Some new alfresco spots for summer
Diners enjoy eating alfresco at The Patio restaurant and lounge in Freeport. (June 18, 2011) Credit: Barbara Alper
In summer light, dining out becomes dining outside.
Restaurants across Long Island turn alfresco, beckoning not only with appetizers, main courses and desserts, but with patios, decks, verandas, water views and, sometimes, the sand of the beach itself.
Here are some of the newer eateries that bring you in by seating you out. For dozens of others, go to exploreLI.com/restaurants and look for the Outdoor Dining guide.
445 S. Main St., Freeport, 516-623-9100, patiofreeport.com
THE SEATING The outdoor patio accommodates 145 for dining. The dockside seating overlooks the marina.
THE EATING The theme is contemporary American. Expect a raw bar; marinated citrus-soy tuna; "Peruvian sashimi" with chili sauce, chimichurri and smashed avocado; macaroni and cheese enriched with lobster, shrimp and scallops; a trio of sliders with American cheese and chimichurri; shell steak with Vidalia onion "mop sauce"; and a Long Island lobster roll with fries and chilled watermelon.
THE PRICE $$-$$$
39 Roslyn Ave., Sea Cliff, 516-801-4500, themetropolitanbistro.com
THE SEATING There's a sidewalk cafe with tables for about 35 diners. It's situated along Roslyn Avenue.
THE EATING New American cooking is the specialty. Winning dishes include cedar-planked vegetables, pan-seared Chatham cod with lemongrass beurre blanc, wood-roasted pork chop with a cider reduction, black bass with corn succotash, strip steak, the house burger and a daily pizza, which may be a cheese-laden white pie.
THE PRICE $$-$$$
15 Railroad Place, Island Park, 516-432-7677, popsseafoodshack.com
THE SEATING Wear your flip-flops to this splashy new seafood spot on Reynolds Channel, where there's seating for 32 on the beach at four private cabanas in the sand. Nearby is a fire-pit lounge with seating for 70. There's also rain-or-shine seating for 100 on a deck with a retractable canopy.
THE EATING Chef Axell Urrutia (formerly of Cannon's Blackthorn in Rockville Centre and The Palm Restaurant in Manhattan) turns out a New American fish-focused menu with such dishes as a seafood pineapple canoe, sesame ahi tuna lollipops, three types of lobster rolls, applewood-grilled wild salmon, plus fish and chips, the hand-cut Belgian frite style. For dessert: a banana split and a chocolate "pizza."
THE PRICE $$-$$$
62300 Main Rd. (Route 25) Southold, 631-876-5300
THE SEATING A wraparound deck seats 100 diners at chef Tom Schaudel's new eatery at the Port of Egypt marina. Indoors: 85. There are views of the water and the barrier beach bird sanctuary.
THE EATING On the former site of The Seafood Barge, the choices are mainly fish and shellfish, with a few "if you must" steaks and burgers. Selections include steamed lobster, a "knuckle sandwich" lobster roll, potato-crusted cod, pan-seared diver scallops, marinated and grilled swordfish, bay-scallop seviche, pan-seared lump crabcake, steamers, a Baja-style fish taco and fried local oysters.
THE PRICE $$-$$$
40 McDermott Ave., Riverhead, 631-591-1757
THE SEATING Six tables with umbrellas, two on the veranda and four picnic tables on the lawn. All offer a prime view of the Peconic River.
THE EATING Authenticity is the hallmark of the Turkish menu, which offers house-made pide (the Turkish answer to pita) and doner (Turkish gyro, marinated lamb that's stacked on a vertical spit, rotisserie-roasted and sliced). Sprightly salads and dips also are big, as are kebabs. At lunch, grab a wrap or sandwich.
THE PRICE $-$$
62 Montauk Hwy., Westhampton, 631-998-3808, buoyone.com
THE SEATING Nine tables on a patio under an open- air tent. While the view isn't much more scenic than the parking lot and passing traffic on Montauk Highway, there's lots of greenery and a sense of summer on the East End.
THE EATING This new offshoot of an established Riverhead combination fish market-fish restaurant serves the same menu as the original, ranging from baskets of fried fish and seafood (clams, oysters, cod, scallops and the like) to panko-stuffed oysters, wok- seared sea scallops and even crispy pork.
THE PRICE $$-$$$
1500 Lido Beach Blvd.(in Malibu Shore Club), Lido Beach, 516-442-2799.
THE SEATING Situated within a beach club but open to the public, this brand new oyster bar offers seating for 100 (mostly umbrella tables for five) on a patio that's near the beach and poolside. (Parking, at $7.50, is free if you spend $7.50 or more at the restaurant).
THE EATING Chef Chris Seidl (former sous chef at Babylon Carriage House) offers a moderately priced fish-shack menu that includes lobster rolls, crabcake sliders and a seared rare tuna salad. Raw bar items include oysters, little neck clams and crab legs.
THE PRICE $-$$
81 Fort Salonga Rd., Northport, 631-651-8844
THE SEATING A laid-back vibe prevails at this summery spot that's open to the public but situated on the deck of the Brittania Yacht Club. Eat within view of both pool and boatyard at one of 14 tables -- five large ones with umbrellas and the rest shaded by an awning.
THE EATING Although the place opened last year, it's gone into higher gear this season, with a new menu from chef John Novack that includes a roster of freshly caught fish prepared any number of ways, a Northport shellfish stew and a mahi mahi taco. Of course, there are still burgers, salads and sandwiches, everything served on or with disposable dinnerware.
THE PRICE $$
18 Woodbine Ave., Northport, 631-757-4500, maronicuisine.com
THE SEATING More to love at Maroni Cuisine: The six tables in the picturesque alleyway behind Maroni's add 30 seats to the tiny restaurant's 45-seat capacity.
THE EATING Outside, it's the same eclectic whatever-the-chef-feels-like tasting menu, the same classic rock music, the same friendly staff. On a given night, the 25-odd courses might include scallops scaloppine, barbecued ribs, million-dollar potato chips (topped with caviar), lobster bisque, Thai spring rolls, Kobe beef sliders, eggplant Parmesan.
THE PRICE $$$$
95-97 Manorhaven Blvd., Port Washington, 516-944-2730
THE SEATING A lovely backyard garden, the walls of which are painted to evoke Old Havana, accommodates about 30 seats.
THE EATING In the former home of Livorno (and, before that, Nick and Pedro's), the weeks-old Ay Que Rico! ("Oh How Rich / Good / Delicious!") bills itself as both Cuban and Latin, with both straight-ahead favorites -- Cuban sandwiches, arroz con pollo, ropa vieja -- plus some updates such as watermelon-mint soup.
THE PRICE $$
