Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Head to Port Washington Diner for one of the best burgers around.
The recently renovated Port Washington Diner still looks old-school with its 1970s-style upholstery. But that only adds to the Americana charm that particular to some of the best diners around. The Dish: The California Burger, priced at $8.25; get the deluxe for an additional $2.95. What’s Inside: Adding "California" to the name of any dish typically means the ingredient avocado, and because I'm a huge fan, that's just fine by me. The burger also comes with bacon, alfalfa sprouts (which you barely taste if you don't like them, and if you do like them, you’ll know they're in there), Swiss cheese and ranch dressing. I recommend getting ranch dressing on the side if you've never before tried it on a burger. During a recent visit, I forgot to …
40.83081
-73.68627
Port Washington Diner
41 Main St, Port Washington, NY
/articles/the-california-burger-at-port-washington-diner
38728
/locations/3513985
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Classic Italian fare in a Rome-like setting.
- RESTAURANT REVIEWS
- Lyn Dobrin
-
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Overview: Port Washington's stand-by Romantico has been transformed into Brio, now with the look and feel of a restaurant in Italy. Diners can enjoy delicious classic Italian dishes (much of it the same as previously on the Romantico menu), thin crust pizza and Kobi beef burgers. The same menu is offered for lunch and dinner, with entrees around two dollars less at lunch. Decor: With its brick and stucco walls and rounded archways, Brio immediately brought me back to a restaurant I frequented in Rome last spring. There are white tablecloths in the two main dining areas and the more casual wine bar is large, with many tables, and a lounge area that faces the harbor. I was glad to have the one table by the window in the dining room – a bit …
Friday, April 9, 2010
Going south of the border in Manorhaven.
Step into Mi Ranchito and you feel like you've crossed the border. Lively fiesta music plays in the background, and the tables are covered with striped Mexican tablecloths, adding to the feeling that you've left town. The restaurant is made up of two rooms — the front (somewhat dark) one with a bar, and the larger (and brighter) high-ceilinged second room with doors that open onto the front patio. In warm weather, you can also sit on one of the two patios — one in the front overlooking Manorhaven Boulevard (as the charming restaurant, at 195 Manorhaven Blvd., is located right across the street from Manorhaven Pool and Park), and one in the back. The patios are decorated with wrought iron tables and chairs and Mexican clay chimineas. Lunch …
40.84036
-73.717889
Mi Ranchito Bar & Grill
195 Manorhaven Blvd, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-mi-ranchito
39363
/locations/334497
Friday, March 26, 2010
Expensive, but well worth the splurge.
Port Washington seems to be a mecca for Italian restaurants. Walk two blocks in any direction and you are bound to pass at least one, possibly as many as three. They range from inexpensive pizza joints (ie: Carlo's), to mid-priced pizza and pasta places (ie: Amalfi's), to high-end, full service Italian restaurants (La Piccola Liguria). Toscanini is in the latter category. Both the outside and the inside of this eatery are lovely. The location – 179 Main Street – is convenient. It is walking distance from both the train and the library, and has the bonus of having a parking lot. The inside is made up of two rooms, one with a small bar area, and the main dining room which boasts a brick oven in the back. Murals and exposed brick decorate the…
40.830832
-73.69376
Ristorante Italiano Toscanini
179 Main St, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-toscanini
39609
/locations/324717
Friday, March 19, 2010
The food is spicy … but it hurts so good.
Note to self: When going out for Thai food for lunch, be sure to eat breakfast that morning so you'll have something to line your stomach — Thai food is spicy! You may have walked by Thanee Thai, located at 24B Main Street, a hundred times and not noticed it. The modest storefront is narrow and the window in front is usually rather dark. Their hours are limited – lunch is only served on Thursday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. However, if you are looking for authentic Thai food in a town replete with Japanese, Chinese and Italian restaurants, Thanee is the only game around. The space is small and narrow, although mirrors helped to create a more spacious appearance. It is decorated with wall art depicting elephants, Buddha, and other …
40.830836
-73.685292
Thanee Thai Fine Cuisine
24b Main St, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-thanee-thai
39742
/locations/318731
Friday, March 12, 2010
Something fishy has happened to this former Irish eatery.
It's the week before St. Patrick's Day, and that, to me, means an opportunity to have some Irish comfort food. So imagine my shock when I opened up the lunch menu at Finn MacCool's and there is NOTHING at all Irish on the menu. That's right, read it and weep — no Shepherd's pie, no bangers and mash, and no corned beef and cabbage. Why? According to the friendly waiter, the well-established restaurant is under new ownership, including a new chef (as of a week and a half ago), and the entire menu has been overhauled. What was once a good place for a burger and a Guinness has turned into more of a surf and turf (heavy on the surf) restaurant. If you don't eat seafood (and I don't), your choices are going to be rather limited at the revamped …
40.831047
-73.694848
Finn MacCool's
205 Main St, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-finn-maccools
39580
/locations/306067
Friday, March 5, 2010
Any food you could ever want — served from 6 a.m. to midnight.
As an original Queens native, I am especially partial to diners. Ah, diners, with their menus that go on for miles, where you can have breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast, where you can get anything from a scrambled egg to shrimp scampi. While the Port Washington Diner is not quite up to Queens' standards (ie: no mirrors, no neon, and they close at midnight), the food and service were wonderful. In the over 15 years that I've been in town, the Port Washington Diner has been though various incarnations (including one as a Jewish Deli) and various owners. This latest incarnation is by far the best, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Almost all the tables were occupied on my recent lunch visit. Despite the place being filled, …
40.83081
-73.68627
Port Washington Diner
41 Main St, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-port-washington-diner
38728
/locations/301722
Friday, February 26, 2010
From sushi to tempura, this restaurant has Japanese cuisine covered.
There is one thing I've learned from writing restaurant reviews, and that is that politicians apparently love to eat out. Last week, it was Sands Point Mayor Leonard Wurtzel at Livorno, this week it was Sen. Craig Johnson at Bonsai Japanese Restaurant. Who might I run into next week? Bonsai is an attractive restaurant with a variety of seating options, including regular tables with padded chairs, more traditional Japanese booths where guests remove their shoes and sit on mats, and a sushi bar. My companion and I opted for a regular table, but I did see other patrons in the traditional Japanese seating area. The restaurant is dimly lit, with soft Asian music playing in the background, punctuated by the sounds of chopping coming from the …
40.8305
-73.689
Bonsai Japanese Restaurant
92 Main St, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-bonsai-japanese-restaurant
39018
/locations/294812
Friday, February 19, 2010
This restaurant has lunch prices for dinner portions.
You know how some restaurants pare down their portions for their lower-priced lunch menus? That is certainly not the case at Livorno, where I exited after my lunch carrying not one, not two, but three separate containers of (delicious) leftovers. On my recent visit, the charming Italian restaurant was close to empty save for one table which was occupied by Sands Point Mayor Leonard Wurtzel and his lunch date. The Mayor was enthusiastic about the food, and managed to finish his whole portion (I was duly impressed). With white linen, impeccably mannered waiters, and flowers on each table, Livorno is more of a special occasion restaurant than a place to grab a quick bite. Although the room itself was a bit cold (perhaps due to the large …
40.84137
-73.712393
Restaurant Livorno
95 Manorhaven Blvd, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-livorno-restaurant
40020
/locations/276336
Friday, February 5, 2010
A great meal, in under 40 minutes.
Fast service and good food – these are the two qualities that a restaurant must possess in order to make it as a lunch spot. The Shanghai Pavilion, located at 46 Main Street, has them both. It also has an upscale atmosphere. This is no tacky Chinese takeout place – there are tablecloths on the tables, pleasant music in the background, hardwood floors, and a requisite fish tank complete with overgrown goldfish. The service is speedy. You walk in and are seated almost instantly. It is never very crowded at lunch – only about five of the 16 tables were occupied on my recent visit. After being seated, the wait staff brought tea and water. The only thing I missed was that the waiter did not put noodles and dipping sauces (Chinese mustard and …
40.830785
-73.686682
Shanghai Pavilion Restaurant
46 Main St, Port Washington, NY
/articles/out-to-lunch-shanghai-pavilion
39601
/locations/268342
Wendy Heppt
6:52 am on Thursday, February 24, 2011
$11.20 for a hamburger with fries (and even more expensive with waffle fries) sounds a little pricey for Port Washington, but that California Burger sounds great. more ›