Winter Dining Deal To Offer Eight Nights Of Spectacular Meal Specials

The tri-annual and award-winning Long Island Restaurant Week is back with eight exceptional nights of dining deals, but it will look a little different this year.

Because of the pandemic, there will be an emphasis on take-out, however, participating restaurants will offer the option to partake in the special to those that dine-in as well. The winter iteration will be held from Sunday, January 24 to Sunday, January 31.

“Restaurant Weeks do one thing: they bring people through the doors,” Steve Haweeli, Long Island Restaurant and Hospitality Group President, which organizes the week, stated. “The pandemic has devastated restaurants; we hope Winter Restaurant Week will provide a shot in the arm of revenue for all participating restaurants.”

On the East End, participating eateries include Calissa in Water Mill, Ed’s Lobster Bar in Sag Harbor, Farm Country Kitchen in Riverhead, Lulu Kitchen & Bar in Sag Harbor, The Coop in Southampton, The Preston House & Hotel in Riverhead, Union Burger Bar in Southampton, and Union Sushi and Steak in Southampton.

“The Preston House & Hotel will be offering a $35 per person prix-fix menu – plus an optional wine pairing during Long Island Restaurant Week,” Executive Chef Drew Hiatt explained. “My philosophy on Restaurant Week isn’t about making money, but more so about promoting The Preston House & Hotel as who we are as the quality of food that we offer.”

He continued, “Just because a less expensive menu is offered for the week, it never brings down our quality of food. In fact, it is an effort to showcase some of our best dishes. It’s a killer deal for food that you would normally pay more for. Also, during these times, it’s an effort to keep restaurants afloat and busy.”

This year, eateries may feature a $25 three-course dinner menu, a $35 three-course dinner menu, a $42 three-course dinner prix fixe – or a combination of those options throughout the promotion. For each price point, there will be at least three options per course (appetizer, entrée and dessert) for dinner. On Saturday night, some establishments may choose to offer the prix-fixe until 7:00 p.m.

“Calissa is offering two prix-fixe dinner options for takeout featuring cozy Greek dishes such as Moussaka (a greek casserole dish with grass-fed beef, eggplant, and béchamel), a lamb souvlaki platter (lamb keftedes, tzatziki and herbs), and homemade spanakopita (savory spinach and feta pita with a green salad),” Calissa Partner Kylie Monagan noted. “Diners have Calissa’s award-winning wine cellar at their fingertips and can even speak with a sommelier to select a bottle that will pair perfectly with their takeout meal.”

To kick-off the first Restaurant Week of the year, and support the local independent restaurants that we all love, Winter Long Island Restaurant Week will be raising funds for a duo of worthy organizations: the Independent Restaurant Coalition (www.saverestaurants.com), which was established to save small restaurants and bars affected by the pandemic, and Island Harvest (www.islandharvest.org), which provides millions of pounds of food to those that are food insecure through their expansive network of community-based food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency feeding programs. 

“Now more than ever, we want to make a difference for two groups in need: restaurants and those facing food insecurity,” Haweeli added.

For more information, visit www.longislandrestaurantweek.com.