Dan's Papers - June 29, 2007 - A Dining Room With A View

Onshore Restaurant Opens For Its Second Season. Prepare To Be Dazzled, And Not Just By The View

Despite being a 10-minute ferry ride from the Hamptons, Shelter Island has managed to maintain a low profile. There are celebrities and accomplished people here, just as on the tonier South Fork, some with boldface names. But here they tend to fly under the radar and go happily unnoticed. The culinary scene has, not surprisingly, echoed this lifestyle, and there are a number of Island institutions offering fine fare in relaxed settings.

On the high end of that spectrum is the Ram's Head Inn, which offers lodging as well as upscale cuisine in its seasonal dining room. Like the Ram's Head, which is perched high on a hill overlooking Coecles Harbor, the Dering Harbor Inn also has a bucolic setting on the outskirts of the exclusive incorporated village of the same name. In recent years, several talented chefs have run the dining room here, most lasting only a few seasons.

Today the inn is the home of Onshore Restaurant, opened by Joann Piccozzi and Robert Mullins in 2006 (see "Behind the Scene at Onshore" this page). The space includes a wonderful, comfy bar with great views of Island sunsets, and delightful al fresco dining on the bluestone terrace.

But the news here is in the kitchen, where Chefs Chris Meenan and Joe Smith, and Pastry Chef Myrna Ortiz, all formerly of Ram's Head, are creating a buzz. The kitchen turns out creative, well-made dishes, not to mention the best cold lemon soufflee east of Lexington Avenue's Payard. The staff is clearly given artistic license here, and that freedom is rewarded with some of the best food available on the East End.

A visit on a recent Friday evening began propitiously with a complimentary amuse-bouche - truffled potato puree with caramelized onions in a miniature pastry shell. This tiny treasure was followed by steaming (no exaggeration) Tuscan-style bread and amazingly tasty grilled flatbread. A troika of toppings - Tapanade, hummus and herb butter - was a welcome change from the typical cold slab butter.

Next came local squash blossoms ($10) stuffed with meltingly tender BBQ short ribs accompanied by a pleasantly astringent slaw, and excellent clams casino ($12) made with Champagne butter. A luscious crawfish and corn bisque ($8) the color of pale saffron, escorted by a pot of sherry cream and a whole, steamed crawfish, was beautifully presented.

With these courses we ordered glasses of Choblet Muscadet ($7, France) and Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc ($8, Cal.). The Geyser was out of stock, and the Muscadet wasn't exciting, so we tried the Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc ($7, $29/bottle). This crisp California wine was deliciously fruity with notes of fresh pineapple. It is especially good with the richer starters.

For entrees we sampled three from the "Meat Roast" category (there is also a Fish Roast). A wood grilled filet mignon, generously sized, with mushrooms ($27) and a beautifully marbled and artfully sliced hanger steak ($18) served with a very good red wine demi-glace, were both excellent. But even better was the "Buttermilk Brined Chicken" ($22). The tender, succulent bird, made so by brining, came with an outstanding pan gravy made with fois gras and peaches. I was a little skeptical about the peaches, but this dish really works. Try it with the Joel Gott Sauvignon mentioned above. With the meat dishes we ordered a bottle of Clos du Mont Chateauneuf-du-Pape ($75), a fine wine and good choice with the food. We requested that it be served a bit cooler - we like our reds at 60-65 degrees. A five-minute dip in an ice bucket, a very acceptable method for a quick chill, did the trick.

Meals can get a little pricey here when you order a la carte sides, but they are worth the extra bucks. Try the "Peas & Carrots" ($7), which are whole, perfectly cooked local sugar snap peas and baby carrots in a butter sauce, or the fanciful "Twice Baked Potato" ($5), which resembles a sailboat with crisp pancetta masts and tuile sails.

Desserts here are pure gold standard. Pastry Chef Myrna Ortiz is at the top of her game. Everything on the dessert menu is recommended, but the aforementioned lemon soufflee and chocolate blackout cake are standouts amid the excellence. Service, often a disappointment in seasonal restaurants, is way above par at Onshore, thanks in big part to Manager Dario Gimenez. The floor staff is composed of young Islanders, many of whom are in local schools or back home for the summer from college. Don't be discouraged by their youth. The team is sharp, extremely attentive and charming. On this particular evening we had the pleasure of being served by Mary Larsen and Henry Read.

Everyone at Onshore seems poised for summer to begin. With an excellent kitchen crew and competent front-of-the-house management in place, there is every reason to believe this very young restaurant will have a very successful second season.