North Fork, Long Island

North Fork dining

While some of the restaurants on this list have been around longer than others, all have proven that they have what it takes to hold their own on the North Fork, a highly competitive dining scene. Some are only open during the warm months, so it's best to call ahead for hours and reservations.

Frisky Oyster
27 Front St.
Greenport
631-477-4265
www.thefriskyoyster.com
This lively, popular New American restaurant excels with dishes such as squash blossoms filled with goat cheese, pan-roasted scallops with red miso vinaigrette and a rich chocolate pot de creme. Also available, an updated version of oysters mignonette.

Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant
5145 Main Rd.
East Marion
631-477-0138
For years, the satisfying Greek food and house-made lemonade at this indoor-outdoor standby has kept crowds coming back for more.

Jamesport Country Kitchen
1601 Main Rd.
Jamesport
631-722-3537
Whether for lunch or dinner, this longtime favorite can be counted on for fare that's fresh and local. Chef-owner Matthew Kar's dill-spiked salmon cakes are at once sprightly and satisfying.

Jamesport Manor Inn
370 Manor Lane
Jamesport
631-722-0500
www.jamesportmanor.com
Matthew Kar of Jamesport Country Kitchen restored this American Gothic to its former splendor. In the handsome dining room, chef Eric Rickmers serves a seasonal and mostly New American menu. Past highlights include the wild mushroom risotto, salmon roll tempura and Crescent farms duck breast and a "drunken" cherry and pistachio bread pudding.

Jedediah's
400 S. Jamesport Ave.
Jamesport
631-722-2900
www.jedediahhawkinsinn.com
The restaurant at this restored Victorian inn on an idyllic piece of property is formal but not the least bit straitlaced. Executive chef and co-owner Tom Schaudel does well with appetizers such as tuna three ways (carpaccio, tartare and pepper-seared) and main courses such as butter-poached lobster.

Legends
835 First St.
New Suffolk
631-734-5123
www.legends-restaurant.com
Legends, in the tiny little hamlet of New Suffolk, is two places in one. The dining room offers eclectic international cuisine with tablecloths and fresh flowers.Local produce, seafood and wine are staples. The pub side is defined by sports memorabilia, brass and etched glass, and a stone fireplace; a huge number of libation choices is featured.

Lobster Roll Restaurant Northside
3225 Sound Ave.
Riverhead
631-369-3039
www.lobsterroll.com
Unlike its younger sibling in Amagansett, this classic, informal seafood house is open year-round (but closed Tuesdays), specializing in its namesake offering and numerous seafood dishes.

Love Lane Kitchen
240 Love Lane
Mattituck
631-298-8989
lovelanekitchen.com
Chef-owner Mike Avella has carved out a North Fork niche at Love Lane Kitchen, which recently added dinner to its breakfast and lunch repertoires. Early in the day, you can get steel-cut oatmeal porridge with crème fraîche and wildflower honey. For lunch, a grilled hanger steak sandwich features succulent slices of beef, arugula and red onion on a focaccia roll; for dinner, there's cedar planked salmon and steak frites.

Michaels' at the Boardwalk
65 E. Main St.
Riverhead
631-591-2710
www.michaelsattheboardwalk.com
This refurbished American bistro offers such choices as a loose-textured crab cake with black-eyed pea salad, "Polish Town" kielbasa and free range chicken pot pie. There's crème caramel and panna cotta for dessert. Note that opening chef Michael Meehan is no longer with the restaurant.

Modern Snack Bar
628 Main Rd.
Aquebogue
631-722-3655
www.modernsnackbar.com
Locals as well as visitors to the area know they can rely on such homey staples as roast turkey, roast duck or bay scallops at this informal eatery that's practically a landmark.

North Fork Table & Inn
57225 Main Rd.
Southold
631-765-0177
www.northforktableandinn.com
Gerry Hayden's refined but never fussy cooking glorifies both local treasures -- roasted beets with Catapano goat cheese, Shinnecock monkfish with house-made pancetta -- and carefully sourced "imports" such as wild Alaskan king salmon and rack of Colorado lamb. Hayden's wife, Claudia Fleming, who designed the simple, gracious dining room, makes the sensational desserts. Don't miss the caramel ice cream.

Old Mill Inn
5775 W. Mill Rd.
Mattituck
631-298-8080
www.theoldmillinn.net
This scenic and traditional waterside spot, evokes the North Fork's past and points ahead, too. It has been spruced up and offers a New American seafood-focused menu that makes the most of local products. The kitchen is at its best when it lets the ingredients speak for themselves rather than adding too many artistic fillips.

Seafood Barge
62980 Main Rd.
Southold
631-765-3010
seafoodbarge.com
At this landmark waterside spot in Southold, you'll find a combination of the classic (steamed lobster) and the contemporary (seasonal sashimi).

Scrimshaw
102 Main St.
Greenport
631-477-8882
www.scrimshawrestaurant.com
Cookbook author and restaurateur Rosa Ross brings together Asian and European influences at her attractive Greenport restaurant, decorated with ships' figureheads and overlooking the sea.

Stonewalls
967 Reeves Ave.
Riverhead
631-506-0777
www.stonewalls-restaurant.com
Overlooking a public golf course, this pretty restaurant offers the French-accented New American cooking of chef Guy Peuch. A Long Island duck pate shares the menu with Montauk Point yellowfin tuna tartare, Niman Ranch dry-rubbed rib steak and Long Island duck à l'orange. Finish with lemon tarte or an original take on tarte Tatin.

Tweeds Restaurant & Buffalo Bar
17 E. Main St.
Riverhead
631-208-3151
www.tweedsrestaurant.com
Under the ownership of Ed Tuccio, who also owns a local bison farm, this popular Riverhead bar and restaurant serves up buffalo in all manner of presentations, be it burger, brochettes or steak.

Vine Wine + Cafe
100 South St.
Greenport
631-477-6238
www.vinewinebar.com
On a fine day, the veranda of this tastefully designed restaurant becomes the ideal spot to savor a flight of wines, along with selections from a light menu. Choices include cool cucumber-yogurt soup, a salad of local beets, greens, fruit, fresh mint and goat cheese and a sliced beef tenderloin sandwich.