Writing With My Mouth Full

Where to eat in Matunuck: Jim’s Dock

Jim’s Dock was a good start to our quick weekend in Rhode Island. After a long morning drive, we were famished. We checked in at Blueberry Cove Inn to drop off our stuff and got back in the car to find food. We were near Narragansett and were surrounded by water, so seafood with a view of the Rhode Island Sound just seemed like the best choice.

At Jim’s Dock in East Matunuck, we were seated outside next to a pier where children jump off to get in the cold water. We watched as fishermen gathered their poles for the day. There were lobster buoys hanging off the walls and a variety of beach signs decorated the restaurant entrance. As we walked in and felt sand between our toes, I fell in-love again with summers in the east coast.

When traveling to hot destinations, I try to stay away from deep-fried foods because I eat a lot of those at home. I’m also not a big fan of mayonnaise, so a lobster roll does not really excite me. I prefer eating raw seafood and cracking crabs while wearing a bib. In Rhode Island, I broke all my rules. We ordered the clam cakes, deep-fried batter you have to eat in order to find the small jewel of clam inside. I pulled mine apart to find them because even a Filipino girl can only eat so many fried bread. The Dr. ordered the lobster roll after hearing that Jim’s has one of the best in Rhode Island. As much as I like decadence, I was a bit surprised that their lobster roll mostly had lobster meat and so little mayo. I’m not complaining because for $16, I got my money’s worth, but we ate a lobster meat sandwich, not a lobster roll.

Jim’s Dock is at 109 Succotash Road, East Matunuck, Rhode Island. Just follow the path to the beach on your way to East Matunuck or call 401/783.2050.

Inlet Seafood Restaurant

541 East Lake Drive, Montauk, Long Island
631/668-4272
about $200 for five, with several drinks, without tip
â™¥ â™¥

The weather in Montauk was tentative the entire weekend we were there. The sun came out during our breakfasts and then hide while we got ready for the beach, only to come out again when we walked on the sand. Luckily for us, it never rained during the day and we were able to sunbathe, get in the water and drink cold beers on the beach.

When we walked in Inlet Seafood Restaurant, we were two people less in our group and another two were heading back to the city. It was a gray Sunday afternoon and the restaurant was pretty tame; people must have left Montauk early to beat the slow traffic. We were seated on the deck outside with a view of its namesake, a narrow strip of land jutting from where the boats were docked. The restaurant is owned by local fishermen who also work at the next door packing facility. From there, the catch is brought to Hunts Point in the Bronx and sold. For us who don’t wake up before the sun rises, some of the goods are cooked at the restaurant.

After I confirmed that there was at least one Asian person behind the sushi counter, I ordered the octopus sashimi with ponzu sauce with my ceviche wonton “sandwich.” I also ordered six pieces of sashimi from their daily catch selection: tuna, salmon and porgy. The fish wasn’t sublime, but they were as fresh as any affordable sashimi pieces in Manhattan.

My companions’ meals were so much better. A cioppino was a bowl of happiness with white fish, clams, mussels and squid in a saffron broth flavored with a little spice. A grilled tomato bread was included for dipping. Another had a well-prepared roasted monkfish. The bowl of mussels with fresh herbs was also satisfying especially with an order of the extra bread. A Cajun-style fluke taco was served in the hard shell kind and disappointed my friend, but the burrito sure made up for it–it was the size of my arm served with chunky guacamole. A salad of beautiful heirloom tomatoes had the perfect summer touch of soft stalks and leaves.

The weather may have been tentative, but there was nothing on the Inlet Seafood Restaurant menu that was.

Lemon Sorbet with Blackberry Simple Syrup

From Montauk, we paid $10 to get the car onto a ferry to Shelter Island. From there, we paid another $10 to exit through North Fork and avoid the Hamptons traffic. We stopped by one of the farms on the side of the road to pick our own blackberries for $5 a pint.

If you can get your hands on some fresh blackberries before summer ends, this is a great and easy recipe to end that perfect meal you’ve just whipped up for your friends. Cameron made it for us when we came over her apartment for dinner one night. The Dr. loves tarty desserts, so she easily won him over.

Ingredients:
1 pint blackberries, washed
white sugar
1 star anise
lemon sorbet
mint leaves

1. In a small pot, make simple syrup. Simmer some water with white sugar and star anise. I use about three cups of water with two cups of sugar, but feel free to make it sweeter if you like. Add blackberries and continue to simmer. Stir slowly and ocassionally to avoid burning. Remove the pot from the heat when blackberries are just a tad soft and bruised. Set aside to cool a bit.
2. To serve, scoop sorbet in a small bowl. Spoon over the warm simple syrup and a couple of the cooked blackberries. Garnish with mint leaves.

Ditch Witch

40 Deforest Road, by the East Deck Motel parking lot, Montauk, Long Island
no phone
less than $10 for one, with a drink, without tip
â™¥ â™¥

Do you have any money?, was all we heard from the guy inside the Ditch Witch wagon. I’m still not exactly sure why we thought that was funny, but at the time, we were eating our second meal of the day on the beach while locals and surfers alike walked up to the Ditch Witch to order. In that case, a young kid in board shorts came up and tried to buy something. He wasn’t given his order until he answered in the affirmative.

It was that kind of lackadaisical attitude that I liked about Ditch Witch and the Ditch Plains beach. The beach is an insider’s spot–you need a town parking permit or a temporary beach sticker to park. It was a Monday afternoon, so it wasn’t quite as busy as the weekend, but the vibe was more homey than listless.

We ordered the cold sesame noodle salad served with greens and tomatoes. It was simple, with the right amount of peanut butter flavor; bright and light at the same time. The tomato avocado basil sandwich was mellow without the vinaigrette, but the pressed bread made it extra crispy and held the ingredients together quite nicely. The Ditch Witch also has different iced teas. The Ab’s Brew, a black unsweetened tea with lemon was refreshing and not watery.

If I have to wake up everyday near or on the beach, the Ditch Witch could easily start my day right.

Townline BBQ

3593 Townline Road, Sagaponack, Long Island
631/537.2271
about $44 for two, with two beers, with tip
â™¥ â™¥

After spending three days on the beach in Montauk and eating fresh seafood and lobster rolls in neighboring restaurants, I was ready for some meat. I was in the backseat when we drove by Townline BBQ outside of East Hampton. I remember seeing the Grand Opening banners and thinking, I wonder what just opened there? The drivers in charge asked me where Townline BBQ was after I wrote down the address on our Long Island printout. We turned around and found out that the place that caught my eye was the barbeque place we were looking for. I knew then that I was meant to eat lunch at Townline BBQ before I head back to the city.

There are rules at Townline BBQ: you order from the counter, pay and get a beeper; pick a table and wait for your beeper to vibrate. When it does, you pick up your order from the counter. Considering my last barbeque experience in Harlem was a bust, I thought Townline was organized and well-executed. It didn’t stop with the service. Their Texas beef ribs were so good, I was using my hands not just to eat them, but also to pick from our tub of pickles and collard greens.

I don’t remember the last time I had beef ribs. Hill Country in Chelsea, which specializes in Texas-style barbeque, was out of them when I went during their first month. I also don’t remember ever having barbeque with meat as tight and stuck to the bone as Townline’s. I loved how dry it was; it didn’t have to rely on any thick sauce, although the available ones on the table were good. I picked on leftover meat from the big bones until no cartilage was left and I was licking my fingers by the time our meal was over. This was our third meal of the day and it wasn’t even 5pm.

We ordered a pulled pork plate but instead got a pulled pork sandwich. Judging from the sandwich, I bet the plate was even better. The pork meat came in beautiful strings slathered with just enough red sauce and served on a toasted bun with pickles. The pickles were more sweet than sour, but complemented all the meat we were eating when the spicyness kicked in. The collard greens were good, too, with small cubes of pork included. They also didn’t have root beer available when we visited, but a good selection of beers on tap (Julius Echter hefeweisen, toasted Blue Point) more than compensated for it.

We went on a Monday afternoon and the place was empty. I can only imagine the crowd during the weekends when vacationing Hamptons folks crave their barbeque. You may be familiar with the Hamptons because of what you read in the celebrity papers, but Townline BBQ is a good indication that Long Island is sometimes where it’s at.