Long Island Restaurants

The Seafood Barge

The abiding image of The Seafood Barge used to be an oversize advertisement posted on the side of a nearby barn. It had the colorful owner, Armando, brandishing a lobster about the size of his torso.

In the years since, the fish house had undergone changes subtle and substantial, in appearance and in cuisine. The most important is the most recent: executive chef Americo Mintegui. He makes a very big splash.

Mintegui turns an old-fashioned favorite into a destination for new American cooking -- and you can have your lobster, too.

This "barge," perched waterside at the Port of Egypt Marina, offers a pretty view. These evenings, the angle of light gives the scene an Impressionistic twinkle.

The dining room itself, however, remains resolutely white and blue, with some knotty pine. The nautical kitsch is kept in check, despite the official life saver, the fish positioned in mid-arc, the brass directions "to life boats" and "to the galley."

Mintegui's kitchen turns out a refreshing sashimi of striped bass, set on fresh noodles, accented with spicy mayonnaise. The competition could be striped bass seviche.

The crab meat "fondue" is sweet, tender, well-seasoned meat, to be picked up with crunchy Yukon gold potato chips. Pipes Cove oysters, baked with a cap of pesto, are delicate and savory. Steamers show up tender and sand-free, ready for drawn butter or enjoyable unadorned in their clam broth.

New England-style clam chowder boasts tender shellfish and traditional creaminess. The Manhattan version has authentic bite. Likewise, the Caesar salad and the salad of baby greens with a shallot-and-herb emulsion.

Housemade fettuccine tossed with poached artichoke hearts and sugar snap peas is a fine choice, finished in a diverting saffron-lemon sauce. Pan-seared shrimps and scallops, plus ovals of scallop-and-shrimp mousse that suggest a crisper cousin of quenelles, embolden the fettuccine in a coral-hued shellfish sauce.

You can contentedly go the fried shrimp-and-french fries route here, and take a side trip with celeriac slaw. Calamarians revel in Parmesan-dusted squid with red pepper flakes, microgreens and a lemon-white wine sauce.

A special of sauteed local fluke earns its status by veering Asian, with soy-marinated eggplant and bok choy. Curry crème fraîche adds an Eastern note to the butter-roasted flounder, with white asparagus, cockles and a potato puree. Rosy seared tuna, paired with an eggplant ragout, spins Latin with piquillo pepper vinaigrette.

Veterans and purists will find expertly steamed lobsters, typically in the 2-to-4 pound range. They're moist and sweet and don't need the butter. Carnivores needn't be concerned, either. The grilled filet mignon rests on mashed potatoes and a vivid chimichurri, the herb sauce that's a staple in Argentina.

Blueberry-apple cobbler, Key lime pie, and a velvety chocolate bread pudding stand out. So does the new Seafood Barge. Armando would smile.

Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti, 07/10/05.

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