Rating: "Very Good"
When East End diners tire of the latest see-and-be-seen restaurants, they head for Dave's Grill. The perennial favorite is now in its 14th year. Set on Montauk harbor beside day-fishing boats, seafood shacks and ferries to Block Island, Dave's appears to fit right in. It has a modest, rustic exterior, but closer inspection reveals charming refinements: attractive postage-stamp gardens flanking the entrance and window boxes crowded with cascading blooms.
Patrons on the covered porch have great views of the maritime activities in the harbor while they sit at tables covered in snowy white tablecloths and adorned with pots of flowers. Strings of lights with alternating blue and white globes outline the ceiling. Inside, that nautical color scheme is picked up in the navy blue banquettes. Here, fresh roses top the tables.
The Dave in Dave's Grill is Dave Marcley, its chef and owner. His wife, Julie, oversees the front of the house. Her staff of servers, in casual white shirts and khakis with white bistro aprons tied at the waist, displays a winning combination of down-home friendliness and down-right efficiency. These are not green college kids enjoying a one-summer job experience on the East End. Our waitress one night had been at Dave's 13 of its 14 summers, Another evening, the young woman serving us was a Montauk-born-and-bred mother of two. Don't be fooled by their small-town, wholesome, Montauk-nice demeanor. These women are as professional as any servers on the Island.
They are aided by an extraordinary auxiliary team. The man who bused our table never let water glasses fall below half full and replaced the bread basket before it was empty.
Still, a super staff and pleasant ambiance do not make a restaurant. Food does, and Dave's Grill has made its reputation with its satisfying fare. The warm and chewy bread in the basket gave the first hint of the quality here. The icy Gazpacho, tingling with spices and sporting luxurious lumps of crab meat, confirmed it.
A standout opener for a table of four to share was the grilled quesadilla oozing caramelized onions, Monterey Jack and goat cheeses, garnished with a mound of chunky guacamole. The crunchy cornmeal-dusted fried oysters, the shrimp cocktail of five firm jumbos and the no-filler crabcake blessed with lump crab meat and a roasted corn salsa were also noteworthy.
Salads also scored: the classic Caesar redolent with anchovy flavor, the baby spinach glossed with a warm bacon-shallot dressing and the China, starring organic Asian greens, crispy won ton threads and a toasted sesame dressing. A chowder of roasted vegetables and lobster, though, went overboard on sweet potatoes and could have passed for a sweet potato soup garnished with lobster.
Appetizers outnumber entrees two to one and usually steal the show. Still, we found a number of top of the line main courses. A special of panseared sea scallops encircling a scallion-couscous cake ringed with a medley of corn, beets and black beans earned high marks. So did the lobster Bolognese, a lush pink sauce loaded with seafood served over papardelle. The sweet two-pounded lobster and the crunchy onion-and-potato-crushed founder (fish 'n' chips) were other successes. The cioppino, though, was a tasty but uneven fish and seafood stew with some of its ingredients perfect, others overcooked.
Landlubbers have safe choices in the cooked-to-order rack of lamb and the grilled rosemary-mustard chicken.
Desserts are an event at Dave's Grill. Mr. Marcley is the chef usually given credit for introducing the now-famous chocolate bag (a molded Belgian chocolate bag filled with ice cream, raspberry sauce and whipped cream) to the Island. Equally popular at the restaurant is a dessert called the Barbara: a triple-chocolate brownie crowned with ice cream, hot fudge sauce and whipped cream. Other good picks were the thin, tangy lemon tart, the warm apple-mixed berry crisp with its buttery crumb topping, the moist rum cake and the silky creme brulee Even the homemade chocolate chip cookie that escorted the sorbet was a winner. As is Dave's Grill itself.
Atmosphere: Rustic harborside spot with sit-up-and-take-notice-food.
Service: Casual-looking professionals.
Sound Level: Average
Recommended Dishes: Gazpacho, quesadilla, fried oysters, shrimp cocktail, crab cake, China salad, spinach salad, Caesar salad, sea scallops, fish 'n' chips, lobster Bolognese, rack of lamb, lobster, grilled chicken, all desserts.
Wine List: A no-bargain, typical Nassau-Suffolk list of about 40 selections with a number of Long Island choices. Wines by the glass start at $6 and by the bottle at $21.
Price Range: Appetizers, $8.95 to $13.95; entrees, $21.95 to $29.95. Lobsters higher.
Credit Cards: Visa and MasterCard.
Hours: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday (during the season).
Reservations: A must on weekends. Recommended other times. Same-day reservations only. Call after 4:30 p.m.
The Ratings: Extraordinary, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fair Poor.
By Joanne Starkey
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