Cooperage Inn
2218 Sound Ave. Baiting Hollow, NY 631-727-8994
Critic rating:
A cozy country setting welcomes diners to the Cooperage Inn. Rich burgundies and dark wood are complimented by linens on the tables and artwork on the walls. The country flavor shows up on the menu as well, with such traditional favorites as chicken pot pie and grilled rack of lamb.This restaurant is very good.
Hours: Dinner every day, from 3:30 p.m. Lunch, Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Closed Christmas. Weekend reservations necessary. Ambience: Very Good Service: Very Good Reservations: Recommended Credit cards: Accepted
Photo credit: Randee Daddona | Meat loaf with mashed potatoes and hunter gravy is served at Cooperage Inn in Baiting Hollow, a 1960 renovated Colonial-style restaurant. (Nov. 15, 2010)
It's always a holiday at the Cooperage Inn. Warm, cheerful, amply decorated, the place mirrors the season. But this is more than a pretty set. The restaurant is very good.
Regulars and newcomers attend birthday bashes and anniversary receptions, office parties and family banquets. Or just arrive for a festive evening. Cooperage has enough space for all, in rooms with fireplaces, antique looks and Early American imagery. Roosters abound.
At first, the restaurant may remind you of familiar eateries festooned with nostalgia. And Cooperage does emphasize the traditional. But you'll find some surprises. Have your meatloaf - and small plates, too.
THE BEST
That meatloaf stands out, moist and true, with a hunter gravy that has the tang of barbecue sauce, flanked by husky garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables. It's rivaled by the savory chicken potpie, white meat and dark baked in a casserole with vegetables, under a puff-pastry crust. They're under the "down home cooking" section, along with a hefty, marinated and grilled pork chop with Red Delicious-apple chutney. Stout-braised short ribs with maple-roasted rings of delicata squash and a potato gratin will brace you for a frosty night. Tender roast duckling, with a dried-fruit stuffing, orange-peppercorn glaze and toasted almonds also is recommended, as is the juicy, stuffed Cornish hen. Seaside, go for the potato-and-onion crusted fluke, capped with caramelized banana, finished with a bell-pepper beurre blanc. Crab cakes with a peppery sauce rémoulade and roasted corn-and-tomato relish lead the appetizers. A sesame-chicken spring roll, atop a sweet-chile emulsion, with a peanut dipping sauce, is unexpected and fine. A potato-soup special and an amplified spin on Waldorf salad also are worth sampling. Dessert: apple-cranberry crisp, apple-pecan bread pudding, and to modernize the selection, an update on the Napoleon, with macaroon cookies and roasted pineapple.
THE REST
Dry paella, skippable onion soup, standard baked clams, routine Key lime pie.
BOTTOM LINE
Merry and happy.
Cooperage Inn - we take great pride in serving the freshest fish, meats and local produce available
We are located on the “scenic route” along the north shore to Orient Point. This road is also the main route from the Orient Point Ferry and the vineyards of the North Fork area. Country farms, vineyards, farm stands and several golf courses are the lure on this favorite Tourist Trail. The restaurant is 3.5 miles from the Long Island Expressway and convenient to Tanger Outlet Mall, a destination for many shoppers. This charming country spot has quickly become a favorite of the growing local community. It attracts increasing numbers of weekend diners who make their way to the rural surrounds.
Cooperage Inn
