New Restaurants in Town Worth Checking Out

1. KASHI - Sushi/Japanese with a twist - 12 Elm St., Huntington; 631-923-1960.

Kashi opened on March 18 in the former Elm Street Eatery location. According to Melville resident Tammy Rothman, there is a young, hip crowd here and the decor is sleek and modern with lighting that gives it a dramatic hue.

"The food was delicious and fun and had a nice presentation," Rothman explained. She also added that the sushi was delicious, as were all the other dishes she and her party sampled. Favorites included the crispy duck salad, blue crab fajita appetizer, recommended by their waitress, Chilean sea bass and basil filet mignon.

2. VITAE - Continental Restaurant and Wine Bar - 54 New St., Huntington; 631-385-1919.

Vitae opened its doors on March 14 in the former location of Abel Conklin's. With its modern decor in warm metallic shades of bronze, copper and gold, this restaurant offers more than 100 wine selections from around the world with 25 available by the glass.

Chef Lawrence Palladino has prepared a 40-dish menu of beautifully presented and wine-friendly Continental cuisine. According to the restaurant, their signature appetizer is crispy beef short rib croquettes and their signature entree is chicken lawrence, a French cut breast with sliced sweet and hot sausage, roasted potatoes, cherry peppers and onions in a white demi-glace.

3. LA PIAZZA - Italian - 512 Walt Whitman Road, Melville; 631-425-0500.

This Italian restaurant opened its third location on Route 110 in Melville on Feb. 16. Its other locations are on Old Country Road in neighboring Plainview and Merrick Road in Merrick. Dix Hills resident Harvey Permutt called this addition to the Route 110 corridor stylish and contemporary.

"The food was superb, portions were large and the service was excellent," he said.  Permutt's only complaint was that the restaurant did not take reservations. On a recent Saturday night at about 7 p.m., the wait was approximately 20 minutes, according to Permutt.

4. SONIC - Drive-In/Burgers - 1380 Deer Park Ave., North Babylon; 631-242-2700.

This drive-in burger franchise opened its doors this spring and is currently the only location on Long Island. At Sonic, you will pull into an empty spot, order from the menu and have your food delivered by a carhop on roller skates. But according to local residents, you may have to wait on long lines to experience this novelty.

Dylan Perlman, 18, says the food is great, so good in fact that the lines, at times an hour long, are worth the wait. Friend, Jared Grossman, also 18 adds, "It is a new experience for us, their fast food menu is unique, and includes hot dogs that are really good." Another favorite here, their frozen drinks and shakes!

5. BEL POSTO - Southern Italian with a modern twist- 15 New St., Huntington; 631-421-4600.

Bel Posto, previously Mangiamo's, re-opened this past fall with a new name, new chef and new decor. Per Melville resident, Jen Boudin, the food here was not only delicious, but very fresh and creative. According to Boudin, "they had a diverse menu, were very accommodating as far as different options were concerned and the portions were very nice."

With a tremendous bar and live weekend entertainment, Boudin added that, "this restaurant has the potential to be a big hot spot." She would highly recommend dining here.