Friday, May 29, 2009

Jamesport Country Kitchen


Recently, I went to my favorite North Fork restaurant, Jamesport Country Kitchen. For those of you not familiar with the North Fork of Long Island, it is a quaint area way out on the east end. There are farms, country stores, vineyards and farm stands. It's quintessential small town America.

Matt Kar is the owner of "The Kitchen". His menu is consistently good. He uses locally-grown, in season produce, as well as locally caught seafood. This ensures that his food is fresh all the time.

His creativity with flavor combinations, as well as providing consistently good food at very reasonable prices make this a must visit whenever you are on the North Fork. His local vineyard dominated wine list will also please even the most discerning wine palate.

The pasta special must be experienced at least once and is often my "go to" dish. It often is a mix of seafood (although on my last visit the proteins were a mix of duck and Italian sausage, YUM!) and local vegetables presented with an expertly cooked pasta and sauce, often a "pink" sauce of tomato and cream topped with feta cheese. Again, consistency is the word here. Always flavorful. Always cooked to perfection.

Seafood specials are always fresh and presented with a salsa or other type of sauce. The chef is flexible with ingredients and if you have an aversion to one thing or another (I leave out scallops as I have had a "problem" with them in the past.) or an allergy he can leave out this or that as all dishes are made fresh.

You have a choice of fries or marinated vegetables. I go for the veggies as the dressing is always tasty and the vegetables are always fresh. As a gastric bypass patient, I use the opportunity to get my vegetables in.

Also, if you are traveling with children, the choices, though limited, are good and the kids will enjoy them. The dishes come with fruit and his french fries are delicious.

Jamesport Country Kitchen (website). Consistently good food, good value, good atmosphere, good service. Make it a stop for lunch or dinner (make reservations). It's worth taking a trip to the North Fork to experience this gem.