Bridge Views: Get Out of Town

The unique thing about Fort Lee is that it can take you anywhere you want to go. Talk about the crossroads of America! We’re strangulated by crossroads—Rt. 80, Rt. 46, Rt. 4, Palisades Interstate Parkway and (genuflect) the George Washington Bridge. And on any given Friday night, while we’re trying to navigate our way around town, we who live here know that all roads lead to Fort Lee.

This is the time of year when it’s fun to get out of town and explore somewhere new; somewhere not far from home, but that seems a world away. And you know, New York City is comprised of more than just Manhattan. Have you ever thought of dinner on City Island? City Island, the Bronx.

City Island is an historic seafaring island village a bridge away from mainland Bronx; it’s surrounded by the Long Island Sound and the Eastchester Bay. If you’ve never been to City Island you must, must, must go. It’s less than 20 miles from the GWB and has the look and feel of a small New England whaling village.

Admittedly, Fridays and Saturdays during the summer bring a lot of traffic to the island, but if you can manage to escape on a weekday, or late Sunday afternoon, you won’t be disappointed. Aside from the beautiful Victorian houses and quaint shops that populate City Island Ave., the reason you come to City Island is for the fresh seafood. And let me tell you—you don’t have to spend a fortune to eat incredible seafood.

There are so many restaurants to choose from, but my family’s favorite go-to spot is at the very southern tip of the island—the uber-casual Johnny’s Reef Restaurant located at 2 City Island Ave. Johnny’s Reef is like being on the boardwalk down the shore. It’s a very large open-air restaurant with a counter for every selection. One counter is dedicated to people not particularly fond of seafood—it offers hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets and is great for those little picky eaters. Another counter is just for fresh clams on the half-shell; another just for steamed seafood; another for shrimp. You name it, there’s a counter. Johnny’s Reef will steam or deep fry any piece of fish they have, just look for the sign above each counter to decide what you want.

I could stand at the clam counter all day just watching how easily the clams are shucked. A dozen clams (cherrystone or littleneck) cost $10. If you like shrimp, they have piles of fresh shrimp. A huge plate of freshly steamed shrimp in a scampi sauce cost $12; an enormous container of fried shrimp is also $12; the fried calamari is so fresh and delicious and only costs $10 for a serving that was easily shared among seven people. Johnny’s will also steam a whole salmon, lobster, scallops, whatever fresh fish has arrived that day. There’s also a fully stocked bar, and the drinks are reasonably priced considering you are in New York.

Recently, we went to Johnny’s Reef Restaurant with five adults and two children and ordered a number of dishes to share. The total bill came to a little over $70, and there were leftovers. There’s seating inside the restaurant, but sit outside by the water where you can enjoy the ocean breeze, watch the boats sail by, and marvel at the pigeons hungrily circling above you trying to dodge the protective overhead netting so they can find a seat at your table.

If you want something a little less casual, City Island Ave. is lined with sit-down restaurants. The Lobster Box is another waterfront favorite of ours. We love their raw bar that offers all types of clams and oysters. The Lobster Box will prepare lobster any way you like it: steamed, broiled, stuffed, fra diavolo or in marinara sauce.

If crab is your thing there’s The Original Crab Shanty. They have a separate menu just for crabs. Snow-crab legs, King crab legs, hard shell crabs, soft shell crabs, Dungeness crab, crab platters…They also have platters of seafood to share and non-seafood offerings as well.  

After dinner we always take the kids to Lickety-Split, an ice cream shop on City Island Ave. that’s housed in a small colorful playhouse with outdoor seating. It makes you feel like you’re a character a children’s story book.

If you want to get a sense of how beautiful City Island really is, go to the library and take out the movie City Island starring Andy Garcia and City Island. It’s a funny movie about an Italian-American family, their traditions and their hidden secrets.

So get out of town, try something new, and visit City Island. Old fishing village, fresh seafood, fresh sea air and only minutes from home. You’ll love it.