Review: Léon 1909 on Shelter Island

There are more spectacular settings for dinner on Shelter Island — historic inns, water views, historic inns with water views — but once you’re inside Léon 1909, you’ll forget that you’re dining a former bank at what, for Shelter Island, passes for a busy intersection across from the golf course.

First, all traces of bank have been expunged in favor of a dream of a modern farmhouse: Outside, the broad patio has a pebbled floor and a roof slatted for shade. Inside, the rustic-chic dining room is crowned by a vaulted, timbered ceiling that almost rivals the restaurant’s dominant feature: An enormous hearth which is used to roast and grill most of the menu’s meats and vegetables.

Valerie Mnuchin and her father, Robert, named their two-year-old restaurant after Robert’s father and were, according to the website, inspired by his "affinity for romantic European adventures and seaside destinations." The kitchen skews New American, but the extensive wine list is drawn principally from France and Italy — with forays to the rest of Europe and the world, as well as Long Island.

The kitchen’s fealty to local produce means that the menu changes frequently but, there's always a small flock of roast chickens hanging near the hearth; make sure you order one — it’s impossibly smoky and juicy, accompanied by seasonal vegetables and a bracing salsa verde. Also from the hearth: double-cut pork chops, Wagyu steaks, a fire-roasted burger and, when the tilefish are running, a fat chunk thereof paired with peperonata and chanterelles. A summertime custard of sweet corn, deepened by Cheddar and brightened by the crunch of puffed wild rice, is good enough to warrant a reorder. The warm weather also brought a crudo of Montauk "royal red" shrimp with preserved citrus vinaigrette and. The pastry here is top notch, from the warm brioche (made with local flour) to the suave flan Napolitana served with a seasonal garnish.

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