East of NYC - The Buzz

Merrick Sushi Bar & Tea

Our sister-site Eating Long Island just posted an overview of their experience at Merrick Sushi Bar & Tea.  To check it out, follow the link.

Coming Soon: Red Mango Frozen Yogurt in Oceanside

We just got a tip that Red Mango, our favorite frozen yogurt shop is adding to its Long Island locations with a new location in the Sands shopping center in Oceanside.  This is great news for us as we live on the South Shore and won't need to travel to Plainview any longer for our fix. Keep and eye out for it to open very soon.

Gabrielle's Brasserie & WIne Bar in Rockville Centre

Our sister site Eating Long Island has just posted their review of Gabrielle's Trattoria and Wine Bar in Rockville Centre.  What did they think about it?  You'll have to click here to find out!

Notable Opening: Brasserie Persil in Oceanside

I must have heard about Brasserie Persil from three separate groups of people this week.  For a small restaurant located in Oceanside that hasn't been open for that long, this is quite a lot of favorable buzz.  French cuisine isn't an overdone scene on Long Island and we're looking forward to trying it out at our next opportunity.  Until then, if you hear of any new restaurants that are creating buzz around your neck of the woods, shoot us a note! 516-992-1742

Coming Soon: Greek Delight in Bellmore

When The Mixing Bowl closed in Bellmore a few months back, the building that housed it sat vacant along Merrick Rd. as it was begging for someone with a vision to come in and return it to its former glory.  Paint is being applied, signs are up and the area is buzzing that Greek Delight will be arriving soon.  If you'll remember, Mixing Bowl was featured on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares.  Along with their television spot, they got a revamped interior design.  I'm interested to see if they keep it or go in their own direction.  More details to follow.

Drive-Through: Freeport, Woodcleft Avenue

With today being St. Patrick's Day, we took to the streets of Freeport and the waterside strip of Woodcleft Avenue to catch up on the restaurants and bars that line the area.  Although not all of the locations are open, we did see a lot of green and white today with patrons lining up early to the bars.  The weather was nice (did you know that 5 of the last 9 St. Patrick's Days have had snow in the forecast?) and there was virtually no traffic on the strip, so we were able to catch each restaurant in all of their glory. 

Click here to view our Flickr set of Woodcleft Ave.

Notable Opening: Merrick Sushi Bar & Tea in Merrick

As if Merrick doesn't have enough sushi bars already, another is jumping into the action on Merrick Ave.  Sushi and Tea is open for business.  Hopping onto their website, you can point and click to your heart's desire and load up that cart full of raw goodness.  Or, if you're in the mood to leave the house, you can make your away over to their location and dine-in.  It's the best of both worlds if you ask us.  516-868-0882

46 Merrick Ave.
Merrick, NY 11566
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Fat Tuesday @ BBQ Inc. in Rockville Centre

Today is Fat Tuesday and we feel that drinking will make it just that much better!  BBQ Inc. in Rockville Centre will be bringing the house down with drink specials and food specials all night long.  If you have nothing to do tonight, we just made plans for you.  Enjoy!  516-255-9191

12 S. Park Ave.
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
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Notable Opening: Zim Zari in Massapequa

Zim Zari has washed ashore with a big splash in Massapequa. A sister-restaurant to Mercado a few stores down, this California themed restaurant (complete with surf-board menus, palm trees painted on the wall and free-living lifestyle pictures all over) will have you chowing down on fajitas, salads, tacos and margheritas. We chose the Wa-Ha-Ka Tuna Tacos and the Chipotle BarBQ Chicken salad for our lunchtime meal. They were full of flavor with minimal cost to our wallet; a perfect combination.

Keep this joint in mind when you need to let loose and enjoy a peaceful, zen-like moment or two. 516-809-6960

Click here to view their menu.

George Martin Group: A Season of Savings

The George Martin Group, with multiple restaurant locations throughout the island is helping their loyal customers out with a large variety of Prix-Fixes, special deals and online coupons to get you through the winter-season.  If you go to their website and sign up for their e-mail club, they're mailing around a $10 coupon to get things rolling.  With their many locations, you'll be able to save each and every night!