Dining & Nightlife | Foodie Gossip

The cuisine in this Island of ours is a picture of diversity, and this month, it is both diverse in style and selection with some new additions to the landscape and some interesting tangents taken. Both are sure to delight devoted LI foodies tired of the norm.

On the selection side of things, a plethora of deals will be available from 70+ restaurants and other establishments during the 8th Annual Hamptons Restaurant Week, being held across the North and South Forks from March 21st-28th. There will be either a $19.95 or $24.95 price fixe menu, discounted Long Island wines, spa and lodging discounts and more. Go to http://www.hamptonsrestaurantweek.com for more details.

Italian food is available in every corner of Nassau and Suffolk, but little of it surpasses the generic “red sauce” variety. Old friend and restaurant owner Peter Nicolosi’s establishments are the exception. Michelangelos in Mineola (516) 747-2129 will offer quality dishes with imported ingredients. Pulse declared that the pizza available at his Northport location was tops, and now Nassau County can experience his molto bene pizza and Italian cuisine.

Another ubiquitous variety of cuisine on the Island is Asian, be it the latest profusion of sushi joints or the hundreds of Chinese-American restaurants. Transcending these unremarkable locales is the newly opened Dao Restaurant in Huntington (631) 425-7788. They offer very contemporary Asian Fusion cuisine along with an extensive, multidimensional sushi and sashimi menu. Selections include the legendary Toro (market price), their version of the California Roll ($4) and a number of spicy seafood rolls.

The “Chef’s Special Rolls” (starting at $12) are innovative sushi interpretations, the most sumptuous being the “Dao Roll,” ($26) which contains tuna, yellowtail, jalapeno, sweet shrimp, avocado and caviar.

Finally, chef Todd Jacobs, owner of Atlantica in Westhampton Beach, has recently opened a second Atlantica at the Allegria Hotel & Spa in Long Beach (516) 992-3730. His innovative, seasonal menu, utilizing local meats and vegetables, will be available at the new location as well.