GO BLOND: The sign in the window at 335 Main Street in Huntington village simply says: “Blond. Spring 2009.” The Miller Place-based restaurant, which the New York Times noted is “sophisticated enough for the Hamptons” despite its location in a Miller Place strip mall, is taking over the space that housed first, Asta, and later, the short-lived Mimo’s. Newsday said of Blond: “Outside the door you’re in a Miller Place strip mall, but inside you’re in an upscale Manhattan restaurant… This is a place for those who know and enjoy fine food.” A virtual visit to www.blondrestaurant.com reveals a sophisticated menu, classy yet comfortable décor, and live music Fridays and Saturdays. Hopefully they’ll bring that to Huntington as well.

THE SHACK IS BACK: Used to be you knew The Shack (1 Stonyhollow Rd, Centerport, www.theshack.org) was open for the season when the motorcycles started showing up alongside the place on Sunday afternoons. Now you can just check the website, which currently declares “We are open.” When a Shack attack hits and you just gotta have those clams, a burger and fries, they’re open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

PRIME LUNCH: Summer must be just around the corner… Prime – An American Kitchen and Bar (117 New York Avenue, Huntington 631-385-1515
www.restaurantprime.com) is serving lunch, Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy Executive Chef Gregg Lauletta’s lunch menu outdoors on the terrace and dockside. The lunch menu includes primers and salads, raw bar items, mizu sushi, and full dishes. The name at Prime says it all: prime ingredients make a great meal. The tuna is sushi-grade, the steak sandwich uses filet mignon, the Chicken “BLT” Avocado uses applewood-smoked bacon, and the Long Island Lobster Roll… well, what more is there to say? Try Prime for lunch every day but Sunday when, from 11:30 to 3 the Jazz Brunch is on the menu.

FIVE-STAR: Congratulations to Matto (104 No. Main Street, East Hampton 631-329-0200 www.mattorestaurant.com) on earning the Five Star Diamond Award from The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. The award puts Matto on an exclusive list. Other recipients – all in Manhattan – are: Alain Ducasse, Essex House; Bryant & Cooper Steakhouse; Spice Market; Daniel; David Burke & Donatella; Jean Georges; Le Cirque 2000; Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse; and Gilt Restaurant; as well top properties such as Trump International, The New York Palace and The Carlyle.

TOP BRUNCH: One of our favorite Foodie websites, GAYOUT.com, has named Garden City Hotel (45 Seventh Street, Garden City 516-747-3000 www.gardencityhotel.com) a top 10 brunch hotel in America. If you’ve enjoyed Sunday brunch at the hotel’s Polo Restaurant, you don’t need a food blog to tell you. Under the direction of Executive Chef Steven De Bruyn, also a Belgian Master Chef, for the second year, the Polo Room singularly represents New York in a round-up of the country’s top luxury hotel brunches this year. Eponymously named, GAYOT.com provides resources on dining, hotels, travel and lifestyle. Andre Gayot – who, with his friends Henri Gault and Christian Millau, coined and promoted the term Nouvelle Cuisine in the early 1970s – has been directing sophisticated travelers to the world’s best restaurants, hotels, shops, sightseeing and cultural attractions for more than 45 years. After years of publishing guidebooks, GAYOT.com launched in 2002.

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