86 NOMA: Another restaurant has fallen victim to harsh economic times. A “last call” issued via Facebook last Friday summoned friends to the “Last Dance at NOMA (NOrth of MAin). NOMA was opened in December 2008 by partners Joseph Tomasino, formerly of Piccolo, and attorney Frank “Rocky” Bruno at the former Indigo restaurant on Gerard Street, Huntington. As they say in the kitchen… “86 NOMA.” Saturday night was their last call.

DINER LINGO: There’s a whole vocabulary of kitchen speak that once flourished in the days of greasy spoons and roadside diners, but in these days of fast food and computerized order taking, it is fast disappearing. So when we say “86 NOMA,” anyone who ever worked in a kitchen can tell you that means there’s no more – as in “86 the meat loaf.” The language of hashslingers is colorful, sometimes bawdy and often humorous, but very specific. For instance, “schmeer” means a swipe of cream cheese while a “smear” is margarine and “axel grease” is butter. “Whiskey” means rye bread, and “whiskey down” means rye toast. “Looseners” are prunes; “lighthouse” means a bottle of ketchup; “wax” is American cheese; “zeppelin” is sausage and “lumber” means toothpick. “Pin a rose on it” means add onion; while “burn one, take it through the garden and pin a rose on it” translates into a burger with lettuce, tomato and onion.

ZAGAT LOVES HUNTINGTON: Zagat Survey has recently released its 2009/10 Long Island Restaurants Survey which represents the collective experiences of 5,854 avid local diners at 852 Long Island eateries. No surprise… the survey shows Long Islanders are eating out a bit less but are clearly paying more attention to prices (40 percent), choosing less expensive places (32 percent), and skipping appetizers, desserts or alcohol (16 to 19 percent). Also no surprise, Huntington area eateries performed well in the ratings. Maroni Cuisine (Northport) ranked third in food rankings; top-20 included Piccolo (Huntington) and Panama Hatties (Huntington Station). Prime (Halesite) was third on the top five for décor; and the Tunney boys’ Roadside Burger Company (Huntington and Smithtown) scored first place on the list of best buys. Also making significant entrée on the top-rated lists…Huntington’s Black and Blue, formerly Off The Wall, (Huntington) placed second on the list of top newcomers. Zagat’s 2009/10 Long Island Restaurants lists top restaurants in multiple categories and maps the most popular restaurants. The guide is $14.95 and available at bookstores.

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