Reviews

Seafood Subtlety on the North Fork

By Laura Donnelly

(5/6/2008) Whether you arrive by Grady-White and pull right up into the Port of Egypt Marina or take the trip to Southold by car, the Seafood Barge is a worthy dining destination. Small and not too impressive on the outside, this unassuming-looking waterfront restaurant is serving some surprisingly sophisticated fish dishes, all Long Island wines, and fresh produce from nearby farms.

A variety of talented chefs have passed through the kitchen at the Seafood Barge, and their influences remain on some of the dishes. Michael Meehan introduced the towering Caesar salad. Americo Mintegui added some Asian touches to the menu, and now a young man named Noah Schwartz is at the “helm.” (Okay, no more nautical motif references, I promise!)

When you walk into the Seafood Barge from the parking lot filled with shrink-wrapped motorboats, you look straight out the back picture windows at the water. Over there, a fellow might be scrubbing his teak deck; straight ahead, an osprey redecorating her nest. Everybody is busy on the water, but it is a restful, quiet scene.

The interior of the Seafood Barge is all blue and white. Not quite navy blue, more like royal blue. An impressive marlin hangs on one wall, a swordfish and a dolphin on another. Some helpful brass signs point “To the Bar,” “To the Lifeboats,” etc. But it’s not a cornball atmosphere, just comfortable.

On each table you’ll find an unopened bottle of Long Island wine, a custom reminiscent of the tiny bistros and trattorias of France and Italy. On the day we went for lunch, there was a special being offered, two free desserts for the table if you purchased one of the restaurant’s overstocked (and quite reasonable) wines.

To begin our meal, we tried the calamari fritto misto with fennel, green beans, and lemon aioli, the baked oysters with basil, garlic, and Parmesan, steamed mussels with romesco broth and grilled bread, and the roasted beet and baby arugula salad with candied walnuts and goat cheese ranch dressing.

The calamari was delicious and tender, lightly crisped and not greasy at all. The delightful surprise with the calamari was the paper-thin slices of lemon and strips of fennel that had been fried along with it. The lemon slices were sour and crunchy, not bitter at all, and the fennel sweet and anise flavored. The zesty aioli was homemade and very good.

The baked oysters (Peconic Bay) were small and sweet but held their own against the strong pesto on top. The steamed mussels were also great; the romesco broth was smoky and spicy, tasting of chorizo or smoked paprika, perfect for dipping the grilled slices of baguette. The baby arugula salad was good, although the creaminess of the goat cheese ranch dressing weighed it down and wilted it prematurely.

At this point I should confess that one of our guests was a well-known East End chef, so the kitchen sent out an extra appetizer of a dainty crab salad adorned with avocado, blood orange slices, and baby amaranth leaves. A marvelous and light-tasting combination of sweet crab meat, barely bound with mayonnaise, enriched with creamy avocado, then made tart with the blood oranges, this creation by the new chef should be on the menu.

For entrees we ordered the grilled swordfish with potato purée, sautéed apples, pancetta, and Swiss chard with mustard seed vinaigrette, the pan-roasted halibut with white vegetable purée, spinach, and a Meyer lemon beurre blanc, the roasted, boneless, free-range half chicken with warm fingerling potatoes and arugula salad, and the warm lobster roll served with pickled peppers, cucumbers, and homemade potato chips.

Oh, and we had to get an order of truffled French fries. Just because.

The grilled swordfish was moist and flavorful and good, but, as one guest pointed out, it made him think of fall, and he thought the accompaniments were better suited to pork. The roast half chicken was a huge portion, with beautifully crisped skin. It was not treated like a second-class citizen in a mostly all-fish kitchen. The warm lobster salad was also good, big, and served on a toasted, buttered brioche-style roll.

The best dish may have been the halibut. Again, a nice, big piece of super-fresh fish, barely opaque in the middle, perfectly crisped and salted on the outside. The purée of parsnips and celery root underneath the wilted baby spinach was a great addition to it, but the Meyer lemon (confit?) beurre blanc made it shine. Slightly sweeter than regular lemons, Meyer lemons taste somewhat like a cross between tangerines and lemons. Their skin has a wonderful and distinctive flowery perfume. It all came through in this creative sauce.

For dessert we tried the blueberry bread pudding, an ice cream cookie sandwich, and the Key lime pie. The Key lime pie was tart and creamy with a definitely homemade graham cracker crust. The ice cream sandwich was made with thick oatmeal cookies and filled with mint-chip ice cream. That flavor combo threw me off a bit; I would have preferred vanilla or regular chocolate-chip ice cream. It was served with a little ramekin of deep, dark, warm chocolate sauce for dipping. This rescued it.

The blueberry bread pudding was the best of the desserts, a tall, round, and tender pudding with a great custard base, full of blueberries and topped with plenty of freshly whipped cream, not oversweetened.

Prices for appetizers run from $7 to $16, entrees from $22 to $31, excluding lobster, which is dependent on market prices.

Our pretty waitress, Kathy, was cheerful, helpful, and knowledgeable. Our busboy was new, nervous, and did an outstanding job in spite of this.

On the day we dined at the Seafood Barge, it was moderately busy. Most tables were filled that afternoon, but there was no waiting, or rushing, or “frantically relaxing” customers. A good number of the guests seemed to be there for the two-pound lobster specials to be paired with a reasonably priced Long Island wine.

The menu is short, and while the Seafood Barge offers the obligatory waterfront dining fried-fish-and-fries items you expect in such a place, it also serves some sophisticated dishes using the best of the local waters and farmland. So whether you go by boat, car, or bicycle, it’s worth the trip.

Go to original East Hampton Star article

Photo by Betsy Flinn. -By car or by boat, the Seafood Barge in Southold is worth a trip for Noah Schwartz’s sophisticated menu and the waterfront views.

East End Eats
The Seafood Barge
By Sheridan Sansegundo

It's going to take a pretty persuasive argument to convince anyone on the South Fork to travel to the North Fork for a meal at this time of the year.

Think of it as escaping from the South Fork lunacy and you might see it differently, because a trip to the Seafood Barge in Southold is worth it.

The unassuming building off Route 25 is charming inside, with a light-filled dining room, furnished in marine blue and white, overlooking Port of Egypt Marina with plenty of nautical comings and goings for amusement. There are a few statutory plaster swordfish, but if you ignore them and concentrate more on the blue shirts of the elegantly attired and delightfully helpful waitstaff, the place verges on chic. The Seafood Barge scores high on the simple charm of its decor, on service, on its delightful view, and, more important, on excellent food. But that isn't why I'm suggesting that you schlep all the way over there.

Wines By The Glass

At the Seafood Barge, 80 percent of its wine list is devoted to reasonably priced Long Island wines; there is a special list of Long Island library wines, from $40 to $120. Every one of its wines by the glass, which are clearly and sensibly described, comes from a local vineyard.

This gives diners a great chance to sample local wines, with each person trying a different one. We tried a superlative Bedell Cellars Reserve 1995 chardonnay and the first vintage merlot from Lieb Family Cellars. We could also have tried wines from Channing Daughters, Corey Creek, and Jamesport Vineyards.

Sweet White Crab

The menu, as you would expect from the restaurant's name, concentrates on seafood. Prices for appetizers start at $6 for chowders or a green salad and can go as high as $13 for a daily special of sea scallops in a chardonnay sauce over lobster risotto.

Pastas are $17 to $21. Entrees start at $15 for flounder and chips but most of them are $23 or $24, with the most expensive dish listed being filet mignon at $27. The Barge is on the North Fork, of course, where prices remain within the bounds of belief, but it is still a relief to see they are not sneaking those over-$30 plates onto the menu.

The three appetizers we tried could hardly have been improved upon, including crab cakes ($12) which were nothing but sweet white crab -- full of flavor, crisp, moist, four-star.

Not Overdone

To read of mussels being served in an aged black bean and basil cream sauce makes one pause. It sounds a bit odd, a bit too fancy. But do try them, because this is a great dish which will introduce you to new and subtle flavors.

Talking about new and subtle flavors, it is a fairly regular complaint these days from diners that restaurants, always seeking to outdo one another, sometimes overdo it in this department. I tried a salad at the Seafood Barge that seemed as if it might fall into that category: spinach, pear, crumbled blue cheese, toasted pine nuts, and a vinaigrette with little bits of bacon.

Not so -- it was perfect. The blue cheese was mild and the slivers of pear provided a sharp clean bite.

Wonderful Swordfish

Of the entrees we tried, the flounder and chips did well for the youngest members of our party. The waffle chips were good and the flounder was light, but let's be honest, flounder is the choice of people who don't really like fish. Why have a Diet Coke when there's good wine available?

Like, say, swordfish. It's served here in a green peppercorn sauce, accompanied by a fascinating five-potato hash and baby bok choy, and it's wonderful.

The seafood bouillabaisse ($20), served with just a little angel hair pasta and a good rich broth of tomato, leek, and fennel, was also good, though not quite in the same class.

A warm chocolate cake with whipped cream and fresh berries and a sharp, satiny Key Lime pie closed the book happily.

Sea Food at Its Best on the North Fork
By JOANNE STARKEY

A QUOTATION from a local East End paper contends that the Seafood Barge is the "best seafood restaurant on the North Fork." They will get no argument here. In fact, it is the best restaurant on the North Fork.

Long Island should be dotted with waterfront fish houses like this, casual but pretty spots, where seafood is knowingly cooked with flair.

The restaurant has a crisp look with sparkling white walls and navy blue nappery. Large windows provide views of boats at dockside at the Port of Egypt marina with the Peconic Bay Beyond. There are just enough mounted fish on the walls and chandeliers made of ships' wheels and lanterns to set the mood.

The staff of young people is always friendly and nice, but its performance varies from night to night. There was little variation in the food, though. It was uniformly well turned out. The Seafood Barge is beginning its third season, and this year, as in the last two, the chef is Brian Schlitt. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who went on to earn his stripes at Nick and Toni's in East Hampton.

There were no duds among the appetizers emanating from his kitchen. Steamers were plump, gritless beauties. Equally pristine were mussels poached in cream and garnished with chopped fresh tomatoes.

Crab cakes here are not the same old cliche. These lightly packed disks arrived atop an unusual, fresh cilantro-mint vinaigrette. Another often seen starter given a seldom-seen fillip is the crisp greaseless fried calamari escorted by a zippy roasted red pepper aioli. Even New England clam chowder, so often a gloppy disaster, is creamy and delicious.

Other recommended openers are the salad of baby field greens tossed with Gorgonzola cheese, roasted balsamic onions, pine nuts and blue cheese dressing, an evening special of seven baked shrimp in a garlic butter sparked by red pepper flakes.

One of the best pastas I have enjoyed this year is the Seafood Barge's bowl of bow ties, shrimp, scallops, especially smooth olive oil, lemon and crunchy garlic bread crumbs. Pastas are served as entrees or in smaller portions as appetizers for half price.

There are three meat entrees on the menu for any landlubbers in the group. We tried the roasted chicken, and while there was nothing wrong with it, it was the least exciting main course sampled.

The fried shrimp is exciting, not because it is prepared in an innovative way or includes little seen ingredients, but because it is done right. The batter is so delicate it is almost a filigree. The french fries are skins-on successes, and the spicy cole slaw is more than an afterthought.

This is the place for lobster. We were thrilled with twin one and a half pounders ($39.50) that were sweet and moist. Larger creatures, up to three and four pounds, were available another night. Equally pleasing was a special of sauteed soft-shell crabs with a lemon-butter gloss and a plate mate of crisp asparagus.

An additional special that drew raves was a filet of seared red snapper set over yummy mashed potatoes and garnished with deep-fried parsnip curls.

Three flat fish from the menu also made friends. All were cooked with a sure hand. An oven-roasted whole striped bass was glazed with a roasted-garlic vinaigrette and accompanied by grilled spring onions and roasted potatoes. Grilled swordfish boasted a very tasty tomato salad and crisp green beans. Flaky salmon garnished with a tomato coulis completed the trio.

Desserts are a mix of housemade and brought-in treats. The homemade tiramisu is a good version of the classic. But the made-on-the-premises apple tart was a bit heavy. The best of the made elsewhere sweets are the exceptionally creamy cheesecake encircled with a fresh strawberry sauce, and the rich, ganache-like chocolate truffle cake. One vanilla ice cream aficionado flipped over the three scoops of his favorite flavor surrounded by fresh berries.

The Seafood Barge's list of 80-plus wines is heavily tilted toward Long Island selections, as it should be, being in the middle of North Fork wine country. The 1988 wine was a dream vintage for the Island, but there are a few bottles of it left. One of them, Pindar's Mythology ($40), is available here. It is a remarkably complex, Bordeaux-taste-alike that gets better every year.

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"On the North Fork the place to go is The Seafood Barge." - Joanne Starkey, The New York Times

(Southold, LI, NY . . . May 2002) It's no wonder that the North Fork of Long Island, surrounded by bountiful waters and covered in vineyards and farmlands, is home to some very fine restaurants. The Seafood Barge is the cream of that crop – twice voted "the best restaurant on the North Fork" by Joanne Starkey of The New York Times and recipient of a 2001 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. With the arrival of renowned Long Island chef Michael Meehan, The Seafood Barge is sure to exceed its superb reputation.

Chef Michael Meehan now onboard!

Chef Michael Meehan brought his considerable talents to the Seafood Barge kitchen in May 2002. He is creating exciting dishes that take advantage of the area's fresh seafood and produce, always changing with the seasons. Offerings include grilled swordfish steak with blue potatoes and lime gazpacho ($26) and "bibless" lobster pan roast with oyster mushrooms, local spring asparagus, and golden potato gnocchi ($28). Sample land fare includes roast Miloski Farm chicken breast with green garlic mashed potatoes, grilled baby artichokes, and olive relish ($22). SFB's sushi prompted Starkey to exclaim, "This is the place for spectacular-looking and fresh tasting sushi." Peter Gianotti of Newsday concurs, "The Barge boasts very good sushi, and that alone is reason enough to visit." A sample sushi entrée includes a spicy tuna roll, California roll, and six pieces of sushi for $23.

A Special Place in the Heart of Long Island Wine Country

Another great reason to visit is owner Dick Ehrlich's impressive wine collection that dates to the birth of Long Island wine country in 1975. Rare vintages from local wineries can be found in The Seafood Barge's cellar, and The Barge's 2001 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is testament to its perfectly chosen and extensive wine list. A wine by the glass menu, which includes descriptions and suggested food pairings, is an excellent way to sample Long Island wines.

"The pretty waterside setting adds to the appeal" - Peter Gianotti, Newsday

The Seafood Barge boasts a lovely water view to complement its outstanding food and wine. The sea inspires the crisp décor, and large plate glass windows overlook the Port of Egypt marina and Peconic Bay beyond. Fine wine, deliciously fresh seafood, and a tranquil seaside view: The Seafood Barge brings together the best the North Fork has to offer in one sensational dining spot. For further information call The Seafood Barge at (631) 765-3010.