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Archive
Category: SeafoodThe Ocean’s Bounty, With Touches of Odessa
Phil Marino for The New York Times
FRUITS OF THE SEA The main dining room at the Buccaneer Crab House.
By JOANNE STARKEY
THE Buccaneer Crab House sailed into Freeport late last summer, landing not on the Nautical Mile with most of the other seafood restaurants but in the center of downtown on Merrick Road.
Though there are a few nautical touches, like the treasure chests flanking the fireplace and the hanging fish nets, this is anything but a rustic seafood shack. The setting is a large Victorian house oozing charm: shiny, pale wood parquet floors, a gas fireplace, dark wood paneling and pillars, pocket doors and a bay window trimmed in stained glass.
The restaurant is owned by Paul Grafman, the chef and a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, along with his parents, Irina and Igor Grafman. They have created a warm atmosphere, welcoming first-timers and treating repeat customers like old friends. The servers are all smiles and eager to please.
The elder Grafmans came from Odessa in Ukraine, and favorites from their homeland can be seen on the menu. One night the soup was red borscht, an excellent brew loaded with carrots and cabbage along with beets; sour cream was served on the side.
At lunch there are more Russian dishes, some of which are being introduced at dinner as specials (but which were not available during my visits, alas). They include pelmini (meat ravioli) and vernike (dumplings) with fillings of potatoes, sour cabbage or sweet cherries.
The main thrust of the menu, however, is seafood. The crabs mentioned in the restaurant’s name are offered as an appetizer ($10), as an entree ($18) or as an all-you-can-eat special on Thursday nights ($19.95). I liked the crabs Maryland style, coated with spicy seasonings; other options are Louisiana boil (with a different spice mix) and butter and garlic sauce. On Thursdays, all three types can be sampled.
The best appetizer was the meaty crab cakes. There are two on the plate, crowned with a dab of house-made tartar sauce and teamed with drizzles of spicy rémoulade sauce and a pile of pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions). Other good openers were the shrimp cocktail and the tender baked clams lightly topped with buttery crumbs. Skip the bland Caesar salad.
The fried seafood plate was a winning entree. The shrimp, small scallops, fish fillet and clams, lightly breaded, arrived with a pile of crisp French fries.
Those looking for a very low-calorie option should try the fish in a bag. A fillet of basa (catfish) is steamed in white wine inside a parchment package that also contains julienned carrots and zucchini, chopped tomatoes and mushrooms.
The steamed snow crab legs were another hit, fresh and sweet. The Buccaneer bouillabaisse, full of impeccably fresh seafood, pleased the diner who ordered it but broke with tradition by being very spicy. The linguine with six tender littleneck clams got mixed notices: The clams were tender, but there was just too much underseasoned pasta with them.
There are five meat choices for landlubbers. We were pleased with the tender braised short ribs, and the creamy mashed potatoes served with them were excellent.
Desserts are few but house-made and good. The bread pudding is moist and studded with raisins. (Ask for whipped cream, which is fresh.) The brownie is warm, chewy and served with ice cream. The other offerings are sorbets and ice creams made elsewhere.
The Buccaneer Crab House is warm and friendly, with appealing, lightly cooked seafood. I plan to return for lunch to try those Russian dumplings.
The Buccaneer
Crab House
108 West Merrick Road
Freeport
(516) 442-1151
WORTH IT
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You’ve never been good with names.
Faces, sure. Cocktails, obviously. But names are just not in your strengths column. So we think we may have stumbled onto a place that may feel well-suited… It’s called…actually, it’s not called anything (for the moment, at least). And it’s opening in a matter of hours. Here’s what you need to know: it’s a bar opening on the hush-hush. It used to be a small, nondescript pizza shop. And it now deals in oysters and burgers and rock and roll. On top of a speakeasy. Rest easy knowing that the speakeasy, Cabin Down Below, is still alive and dealing in hipsters, loud music and strong cocktails. But in place of mozzarella and red sauce, upstairs you’ll find exposed brick, tufted black leather banquettes, an old chandelier or two and just enough light to see Agyness Deyn sitting in the corner. Brought to you by the same gents who’ve gathered the attractively pouty rock-and-roll scenesters at Bowery Electric and next-door East Village staple Niagara, you can expect the same upscale dive-bar feel, just with a few more bivalves, some intricate cocktails and a windowed smokers’ patio that lets you keep your eye on the scene inside. There’s even a rumor that a piano may end up in the corner—you know, just in case you get inspired to perform. That means you can leave your stand-up bass at home. |
| Note: |
Opening tonight at 6pm for drinks, food service begins next week
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| Dollar Late-Night Oysters at Bar Henry | ||||
| Take a low-lit West Village bistro, add in some Burgundy and a late-night $1 oyster special, and you’re on to something. That something: the oyster liquidation deliciousness you so rightly deserve. | ||||
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