Best American Restaurant On LI Is 317 Main Street In Farmingdale: Bethpage Best Awards

FARMINGDALE, NY — 317 Main Street of Farmingdale was named the Best American/Continental Restaurant on Long Island in the 2024 Bethpage Best of Long Island Awards.

It marked 317's first win in the category.

“It’s really an honor to know that our customers love us that much, that they would get out and share their love for us, voting for us the way they did," Chef Eric LeVine, a managing partner at the restaurant, told Patch. "It’s humbling to see that. When you get recognized for that stuff, it shows we’re doing things the right way."

LeVine said the award was a team win, as his staff makes the guest experience great.

"I’m happy. It’s a great honor the public recognizes us for that," he said. "It’s not just a one-person magazine. It’s people who voted for us. We’re doing a lot of things right. There are a lot of things we need to do better, and we’ll continue to evolve, which we have over the last 4-and-a-half years."

317 Main Street opened at the address it shares with its name in summer 2019. LeVine, a champion of The Food Network's "Chopped," who was also featured on "Beat Bobby Flay," "Food Paradise," "Alex Vs America" and "Morimoto's Sushi Master" among other shows, brought his culinary talents to Long Island, building a robust and well-rounded menu.

LeVine was named 2023 Chef of the Year in the Bethpage Best Awards, but he said his restaurant winning is an "even greater" feeling.

"I think it’s way greater, because it’s not one thing or one piece," he said. "It’s the place. I am a piece of the machine. I may be the fuel for the engine, but this really, while that was an honor to be recognized that way, this is like, this is more gratifying, because it’s all my people. It’s showcasing what we do as a team, not me as an individual. It’s more important that the team gets that recognition. I don’t need it. The team, when they see that kind of stuff, when they hear about customers being so excited and happy, that’s what it’s all about."

LeVine said he has some of the "best people in the industry" around him who are great and work hard. He also experiences a feeling at 317 Main Street that he hadn't before in his restaurant career.

"I’d never looked at a business as a family. And 317, I look at it as a family. I’m the crazy dad."

LeVine put forth a well-rounded gastropub menu at 317, including traditional favorites like burgers, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, tacos, entrees and around-the-year appetizers. But part of the menu is always changing. There are seasonal entrees, a burger of the week, rotating appetizers and desserts, and an evolving cocktail list.

"As a chef, cook and owner, I never want to do the same thing," LeVine said. "There are dishes that come back because they’re popular and people enjoy them, but every month, we change our menu. That’s one of the things people come for. Which is great, because for me as a chef, I get to play. It’s my playground."

The menu is not the only robust part of the 317 Main Street business model. The restaurant offers brunch, a weekly French toast, and events like Boozy Brunch Bingo, Music Bingo, cooking classes, live music, and psychic nights. LeVine is planning a Chefs Series where he intends to bring in chefs for dinner series.

Then there's the Chef's Table, where customers pay for a specialized menu and interact with LeVine as they get to watch the bustle of 317's open kitchen from a front-row seat.

"I get to play and I get to evolve as a cook and chef," he said. "I try new techniques and maybe try things I wouldn’t on our normal diners, but because the chef’s table is elevated, I get to do that. And I get to do that all under one house. There’s nothing like this on Long Island. There really isn't."

The restaurant's constant evolution and mindset of saying, "me different," not "me too," is what LeVine believes got 317 over the hump as the best American restaurant on Long Island this year.

"It was always 'me different,' always 'me creative,' always 'me evolution.' And when I say 'me,' I mean 'us,'" LeVine said.

LeVine said 317 is not for everybody.

"But we’re for most people. So when people ask me, 'Your menu is so wide and diverse and you have so many things and you do it well. How?' It comes from a great foundation. Testing, trying, working, doing and failing. You learn the most from failure. I think people are recognizing that what we do is like nobody else on the island. Are there other, better restaurants? Yeah, there are. But not better than what we do. We’re the best at what we do. My team is the best at what they do. It shows every day. It shines through. We all make mistakes. We all fall, but we get up and we learn from that."

LeVine thanked the restaurant's supporters for the past 4-and-a-half years of love and support.

"I look forward to us constantly showcasing all the fun that we have here," he said. "The creative, the seasonal, the specials, the events, the cocktails and everything that we do. I look forward to constantly moving it forward and evolving what we do."

LeVine encouraged customers to thank the staff members who "make the machine go."

"My partners, Joe [Fortuna], Kevin [Cleary] and I, we get the ship to where we want it to go," LeVine said. "Everyone else does the hard work. I get the easy side. I’m doing what I love everyday."

LeVine also gave shout outs to 317 General Manager Perry Fortuna and Assistant Manager Josephina Oddo.

The chef had one last message.

"Fire it up!"