East End Eats: Town Dock

Even those who wouldn't normally drive from East Hampton to Montauk for dinner must have had their curiosity piqued by the Town Dock's ads - rude jibes at competitors, or "Monday: Short bald people eat half price; Weekends: Everyone pays double to make up for specials," or really bad-taste jokes about Heaven's Gate.

Something tells you that diners at the Town Dock, whose sister restaurant is the Dock down by the harbor, won't be barred from the place if they aren't wearing a tie.

Montauk was not exactly hopping last Thursday and we were able to park right outside what looked like the hamlet's answer to the East Hampton comfort station.

"That's it?" asked an accompanying guest, dubiously.

Nope, No Airs

The place has more charm inside, but it's a down-to-earth no-tablecloths sort of place. A prominent sign in the doorway requesting guests to control their children or go elsewhere struck a chord in this reviewer's heart, but it was a little in-your-face.

The menu is simple - chowders, salads, pasta, lots of fish - and, compared to so many other East End restaurants, downright cheap. Appetizers range from $4 to $8.50, with steamed littlenecks a bit more, and entrees from $8 for a hamburger to $20 for a Black Angus steak. The red wine by the glass is a chilled chianti, the white a chardonnay, and there are a couple of beers on tap.

Anyway, you get the picture - we were expecting an inexpensive meal but nobody's hopes were very high in the oohing and aahing department.

Appetizer Epiphany

It was, I think, the arrival of the smoked salmon and goat cheese quesadilla that made us see that a quick reassessment was in order. The very lightest and crispest circle of tortilla, served warm, was spread with goat cheese and topped with salmon, with a little pile of fresh salsa in the center. It was an epiphany that disappeared in a flurry of grabbing hands.

The New England clam chowder was really good, full of flavor and clams (a bit chewy, but clams do that sometimes), not overthickened, and a bargain at $4. We also tried three different salads, all of which were fine, with the tomato, mozzarella, and arugula with a basil vinaigrette coming out a little ahead.

Other appetizers included steamed mussels, clams casino, nachos, jalapeno poppers, and a grilled portobello mushroom with roasted pepper and goat cheese.

And The Entrees . . .

The enormous portion of marinated pork chops looked like an advertisement for dinosaur chops from Spielberg's "The Lost World," but mercifully turned out to be juicy, tender, and better than the movie. They were served with homemade apple sauce, full of taste and comforting chunks.

The honey mustard salmon with sauteed spinach was perfectly cooked, and the sweet mustard provided an interesting and unusual contrast of flavors. Broiled local flounder with lemon parsley butter was fine, though there's not too much one can say about flounder.

Everyone has their little dining quirks - mine is that ordering pasta in a restaurant is akin to offering to help them with the washing-up when you've finished. Certainly, at the last three restaurants we have visited, the pasta dish was unsuccessful. Good for Town Dock, then, that its penne with vodka was a hit, and with someone who cooks it regularly at home, moreover.

Handled With Grace

The fish of the day, blackened swordfish with horseradish sour cream sauce, was way too salty. Now, practically every chef has a bad salt day once in a while - a slip of the hand or absent-mindedly salting twice perhaps - and it's a good test of a restaurant to see whether they deal with your complaint with grace.

In this case it was whipped away with mortified apologies and soon replaced with some nice yellowfin tuna. I have to say that I thought the horseradish sauce was de trop, as the flavor overwhelmed the tuna fish, which really needed nothing more than the flavorings of its marinade.

The chef is happy to make variations on the menu and all the dishes come with vegetables and a choice of roast potatoes, french fries, or a mixture of wild and white rice. An excellent whole wheat bread, made by the local Montauk Bake Shoppe, passed the bread test with flying colors.

Divine Desserts

And then, just to add a final surprise, the chef turns out to be a dessert whiz. There was a perfect blueberry tart on a graham cracker crust, an interesting and very rich chocolate pie, and a divine, simply divine, rhubarb pie, fresh out of the oven. Extra servings of whipped cream were supplied for the gluttonous ones at the table.

When there are five people eating out, there's usually one dud dish, but not this time. A little discussion led to general agreement that a smoked salmon quesadilla, a salad, and a helping of rhubarb pie would constitute a pretty perfect meal - and it would set you back about $20, without drinks.

The service was nothing short of delightful - I can think of some snootier places that might like to send their waitstaff to the Town Dock for a little course on how it's done.

Thinking about that rhubarb pie, I feel inspired to offer a challenge: If there's a better one on the East End, I'll eat the whole thing.