LIWINEDAD

  Back on the road for one more round of fall club pick-ups and lunch on the east end.  Today is a revisit to Sound Avenue Bistro , which has never disappointed in the past (Fig 01).  Due to the vagaries of traffic this time, we arrived ahead of opening time but no problem, we were warmly welcomed, and as this was a clear warm summer day, we were seated outside by the garden (Fig 02) and waterfall (Fig 03) on the patio (Fig 04).  We pursued the beverage menu for a bit (Fig 10) but opted for iced tea as we still had two wineries and a distiller ahead of us.  We opened instead with our traditional favorites, the Seafood Chili (Fig 05) and the Duck Wings (Fig 06).  The main entrée from the weekly special menu (Fig 10) was a Beef Steak Tomato stuffed with Lobster salad (Fig 07), which was fantastic.  Jo selected from the main menu (Fig 09) the buttermilk fried chicken with sweet potato fries (Fig 08).  The chicken; is done perfectly, tender, juicy, and flavorful.  The food, combined with t

  After lunch at Barrow Food House , it was on to McCall Wine, two events in one place.   First, is the wine tasting discussed previously, and the second is McCall Beef.   McCall Wine is well set back on the south side of the main road in Cutchogue, just before Pellegrini Vineyards ( McCall Wine Google Map ).   To the back of the patio is a tasting barn, and beyond the bar on the inside is a separate room full of freezer cases packed with farm-raised beef ready for picking (Fig 01).   A cattle ranch should not be surprising as Long Island has a long history of Cattle ranches, having the first one in the U.S. and dating back to the mid-1600 in Montauk.   McCall Beef Cattle has a unique history; starting to raise cattle in 2010, selecting a rare breed in the U.S.   McCall selected the Charolais Cattle , which can trace back their origins to the late 800s C.E. (Fig 02).   The cattle are free range, Grass feed, within a minimal intervention environment producing fine quality beef.   T

  Sparkling Pointe has announced its upcoming event for the rest of the summer and the fall.   Two events remain in August (Fig 01), one in September and the last in October (Fig 02).   The events start with a classic Sparkling Wine and Cheese pairing (Sun 21 AUG 2022) followed by a Lobster Roll event (Sun 28 AUG 2022), a Vintners Harvest Dinner (Sun 18 Sept 2022), and far from last, a Local Oyster Showcase (Sun 02 Oct 2022).   It all looks to be a fantastic day at the winery.   We just scored five tickets to the upcoming North Fork Lobster Roll & Potato Chip Wine Pairing event in a few weeks.   The event starts with something different, a trio of sparkling wines paired with three different North Fork Potato Chips .   The Sparkling & Chips is followed by a Lobster roll from Barrows Food House paired with the Sparkling Pointe Topaz Imp é rial Brut Ros é.   One additional option is to add Pearl Street Ossetra Caviar to round out the tasting experience.   Reservations for the L

  Sometimes the best dinner is a simple home-cooked dinner; last night was one of those.  The seafood and other ingredients came from New Wave Seafood and Stew Leonards-East Meadow , as fresh ingredients are essential.   The Shrimp are six large ones mounted on 2 Rosemary infused Olive oil-coated bamboo skewers.   Then using the assembled   Shrimp, sprinkle them with a dash of Old Bay , spray with EVOO, and set them aside to rest in the fridge for several hours.   Using a fresh Zucchini and a Kitchen Aid Mixer Spiralizing attachment did quick work of producing a nice pile of Zoodles.   The Zoodles are laid out on paper towels to air dry for about an hour.   Starting with just a touch of rosemary-infused EVOO, sauté fresh chopped Garlic, then add a chunk of Irish butter.   When melted and sizzling, stir in the Zoodles, stirring constantly, then add grated Romano cheese to taste.   The Shrimp are seared on an inferred burner (Very hot 1800 ⁰ F) on the Bar-B-Que for about 1 minute per

  Given all the fine restaurants on Long Island, a revisit to Majors Steakhouse in East Meadow is long overdue ( Google Map ).   Majors Steakhouse is simply good steaks all the time.   The menu is clean, short, and to the point, a one-pager highlighting all the goodness to follow (Fig 01).   As there were four of us on this visit, we opted for two different starters that were more than enough for all of us.   The Caesar Salad, a steakhouse classic, was rich and creamy with lots of crisp romaine lettuce (Fig 02).   The Seafood platter for two was replete with clams, shrimp, ½ lobster, and lump crab meat; more than enough for three (Fig 03).   The Entrees were the Steakhouse mainstays.   First, the Filet-N-Tail combines an 8oz Petite Filet Mignon and a 6 oz South African Lobster tail plated with mashed potatoes (Fig 04).   Next was a fine marinated Skirt Steak plated on a bed of caramelized onions and mushrooms (Fig 05).   Then, as our son was with us, we went to the Porterhouse for two

  The write-up is a bit late, but Vincent’s Steakhouse is worth the wait.  Vincent’s Steakhouse is relatively new and located in a strip mall along Wantagh Ave in Wantagh ( Google Map ), just south of New Wave Seafood .   Bright open, and airy the dining room greets you with generous spacing between the tables (Fig 01).   The opening round of drinks was excellent, and the house wine selection was robust and suitable (Fig 02).   The menu is surprisingly long for a Steakhouse but well worth the extra time to contemplate the meal ahead (Fig 10,11).   For starters, Jo had the Caesar Salad bright fresh Romaine, good Croutons, and just the right amount of dressing (Fig 03).   The Roast Oysters Tapenade with a unique take on Roasted Oysters with just a hint of olive and is very enjoyable (Fig 04).   The Entrées are NY Strip and a Petite Filet Mignon.   With the NY Strip, the sides were Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sautéed Mushrooms & Onions (Fig 05).   The Dry aged NY strip was ordered “Bl

  We are again on the #northforkwinetrail, doing a tasting at EV & EM Vineyards and a drive-by pick-up at Lieb Cellars .   We usually stop for lunch before doing a tasting, so we have a large food buffer before enjoying wine.   Today we went to Braun Seafood Company for the first time, which was an excellent choice.   Braun is first and foremost a wholesale/retail fish market similar to New Wave Seafood.   Braun expanded just as New Wave Seafood added cooked food services.   Braun is located on NY-25, halfway between Suhru Wines and Peconic Bay Vineyards ( Google Map ) in Cutchogue.     The Braun Kitchen is in a separate building from the fish market but shares a common parking lot (Fig 01). Parked in front of the buildings is a classic early 1900s delivery truck (Fig 02), adding to the charm of this place.   To the north of the Kitchen is a large, tented picnic area for outside dining (Fig 03).   Inside is a kitchen with a few seats for indoor dining and a large counter to o