Restaurant Review: North Fork Oyster Company

opened in mid-April, taking over the old Bay and Main restaurant, which closed in 2009, located in the back of Stirling Square in Greenport.

My friend Carol and I got there at about 7 p.m. on a Thursday, and the place was fairly quiet. A big party was eating at a round table in the main dining room, three people sat at a patio table and a few people were cocktailing at the bar.

The Ambiance: The restaurant, from what I remember, is much lighter than before in interior coloring, lighting scheme and general atmosphere. The servers seemed upbeat and the bartender was very friendly and professional. Carol and I sat at the bar.

The Drinks: I ordered a super dry and dirty gin martini to start, and bartender Sean Hoeffling didn’t flinch when I asked him to take it easy with the shaking, otherwise you end up with something like a super dry and dirty gin milkshake. Carol ordered a Salty Grey Dog — Grey Goose vodka and grapefruit juice in a martini glass with a salt rim. Definitey an acquired taste, said Carol.

The Dinner: Carol and I went to the Oyster Bar with the intention of doing up the raw bar side of the menu. For an appetizer (each of which hover in the $10 range), we ordered a plate of fried oysters. They were perfectly prepared in a light cornmeal coating, which didn’t kill the flavor of the oyster underneath. The plate included a side of light lemon-garlic aioli. Yum.

Next, we indulged in the two-tiered "Seafood Plateau for Two" from the raw bar, which included oysters, clams, crab meat, jumbo shrimp, and a lobster tail for $54. Not a bad price considering it’s all good for you. The little critters were served in-shell on beds of seaweed-looking stuff on ice in the platters — nice presentation. The plateau was also loaded with lemon slices and various dipping sauces: cocktail sauce, a light mustard with just a hint of horseradish that paired delightfully with the crab meat, and a spicy Asian sauce that switched up flavors on the oysters.

I ate most of the jumbo shrimp and Carol ate most of the lobster, which I just don’t care for. And by the time the last bite was taken we were happily and healthily stuffed.

The Verdict: I will definitely be going back to the North Fork Oyster Company for an entree or the Seafood Plateau, which is perfect for two. I think the concept of the restaurant is good and the operation is already clicking well this early in the game. The only complaint we had was that they were out of Bombay gin (my preference for martinis) when we first got there and eventually ran out of Grey Goose vodka when Carol wanted another drink.

But any annoyance I might have had disappeared when Sean the friendly bartender made me "dessert" — a lightly shaken, well-made Cosmo. Nothing like it to top off a great, healthy, local meal.