Landmark waterside eatery Danfords changes chef, menu in Port Jefferson

Danfords has named a new chef and updated its menu at the landmark harborside restaurant in Port Jefferson.

John Bauer, formerly the executive chef at the Cooperage Inn in Baiting Hollow, takes over the kitchen of WAVE Seafood & Steak and plans to focus on contemporary American fare.

WAVE has been the primary restaurant at the hotel, spa, and conference center since 2011. Under former chef Jonathan Levine WAVE Seafood Kitchen earned a three-star rating in Newsday.

Before WAVE opened, the restaurant was called Danford’s Inn and was known more for its waterside location than its cuisine.

Danfords has undergone many renovations and expansions over the decades, most recently last year. Danfords’ owners recently acquired the former Lombardi’s on the Sound, also in Port Jefferson. A new restaurant, The Cliffside, is slated to open there later this month.

Bauer’s new menu is expected to be unveiled in mid-April.

Among appetizers will be a “kale & sprouts” salad with strawberries, goat cheese, mandarin orange and toasted almonds, finished with a blood orange vinaigrette; an ahi tuna poke with mango, scallions, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro lime wasabi cream.

Also new are a tricolor tomato compote with micro-basil, truffle honey, and a balsamic vinegar reduction; and cream of crab soup with blue claw and snow crabs plus corn.

Lighter main courses take in a shrimp-and-lobster roll; roasted chicken salad sandwich with red seedless grapes, fennel, thyme, shallots, celery and coleslaw.

And entrees range from braised short ribs with a Pepsi Cola barbecue demi-glace; and Faroe Island salmon with black bean and roasted corn salsa, rice pilaf and farmstand vegetables.

For dessert, expect a “Key lime mashup” with graham cracker crust and candied lime wheel; and a Reese’s peanut butter pie with caramel-and-chocolate drizzle and crushed Reese’s pieces.

Danfords Hotel, Marina & Spa, 25 E. Broadway, Port Jefferson, 631-928-5200, danfords.com