FOODIE

Eating Up Huntington Restaurant Week
Restaurants already seeing early influx of customers with prix-fixe menus

By Mike Koehler/foodie@longislandernews.com

Dine Huntington has more than 3,300 fans on Facebook, and many of them aren’t waiting to bite into the prix-fixe menus.
Sixty-six restaurants in or near the Town of Huntington have been offering special three-course meals for $24.95 (Saturday until 7 p.m. only) since Sunday. With just one night of Restaurant Week under their belts as of Monday, several, like Fado in Huntington village and Bistro 44 in Northport Village, had already seen an increase in customers at their restaurants.
“The first night we filled, which was nice,” Fado owner Alison Steindler Nobre said Tuesday. “We had a lot of new people, which was good.”
About 20 patrons dined at Bistro 44 on Sunday, said owner Paul Gallowitsch. Many enjoyed the European-style outdoor dining, enhanced by the changing foliage around the tables. When fall temperatures started to appear, outdoor heaters kept the cool air at bay.
Amy Schnitzer, spokesperson for Besito and Honu owner John Tunney, said both restaurants Huntington restaurants saw heavy traffic on opening night and she expects the trend will continue throughout the week.
“We’re doing tremendous, and the weather being beautiful all week will be a big plus for getting people out,” she said.
Besito has taken a unique take on Restaurant Week, offering any appetizer, entrée and dessert from their regular menu at the $24.95 price. You can also order off the entire menu at Honu for an extra $5, or stick with their $24.95 prix-fixe menu.
Megan Smith, manager of Legal Sea Foods in Huntington Station, said they couldn’t tell if Dine Huntington was drawing a crowd due to their typical holiday weekend rush. Smith, however, said she anticipated the event would bring more people to their restaurant.
“Anything to attract clientele, let people know we’re in Huntington, in the community,” she said.
Matt Spirn, who owns Northport Tasting Room & Wine Cellar, is partnered with Maroni Cuisine – which is not opened Sunday and Monday. He said he was excited to partner with someone as high-profile as Maroni’s.
“It’s excellent exposure for my business and Mike [Maroni]’s at the same time,” he said, adding that it’s a great deal since Maroni Cuisine’s tasting menu runs over $100 per person. “We offer people the opportunity to eat Maroni’s food at a rate that’s more obtainable for people. It’s the deal of a century.”
The Tasting Room may not have been the restaurant of choice for 10 posters on the DineHuntington Facebook fan page on Sunday night, but eight different eateries were. Huntington’s Carissa Ierulli enjoyed the crab cake and gnocci at Crew, while Liz Mullins Cordiero loved the Portugese wines at Fado. Leah Forni, of Commack, dined at Besito on Sunday.
“It was simplemente delicioso!” Forni wrote.
A number of Facebook users could hardly wait for Dine Huntington to start earlier this month. Chaz Richards, of Nassau County, sought out suggestions for a steakhouse. When Dine Huntington organizers suggested top-shelf steaks at Mac’s, the Clubhouse or Honu, he posted that his wife changed her mind – she wanted Italian.
Linda Sporn, of Huntington, said she looked forward to Blond and Besito, as well as some place for Asian fusion.
Huntington Restaurant Week continues through Sunday, Oct. 17. Visitors to www.DineHuntington.com can see the full list of participating restaurants and view the prix-fixe menus.


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