Aquarelle 45, Port Washington

By taking its name from a classic 18th- and 19th-century painting style used to create seascapes, Aquarelle 45 calls the ocean to mind. The eatery juts out over the Long Island Sound, providing its diners with stunning vistas of Manhasset Bay and the pristine marina on three of its four sides. These sights can be enjoyed from amid the dining room's airy, cream-hued walls and floors designed to resemble planks of beached wood, or on the outdoor patio during the warmer months. Here, the staff has created a setting intended to be reminiscent of a majestic Mediterranean isle, far away from the shores of New York.

This dedication to the comforts of the Mediterranean also inspires the chefs, who incorporate elements of Greek, Italian, and French dishes into their cuisine. While the prominent display of on-ice fish and live lobsters demonstrate a passion for ocean-fresh seafood, Aquarelle 45 adopts a wider approach to cooking healthful and flavorful cuisine. Steaks, chicken entrees, and pasta dishes all appear throughout the menu, which changes regularly to accommodate seasonal ingredients and the Oxford English Dictionary's most current spelling for "shrimp."