Master Baker Buddy Valastro has spent the past few years across from us, two rivers away in Hoboken, NJ, but now he’s taking advantage of both his hugely successful tv presence (Cake Boss, of course) and the insatiable need for all things baked to bring Carlo’s Bakery to the Gallery at Westbury Plaza in Garden City; his first Long Island location.

Besides Zim Zari being a pretty cool place to hit up in Massapequa Park, on Long Island’s South Shore, they have a built in incentive to visit on Sunday; kids eat for free with a purchase of an adult meal.

You may not know Jack’s Shack in Glen Head but you probably know its owner. Willie Degel, host of the wildly popular Food Network show Restaurant Stakeout and who is also the owner of Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse is calling the shots at this organic fast casual spot and not surprisingly, it’s pretty good.

Seasons 52 has always been known for their mini desserts, served up in a shot glass and baked to perfection. They’re announcing today a series of new mini indulgence flavors that are both seasonal and permanent to their menu.

When Bottomz Up Bar & Grill abruptly closed their location in Carle Place (they have another location that is still open in Manhattan), we didn’t know what would happen with that large space. Now we know as the Manning’s Pub & Grill sign is up on the exterior facade and the Now Hiring sign adorns the windows. Poking our heads into the restaurant, we saw that crews were hard at work on the interior and the signage is up inside as well.

When we first met Chef Noah Schwartz he was at the helm of Seafood Barge in Southold way back in 2007(ish). Not too long after our first meeting at that location, they closed up shop and Noah decided to head out on his own. A few miles away in Greenport, the old Frisky Oyster bar location was opening up, so due to the collision of events, Noah decided to open up Noah’s in the heart of Greenport, on Front Street.

Mim’s in Syosset has been somewhat of an institution for the local area on Berry Hill Road. Although some of the restaurants that are located within earshot of Mim’s have turned over at least 5-6 times in almost as many years, Mim’s has proven to be a local favorite that is still catering to the same clientele that it did when it opened many years ago.

The Riverhead Project in Riverhead is unique for the area. At the entry point to the north fork, it’s proving to be not only one of the most popular spots, but it is also one of the most revered for its unique space, excellent cuisine and busy lounge area.

Swallow, one of our favorite Small Plates / Tapas restaurants, conveniently located in Huntington Village (and with another, newer location out east in Montauk – Swallow East) is breaking down some walls to expand their footprint in their current space.

JW’s Public House, a relative newcomer to Long Island’s north shore, in Glen Head, is crafting something special in their corner of the world (or at least their corner on Glen Head Road). Offering a restaurant / bar atmosphere with a menu focused on providing some of the freshest seafood available, there are plenty of options here for diners to revel in.