Prix Fixe but Still Imaginative
By Susan M. Novick

“Everybody loves a deal,” said Steve Haweeli, president of WordHampton Public Relations and organizer of the second annual Long Island Restaurant Week.

That is the idea behind the promotion, running Nov. 4 through 11, when more than 130 restaurants in Nassau and Suffolk Counties will serve a three-course prix fixe menu for $21.95. (Coffee, tea, beverages, tax and gratuity are not included.)

The menu will be available all night except on Saturdays, when it will be offered only until 7 p.m. Each participating restaurant will offer a choice of at least three appetizers, three entrees and three desserts from its menu.

Michael Ross, chef de cuisine at the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport, one of the participating establishments, says the lower prices give new customers an opportunity to sample the cuisine and ambience of restaurants they might not otherwise try. “The food is always high quality, even though the price is as low as it is,” Ross said, “and we find that people come back.” The prix fixe menu at the inn will include soup or salad, duck ragù with penne or roasted pork loin as an entree and apple crisp for dessert.

Restaurant Week menus are as varied as the restaurants that serve them. Louie’s Oyster Bar and Grille in Port Washington will feature a crab cake appetizer, orange dill salmon and crème brûlée. Cajun specialties at Big Daddy’s Restaurant in Massapequa include jalapeño hush puppies, blackened catfish and peanut butter and jelly pie.

“It’s a good place for customers to try food they haven’t tried before,” said Tommy Kurtz, Big Daddy’s manager and co-owner. “It’s like paying for the entree and getting the appetizer and dessert for free.”

For a list of participating restaurants, go to www.longislandrestaurantweek.com or call (631) 727-2870. Reservations are recommended.

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