The Old Mill Inn
5775 West Mill Road
Mattituck
631-298-8090

By Roy Bradbrook

Even though the rain was teeming down, the ride along Cox Neck Road down to the Old Mill Inn on Mattituck Inlet was beautiful. On entering this historic old building, you immediately feel a sense of warmth from the welcoming fire, candlelit comfy surroundings and the staff. Over the time we have been reviewing restaurants we have been privileged to meet many fascinating people with all kinds of backgrounds, but this time it really was something very different, for co-owner Elaine Lafferty has a journalistic background that is hard to equal. Telling it would require another article and that’s a thought for the future. Suffice it to say, her resume goes from writing for Time magazine in L.A., to the Irish Times in Dublin, then to being a war correspondent in Bosnia, Pakistan and Afghanistan and after that editor in chief of Ms. Magazine and that’s only part of the story!
Elaine has a house on Shelter Island and knew of the Old Mill Inn and when she found out it was for sale, she teamed up with four other long time friends. These included Greta van Susteren of Fox News TV, Barbara Lane, a writer, Barbara Pepe, a TV executive and John Coale, a chef turned lawyer, who is married to Greta, to purchase the Inn and the deal was completed this July 4th weekend. Elaine is now resident full time running the Inn and she and chef Stanley Madr have instituted a firm policy of using the best of local fish shellfish and vegetables in their dishes. The lobsters come from the lobsterman across the inlet, the fish, from local boats, the vegetables from farms up the lane and the corn is from Harbes Farms.
The dining room is light and attractive and has great water views and there is a deck, which really is over the water. The scenery is incredibly tranquil and beautiful and the sunsets are said to be spectacular. The bar area is very atmospheric and comfortable
We had no sun or sunset but we did start with some clam dishes that radiated freshness. Clams on the half shell needed no lemon or sauce to enhance their sea fresh taste. Clams Berclaz with butter and bacon and baked clams were also very tasty but nothing in my estimation can ever top clams au naturel. We also indulged in a bowl of mussels, simmered in a fragrant white wine based sauce and served with garlic toast points. These were delicious and every thing mussels should be.
From the daily special list we chose the simple sounding tomato salad and were we glad that we did! This was a salad of simple elegance made from all shapes and sizes of ripe local heirloom tomatoes accompanied by some very thinly sliced red onion and topped with just enough goat cheese to blend perfectly with the tomatoes that had that wonderful old fashioned tomato taste. The salad was dressed with a light herb vinaigrette and the total balance was perfect. I would be the first to nominate this for ‘Salad of the Year’. It should be a fixture on their menu as long as tomatoes of the right quality are available, as should the corn pudding (not yet on the menu) that Stanley wanted us to taste. This was no pudding; it deserved to be designated ‘soufflé’ or ‘brulee’ because its superb light creamy texture and concentration of fresh corn tastes and aromas made this not a simple vegetable accompaniment to an entrée but a dish in its own right, worthy of feature status as an appetizer.
For our main course, we chose rack of lamb and roast duck. Both dishes arrived cooked exactly as ordered. The lamb was succulent; the duck was fresh tasting and complemented by a great tasting plum sauce. The accompanying corn, French fries and rice were simple and again perfect. Finally we managed a taste of the Holy Moses cheesecake and key lime pie but the highlight was a gorgeous peach crisp made in-house by pastry chef Maureen Rezlak.
Appetizers range from $6.95 to $10.95; Main courses from $18.95 to $27.95 (they include soup or salad); desserts are $7. There is a short wine list sensibly priced, featuring Long Island wines. They are open for lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday and will be open year round.
The Old Mill Inn really is a great destination in all weathers and in all seasons. Under its new ownership the policy of using only fresh produce is producing food of excellent quality and value. The Inn itself is a part of the history not only of Long Island but also of the growth of a new young country – the history is detailed on their website www.theoldmillinn.net and is fascinating to read before you visit to enjoy the food, and the food, based on our visit, is very enjoyable.