• Brook House - The service can be a little slow and at busy times you can expect a brief wait to be seated, but the restaurant is spotlessly clean and the food is straightforward and delicious. The menu includes sandwiches, soups, burgers and salads. This is a place with a fifty fifty mix of families with young kids and other locals who want to relax at dinner. You can also take out an ice cream cone or hot fudge sundae. You can walk trough the village of Stony Brook after dinner and get in some shopping or go to the nearby harbor or mill pond and nature preserve. Brook House has a nice selection of Long Island wines including Pindar and Martha Clara. On this occasion we had fresh homemade minestrone soup and an impressive cheddar chili burger. Dinner for two with tip about $25.

   

  123 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY
  (631)751-4617

   

• Hispaniola - Way uptown in New York City and a decent 2 block hike from the subway, but worth it. The restaurant staff and the food set Hispaniola apart from others. You'll feel like you are are a dinner guest at someone's home. The entrees and deserts are beautiful to look at and elegantly prepared. On this occasion we sat opposite a tropical fish tank and over the course of several hours discovered that one fish was continually spitting out small pebbles. We enjoyed the Argentine Skirt Steak and a Filet Mignon with new roasted potatoes in a ginger and peanut sauce. For desert the banana roll was sweet and delicious. Dinner for three with tip  about $130.

   

  839 W. 181 Street, New York, NY
  (212)740-5222

   

• Il Corallo Trattoria - A short walk from the Prince Street subway stop between Thompson and Sullivan Street, in an area with excellent shops and a slower, more relaxed pace, Il Corallo offers, affordable, Italian food. Here you will find a short selection of Italian wines and a large selection of pasta. Not your normal Italian restaurant, tomato sauce is a rarity, but the pasta is fresh and served extremely hot - remarkably hot. Crostini Infornati, Black Taglierini with seafood, Farfalle  Di Spiaggia (bow tie pasta with Lobster, shrimp, green peas, avocado in a cream sauce and other interesting entrees will make it hard to decide what to order or make it possible for you to visit again and again and try something new every time. Dinner for five big appetites and leftovers to take home including wine and tip,  about $110.

   

  172-176 Prince Street, New York, NY
  (212)941-7119

   

• Di Magio's  Seafood & Grill - Waterfront,  seafood, sunsets and Italian food in the Manhasset Bay. The harbor viewed from the porch and the dock are so  inviting, you might eat there many times and never even notice the dining room. But you will notice the food and the exceptional service and the warmth of the staff. Seafood bisque, twin lobster tails, of course fried calamari, chicken parmigana, pasta, steaks and fresh seafood make appearances on the long menu. You'll need time to decide. Dinner for three with the perfect martini about $100.

   

  45 Orchard Beach Boulevard, Port Washington, NY
  (516)944-5900

   

• Pasta Pasta  -  Since it's almost always packed and you can expect a wait even with a reservation,  showing up here without one,  you'll likely be turned away. Don't even think of dinner here if you're impatient, easily bored, claustrophobic, or very demanding.  It's a good date restaurant perhaps, because you can see and be seen and you are going to have to sit close together. To the plus side however it is intimate and lit mainly by candles, the food is ambitious - meaning it's a small, varied selection of less common entrees, presented nicely and has fresh mozzarella, chunky plum tomatoes and garlic in some dishes. What can you infer from a restaurant that prints on its receipts, "Cash tips would be greatly appreciated."? Dinner for two about $100.

   

  234 E. Main Street Port Jefferson, NY
  (631)331-5335

   

• Europa Cafe  -  Speed is the priority at Europa, fresh and tasty too because the competition for food is fierce. There are sandwiches, wraps and pressatas  - grilled sandwiches on European flat bread, pizza, soup, yogurt and deserts. But the really fun part is the salad line where you are served at lightening speed and like dancing, you become partners with the servers, leading or following as you specify the ingredients: sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, grilled chicken , walnuts, celery or whatever. You have to move right along or you upset the whole flow of things and with a little practice and a good dose of caffeine, the ritual of ordering a salad is as satisfying as the best Fred Astaire ballroom dancing. Eat there or take out. A small salad about $7.

   

  520 5th Avenue New York, NY
  (212)398-0084

   

• The Birchwood Tap Room  -  If you've never been to Polish Town in Riverhead then you must go to Pulaski Street where the tree lined residential streets give way to a small downtown and a concentration of Polish businesses. Navigate away from Tanger Outlets and discover something more like home. The inside of the Birchwood has a fun collection of antiques, including a cast iron stove, a canoe, large model airplanes, brass musical instruments and a Sinclair gas pump. There are stained glass lamps and panels and tin ceiling tiles. There's a well provisioned bar but the main focus is on  the dining room with its red and white checkerboard tablecloths. Iced tea and water come out in well worn, plastic tumblers you'd have in your summer house. The experience is like going to your favorite aunt's house with a lot of people from the neighborhood who all just happened to drop by. The service is laid back, a notch slower than you might like but that's it's charm. What you will find on the menu is a perfect sampling of home cooking mirroring what is likely being served in every kitchen in the surrounding homes. Simple salads, French onion soup, hot pastrami sandwiches on rye toast, kielbasa, peirogi, chicken wings, quesadillas, golomki, pasta, even meatloaf and of course excellent burgers. Dinner for three with tip about $65.

   

  512 Pulaski Street Riverhead, NY
  (631)727-4449

  Ayhan's Fish Kebab Restaurant  - In a former bank with high ceilings, brick walls and beautiful arched windows, you can see the perfect marriage of the old and new worlds. You can imagine fish pulled fresh from the Mediterranean, even imagine dining in a small fishing village on the coast - because Ayhan's is in the Village of Port Washington far north of the Expressway and just at the point where the Port Washington Harbor reminds you that the whole Island isn't just cars and traffic. For just long enough, life  stands still inside the block Ahyan's three locations call home. Inside Fish Kebab for lunch, or on the front patio you'll be treated to outstanding service, white table cloths, red terra cotta, fresh warm pita bread and garlicky hummus.  On one wall there is a large blue swordfish. Salad for one will feed you for a week. Calamari is fresh and some of the best I've ever had anywhere. Salmon and other fresh fish await. Across the street is a Mediterranean market and deli to eat in or take out and be sure to check out Shish-Kebab up the road too. Lunch for two with tip about $40.

  286 Main Street Port Washington, NY
  (516)883-1515

   

• Live Bait  - A peculiar place with true character, vintage decor from your summer vacation fishing spot, corrugated tin or plastic walls, pink, red, green or yellow plastic cafeteria chairs and odd pink and green lighting. At first you might be curious enough to read the menu outside and then you wonder, do you dare go in or should you go to another place. Looking in the window offers only more intrigue, because there's a camouflage, dragonfly thermos and an old book titled Live Bait. The main feature of the room is an aged and battered bait locker with red letters that read frozen squid, minnows, bunker, marriages performed. On top of the locker is an old Evinrude outboard engine and to pull the whole thing together, there's a big sign announcing the services of Hall's Boat House with a Coca Cola logo on the top. Just like summer vacation in the 1960's in the Finger Lakes region of New York State but with a decided southern twist. BBQ, Chili, Aunt Bea's Home Fried chicken and fixings, burgers, buffalo chicken salad and similar entrees are served promptly with fresh mini corn muffins. "Southern rock & roll and zydeco and a packed bar nightly." $35 for 2 for lunch.

   

  14 East 23rd Street, New York, NY
  (212)353-2492

   

• La Plage - A favorite for elegant, relaxed dining with great food and excellent service. Situated opposite a small beach with a good view of the Long Island Sound, you can dine indoors or out. Sunday nights are not crowded.  The restaurant occupies a former beach house. The wine list is diverse and although not more than 100 selections, they are well chosen. Portions are perfect so you can enjoy a salad, entree and even desert. Not to be missed are the apple salad or the grilled asparagus salad. On this occasion the filet mignon and short ribs were fantastic  and the fresh scallops were the best we've had anywhere in a long time. Dinner and wine for 6 , $414.

   

  131 Creek Rd, Wading River, NY
  (631)744-9200

   

• Panera Bread - Fast, delicious and lively, this chain restaurant is the place for moms with babies meeting other moms, office workers, hungry shoppers  and everyone else. On any given day you'll see a very wide range of people come through the doors at Panera Bread and it is always packed at the two locations I've been to. Both are in very high traffic shopping areas with jam packed parking lots. Despite this, there's never been a wait for a table or for the food which literally rivals McDonalds for speed. You order fresh bread, salads, soups, sandwiches and fresh baked deserts at one station and a few minutes later your name is called at a second station where you pick up your order. Eat there or take out. Iced green tea with a hint of green apple is worth a try too. Dinner for 3, $27.

   

  165 Old Country Road, Carle Place, NY

  (516) 739-2090

   

• Z-Pita - Friendly, authentic Mediterranean atmosphere with good service and reasonable prices. There are a lot of tables close to one another so it's like dining with family.  We sampled only Gyros on this occasion although the menu offers fresh fish and other entrees. The sweet potato fries were a hit and the Gyros were served warm and fresh. If you are lucky to sit near the windows, you'll enjoy seeing people walk around Port Jefferson. Gyros for 5 , $72.

   

  217 Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY

  (631) 476-7510

   

• Heartland Brewery  - Touristy spot in a cobblestone square near the South Street Seaport gives this brewery an interesting twist. From it you can easily shop at Abercrombie and Fitch, walk along the water and visit Wall Street and the Stock Exchange. The beer is the main attraction, mainly dark ales and strong pilsner. Food was very good, service attentive. A few pints and an appetizer for 2, $32.

   

  93 South Street, New York, NY

  (212) 572-2337

   

• Port Jeff Lobster House  - This is a scrupulously clean restaurant - always spotless. The service is prompt although the kitchen got backed up on our most recent visit. Our perennial favorite is lobster bisque. You may like to take it home to enjoy with wine and fresh bread from La Bonne Boulangerie. Otherwise it's BYOB and prepackaged breadsticks or oyster crackers. Some menu items are better than others though, so be prepared to experiment a bit till you discover your reliable favorites. Try catching a table on an off time to beat the crowds or you could be in for an hour wait. Well worth the visit but I refuse to wait. Dinner for 3, $68.

   

  1 North Country Road, Port Jefferson, NY

  (631) 473-1143

   

• O Sole Mio - An interesting, inexpensive, lively restaurant in Stony Brook. The portions are enough for a full meal the following day and all the pastries are made in house. Dinner for 6, $108 - recommended:
  • Antipasti Freddo, a mix of meats and greens, especially noteworthy, with stuffed green cherry peppers and tomatoes and mozzarella.
  • Eggplant rollatini, flavorful and bountiful

1095 North Country Rd, Stony Brook, NY

(631) 751-1600