Mac-and-cheese, chicken soup and more: What Long Island is craving right now
People who take pleasure in food eventually figure out that what they are looking for is the ultimate indulgence, something that they would walk over hot coals for. This longing is intensified during the cold months: The days are short, the wind is sharp and all of us deserve to be coddled the littlest bit, to be fed something comforting and delicious. We got the word out on Reddit and Facebook, asking Long Islanders what dishes they crave right now, and they responded with alacrity. We proceeded to find a great example of each.
BEEF STEW
Requested by: James Kalodimos of East Islip via Facebook and Philip King of Northport via Reddit
GET IT AT: Finley’s; 43 Green St., Huntington; 631-351-3440, finleyshuntington.com
Howard Fay is devoted to stew, and the veteran Long Island chef has made it a showpiece on his menu at Huntington’s venerable tavern, Finley’s. There’s always a “stew of the week” on offer—you might encounter such European interlopers such as beef Stroganoff or boeuf Bourguignon (magnifique!)—but nothing is better than Fay’s straight-up American-style beef stew, made with toothsome chunks of short rib supported in part by carrots, onions and a couple of bottles of good red wine. It comes heaped on a bed of mashed potatoes or egg noodles and is guaranteed to revive anyone who is winter-weary.
Classic American beef stew at Finley’s in Huntington.
Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
GUYANESE PEPPER POT
Requested by: Liz Barcia Savastano of Glen Head via Facebook
GET IT AT: Pepper Pot; 760 Elmont Rd., Elmont; 516-344-5272
Is pepper pot the greatest cold-weather dish you’ve never tried? If so, head to a new Elmont place that specializes in it—the name is Pepper Pot, after all—for a Guyanese take on the popular West Indian staple in which meat (lamb, in this case) is marinated and cooked to perfection in cassareep. Not familiar? Cassareep is a terrific sauce base composed of cassava root juice, which, while poisonous in its…
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