Another steakhouse with an independent air is Abel Conklin's. While most of the big boys are sprawling spots on busy roads, Abel Conklin's is tucked into an historic house (circa 1841) on a side street in Huntington Village. Its décor may resemble the others - wood paneling, hunt prints, leather banquettes and an etched glass partition depicting scenes of Old Huntington - but its menu is a maverick.

When this restaurant opened 15 years ago, its offerings, like those at most steakhouses were strictly à la carte. Today, every entree price includes a choice of potato and vegetable. While some of the possibilities are the tradiditonal ones, there are also finds like the Asian-inspired stir-fried vegetables and the flavor-packed baked, stuffed potatoes. The best side, though, was that steakhouse favorite, hash browns laced with onions. Sweet potato shoestrings sprinkled with powdered sugar also got high marks.

We gave thumbs up to the prime, aged porterhouse, the tender filet mignon and the tasty marinated rib eye. Those with small appetites (or purses) also have a world of choices. There's a juicy eight-ounce burger served with skins-on fries ($10), club sandwiches and even a mixed vegetable entree.

There were some unusual openers as well. Two that made a fine showing at a recent meal were a smoked seafood platter ($10.25) which included smoked mussels, scallops, trout and shrimp with peppered bluefish and creamed herring, all garnished with capers and chopped red onion surrounding a ramekin of honey mustard, and a moderately priced salad ($4) of sweet and sour, paper-thin slices of cucumber.