Montauk Pioneer - October 10, 2008 - Runaway's Restaurant Review

If you ever get that urge to "run" away, there's a fun new restaurant of the same name in Montauk, which is worth checking out. "Runaway's," located in the heart of downtown at 4 South Elmwood Avenue, opened in May, and has just changed its menu to an interesting Southwestern/Mexican fare. This tasty, spicy, stick to your ribs cuisine will be sure to warm you up on these cool autumn nights, and as fall turns to winter, it will be the perfect place to go.

The new owners, who bought the former Oyster Pond Restaurant and changed its name and menu, are no strangers to the restaurant business. Michelle Moliski, of East Hampton, formerly managed and bartended at the Blue Parrot Restaurant, and was also with the Art of Eating Catering. Her partner, Chris Smith, of Montauk, formerly managed Bamboo Restaurant in East Hampton, where he also helped open the Lodge Restaurant. Smith is also the chef at Runaway's, where he is assisted by Fabian Marin.

When asked how they came up with the name, "Runaway's," Moliski smiled, "We wanted a place where you could just run away, escape, and hang out and have fun. We also wanted to keep the prices low and affordable for the year-round people, since we are hoping to stay open as long as we can this winter."

The partners have taken great care in transforming this formerly dark and dim-lit atmosphere by opening up the rooms and high ceilings, to create a bright, airy, and spacious feel. The walls are lighter colors, and there are huge, round modern white lampshades hanging from the high-pitched ceiling overhead in the main dining room. One wall has a long, white vinyl couch for sitting along the row of tables for two. There are framed photographs of local surfing, beach and nature scenes taken by some of the staff, including Evelyn O'Doherty and Stephanie Citron.

There is a separate large rectangular bar area, where crowds gather to relax and unwind daily, with their special Blood Orange Margaritas!

Smith and Moliski have created an innovative menu of Southwestern delights, from their Stuffed Jalapenos, to Taco Salad and Black Bean Soup. My dining partner and I tried their highly recommended Tex-Mex Eggrolls, consisting of spicy chicken, corn, black beans, peppers, onions, and melted cheese, served with a chipotle dipping sauce. It practically melted in our mouths, and tasted amazing. We also shared a heaping portion of the Mussels Marinara, served with delicious bread for dipping this sauce, which is one of the best marinara sauces this writer has ever experienced!

We then sampled an appetizer called Carne Asada Sticks-a super tender flank steak, marinated just right in a wonderful citrus juice, garlic and onions, served with a chili-garlic remoulade. Hearing that Runaway's is known for its Nachos, we also shared a large portion of these light, crispy tortilla chips, smothered in Jack and Cheddar cheese, with jalapenos, scallions, olives, black beans sour cream and guacamole-superb, and all healthy, fresh ingredients!

Although we were filling up fast, we saved some room for our main course, of the famous "Baja Style Fish Tacos," local battered flounder, deep-fried with avocado, cilantro lime slaw, served in flour tortillas. This dish has a creative flair and is a different kind of meal for a change. We also sampled one of their many kinds of Quesadillas, which include Chicken and Cheese, Steak and Cheese, Fresh Grilled Vegetables-but we chose the Spinach and Goat Cheese-which melted in our mouths, and tasted divine! Runaway's also serves assorted Burritos, Soft Shell Tacos, and other entrees including BBQ Ribs, homemade Chili Con Carne, 16-ounce Prime Shell Steak, and Grilled Center Cut Marinated Pork Chops.

Their healthy new menu will include such Southwestern-style desserts as Kahlua Flan, Authentic Rice Pudding, and Churros (deep fried dough with sugar and cinnamon, and warm chocolate or caramel sauce)-Yum!

"Runaway's" is open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday nights, and has a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights. They are having a Costume Halloween Party on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m., open to the public, with prizes. For information, call 631-668-2258.