Montauk Pioneer - August 29, 2008

One of the most romantic spots in Montauk, The Back Yard's charm is that it isn't on Main Street, it is off the beaten path. And its name is part of its fun-just walking through the entrance of Sole East Motel, and entering its "back yard," or walking through a number of paths through lush trees and low lights, you will feel like you're in a sort of tropical paradise.

Then you will hear the sounds of music, and depending on the night, it could either be reggae, soft rock or African drumming-that's how eclectic this place is. As you approach the entrance of this restaurant hideaway, you'll pass rows of plush mattresses to lounge on for a cocktail, or little arrangements of rattan chairs to hang out in while you wait for a table, under the stars. This is a beautiful, poolside setting, in a small natural haven, with wonderful soft, sensual lighting.

Inside The Back Yard, is a long bar, an inside dining room with views of the stage and live performances, or you can choose to sit on the back outdoor patio, in the fresh air. On this relaxing weekday night, we chose to sit inside near the stage, to listen to the lively reggae music of Winston Irie and the Selective Security Band. They feature live music seven nights a week.

The owner/manager, David Ceva, came over, and suggested some of his specialties, as we sipped some cold Chardonnay and a frozen Margarita. In his second year at The Back Yard, he has turned this intimate place into a restaurant and sort of night club, featuring live entertainment nightly.

He described his food as being, "a simple approach to regional cuisine-a touch of Caribbean and Latin." All I can say, is that it was the most interesting, and exotic food, I've had in awhile. Just the name of our first appetizer, "Saffron Glazed Shrimp," over crispy leeks and micro greens citrus salad, ($15), was enough to entice me. And it was amazingly tasty and tender-a great combination. We then tried the "Long Island Duck Taquitos," ($13) which were about six sort of tacos consisting of duck confit, shoestring iceberg, topped with pickled jalapenos, blue cheese and garlic aoli, which was crispy, light and inventive. Love to try something I've never had-and the low-cooked, pulled duck was divine.

I was glad David recommended the Calamari Salad, ($14), because I have never had a more appealing combination of surprise tastes, than the crisp calamari, to the frisee lettuce, the bananas, and candied walnuts, mixed with tangy orange-miso dressing-wow!

For the main course, we sampled some of their Coriander Seared Tuna, cooked just right and rare-with sherry tomatoes, crispy shallots and micro greens/citrus juice ($32)-it was outrageous and a generous portion. We tried the Grilled Skirt Steak topped with Chimichurri, (sweet, spicy red chili sauce) served with sweet and spicy fried yucca and grilled summer vegetables ($34). This was an exciting combination of tastes, and the fried yucca was wonderful, as were the veggies. The chili sauce was fabulous.

David suggested we sample the Pan Seared Local Striped Bass ($31), which was new to me served in a cauliflower truffle puree, with mushroom, tomatoes, and miso reduction. Another sophisticated, incredible eating sensation!

We barely had room, but we knew we were on a new eating experience, so we decided to sample some of their decadent desserts to please any sweets lover-and we loved the sinful Chocolate Pot de Creeme, a rich mousse-like chocolate dish. We also loved the Fresh Summer Berries ($12), piled in fresh whipped cream.

The Back Yard has two unique other kinds of entertainment. They are the first to have Sugar Shack Burlesque on Saturday nights at 10 p.m, which has drawn great crowds for these lively and artistic performances. They also have "Poolside Sessions" every Saturday afternoon through Sept. 1st, with live music around the pool. Both are free.

Open through November, call The Back Yard at 631-668-9739, or Sole East at 668-2105.