The Beach at Sands Atlantic Beach Club open to public

You don't have to be a member of the Sands Beach Club in Atlantic Beach to eat at its new restaurant, The Beach. True to its name, the place offers patio dining close to the pounding surf. If you call 24 hours in advance, you can even have a table set up on the sand. With lights, too. The restaurant is only open to the public for dinner on Thursday to Sunday.

The real surprise here is the menu, which focuses on the slow-smoked BBQ repertoire of chef Joseph Festinger. Festinger won a pitmaster championship in Georgia and also took classes at celebrity BBQ chef Myron Mixon’s cooking school.

On his BBQ menu, you'll find burned ends of brisket ($7.95), baby back ribs ($15.95 half rack, $23.95 full rack), half a BBQ chicken ($12.95) and a trio of BBQ sliders that includes pulled pork, pulled brisket and chopped chicken ($10.95). Some non-BBQ choices: cedar planked salmon ($17.95), watermelon salad ($7.95) and blackened fish tacos ($12.95).

The Beach at the Sands is at 1395 Beech St., Atlantic Beach, 516-371-4000.