Montauk Pioneer - April 24, 2009

For those who have never visited the Montauk Manor, it is a must-see, with its history dating back to 1929 when it was built by famous developer Carl Fisher. And inside this massive Tudor-style building is a cozy, intimate restaurant called Breakwater Café.

As you drive up Fort Hill, high above Montauk, overlooking Fort Pond and the bay, you will walk into a huge lobby, complete with fireplaces, and you will see a sign and awning for the Breakwater Café. This restaurant is owned and operated for the second year by a very personable couple, Yvonne and Conrade Bennet, who hail from the island of Jamaica. They have infused a bit of an international flavor to this restaurant, by hiring a new Executive Chef, Jhonathan Rupchand, who is from Suriname, a Dutch country on the Northern Coast of South America.

This young chef, at only 21, has worked in a surprising number of restaurants before coming to Breakwater Café. He was a private chef in New York City, and prior to that he worked at various NYC restaurants including, Ouest Restaurant, Brasserie 8 and a half, NYU Torch Club, and Bakery Soutine.

Chef Rupchand came over to our window table as we ordered some wine and appetizers. He explained that he specializes in "Modern French Cuisine," with red meat, fish, grilled lobsters and other seafood.

"We have a lot of seafood in my hometown in South America," he said. "I grew up enjoying it, and I like to try out my own recipes."

He said he has been inspired by watching the Food Network, which motivated him to start cooking in restaurants at age 14.

"It got me so passionate about food," he said. "I did several internships with different restaurants."

First Course appetizers at Breakwater Café include some favorites as Maryland Style Crab Cakes, Blackened Sea Scallops, Baked Clams ala Bennet, Montauk Calamari Marinara and Mussels Red or White.

We sampled the Baked Clams, and got a healthy portion of about six clams, piled with a breadcrumb mixture on top. They were accompanied by a delicious green salad mixture on the side. We also tried the Blackened Scallops, which were a bit chewy, and also came with a great salad on the side.

For entrees, Chef Rupchand suggested his "signature dish" of Honey Glazed Salmon, which is pan-seared in olive oil, pancake noodle, and a sweet creamy pickled ginger sauce. The salmon was perfectly cooked and tasted wonderful-the sauce was an interesting combination of tastes. The noodles were cooked so that they were quite crispy on top, and softer underneath.

We also tried the Pan Seared "Rare Tuna" Risotto, which was sliced tuna, Arborio rice, mushrooms, spinach, cannelloni beans, red wine, onions and fresh vegetables. This was an interesting combination, which worked well together. The tuna was tender and the rice was moist and hinted of the vegetables tossed in.

This restaurant also offers a Duck Breast, which is fennel-scented, and a Loin of Pork & BBQ Jerk Shrimp, served with Jamaican cabbage and sweet rice.

We were full, but we decided to share luscious strawberry shortcake for dessert, which also included blueberries, and was topped with fresh whipped cream.

Out waiter, Mario, was eager to please and hails from Ecuador, where he told us about his trip to the Galapagos Islands. The atmosphere in this restaurant is restful and romantic, especially with the soft Brazilian music playing. There is a tiny, intimate bar in case you fell like a cocktail before or after dinner.

The views of this restaurant in the daytime are magnificent-overlooking the manor grounds, pool and patio.

They plan to offer patio dining this summer, with specials including grilled lobster, corn on the cob, and even sliders!

The Breakwater Café is open Wednesday to Sunday in the off-season, and after Memorial Day they will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Call 668-3949.