Huntington Local

Philly Cheese steak with Cheese Wiz, onions, mushrooms, green pepper and served with a
basket of fries. (Newsday/Julia Gaines)

By Joan Reminick
joan.reminick@newsday.com

As mindfully as I like to eat (a small taste of everything and nothing in excess), I confess to having days when I can’t rest unless I’m four napkins into a drippy Philly cheesesteak or a burger with a side of hand-cut golden-brown fries. For rare occasions like that, I’m glad for places like Taxi’s Grille, a bare-bones little burger joint with a nostalgic ’50s-era look. Fancy, it’s not; you give your order to one of the friendly servers behind the counter and eat on paper plates with plastic utensils. Drinks? Get ’em out of the refrigerated case.

WHAT A TRIP
If you order the chicken “fingers,” you won’t encounter anything resembling a McNugget but rather white-meat strips hand-breaded and fried to a greaseless crisp. I sample some meaty Buffalo-style chicken wings (kosher, no less) in a medium-hot sauce and, another time, with a combination of “suicide” (fiery but not as dangerous as the name implies) and teriyaki sauces. All good.

I’m especially pleased that my deluxe Taxi burger (with bacon, tomato, lettuce and cheese) is medium-rare, as requested, and properly messy. Another debauch is a hot dog with the works — cheese, jalapeños, bacon and onions. I’m still trying to get over the guilt from enjoying that one so much.

Then there’s the Philly cheesesteak. I disagree with Taxi’s manager, Todd November, who claims the one with Cheez Whiz is best. Yes, it’s fine, but the version with Provolone does it for me. The steak — rib-eye that’s thinly shaved — is juicy and flavorful, piled high onto crusty garlic bread. A sausage hero with peppers and onions makes for another wild ride. I’m told I can get a cheesesteak (or sausage and peppers) on a salad, but doesn’t that kill the whole point?
While I like the breaded fried onion rings, they pale beside the deep brown, hand-cut, freshly cooked French fries. To me, the ability to do justice to a fried potato is the sign of a great greasy spoon.

For dessert, there’s Bonanza’s ices, made in Bayville. My favorite flavors, so far, are spumoni (almost like ice cream) and green mint chip. It ends the meal on a light and refreshing note.

I’D RATHER WALK
Chili, served in a plastic container, is bland and lukewarm. And I’m peeved at the hard, crystallized vanilla chip ices scooped from the bottom of a canister. When a frozen dessert reaches that point, it should be deep-sixed.

BOTTOM LINE
Hey, lighten up. If you eat like this once in a blue moon, you won’t implode. But it’s probably best to wait until after you take your Lipitor.

Taxi’s Grille -- 2 Stars
217 New York Ave.
Huntington
631-470-9480
taxisgrille.com

COST $
AMBIENCE Fair
SERVICE Good
ESSENTIALS Open Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday,
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; cash only; fully wheelchair accessible