter who you are, if you have two kids 10 and under at your table, they eat for free. And grownups can take advantage of a $19.95 price-fixed, three-course menu offered Monday to Thursday evenings.

Laguna Grille has two locations, 1610 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-745-1400, and 7927 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury, 516-682-8000.

To read more about this click here.

-- Joan Reminick

Laguna Grille Photo

The new $24.95 twilight menu at Sole in Oceanside looks inviting - or maybe that's just because I'm hungry right now.

Chef owner Joseph Bonacore kicks off the meal with a choice between a calamari salad, shrimp bisque, corn chowder, baked clams oreganata and a house salad. Then, for an entrée, select either a grilled chicken cutlet on a salad (baby greens, roasted corn, black beans and other good stuff) or roast pork osso buco with truffled mashed potatoes and seared escarole. Other options include Tuscan shrimp as well as black and white sesame seed-crusted salmon. Finally, for dessert, you can get toasted pound cake with vanilla gelato, cheesecake, or simply gelato or sorbetto.

The deal is offered Sunday from 5 p.m. until closing, Monday to Friday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m.

If you go, why not post a comment on how the meal turns out?

Sole is at 2752 Oceanside Rd., Oceanside, 516-764-3218

- - Joan Reminick

It’s not all bad news in restaurant-land these days. Just check out the sign on the storefront space that used to house Peace Street Kitchen and, then, Gringo's. Dino’s Joint, it reads. And, in the window, a smaller sign says “coming soon.”

Who is Dino? What will his “joint” be like? While I know, I’m not divulging anything until the place actually opens.

Anybody out there want to venture some guesses? Feel free to speculate and share what you know by posting a comment.

- - Joan Reminick

I don’t use the term “sensational” lightly, but there’s no other way to describe the rotisserie-roasted chicken adobo I had from the new RoTico Rotisserie Café in Garden City. It doesn’t surprise me that chef co-owner Rob Bates cooked at Aureole in Manhattan under Charlie Palmer. Here, Bates and his wife, Freya, (who gave birth to a baby girl the same week the place opened in late December) are using Mexican and Central American recipes culled from their extensive travels.

My chicken was a coppery brown on the outside, juicy and crackling with spices down to the bone. Yes, the chipotle beef barbacoa was good, as was the Yucatan-style roasted pork shoulder. But it was the chicken that ruled this roost.

Speaking of roosts, there’s nowhere yet to sit, since the town hasn’t yet granted seating permits. So take your chicken out; it will take you places you’ve never been.

RoTico Rotisserie Cafe is at 162 Seventh St., Garden City, 516-280-3163.

The LIRR trestle doesn't just loom over Ciao Bella in Valley Stream; a corrugated metal support beam actually protrudes into the restaurant’s dining room.

Interesting and atmospheric, for sure, but not the real reason to visit this winning little place, open since September. Chef-owner Freddy Sammarone (who owned Freddy’s Ristorante in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District) offers a roster of traditional Southern Italian dishes, many of the recipes handed down by his mother and grandparents.

He can cook. A recent lunch was highlighted by sprightly sauteed calamari with olives and lemons as well as fresh orecchiette with broccoli rabe and crumbled sausages, the flavors melding beautifully. It was good - so good, in fact, I felt the earth move.

No, wait, that was just the Manhattan-bound train rumbling overhead.

Ciao Bella is at 149 S. Franklin Ave. in Valley Stream, 516-568-7411.

-- Joan Reminick

Photo of dining room with LIRR support bean courtesy of Ciao Bella

Maxwell & Dunne's All Natural Steak House is outtahere.

Just a few months ago, the place made a giant splash by going all-natural. I visited the restaurant in July and won't soon forget that experience. Read all about it by clicking here.

Yet another victim of the economy? Seems logical. With most restaurants cutting back prices, this place was charging $13 for a kid's hot dog (organic, but still ...) and more than $40 for most entrees. Which meant a lot of horses had to win a lot of races for a lot of customers.

A January 12 Newsday story offers another perspective on the closing. To read, click here.

In a recent phone conversation, former M&D owner Jed Morey said that he and chef Chris Palmer are currently scouting for a new location, where they hope to offer a carefully sourced natural and organic menu. I'm hoping that this time, their prices will be more in tune with the times.

-- Joan Reminick

Maxwell & Dunne's dining room before a recent renovation (Photo by Wayne Herrschaft)

Lots going on at the Cooperage Inn in Baiting Hollow.

For one thing, the 15-year-old restaurant is offering a three-course $19.95 prix fixe dinner Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 2:30 to 9 p.m. For another, every Friday night, the place stages a big buffet, at $26.95 a person. Then, on Sunday, it's brunch buffet time, for $24.95.

What else? The restaurant will morph into a dinner theater on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m., when the Old Vic Theater Company II presents the murder mystery “Who Wants to be a Million-heir?,” by Jeanette Balazs. The $49.95 ticket includes a three-course dinner with coffee or tea.

The Cooperage Inn is at 2118 Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow, 631-727-8994.

-- Joan Reminick

What are you doing Inauguration Day? If you haven’t scored an invitation to the ceremonies in D.C., you might want to know that Legal Sea Foods has declared Jan. 20 a “Legal” holiday and will offer a 44-cent cup of New England clam chowder (with entree purchase) in honor of the nation’s 44th president, Barack Obama.

Legal has been offering this bipartisan deal ever since the organizers of Ronald Reagan's inauguration planned an all-American menu and chose Legal's New England clam chowder to represent the state of Massachusetts.

In case you’re wondering, the soup ordinarily goes for $4.50 a cup.

-- Joan Reminick

Two new burrito joints are battling for the palates of Patchogue.

First to open, in August, was Pura Vida Burrito Co., a takeout-eat in place that serves up a menu of tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas and salads. What makes this place different from most Tex-Mex outfits? For one thing, the use of Salsa Lizana, a sauce imported from Costa Rica. For another, the ongoing display of works by local artists. The restaurant is owned by two pals, Gregory Warrington, who used to be a personal banker, and Keith Scharfschwerdt, a Spanish teacher in the Bayport-Blue Point School District. Recipes are from Scharfschwerdt, who has traveled extensively in South and Central America. The Pura Vida Burrito Co. is at 54 W. Main St. in Patchogue, 631-627-3990

In October, MuChaChos Mexican Grill joined the fajita face-off. Also a takeout and eat-in place, it's owned by the Galeotafiore family, which also has the Del Fiore Pork Store, Del Fiore Pizza Co. and Mangia Mangia, all in Patchogue. What distinguishes this new place is its mix-and-match menu format featuring such “foundations” as burritos, burrito-less bowls, quesadillas, salads and tacos (crunchy or soft) as well as such “fillers” as grilled marinated chicken, spicy steak or shrimp, shredded pork, chopped meat and vegetarian options. MuChaChos Mexican Grill is at 75 E. Main St. in Patchogue, 631-207-2255.

So, who makes the best black bean soup? The top taco? The quintessential quesadilla? We'll have to wait to find out.

-- Joan Reminick

Pura Vida Burrito Co. Photo

Listen up, all you home cooks with dreams of getting behind a restaurant stove: The Oar Steak & Seafood Grill in Patchogue will give you the chance to trot out your best recipe and cook it for the general public, invited family and friends. What's more, 40 percent of the cost of each dinner served that night will be donated to local not-for-profit organizations.

On Wednesday, Jan. 14, the first guest chef will be local businessman Daniel Moloney, who will make baked salmon Florentine and marinated flank steak. Moloney is a partner at Moloney Family Funeral Homes in Bohemia, Lake Ronkonkoma, Hauppauge, Holbrook and Central Islip.

Want to follow his act? If so, send your recipe to the Oar at 264 West Ave., Patchogue, NY, 11772, or call the restaurant at 631-654-8266.

Next stop? Culinary school. And then, perhaps, a turn on Bravo's "Top Chef."

-- Joan Reminick

Photos.com Photo

Water trickling down a pebble-covered wall? Check. Sushi bar? Check. Pan-Asian menu? Check.

Equipped with all the modern requisites, Haiku Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar has been serving up pad Thai, udon noodles, Szechuan peppercorn chicken and dancing eel dragon rolls since October. The snazzy little spot is tucked away in the corner of the Woodbury Town Plaza (home to Gabby's Bagels), in the space where To Fu used to be. The first Haiku to open on LI, it's actually part of a chain that started in Bronxville and also includes branches in Cross River and Mamaroneck, with a White Plains outpost in the works.

At lunch, I was impressed with the resonantly flavorsome Malaysian red curry with chicken. Wonton soup featured light dumplings, their thin convoluted skins covering savory pork interiors. The rice in my otherwise fine salmon avocado roll, though, was a trifle hard.

What's easy are the prices, especially at lunch, which can cost as little as $7.75. Dinner entrees are under $20. That, to lots of people, counts as much, if not more, than a fancy waterfall behind the sushi bar.

Haiku Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar is at 8025 Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury, 516-584-6782

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo/Joan Reminick

OK, you heard it first here: Tom Schaudel has walked away from the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport.

When he called to spill these newsworthy beans, he let on that the breakup stemmed from a falling out with the partnership there. At any rate, Schaudel still has three other dining spots to play with - A Mano in Mattituck (which he co-owns with Adam Lovett), Coolfish in Syosset (he's sole owner) and Gabrielle's in Rockville Centre (which he defined as a "limited partnership").

Meanwhile, he's doing quite well with his restaurant tell-all, "Playing with Fire," a book I found funnier than Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" and just about as well-written. He'll be doing book signings in the upcoming weeks at these places:

Jan. 10 at Borders in Syosset, 2 to 5 p.m.
Jan. 17 at Borders in Farmingdale, 1 to 4 p.m.
Feb. 7 at Loaves & Fishes in Garden City, noon to 3 p.m.
Feb. 8 at Borders in Riverhead, 2 to 5 pm.

The natural question that arises is whether Schaudel will start a fourth venture in 2009. Nothing definite, but c'mon - do pigs hunt truffles? Watch for updates.

-- Joan Reminick

Handout Photo

I nearly swerved off Route 25a in Huntington when I caught sight of vegetation right out of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." On the grounds of the former Empire Szechuan was John Lennon's vision of "cellophane flowers of yellow and green towering over your head."

Clearly, I'm not the only one with questions. Click here to check out the post I saw yesterday on Chowhound.

What I'm wondering is this: Will the Chinese restaurant slated to open on that site serve magic mushrooms in its hot-and-sour soup?

Tune in for updates.

-- Joan Reminick

In case you're wondering what's new on the Melville restaurant front, there's Tre Scalini, a moderately priced Italian spot that just made its debut in the digs of the former Luigi’s, where Chefs II was for many years.

Back in the late 90s, Tre Scalini's chef-restaurateur Tony Dushaj owned a Huntington (Dix Hills) restaurant called - guess what? - Tre Scalini. Years earlier, Dushaj worked at a Manhattan restaurant of the same name and, before that, spent time in Rome. In the Eternal City, Dushaj became enamored of the world-renowned Tre Scalini restaurant (the place to go for tartufo), near the famed Trevi Fountain.

There are no fountains along traffic-clogged Route 110, and Dushaj's modest-looking new eatery doesn't quite evoke the Piazza Navona. Still, the roster of Italian standards is straightforward and priced for the times. On a recent visit, I found the rigatoni amatriciana (misspelled "Mattriciana" on the menu) properly al dente, the pasta bathed in a smoky sauce of bacon, onion, fresh tomatoes and basil.

In Melville, as 2009 approaches, that kind of dish seems about right.

Tre Scalini is at 672 Walt Whitman Rd. in Melville, 631-673-1766.

-- Joan Reminick

The Trevi fountain in Rome's Piazza Navona (Photos.com Photo)

Now until the end of December, Snaps in Wantagh is selling $100 gift certificates for $75. I've done the math several times, and it keeps coming up as a 25 percent savings.

Scott Bradley's $34.95 all-the-time three-course prix fixe makes for a good deal anyway; this just ups the value quotient. Think about buying a certificate now as a gift - or else hoarding it for personal use in 2009.

-- Joan Reminick

Scott Bradley at Snaps (Newsday Photo)

Wise move, converting the former Louis & Marxx Steak House into Ruby’s Famous BBQ Joint, a tastefully rustic spot geared to good times and low tabs.

Chef de cuisine and pit master John De Loach comes from the Delano Mansion in Woodbury, which is also part of the Singh Hospitality Group. Both De Loach and corporate executive chef Dave Salony know their ‘cue. The meat is long-smoked over hickory wood and tastes it, as I found on a recent visit.

To try a bit of everything, I ordered the aptly named “pig out,” requesting the meat be served Memphis style - that is dry-rubbed rather than masked with sauce. Both the baby backs and the St. Louis ribs were well-crusted, the meat underneath tender and smoky. I liked the burnished chicken, the juicy meat infused with hickory smoke. Sliced brisket, which looked dry, was actually bursting with smoky juices. Only the pulled pork lacked moisture and flavor.

A side of hand-cut fries were pretty near ideal - piping hot, crisp, properly salty. I wasn’t wild about the soupy mac and cheese, though. Or the crumbly sweet corn bread. The menu lists items such as meat loaf and fried chicken, which I hope to try soon.

And is it just me, or does the name of this place somehow fail to resonate? It makes me think of a certain corporate chain that also has the name "Ruby" in it. And Long Island already has a "Famous BBQ Joint."

Good thing it's the food that counts.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of dining room at Ruby's/ Joan Reminick

If there's a bright side to this nasty economy, it's that eating out at some of the nicest restaurants has become much more affordable.

Take Grasso's in Cold Spring Harbor, for instance. Owner Gail Grasso has come out with a three-course $25 prix fixe menu, available Sunday to Friday until closing and Saturday until 6:30 p.m. Which means that other than during prime hours Saturday night, it's always available.

Recently, I went to Grasso's in search of big flavors and a small tab. What I also found was knowing service and tasteful festive surroundings.

Dinner began with plump Prince Edward Island mussels in an aromatic Thai-inspired broth of coconut milk, red curry paste and lemongrass. Next came a rare and succulent spice-rubbed cabernet-marinated grilled skirt steak with roasted red bliss potatoes and red onion jam. The meal ended with a white chocolate bread pudding that I found irresistible - and I don't even like white chocolate.

When you stop to consider the prices on the regular menu (appetizers are $11 each, entrees, $20 to $32, desserts, $8.50), this kind of meal really makes sense - especially on a weeknight.

Grasso's is at 134 Main St. in Cold Spring Harbor, 631-367-6060.

-- Joan Reminick

Grasso's Photo

It’s not just the charming British accent of owner Cyrus Kabir that sets Taj Tandoor apart from most Long Island Indian restaurants. The restaurant, done in a suave chocolate brown, serves a brand of Indian cooking that Kabir describes as “London style – a focus on flavor, texture and range of palate rather than searing heat of spice."

Still you can get your food five-alarm hot, if that’s what you want. Sample from dishes with such Brit-Indian names as “the Manchester vindaloo" and “old school curry” as well as an assortment of more traditional items. I enjoyed what had to be the lightest version of saag panir (house-made cheese with fresh spinach) I’d ever sampled.

Taj Tandoor is at 1953 Deer Park Avenue in Deer Park, 631-243-3989. It has no liquor license and charges a $5 corking fee if you bring your own wine.

- - Joan Reminick

Photo of Indian spices from photos.com

Add to your list of recession-fighting restaurants the new Lola’s Kitchen & Wine Bar, which opened this summer where Angelfish used to be. Here, all entrees are priced under $20.

Chef David Livingston is no newcomer to this address. He cooked there in its previous incarnation and, before that, when the place was TKOPS 180. His menu includes such choices as kung pao calamari, basil-marinated grilled shrimp and spice-rubbed shell steak. He makes all desserts.

There’s also a list of 25 wines by the glass.

Lola’s Kitchen & Wine Bar is at 180 W. Park Ave. Long Beach, 516-431-0044

---Joan Reminick

Photo from Lola's Kitchen & Wine Bar

A recent dinner at The Cooke’s In in Huntington Station buoyed me greatly. Not only was everything I ate first-rate; it was actually better than ever.

Nobody does Southern fried chicken like Juanita Cooke. It’s fried to a greaseless crisp and makes for one of the most indulgent treats going. Jamaican jerk chicken was precisely as spicy as ordered, far better than what I had a few days earlier at a more authentic-seeming little Caribbean place in Elmont. Family style fixings are gratis with every entrée – light, moist cornbread, a well-dressed and colorful mixed salad to begin, and later, perfect sweet-potato fries, roasted potatoes, addictive corn pudding and collard greens.For dessert, I had homemade lemon buttermilk pie.

I look forward to returning on a Friday or Saturday night, when Cooke herself sings at the piano.

Cooke’s In is at 767 New York Avenue, Huntington Station, 631- 424-2181

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Juanita Cooke and her fried chicken by Alejandra Villa

Eating breakfast out doesn't have to be such a luxury. Now, the most important meal of the day goes for $7.95 complete Monday to Friday mornings from 8 to 10 a.m. at Toast & Co. in Huntington.

What's included in the deal? Twelve main dish choices - among them oatmeal with choice of toppings, an egg sandwich, buttermilk pancakes and two eggs with bacon, biscuits, butter and preserved - each selection accompanied by potato, toast, coffee and a small juice.

Sounds like the start of a sunny-side-up morning.

Toast & Co. is at 62 Stewart Avenue in Huntington, 631-812-0056.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo of Toast & Co.

It’s a quesadilla fiesta in Bayport these days, with the opening of two new Tex-Mex spots within walking distance of one another.

Avocado’s will appeal to those who like their food on the mild side. “What’s spicy?” my lunch companion asked the guy behind the counter. “Nothing,” was the answer. At any rate, I found the soft corn fish tacos fresh and flavorful, the crisply fried white fish topped with pico de gallo, chopped onion, cheese and cilantro rather than the traditional cabbage slaw. The most intriguing item on the blackboard menu, whole free range chicken with two sides of vegetables and corn bread, had a “coming soon” sign posted next to it. Maybe I’ll check back in a month or so.

A few blocks to the west, in a strip mall, is the newest branch of the Port Jefferson-based Salsa Salsa, a chainlet with a full-serve place in Smithtown. In Bayport, as in Port Jefferson, surroundings are purple and lime with corrugated metal accents; service is order-at-the-counter. I was most impressed with the two-bean chili con carne, which had much nuance of flavor and a bit of a kick.

Avocado's is at 955 Montauk Highway in Bayport, 631-419-6333
Salsa Salsa is at 893 Montauk Highway in Bayport, 631-419-6464.

- - Joan Reminick

Newsday photo: ordering at Salsa Salsa/Joan Reminick

Burgers are hotter than ever these days -- and served up any number of ways at the new George Martin’s Grillfire in Merrick, an offshoot of the original RVC eatery and a reincarnation of the former Nick Diangelo's site.

Kicking off a recent meal was an unconventional (but successful) appetizer called “Japanese peanuts” – i.e., edamame steamed with chili oil and garlic.

While my Cheddar-topped cheeseburger ($10.50) with shoestring fries was quite good, the meat wasn’t as rare as I’d requested (I know, I know -- it’s not a good idea to eat it that way, but I like living on the edge). What really impressed me was a Cuban style “mojo” burger melt ($12), in effect, a burger as the centerpiece of a grill-pressed Cuban sandwich with ham, Swiss cheese, mustard sauce and pickles.

The restaurant's signature brownie sundae proved a simple knockout – a fudgy rectangle topped with vanilla ice cream, clouds of freshly whipped cream, chocolate sauce and miniature M&Ms. Sooo fine.

A surprise came when the check was delivered: During December, all tabs are discounted by 15 percent.

George Martin's Grillfire is at 33 W. Sunrise Hwy., Merrick, 516-379-2222.

-- Joan Reminick

My Cheddar cheeseburger. Newsday Photo / Joan Reminick

A pig-out at a kosher deli? That'll be the scene this Sunday at noon when Zan’s in Lake Grove hosts some of the nation’s top competitive eaters in the fourth annual Zan’s National Potato Latke Eating championship.

If you go, you'll see some well-seasoned pros chowing down on the fried stuff. One of the food warriors expected is “Furious Pete" Czerwinski from Canada, the world record holder in steak, pulled-pork sandwiches and meatball eating (and also North American Collegiate eating champion). From Long Island, Mike "The Real Skinny" Hoffman, a two-time LI pizza eating champion, is expected to compete, as is Chris "the American" Schlesinger, the LI hard-boiled-egg eating champ. World pickle-eating champ and chairman of the the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman will emcee the event.

In addition to the competition, there will be music spun by a DJ as well as trivia games and other activities for kids and adults. The restaurant's regular menu will be available for those who want to eat. Admission, though, is free.

Zan's Kosher Delicatessen Restaurant & Caterer is at 135 Alexander Ave., Lake Grove, 631-979-8770.

-- Joan Reminick

Photos.com Photo

For the past month, I’ve been bombarded with e-mail from fans of Roe’s Casa Dolce, a bakery cafe in Rockville Centre. While I haven't yet tried the place, I did call owner Rosmarie Caruso and learned that she's recently started serving several specialty dinners.

This week, Caruso launched a Wednesday night three-course recession-fighting prix fixe deal at $20.08 a person. The meal begins with either a house salad or Roe’s "special Italian" chicken soup. Next, you can opt for marinated grilled chicken breast with roasted potatoes and string beans or either chicken or eggplant parmigiana with a side of pasta. Finally, you get to select dessert from the pastry case. Coffee or tea comes with the meal; cappuccino or espresso costs extra. If you want wine with dinner, it's strictly BYOB.

Roe’s Casa Dolce is at 486 Sunrise Hwy., Rockville Centre, 516-536-2253

-- Joan Reminick

Roe's Casa Dolce Photo