Local Dining Guide

Since I've been eating out a lot lately, more so than usual that is due to our kitchen construction, I thought it would be appropriate to rate the local establishments. If you're looking for a review on seafood, ethnic food, or anything that comes with a sauce on it you're out of luck. For everything else....

Best Italian food - Ciao on Long Beach Road in Oceanside. Their chicken marsala is to die for, their bread is always piping hot, and they have a large selection of low carb dishes. The ambiance and service is top notch. The only problem is that the bartender is a mets fan and never has the Yankees game on.

Best pizza - Gigantes in the Kohl's shopping center in Oceanside. Must be something in the water that makes New York pizza the best. Considering that Gigantes is across the street from the Oceanside Dump there really must be something in the water. Nonetheless, it's the best pizza in town and they have the largest dining area of any local establishment so you can always get a seat.

Best deli - Lawson Deli on Lawson Blvd in Oceanside. With 37 people seemingly working behind the counter at one time there's never a wait. Which is good since they are right next to the train station and are dealing with people that are always in a rush. The food's good too but the topper is that they always give you a free pickle or two with your sandwich.

Best chinese food - Hunan Palace in Freeport. I don't even like Chinese food that much but I'm still willing to go all the way into Freeport to hit up the Hunan Palace. I'm not sure why it's so much better than other Chinese food but it just is. Is also the best place to go if you want to eat it there rather than take it out because of their friendly wait staff.

Best chain restaurant - Friday's on Sunrise Highway in Baldwin. But that's only because I know people that work there and they get me free stuff.

Best cafe - J.Paul's Terrace Cafe on Merrick Road in Baldwin. It's actually not that good of an ambiance. The tables are crowded together and the temperatue control is awful. But for the price the food is amazing.

Best bar and grill - You pretty much can go wherever the 10 cent wings are that night. We usually hit up Stingers on Wednesday nights and Churchill's on the weekends. RJ Daniels in RVC is pretty good as well and no Barcia isn't paying me to say that.

Other things to consider:

Best restaurant out of my price range- The cheesecake factory

Best restaurant in my price range - McDonalds

Best outdoor seating - Nautical mile

Establishment that fails to live up to expectations - Roasty's Roast Beef

Best salad - Tie. International Delight Cafe and Katie's house