Montauk
Navy Beach – MOntauk, NY
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on August 9th, 2010
It’s that time of the year again; my families annual vacation to “The End,” also known as Montauk. Located at the very tip of Long Island, NY, lays this quaint surfer town that has somehow kept its traditions intact. It’s the site of the largest commercial and recreational fishing fleet in New York State and the first lighthouse in the state. The best part about Montauk is that town zoning regulations forbid hotel/food chains. This may be the perfect recipe for creating great restaurants. The locals are fortunate to eat here all year round, but for me, it needs to all get done in a week.
My family has it down to a science, we know exactly where we want to eat, what nights, with who and what time. We know the in’s and out’s of how to book a reservation, what time to call, who doesn’t take them and we’ve even gone as far as baking cookies for the hostess to get a table. I mean, its ridiculous, but we take food very seriously. I could skip the sun and beach and just eat here all day.
A delightful surprise for me was venturing to a newly opened up restaurant, Navy Beach. Please take note that it’s very rare for us to try a new Montauk restaurant in it’s infancy, we need to make sure to check with our local friends first, to see if they give it the thumbs up, its like taking a car for a test drive. My cousin Anna also read a good review about this place and booked it for us, so 9 people deep, we showed up to taste as much as we could and then decide if this would be a keeper.
The location is a little hard to find, but worth the adventure…just take find Second House Road and follow the signs. The restaurant is located on a 200 foot private beach and is full of lounge chairs and picnic tables, for people to eat and grab some drinks. Its a popular spot to come to watch the sunset.
The drinks are worth the trip alone. We had ordered the “Madoff,” which changes frequently, so you’re really never sure what you’re going to get. The night I went, it was a mixture fresh raspberries, vodka, St. Germaine, and sweet vermouth.
The menu features everything from cebiches to fried buttermilk chicken. A few highlights I need to point out:
- Truffle Mac & Cheese / Mexican Corn – you need to order for the table to split, they’re so good
- Seafood & Chips – lightly battered and fried shrimp / cod / scallops
- Pan Roasted Salmon – w/ garlic noodles & tamarind glaze
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken – w/ cheddar jalapeño cornbread
- Navy Burger – onion bacon marmalade / cabot cheddar / hand-cut fries / house pickles
The Burger was one of the best I have ever tasted and the fried chicken was incredible. Surprising to say this in a town known for its seafood.
Restaurant Info:
Navy Beach
16 Navy Road
Montauk, NY 11954
(631) 668-6868
lobster roll sliders
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 12th, 2010
I have never cooked a full lobster, so where the hell do you even start. Well thanks to Google, I can not only cook a lobster, I can be a doctor and a lawyer. No but seriously, stop looking at WebMD to diagnose yourself, last time I put my symptoms in, I was dying and or pregnant. Thankfully I am not pregnant (although sometimes I eat as much as a pregnant woman), all I ended up having was some seasonal allergies. Back to the Lobster. The most popular ways to cook lobster and steaming and boiling. The site I ended up following is called “East Coast Gourmet: “
“Make sure you pick out a mad lobster. It’s easy to find one; it’s the lobster who will raise its claws and flap its tail. The mad, feisty lobster will be the freshest lobster! It’s best to cook lobsters the day your receive them. You can keep a good hard-shell lobster alive for a day or two in the coldest part of your refrigerator, usually the bottom shelf.”
I liked the reference to finding a mad lobster, last time I asked my lobster how he was doing, he didn’t respond, boo. So the gentleman at East Coast Gourmet, “Charlie,” prefers steaming over boiling because it makes less of a mess and cooks slower, so there is less of a chance of overcooking. Thanks Charlie, but how long do I cook it?
Directions for Steamed Lobsters
To steam live lobster: Fill pot so that water comes up sides about two inches. Add 2 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. If you have sea salt-even better. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and put in lobsters, one at a time. ( Feel free to use a steaming rack to place the lobsters on or just add directly to the pot.) Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Place lobsters in the pot (head first), cover tightly, return to a boil as quickly as possible and start counting the time.
Steam a lobster for 12 minutes per pound, for the first pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound thereafter. See chart below for approximate cooking times. Regulate the heat if the froth starts to bubble over.
Steaming Lobster-Cooking Times
Lobster Weight: Cooking Time
1 lb.-1-1/4 lbs. 10-12 minutes
1-1/2 lb. 12-14 minutes
2 lbs. 16-18 minutes
2-1/2-3 lb. 18-20 minutes
5 lb. 20-24 minutes
Good bye little Lobster…
Crackin’ Into and Eating Your Cooked Lobster
1. Remove lobsters with tongs and place in a colander to drain.
2. The head and intestines are not edible. Now twist off the claws, crack each claw and knuckle with a nut cracker. Remove the meat.
3. Separate the tail from the body and break off the tail flippers. Extract the meat from each flipper then insert a fork and push the tail meat out in one piece. Remove and discard the black vein that runs the entire length of the tail meat.
4. Separate the shell of the body from the underside by pulling them apart. The green substance is called the tomalley, the green tomalley is the liver of the lobster, some consider it a delicacy: it is used in sauces.
5. Open the underside of the body by cracking it apart in the middle, with the small walking legs on either side. Extract the meat from the leg joints and the legs themselves
Now for the Lobster Roll….
Lobster rolls in the U.S. are especially associated with the state of Maine, but are also commonly available at seafood restaurants in other New England states and on Eastern Long Island. I got my first exposure to them on Montauk, NY…here is a light, zesty version I used for 4th of July. Recipe is adapted from Food Networks Giada De Laurentiis:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh chives
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 – 2 pounds cooked lobster, cut into large cubes
- 12 slider rolls or hotdog buns cut in half
Place the tarragon, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend until the herbs are minced and the ingredients are combined. With the machine running, add the olive oil. Add the mascarpone cheese and cream and blend until mixed.
Transfer the lobster to a medium bowl. Add the herb sauce and stir to coat. Divide the lobster mixture among the rolls and serve immediately.
I experimented with hotdog rolls cut in half and slider rolls. I enjoyed both equally, the hotdog rolls are traditional, but the slider rolls made it a “slider.” I served with some pickles and they were gone in no time. Enjoy…remember not to pick out a happy lobster.
The Harvest on Fort Pond- Montauk NY
This is a fitting first post for Fork to Cork.com as it has been a timeless staple for amazing food & atmosphere for anyone visiting Montauk, NY. For anyone who has ever been to the Harvest, their enormous family portions are hard to forget.
I would suggest making reservation well in advance during the summer as the demand is high. Immediately as you sit down a large loaf of fresh thick sliced Italian bread is place in front of you, accompanied by grated Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil for dipping. Make sure not to fill up on the bread as I have been doing for the last several years.
If you’ve never been here, then I would ask the server to recommend how many appetizers/pastas & entrees you should order based on the number of people. The servers are well rounded in food and wine and can explain where each of the ingredients comes from and how everything is prepared.
You can’t go wrong with the menu. We have been coming for years and there are certain favorites that must be ordered every time we come or else we do not feel complete. I will mention a few notables:
Appetizers/Salads- Calamari Salad with Red Pepper Vinaigrette (it’s worth coming just for this)
Pastas- Farfalle with Sausage, Peas and Parmesan & Garlic Shrimp and Spaghetti
Entrees- Bruschetta with Mixed Seafood (Mussels, Clams, Scallops and Shrimp) & 32 oz. Porterhouse Steak with Green Peppercorns, Onions and Shallots
The specials change daily and always seem to work their way into our decision making
Next time you’re at “The End,” make sure you make reservations early and check out the Harvest on Fort Pond and make sure to take a walk out on the dock to feed the ducks, they’re hungry too…
Restaurant Info:
HARVEST ON
FORT POND
11 S. Emery Street
Montauk, NY 11954
ph. 631.668.5574