Man cannot live on takeout alone and, at some point, even the most stove-averse Long Islanders are going to have to start cooking. The good news is that many local food purveyors are ramping up or initiating takeout services so you don’t have to go to the market. And some big-time restaurant suppliers are now delivering to regular folks in an effort to shore up their businesses.
In the current climate, some butchers and fishmongers are doing more business than usual, which means you may have to wait a day or two for delivery. Here’s a sampling, but there are many more. Before heading out to the supermarket for another frustrating search for supplies, call your local butcher / fishmonger / grocer to see if it is doing delivery or curbside pick up.
MEAT
Center Cuts 382 Willis Ave., Roslyn Heights, 516-625-0809, centercutsroslyn.com
Center Cuts’ website lists all meat and poultry offerings; call for the daily menu of prepared foods. To be even more helpful, Center Cuts is now selling produce and seafood and takeout meals from 388 Italian Restaurant just up the street. Curbside pickup and delivery in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens. There’s a $50 order minimum and a fee (which goes directly to driver) of $10 to $30 depending on location.
Chub Meats 2598 Route 112, Medford, 631-475-9191, chubsmeats112.com
This full-service butcher shop also sells prepared foods. Order online for either curbside pickup or delivery ($75 minimum for free delivery). Currently, orders are being delivered about three days after order is taken.
Main Street Meats 210 Main St., Farmingdale, 516-249-8200, mainstreetmeats.com
This long-standing wholesale butcher, whose shop is called Farmingdale Meat Market, is now pivoting to retail. “We have everything, all species, from value items to prime dry-aged beef,” owner Lee Seelig said. To order, email [email protected]. You’ll get a call back within a few hours and your order will be delivered the next day. $50 minimum. Locals (who call first) can also visit the store for same-day pick up.
Off the Block Kitchen & Meats 501 Montauk Hwy., Sayville, 631-573-6655, offtheblockmeats.com
During normal times, Off the Block functions as both butcher and restaurant. Now both the meat counter and the restaurant menu are available for curbside pick up and free delivery ($50 minimum) as far east as East Patchogue, north to Bohemia and west to Oakdale.
Prime Fine Catering 4 Nassau Blvd., Garden City, 516-505-3255, primefinecatering.com
All-singing-all-dancing service at Prime Fine Catering encompasses butcher, prepared foods, groceries and produce. Complete meals for four (protein, veg, starch, sauce and bread) are available for $19.99 to $39.99. There’s same-day curbside pick up and a $50 minimum for free delivery. Schedule: Nassau on Wednesday and Friday, Suffolk on Tuesday and Thursday.
SEAFOOD
Gra-Bar Fish100 Court St., Copiague, 516-876-0441, grabarfish.com
Gra-Bar usually supplies some of Long Island’s best restaurants; now the wholesaler is making dozens of products available for pickup and delivery. Call before noon for same-day delivery (which is free for anything over $50) or pick it up at the store, where someone will bring your order out to your car.
Fulton Fish Market fultonfishmarket.com
This national fish wholesaler, based at the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx, is a great option for home cooks looking for a vast inventory of fish and shellfish, from anchovies to whiting. Place your order online and someone will go into the market and gather it. Packed with food-safe gel packs, it is shipped via air for next-day or two-day delivery. (Bear in mind that the market is closed on weekends so the best days to order are Monday and Tuesday.) Free delivery over $125.
PRODUCE AND GROCERIES
Agouri Foodservice 245 Route 109, West Babylon, 631-482-1310, facebook.com/PerfectAgouri
After decades of supplying restaurants with fruits and vegetables, Agouri (“cucumber” in Greek) is opening its West Babylon warehouse to the public. Here’s how it works: All available produce is posted, with prices, on Agouri’s Facebook page. Give them a call to place your order, arrange a pickup time and when you arrive, someone will bring the order to your car.
Baldor Specialty Foods baldorfood.com
You’ve been eating Baldor provisions for decades without knowing it: Baldor is one of the Northeast’s largest wholesale importers and distributors of fresh produce and specialty foods, a staple supplier of fine restaurants and markets. Now Baldor is making its vast inventory of specialty food available directly to consumers. All the staples are here, as well as foie gras, fiddlehead ferns and beef cheeks and pretty much anything you have ever eaten. Free delivery to all of Long Island with a $250 minimum.
Larkfield Pasta 277 Larkfield Rd., East Northport, 631-757-2404, mascali-restaurant.com
This East Northport shop sells its own fresh pasta along with imported Italian groceries, prepared foods and homemade sauces. Since it’s the same ownership as Mascali restaurant next door, takeout orders can be added on to grocery orders. Curbside pickup and same-day delivery, within 10 miles of the store, for orders over $50.
TREATS
Chip’n Dipped 342 New York Ave., Huntington, 888-545-2447, chipndipped.com
They’ve got you covered — in chocolate — at Chip’n Dipped: cookies, candies, coffee and much more. Make your own box of chocolates or get a jump on Easter and Passover items. Owner Peter Goldfarb dreamed up a “Shelter in Place Survival Kit,” $59.95, which includes a half pound of chocolate nonpareils, a half pound of dark-chocolate salted cashews, a quarter pound of SuperChunkyMunchie chocolate-caramel popcorn, 6 ounces of chocolate-covered mini-pretzels plus a family-friendly card game. Go to website to order via DoorDash, UPS or curbside pickup.
Schwartz Candies 169 Voice Rd., Carle Place, 800-522-2462, schwartzcandies.com
If ever there were a need for chocolate! Schwartz, one of Long Island’s confectionery treasures, is here for you. Check out the website for the product line (click on “Easter/Passover Special Delivery”). For the hand-dipped chocolates displayed in the shop’s cases, call the store. Curbside delivery is available. For delivery, there is a $30 minimum and a flat fee of $5 will be charged for deliveries to Nassau from Garden City north to the Long Island Sound.
The Village Cheese Shop 105 Love Lane, Mattituck, 631-298-8556, thevillagecheeseshop.com
Cheese, it’s said, is milk’s leap into immortality. Certainly there’s no better desert-island food than a hunk of delicious, filling and shelf-stable Parmesan. Village Cheese Shop stocks scores of imported and domestic cheeses, as well as artisan bread, pastries, cured meats and fish plus sandwiches and fondue kits. Call for curbside pickup. Delivery is free with a $50 order within Southold Township.
