Dan's Papers - March 28, 2008 -

In less than two years, Mike Avella has built a devoted following for breakfasts and lunches at this restaurant that once housed the local bakery. The good news for them now is that recently Mike started to serve dinner as well, and this should be even better news for those of you who have not yet become patrons of this restaurant situated in a charming and unspoiled part of the North Fork. When you do, you are going to be very pleasantly surprised.

The crisp white décor with eclectic artwork on the walls, ceiling fans, a long banquette, wood tables and checkerboard style tile floor plus art deco style stools at the long counter combine to make you feel immediately relaxed with its super friendly, informal, low key but very professional style. Previously, we had only been here during the day and it was very interesting to see how the atmosphere changed as the sun went down and the candles on the tables added to the true bistro or trattoria feel.

This bistro style carries through to a dinner menu that ranges from a Cuban sandwich to steak frites, linguini al frutti de mare or a burger plus daily specials. Chef Al Hand really enjoys preparing seafood and fish dishes so these will always be prominently featured.

As yet they do not have a liquor license so it is BYOB and there is no corkage charge for local wines. Mike has a great respect for his winery neighbors and the quality of their wines and wants to help in their promotion.

As we decided on our choices and talked with the very charming Jennylee Morris, the new General Manager, who was formerly at Dockers, we enjoyed a very different bread from the customary bread basket. Tigelle, we learned, is a muffin sized bread that originates in the hills above Modena in Italy and the dough is cooked in a mold over a stove. It is very good, especially spread with the prosciutto based spread. We started with two very different soups. The lentil was deep and rich and the miso vegetable soup was pleasingly aromatic and tasty.

PEI mussels in a spicy Thai broth were plump and the broth had a good but subtle kick to it and really deserved to be drunk or dunked to the last drop. The bread with this dish came from the well-respected TomCat bakery and it is typical of Mike's attention to detail that he regularly stocks several different bread varieties to ensure that the food has the correct bread to go with it.

On a previous visit I had bemoaned the fact that I was unable to see how good the fish and chips was, so this time they sent out a half portion for my delectation. Suffice it to say that the cod was impeccably fresh and correctly cooked, the batter was tasty, correctly coated and fried to a wonderful crispness that made me long for the other half portion, but tasting had to continue - again there is always another time to look forward to - hopefully!

For our main courses, I chose the cedar plank salmon that came sizzling on the aromatic plank with great roast potatoes and a side dish of broccolini. The salmon again was a real treat, just simple and perfect. Stella enjoyed the large, meaty rack of lamb served with a tasty au jus reduction and spinach that came cooked as requested.

Desserts are not to be missed here. The rice pudding showed just how good a basically simple dish can be and the pot au chocolat was decadent and the semi -freddo, an Italian classic semi frozen mousse/ice, was delicious.

Mike roasts his own coffee on site (it is also available for purchase) and for coffee lovers this is the place to really enjoy yourselves. I savored a double espresso that was so deep and fragrant that the taste lingered on my palate for much of the drive home.

The prices here are astoundingly reasonable for the ambience and quality. Appetizers range from $4.50 to $12; Regular entrees from $12 to $16 - specials may be more.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with a saying that expressed his opinion that wherever it may be hidden off the beaten track, the world will always find its way to the better mousetrap, the better book or the better sermon. I think he would have agreed that Love Lane Kitchen is another example that proves his thesis. This is going to be a very popular spot if it maintains these standards of food and value, so my advice is to make your reservation and find your way to Love Lane Kitchen.