Every Thursday night the Inn at Great Neck (498-3008) is holding a world-class cigar dinner.

"It started in the 80's, when the Ritz-Carlton in Boston hosted a cigar dinner," Mr. Sharp said.

Next month a series of monthly wine tasting dinners and quarterly cigar dinners with single malt scotches will begin.

They turned it into an entertainment complex for weddings, cigar dinners, bachelor auctions, concerts with headliners like Marc Anthony and over-the-top bar mitzvah expos.

Potpourri The Snapper Inn, at 500 Shore Drive in Oakdale (589-0248), is planning a cigar dinner on its great lawn facing the river.

Tasting Dinners On Thursday at 7 P.M., the Inn at Great Neck will present a $125 cigar dinner.

When Ms. Mandarano heard about the cigar dinner, she knew she had to go.

The room, with a ventilation system that allows smoking, will be used for cigar dinners, catering and regular dining.

"I have to strip before I come into the house after a cigar dinner," he said.

The cigar craze may have peaked, but there is more to do at cigar dinners on Long Island than puff on a stogie.