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A 1998 reincarnation of a beloved seventies-era eatery, The Black Whale on City Island's main thoroughfare offers every kind of meal for every kind of diner. The nautique-to-the-max dining room teeters close to kitsch, despite a pressed-tin ceiling and stained-glass fixtures. On the plus side, the rear garden, with marble tables shaded by weeping willow and maple trees, offers real pleasure on a summer evening. The menu's ambitious breadth unfortunately confers a kind of bland sameness to the food—nothing's really awful (save for extra-sweet salad dressings), yet very little sparkles in a sea of generous portions and relatively predictable dishes. Large parties or dinner companions with vastly different appetites can select from a range of menu choices, including generous entrée salads, among them an unusual Cobb with New York sirloin; Italian-style sandwiches, wraps, and panini; and hefty dinners, like grilled swordfish with caramelized onions and bacon aioli. Avid eaters will enjoy the Moby, a gargantuan, multi-course sirloin-and-shrimp combo. Diners are welcome to linger over specialty cocktails, like a Bacardi pink lemonade or watermelon martini, and the Whale's enormous desserts.  — Helen Zelon

Sun., 10 a.m.—2 p.m., all-you-can-eat buffet, $12.95

Dinner and a Movie
Tuesday is movie night, with dinner service beginning at 4 p.m. and big-screen classics starting promptly at 8 p.m. The package deal includes dinner, the film, and unlimited popcorn.

Shrimp scampi, $17; New York sirloin Cobb salad; $15