Dan's Papers - February 22, 2008 - Jamesport Country Kitchen

The outside is charming and as soon as you step inside, you really feel that you are in a 'country kitchen.' Matt Kar is the chef/owner of this landmark restaurant that continues to welcome regulars and new patrons with the same friendliness, while at the same time offering some exceptionally good food at very friendly prices.

The emphasis here is to make full use of the bounty of Long Island in both food and drink, so expect to find plenty of seafood, imaginative use of local vegetables, and a wide range of Long Island wines.

Having said this, after enjoying some of the hot home-baked focaccia bread with a glass of the wonderful house red wine that is blended especially for them by winemaker Eric Fry of Lenz wineries, I decided to have ostrich for my appetizer - I do not believe this was local! Stella took the more conventional route and opted for pine nut breaded eggplant, baked with smoked and fresh mozzarella served with a light marinara sauce. The eggplant had been sliced wafer thin and the result was exceptionally light with a nice hint of smokiness. This was a great way to start our meal.

Let's get back to the ostrich. Ostrich meat is very healthy, low fat and nutritious. The taste is more akin to filet mignon and there was no hint of gaminess. The mini ostrich steak was perfectly cooked medium rare and the mélange of berries gave the dish a beautiful finish.

There are a number of pasta dishes available and we tasted a small portion of the spinach and ricotta ravioli with shrimp, tomatoes and fresh spinach on a delicate but tangy pesto cream sauce that was extremely good. This is one of the dishes that can be ordered as an appetizer or a main course.

All entrees come with a house salad and this turned out to be a substantial portion of a first class blend of very fresh greens, correctly dressed with the house special, basil garlic dressing.

For our main courses, we opted for the shrimp scampi, sautéed with fresh mushrooms and herbs. The shrimp was full of fresh tastes and the sauce complemented them, but did not overwhelm. The result was very enjoyable. Long Island duckling is one of the house specialties as Wendy, our very helpful and knowledgeable waitress, had told us. When it arrived it was easy to tell why. The whole duck breast glistened and the accompanying carrots and asparagus were fabulous steamed. The duck meat was juicy and the cranberry pear relish was good enough to eat on its own.

The menu also included a variety of enticing items such as salmon cakes, which are another of the house specials. Other items were rack of lamb encrusted in pistachios, fresh steaks, and every day they feature whichever of the local fish are available,

When it came to dessert time, as usual we could only make a token tasting, or so we thought until we tasted Matt's special white chocolate cheesecake that has to be one of the best ever. It was light, not cloying and with soft tastes accentuated by the dark chocolate. Other desserts that day included a range of gelato, an apple crisp, and a chocolate mousse in a cup of white chocolate with raspberry sauce that we vowed to explore on our next visit here.

The Country Kitchen is also open for lunch where omelets, pasta, a range of salads, sandwiches and burgers are available. Wendy told us that they know that many people have limited time for lunch and as long as they know, they will ensure that lunchers are not delayed.

At dinnertime, appetizers range from $3 for a cup of homemade soup to $8, pastas are $16 to $18; entrees $16 to $23. Burgers are another house specialty and these are available at dinner as well as at lunchtime.

Over the last two decades the Jamesport Country Kitchen has built a tremendous reputation for being what a restaurant should be, with its warm welcome and excellent, affordable and well-cooked food. The dining room can fill up quickly, so the best advice is to make a reservation if you intend to visit at a peak time of the day or week. Be assured this is one of those addictive places and there will be a very high probability of you becoming a regular here - you won't regret it!