Side Dish: Discounted Meal; Plastic Straw Ban; & More

Compiled by Peter Sloggatt

Sandbar in Cold Spring Harbor offers a $32, three course menu Monday through Thursday.

THREE COURSES, 32 BUCKS: Sandbar Restaurant (55 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor 631-498-6188 sandbarcoldspringharbor.com) offers a weekday dining value with a $32 price fixed menu available Monday through Thursday from 5-7p.m. Chef Guy Reuge has put together a menu with five appetizer choices, five entrees and a trio of dessert options, so everyone at your table can put together a meal that satisfies. Appetizers include chickpea fries, duck tacos, white gazpacho or two salad options. For entrees, rigatoni Bolognese is made with a classic trio of meats; the burger’s got bacon; smoked chicken comes with fingerling potatoes and grilled lettuce; and roast salmon is paired with fried artichokes. Vegetarians have a place at the table as well with a roasted eggplant entrée. Top it all with a choice of desserts: chocolate pot de crème; ginger almond tart; or sorbet trio.

PRIME DOESN'T SUCK: We think most folks can agree, with great food, designer ambiance, that killer view... Prime doesn’t suck. Parent company BRG is taking that to heart in another way, joining a growing movement to eliminate plastic straws. As of July 1, BRG’s nine restaurants stopped serving drinks with plastic straws and stirrers to do their part in reducing the staggering 28 billion pounds of plastic waste that makes it into the world’s oceans each year. Plastic straws at best are single use with a lifespan shorter than the time between appetizers and dessert. Worse, since not every likes to sip through a straw, many never even make it out of the wrapper spending time on the tabletop alongside your drink before being cleared with the dishes. BRG, whose restaurant family includes Prime, Tellers, Monsoon and H2O, among others, now offers compostable straws on request.

Top chefs prepare a five-course meal that celebrates Long Island’s bounty at the Island To Table outdoor dining experience. (Photo: Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce)

EAT LOCAL: You don’t have to leave town to get a great meal in Huntington, but we’ll look the other way if you’re a foodie who’s willing to support a terrific cause. The Island to Table outdoor dining experience is held annually in Patchogue to benefit HomeGrown Change, a local sustainability and educational group focused on teaching young people the ins and outs of gardening. Island to Table brings together talented chefs to prepare a five-course meal that highlights the bounty of Long Island. The outdoor dining event is set for Sunday, August 26 at Michael E. Reilly Memorial Park near Great South Bay in Patchogue. Cocktails at 5 p.m.; first course at 6 pm. Tickets are $150, and last year’s event sold out so don’t procrastinate. Visit patchogue.greaterlongisland.com/island-to-table/ to purchase tickets online.