Restaurants in Huntington

Executive chef Pat Ippolito may be a culinary professional, but his mother, Norine, makes the tiramisu at his restaurant. As the New York Times noted in its favorable review, the seasonally changing gourmet meals at 490 West are often a family effort. Ippolito comes from a restaurant family, and on the weekends, Norine and his wife, Meredith, help him prepare his upscale bistro cuisine in the white- and taupe-hued dining room.

The plates they carry are strewn with artfully assembled dishes: wildflowers perch atop stacks of shrimp and greens; vibrant, fuschia-streaked sprouts crown a fillet of just-caught fish; and sun-yellow sauce highlights a row of mussels. However, Ippolito and his family don't just choose ingredients for their beauty; they collect organic and locally acquired produce whenever possible, and every fish is wild and brought to the kitchen the very day it's served. No added antibiotics or hormones sully the menu's natural meats, and there are even some gluten-free dishes available—but they don't respond well to pickup lines. Examples of these conscientiously culled inputs include escargots exalted by the Times, steak, baked brie, and salmon. A tasting menu whets appetites for crab cakes, and a prix fixe menu showcases multiple-course specialties.

Self-described “deli guys,” Jimmy and Rich founded Delicacies Gourmet Pizza more than 20 years ago, and their initial deli renovations in 2008 and pizzeria renovations in June of 2012 included glass display cases, which they line with a dazzling assortment of fresh food. Freshly baked turnovers; simmering trays of bacon, potatoes, and sausage; and baskets of freshly baked cookies, muffins, and breads tempt passer-bys. Chefs bustle about behind the counter, chopping fresh vegetables, meats, and cheeses into custom salads, sandwiches, and paninis—ready for any choice a patron could make. They sizzle pure-beef burgers on open-flame charbroilers before layering patties with bacon, cheese, and bourbon sauce. To craft their brick-oven pizzas, chefs scatter white and whole-wheat crusts with premium toppings such as roasted vegetables, chicken caesar, and pepperoni. Chefs also make specialties such as chicken, sausage, or pepperoni rolls and calzones. To finish off the menu, Delicacies Gourmet Pizza offers customizable pasta and baked dinners with 15 different toppings to choose from. Solidifying the eatery’s reputation for having everything that humans enjoy the taste of, a coffee bar beckons guests to pour themselves cups of hot chocolate or flavored ice coffee. Customers can be enjoy their food indoors or choose to sit outdoors next to the pond.

Philippe Jericho is built on the recipes of founder Philippe Chow, who brought his culinary flair to New York in 1979. While working in the steam-filled kitchen of a Manhattan eatery, the chef spent hours learning to make dim sum, developing proficiency in hand pulling noodles and training shrimp to pan fry themselves. Philippe eventually left to establish a gourmet-Eastern-eateries network in California, Florida, and New York. At the Jericho location, which has been repeatedly lauded by Zagat, diners scoop handcrafted noodles at white-clothed tables, surrounded by slender, modern wall sconces and waving ranks of alabaster orchids. In the dining room that Forbes magazine called "a sea of calm," crimson accents set off hues of red wines and fire trucks with their noses pressed jealously against the windows. Chef Chow passes on many of his recipes and techniques in an array of cooking classes.

The Sundance Café & Wine Bar's kitchen teems with daily deliveries of crisp, fresh vegetables and natural meat ready for soaking in house marinades. Alongside cups of coffee sourced from around the globe, these ingredients create hearty breakfasts, lunches, and dinners of wraps, parfaits, and fondue. A vast salad bar plates custom greens alongside Spirit of Connecticut paninis, named after neighboring towns such as Milford, New Canaan, and Metropolis. Patrons relax in chairs emblazoned with the café's coffee cup logo as they dip bread and fruit into chocolate and cheese fondue and enjoy sips of fruity wine smoothies. Sundance also caters special breakfast and lunchtime meals, and hosts events such as live music and poetry readings beneath soft spotlights.

A silver globe-shaped weathervane, reminiscent of the classic RKO Radio logo, crowns the Carlyle At The Palace's art-deco façade, where geometric shapes and pops of color hint at the glamour within. Through a lobby styled in honor of the Chrysler building, Deco 1600's dining room continues the old-fashioned elegance with votive candles and a wall of beveled mirrors.

In the kitchen, chefs captained by restaurateur Steve Carl craft panini and pizza lunches, then simmer short ribs in chianti, slather racks of lamb with minted pesto, and slow-cook risottos of the day for dinner. Wines imported from Italy, Argentina, and France complement meals, as well as doff their corks in Deco 1600's sleek upstairs event space, where white-leather banquettes, chandeliers, and foiled wallpaper set a chic scene.