On the road with a takeout queen

Since I’m too lazy to cook, am incapable and have no patience, I happily pick up all my meals to go. During these challenging times, I’m excited to tell you about a silver lining I’ve found in the food world. Takeout has become incredibly creative and personalized. Here are some amazing ways eateries in our neighborhood have raised takeout to the highest yum level.

2Go (2 Spring St., Oyster Bay) During lockdown, the “2 Spring” café chefs began offering additional meals to go. Then, every night after working long hours in the restaurant, the chefs raided the refrigerator and put together quirky concoctions with whatever was left over. That inspired an idea. Why not offer those offbeat creations to customers? 2Go was born. Manager Jordan Lari told me, “We see this as an opportunity to be creative, have fun with food and feed people. It’s totally different than 2 Spring, and the business lives on a cloud.” Check out the playful menu at: springstreet2go.com. The Viennese Schnitzel Sandwich is described as “brunch, lunch and dinner on a bun.” The walk-in salad’s description is, “Step into the fridge, put lettuce in a bowl, and add a little bit of what looks good.” Lari said, “These aren’t fussy, fancy meals. It’s stuff your face food.” Works for me!

Bistro GoFood (43b Main St., Port Washington) This new eatery is a cozy, classy takeout haven with house-made versions of incredible foods to go. It’s designed to meet customers’ needs during these times. The Grab & Go Lunch section has ready-to-go freshly prepared sandwiches, soups, salads and sides. The farro salad (with sundried cranberries, chick peas, swiss chard and Moroccan spices) never made it to my house. I ate the whole thing on the car ride home. There are also oven-ready meals with simple reheating instructions even I can follow. My favorite dessert? Apple cinnamon pudding with Bourbon caramel sauce.

Bleu Clarinet (26 School St., Glen Cove) In this new, soulful, jazzy café, the menu was created to please the diverse community in Glen Cove. The Soul-Caribbean-American fusion menu has lots of fun surprises. When I ordered the fried broccoli and chicken side, I expected an Asian-ish dish but was surprised to see the chicken was also crispy fried and the meal was tied together with a slightly smokey barbeque sauce. Yum. Other favorites are oxtail with plantains and smokey mac and cheese.

Elegant Affairs (110 Glen Cove Ave., Glen Cove) In March, this high-end, exquisite catering company was heavily affected. So, owner Andrea Corielli came up with a new food concept called, “Party Box.”  Andrea said, “These days, a lot of people are just having a few friends or family members over (4-6 people, or 8-10). But they still want an upscale, elegant meal they can be proud to serve.” The Party Box series fills that need. It’s thematic. The Halloween Box includes black and orange sesame chicken with black chopsticks. Side dishes are served in mini, hand carved Jack O Lanterns. You can also order the Football Box, Baja Box, Brunch Box, and more. A Thanksgiving Box is in the works. I’m in!

With all these amazing takeout options, I’ll never have to cook a meal again. Maybe I’ll hang a shoe bag in my refrigerator. See you next month!

The Takeout Queen is now on Facebook. Search for Oyster Bay Herald Guardian, Sea Cliff/Glen Head Herald Gazette or Glen Cove Herald Gazette.