Montauk Pioneer - June 12, 2009

Walking into the newly renovated dining room of the Montauk Yacht Club, called the Gulf Coast Kitchen, one gets a sense of relaxation and comfort. There are lovely wicker chairs and couches, with a living room centerpiece conducive to talking and kicking back with a cocktail. This large, airy dining room looks out through large glass windows to the docks, yachts and gorgeous view of Lake Montauk.

My dining partner, Montauk artist Bonni Miller, and I took a table by the water, and our waitress Jen came right over to take our drink order. While sipping some Chardonnay, we perused the new 2009 menu, and were delighted to find such a creative selection of appetizers and entrees. Executive Chef Michael Domitrovich came out of the kitchen to welcome us and explain his cooking concept-that he wanted to combine "the best of Montauk's local fresh seafood with the traditional dishes of the Southeast Coast."

He said he wanted to take his special recipes from New Orleans, Texas, Cuba, etc. and use them with Montauk's varied local resources.

We could see from his menu, which included Barbecued Shrimp, Blackened Swordfish and Chips, Paella Cubana, Chili Relleno, and Double Duck Etoufee, that this was no ordinary run-of-the mill food, but tasty and creative cuisine with a special flair. Instead of the usual dinner rolls, they served their delicious homemade sweet potato biscuits, baked by Briana Holt, the chef's friend from Martha's Vineyard.

Jen suggested we try Domitrovich's popular Gulf Coast Chowder ($8), which was actually a thick and creamy pink soup, chock full of Montauk clams, tasso ham, and sweet potatoes-yummy! We also sampled his famous Watermelon Gazpacho ($8), which was truly sweet and spicy, with cilantro pesto and avocado mousse. What an unusually great taste this was!

Executive Chef Domitrovich came out with a sample of his favorite appetizers for us to try-including Crabcake con Lobster ($18), which was a delectable crabcake topped with fresh chunks of lobster salad, corn salsa and key lime tartar sauce, which was divine! Then there was the Fried Oysters Rockefeller ($15), which were topped with a creamy spinach and Pernod béchamel, and crispy shallots. This was a truly unique experience. He also introduced us to his fabulous Long Island Duck Sliders ($12), which had caramelized onions and house made tangerine marmalade, and were served on mini-sweet potato biscuits.

For the entrees, we wanted to see what his Gulf-inspired recipes could do for fish, and were we glad we did. The "Striped Bass Tikin-Xic" ($38) was the best I've ever eaten. Forget the plain old broiled bass-this large slice of fish was perfectly glazed in an achiote and sour orange sauce, and served with warm corn tortillas, sweet plantains, salsa cruda, and habanero salt. The combination was fantastic, and unlike anything you'd see in Montauk. My friend Bonni felt the same way about her "Flounder Meuniere," ($32) which was bathed in a wonderfully crusty brown butter sauce, and served with mounds of pecan rice and delicious stewed okra.

Chef Domitrovich explained he got the idea for preparing this fish and shellfish from the Yucatan, where they use orange annatto seeds pureed into a paste and applied to the fish, for a special taste.

We didn't want the meal to end, but Jen insisted we try a few of their creatively prepared homemade desserts. We delved into the "Key Lime Parfait," ($10) a delicate mousse layered with toffee graham cracker crumbs, and topped with Swiss meringue, and also the "Turtle Tart," ($10) which was a pecan tarte with chocolate ganache and chocolate short crust-both were unbeatable.

Chef Domitrovich introduced us to his mother, Lola, who is the Montauk Yacht Club's Kitchen Manager, and who ran her own restaurant called, "Lola's," on Martha's Vineyard, for 15 years before journeying out here. Her husband, Paul, also works at the Yacht Club doing "just about everything," and Chef Michael's uncle, Mark Sertich, is also the club's Restaurant Manager. Lola and Paul Domitrovich also owned "Ham Heaven" restaurant in NYC that served soul food, which they took from Lola's parents' original "Ham Heaven" restaurant in Detroit.

The Montauk Yacht Club is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Call 631-668-3100 or check their website at www.montaukyachtclub.com