
1363 Old Northern Blvd.
Roslyn Village
516-686-6486
Northport-raised chef Michael Psilakis makes his triumphant return to Long Island after conquering Manhattan with a series of Greek restaurants that succeeded in elevating the cuisine beyond souvlakis and gyros but still keeping it an everyday affair. Entrees and daily specials are priced low enough to have you eating here twice a week. This space, once inhabited by Mio offers a menu very reminiscent of Psilakis’ first NYC venture, Onera. The meze menu is a must with its array of spreads, fried Halumi cheese, meatballs and grilled octopus. Main dishes of steak and sausage, pork chops grilled fish and even braised lamb shank are all under twenty bucks. A lamb burger joins the requisite beef burger, a salad made with dried fruit and one made of bulghur with dates, pistachio and pomegranate sound interesting. If you want to liven up that backyard graduation party or just like to literally pig out, do it the traditional Greek way with a whole baby lamb, goat and, yes, a pig.
Jonesey’s
141 Montauk Hwy
Westhampton Beach
631-288-6750
Newsday’s intrepid travelers must have cruised by this one, neglecting to include it in last weeks summer compendium, but this airy spot where Micole’s had a brief run, is open for business with a menu of comfort food including Grandma’s Pot Roast, Sauteed Calf’s Liver, Brick Grilled Chicken and Corn Fritters along with much seafood and a nice roster of salads.
Mara’s Homemade
236 Jericho Tpke.
Syosset
516-682-9200
It’s a rare occurrence in the New York restaurant world when an East Village favorite emigrates to Long Island. East 6th Street to Jericho Turnpike? Really? A quick scan of the menu should have you starting up the car and heading over for chef/owner Mara Levi’s take on Southern and Cajun specialties in what used to be a bagel café. The greatest hits of Nawlin’s and the low country sound like a Hank Williams song, Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie and File Gumbo. And when the crawfish are jumping she’s got boiled buckets of them or she bakes them with sausage into a cheesecake, an etouffee, on a Po Boy, into Mac ‘n Cheese (!) or into bread (like you get at Jazzfest.) There’s the rarely seen Chicken Fried Steak, Shrimp Creole, Hush Puppies and to drown it all— great Abita beer!
Neraki Greek Mediterranean Grill
273 Main St.
Huntington
631-385-3474
Taking the Greek dining scene up a notch, in this restaurant heavy town, means helping us kick our gyro habit. This lovely spot emphasizes fresh fish, hand-picked by the owner and simply grilled, in nice sized portions at reasonable prices. The menu will change daily according to what’s available, fresh and well-priced. Early buzz has it that the tzatziki sauce is made with Greek yogurt.
Saffron
70 Glen Head Rd.
Glen Head
516-609-9600
In the recently vacated cottage on the tracks that housed Bistro M, comes this contemporary American/Continental with executive chef John Forte designing the menu.