Great Neck: Hotbed of restaurant activity

The Great Neck dining scene is ever-evolving.

Great Neck Plaza's semiannual Restaurant Week begins Sunday, April 29 and runs through the following Sunday. During that period, several local restaurants will offer three-course meals at $24.95 a person; the list includes, among others, Elaine’s Asian Bistro, Laverne of Great Neck, Sip City, La Rotonda, Tulip Restaurant and ERA Asian Cuisine. Go to the web site for a full listing.

If the last name doesn't sound familiar, it may be because ERA is the latest incarnation of the Japanese restaurant on Bond Street formerly called Hinata. Same owners, same food, said chef-manager Adrian Chau. What’s different is an all-you-can-eat policy ($23.95, $11.95 for children 10 and under), with every item made to order. Here's how it works: On a slip of paper, you check off what you want from the sushi bar and kitchen. The rule is to order only what you are capable of eating,  taking care not to waste anything. If you want more, order more.

Another Great Neck restaurant, Simply Fondue, is also taking on today's economic realities with a new ”affordable luxuries” menu featuring a smaller version of its $38 four-course fondue dinner. Now, for $25 a person, you can get a salad, cheese fondue, a fondue entree and chocolate fondue. There's also a “family foursome” option wherein four people can order that dinner for a total of $80.

ERA Asian Cuisine is at 6 Bond St., Great Neck, 516-829-3811.

Pictured above: Sip City in Great Neck, participating in Great Neck Plaza Restaurant Week