Restaurant Review: Coast Grill

Recently I went to dinner at The Coast Grill in Noyac with two colleagues. I don’t know why I hadn’t been to the Coast Grill before. It’s a great location for a restaurant, it’s right on the water. I started things off with a Frozen Coconut Mojito. Wow! Refreshing and so very minty – I’d never thought of combining coconut and mint. Colleague D enjoyed a Key Lime Cooler of Bacardi Limon, Triple Sec, Sour Mix and lime. Colleague E went with a Watermelon Margarita of tequila, fresh watermelon purée, triple sec and a splash of sour mix. She said it was the most watermelony drink she’d ever had – very melony, not watery at all. We sampled each other’s drinks and agreed that we’d all made the right choices for ourselves, with our server Omar’s guidance.

Colleague D commented, “This is a great scene, a great feel, look at that green boat!” [expand]

We quite enjoyed the Gorgonzola Garlic Bread with its creamy fondue and freshly snipped chives. Colleague D found his Long Island Duck Confit with lentils, sundried cherries and port reduction “excellent, meat-falling-off-the-bone tasty.”

Colleague E found her BLT Caesar Salad with hearts of Romaine, sundried tomatoes and bacon lardons chopped to bite-size pieces “very flavorful.” She raved about her entrée, the Sage Brined Pork Chop as being “very moist and very good.”

Colleague D was elated by his Coca Cola BBQ Boneless Short Ribs with fingerling potatoes. “Mmmm. Mmmm. Mmmm. Outrageous!” was all he could say.

I started with the Nothing But Crab Cake, which hit me like sunshine itself. Scrumptious. The orange segments and fennel slaw were a perfect foil to the crab.

I ordered the Seasonal Vegetable Fricassee of French lentils, sundried tomatoes, fresh herbs, asparagus, broccoli rabe, peas, carrots and goat cheese. It was both fresh and rich and the goat cheese gave it a bit of welcome sharpness.

We all agreed that we’d like to come back to sample more of Chef Brian Cheeing’s work – though Colleague D said that he might have the Coca Cola BBQ Boneless Short Ribs every time.

For dessert I had Coast Grill’s New York Cheesecake with Wild Berry Compote. Pure creaminess, there’s nothing you won’t want to inhale here.

Colleague D went with the Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding and a cappuccino. He described the pudding as “delicious” but followed up with “yum-o” and said that it has real banana flavor.

Colleague E had the Chocolate Truffle Cake with Cappuccino Gelato and Chocolate Sauce and a strong regular coffee. She found the cake just-out-of-the-oven warm, fluffy and creamy.

In addition to wine from Italy, France and California, the Coast Grill Wine List offers Wölffer Rosé. Our server offered his detailed opinions on tequila, which we found fascinating – but forgot completely while consuming our cocktails.

The Coast Grill is a great place to kick back with friends, casually or in high style, as the mood strikes. It’s comfortable, open and welcoming.

Coast Grill, 1109 Noyac Road (Peconic Marina on Wooley Pond), Southampton, 631-283-2277, www.coastgrill.com [/expand]