NASSAU
harbor Q
(516) 883-4227, Port Washington
harborq.com
While Keith Dorman, owner and executive chef of harbor Q, is a “smoker of nine years,” his implement, a Southern Pride XLR-600, does not contain carcinogens, nor can it be purchased at a neighborhood bodega. Dorman’s industrial wood-pit barbecue, capable of 600 lbs of meat per cooksesh, produces an amalgamation of authentic regional styles described as “outside the paradigm of dancing pigs and neon lights.” Examples include North Carolina-style pulled pork, Kreuz Market Texas smoked beef sausage, and the Hawg Leg, pork osso bucco glazed with apricot/peach and smoked for 14 hours. The space, constructed with pieces of metal and wood salvaged from an overseas shipping container, pours crafts “from every style” to complement “every single meat.”
“Stone Brewing Company Smoked Porter and Orkney Skull Splitter pair well with our brisket,” says Dorman.
The Leaky Lifeboat
(516) 804-9870, Seaford
facebook.com/theleakylifeboat
The Leaky Lifeboat is punk, albeit not for certain discernible visuals associated with the subculture present within its four anchor-adorned walls (see: ink-sleeved limbs and Pabst Blue Ribbon). The Leaky Lifeboat embodies punk because it is defined by a similar experiential ethos, one which embraces moral sense and compassion for others, and rejects injustice.
“We formed The Leaky Lifeboat as a safe place for rock kids and those who felt rejected because we have lived it and wanted to feel safe and accepted and comfortable,” says Eric Finneran, who, with Sal Mignano, owns The Leaky Lifeboat. Finneran and Mignano, former partners at Broadway Bar in Amityville, host all-local art exhibits (eg: Art is Hard on 7/23/11) because they “love art and artists.”
The duo acquired the space adjacent to The Leaky Lifeboat, formerly Phatso’s, in late October and hope to open “Long Island’s first vegan/vegetarian fast food eatery.”
Punk.
Genesis of moniker: “Last Summer, Sonic Youth was playing and I was trying to get Sal to join,” recalls Finneran. “He said ‘I hope they play “Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)” 15 times in a row,’ which he knew was my least favorite song off the new album. So I said, ‘We just named the bar.’ He agreed that was it.”
SUFFOLK
North Fork Oyster Company
(631) 477-6840, Greenport
northforkoystercompany.com
If one alters the theme song to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by substituting “oyster” for “turtle,” a recurring line becomes: “Heroes in a half-shell! Oyster power!” Example of “oyster power” via North Fork Oyster Company: “Within 10 miles of our restaurant, we have at least three oyster farmers who have products in Michelin-rated kitchens in New York,” explains executive chef, Alex Algieri. “The main difference is, I get them delivered the day they are harvested by the growers.” Algieri, who supports the “growing trend toward cultivated fish” on the east end of Long Island, now with “over twenty-five oyster farms producing some of the best oysters around,” utilizes neighborhood calamari, cod, flounder, and striped bass for his plates, often paired with variations of produce “almost entirely local from April to November.”
North Fork Oyster Company also pours four permanent Greenport Harbor Brewing Company draughts (10/18/11: Black Duck Porter, Harbor Ale, Leaf Pile Ale, and Other Side IPA). “They are our neighbors, our friends and our community,” says Algieri, of Greenport Harbor Brewing Company. “We want them to be successful because that will help our entire community to be successful. Plus, we love the beer.”
Food/Beer Pair Matrimony: nut-crusted local flounder, sweet potato purée, braised leeks & anise honey with Greenport Harbor Brewing Company Black Duck Porter
Huntington Social
(631) 923-2442, Huntington •
huntingtonsocial.com
A second-floor gastro-speakeasy by Christopher Lee, executive chef, formerly of Aureole. Lee, a Huntington native, and his three partners (Frank Bruno, Kevin McCaughan and Larry Rizzo) present velvet booths, grilled fontina with braised short ribs, vintage chardonnay (eg: Ramey Wine Cellars’ Ritchie Vineyard 2007) with optional locker service for subsequent visits and craft draughts/bottles. According to Jeff Ruskaup, general manager, Huntington Social hopes to entice the patron who demands “better quality” with “craft beer, classic cocktails and higher-end wines.”
“Different is good, right?” adds Ruskaup.
Monthly three-course prix fixe on Tuesday, tag-teamed with a craft brewery (October = Captain Lawrence Brewing Company). Note: The bathroom wallpaper is patterned with stogie-totin’ monkeys.
Click here to follow Niko Krommydas and his blog, Super Neat Beer Adventure, Yes!!, where you can find more on the Long Island craft beer culture.
Huntington Social photo by Stephen Lang