335 Main St., Huntington
631-424-6300
There’s a reason why, in one of the great dining towns on all of Long Island, there are only sushi restaurants on this end of Main Street: St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Blond, not bland: (front) pesto crusted cod; garlic roasted shrimp with chick pea hummus Photo by Jenn Richards.
State law prohibits selling or serving liquor—other than beer and wine—within 200 feet of a place of worship or school. Apparently, the two sushi places can get by with bottles of sake and Sapporo. But it takes guts for the owner of Blond, an offshoot of the popular Miller Place original, to open directly across the street from the church, knowing that he’ll never be able to add to his bottom line with $11 martinis. To anyone willing to open a restaurant on LI in the present economic atmosphere, guts is a given, but Executive Chef/Owner Sam Nelovic also has confidence in his menu.
Open just a few months, they don’t even have their beer and wine yet, so this wine bar is dry. Good for the diners who bring their own—on one night, one table brought a bottle of vodka.
Just about all I sampled on the modern American seafood-centric menu was spot on without being too edgy. Not overly saucy or over-produced. Well-priced—lunch is a steal—and easy to like. The room holds little more than a dozen tables and has a cozy feel without feeling like you’re wedged in.
Frisee Salad ($12) is a pleasing collection sparked with chunks of bacon, apple, hazelnuts and smoked cheddar. At lunch it becomes an entrée when you add chicken or shrimp. Both starters of Garlic Shrimp ($13) and Crab Cake ($10) suffered from heat loss by the time they reached our table, but I appreciated the combo of slaw and avocado marmalade with the crab. Both the Pecan Crusted Cod ($25) with goat cheese risotto and the Almond Crusted Trout ($23) were excellent, as well as Penne Pasta ($19) with grilled chicken in parmesan cream sauce.
Just like at the original restaurant, the Raspberry Cheesecake and Crispy Banana Spring Roll ($7) are wonderful, but overshadowed by the show-stopping Crispy Fried Oreo Shot ($2) perched on a shot glass of milk. Who needs liquor?
Open For Business
108 W. Merrick Rd., Freeport
516-442-1151
Opened Sept. 4, this throwback to the old-school seafood houses of yesteryear features “Huge Portions and Crisis Prices.” Bargains include fillet Fish in a Bag ($15), Salmon ($16), Fried Whole Fish ($18), All-You-Can-Eat Hard Shell Crabs ($26) and pound-and-a-half Steamed Lobster ($17.50), plus the hard-to-find Fried Oyster Po-Boys at lunch.
