Hot posts from our daily blog
SEA CLIFF DOUBLEHEADER
A recent drive through Sea Cliff unearthed two promising new spots. First up, Musu, a sushi restaurant in the location that, for decades, housed Once Upon a Moose. First-time restaurant owners Melisa and Alan Geller have created a beautiful space -- homey yet exotic -- that put me in mind of the clothing retailer Anthropologie. The menu is predominantly sushi (the only hot items are appetizer dumplings), and the sushi bar is under the direction of Roy Kurniawan, who had been the driving sushi force at the late, lamented Sea Cliff Sushi Co. and Bennett's Sushi Lounge in Locust Valley.
Musu is at 304 Sea Cliff Ave., Sea Cliff, 516-671-2493.
After dinner at Musu, I stopped into the Oak Room Tavern, which opened a few months ago in what used to be Roots. Owner Chris Doran ripped out Roots' highly idiosyncratic built-in furniture and knocked down an interior wall to create a more open feel. He described the food as "New American, veering toward upscale tavern" (steak frites, roasted Amish chicken with truffled potato puree), but he has recently hired a new chef and expects a new menu to be in place in the next month or so. We'll keep you posted.
Oak Room Tavern is at 242 Sea Cliff Ave., Sea Cliff, 516-277-2350. --ERICA MARCUS
TWO BLONDES IN HUNTINGTON
Two Blondes and a Stove is a new restaurant in Huntington Village. For now, it puts out breakfast and lunch, with dinner in the offing once the liquor license comes through.
The two blondes were, originally, Dena Fenza and Jennifer Queen, who used that name for a home-catering business when their kids were small. Fenza most recently was general manager of Ragazzi in Nesconset. When she took over the space at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Gerard Street, she resuscitated the name. (Queen is onboard as catering sales manager.)
Fenza recruited another Ragazzi alum, Michael Hansen, to run the kitchen, and their menu displays both inventiveness and whimsy. Among the breakfast items: Giambotta (roasted potato, zucchini, red peppers and onions with scrambled eggs and Pecorino Romano cheese, $10.50). Lunch includes Lady Diana lettuce wraps (grilled chicken with zesty slaw and Thai peanut sauce, $9.95).
Two Blondes and a Stove is at 26 Clinton Ave., Huntington, 631-673-1300. --ERICA MARCUS
KASHI SUSHI'S ON A ROLL
As glittery as the Huntington original, Kashi Sushi & Steakhouse opens in Rockville Centre with stylish Japanese favorites as well as a hibachi grill.
It's also just as good, with fine sushi and cooked fare, including standout signature rolls, plus East-West dishes such as a seafood risotto with black and brown rice, filet mignon with Thai basil, and surf and turf with filet mignon and lobster.
Kashi Sushi & Steakhouse, 222 Sunrise Hwy., Rockville Centre, 516-442-7600. --PETER M. GIANOTTI
