Montauk Pioneer - June 26, 2009

You can have a beautiful waterfront view from any of Gosman's three dining sections-whether you prefer to sit outside along the water on the lower deck, or higher on the upper deck, or even from their cozy inside dining room.

In between, is their rustic wooden bar room, with walls filled with nautical artwork, and photos of the family and original Gosman's restaurant which started with a small clam shack on the jetties, during the 1940s. The bar area opened in 1968, and the restaurant continued to grow in all directions and with additional staff, until the present large seafood operation, with its casual elegance and open-air feel. Customers love to eat their famous lobster and fresh-caught fish while watching the charter and commercial boats coming and going in the harbor through the picturesque jetties. It's also a great place to watch the sunset over a bottle of wine.

We went at about 7:30 p.m. on a Sunday night, and caught Roberta Gosman standing at her microphone, calling the line of people to their tables. With so much space, the line moves quickly at Gosman's, and we were seated by our lovely hostess, Julie, at our upper deck table, overlooking the water of course. The minute you enter this restaurant, you can smell the aroma of fresh mussels and clams, of homemade chowders, and of their specialty, lobster. We started with some Lieb Cellars Chardonnay that our charming waitress, Wendy, recommended, which always goes well with fish and shellfish. Since much of the wait staff at Gosman's returns here year after year, you can always count on attentive and friendly service, and perhaps even some good tips about Montauk.

With so many amazing seafood delights to choose from, it was hard to decide, so we chose some starters of their famous "Clams Casino," ($8.95) and their "Charred Tuna Sashimi." ($10.95). The Casino consist of top neck clams with garlic and green bell pepper stuffing, topped with crispy bacon, and they always have the best taste ever. The Tuna Sashimi was blackened perfectly rare, and served with a zesty pickled cabbage slaw, wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce. It melted in my mouth. I always love Gosman's homemade New England and Manhattan chowders, as well as their lobster bisque, but tonight I wanted to save room for the Broiled Stuffed One and a Half-Pound Lobster ($29.95) we would be sharing, along with a Fresh Flounder Roulade, ($26.95) which were two of the daily specials. The large lobster was stuffed with a sumptuous shrimp, scallop, and lobster filling, and served with Gosman's famous homemade cole slaw, and French Fries. After over 50 years in business, they really do know how to prepare a great lobster dinner. The Fresh Flounder Roulade was unique and satisfying-with a generous portion of three pieces of flounder, rolled up with a stuffing of crab meat and spinach, served with a creamy Mornay sauce and rice. Healthy and yummy. We also split a portion of Fresh Grilled Asparagus ($6.95) that was served in a delicious soy sauce, herb, lime and toasted sesame seed vinaigrette.

Desserts at Gosman's are also unique and special-with a wonderful list including: Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake with ice cream and whipped cream; Apple Crisp with ice cream; Lime Pie with Raspberry Sorbet; and Fruits of the Forest Pie, which we tried, and it included four fresh fruits: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and apple rhubarb-amazing and different.

Gosman's also has fisherman's platters, scampi, lobster and shrimp salads, steaks and prime rib, an extensive wine list, and a children's menu. Located at 500 West Lake Drive, Montauk. Call 631-668-5330.