Noah's
136 Front St. Greenport, NY 631-477-6720
Critic rating:
Seafood stars at Noah's, a sleek and contemporary cornerstone of Front Street dining. Notable: crab-stuffed deviled eggs, Tasmanian red crab tacos, warm lobster rolls, fish-and-chips, grilled sardines with piquillo peppers, Crescent Farms duck barbecue.
Hours: Open Monday and Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Ambience: Very Good Service: Very Good Reservations: Recommended Credit cards: Accepted Accessibility: Yes
Photo credit: Gordon M. Grant | Grilled sardines are served at Noah's, a new small-plate restaurant on Front Street in Greenport. (March 27, 2010)
Noah Schwartz, the last chef at The Seafood Barge in Southold, now is the first of Greenport.
His new restaurant arrives as welcome as spring on the North Fork. Schwartz delivers a small-plate special: refreshing, full-flavored, in sync - and very popular, whether you're dining alfresco on Front Street or reveling indoors.
Noah's, which took over the downtown storefront of the Frisky Oyster Bar, has a sleek, clean, almost industrial look, beginning with steel bar stools. But it's warmed by soft hues of green and blue. And the framed artwork is devoted to fish.
THE BEST
Try a few of Schwartz's addictive "tastes": mellow, nutty roasted garlic, ready to spread on thin slices of grilled bread; house-marinated olives; savory hummus; maybe the crab-stuffed deviled eggs.
Then, a trio of filleted, grilled sardines, accented with piquillo peppers and basil, attached to toasty, smoky cuts of grilled baguette by a brush stroke of lemon aioli. This appetizer reminds you why the Barge was such a welcome destination. So does the tangy, Crescent Farm, pulled-duck barbecue, set on a mound of irresistible, smoked-Cheddar-spiked polenta.
Celery-fennel slaw supports a loosely bound, mild and meaty jumbo lump crab cake. Crisp, tidy Tasmanian red-crab tacos, fueled with cilantro and jalapeño; and yellowtail crudo, finished with sea salt, olive oil and lemon, show off Schwartz's kitchen, too.
His excellent, warm, buttery lobster roll outdoes many of the East End's specialists. Dissenters can bite into the Kobe-beef burger, on a Blue Duck bakery brioche bun. The clever, sweet S'mores-capped chocolate pot-de-créme; and the poached pear with French toast lead the finales.
THE REST
More than saffron, fiery harissa defines the broth in a seafood stew, overwhelming finfish and shellfish. Rosy squares of seared tuna rest on underdone white beans. Limp, forgettable apple crostata.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Bright star.
Noah's in Greenport
Chef Noah Schwartz and his wife Sunita first met while working in the restaurant industry in Sonoma, California.After son Jonas was born, they decided to move back to Long Island to be closer to family. Chef Noah was the final executive chef when local landmark the Seafood Barge closed in late '09. With the timing right, Noah and Sunita took the opportunity to open their own place, noah's, featuring the chef's trademark small plates. Using locally-sourced ingredients, noah's is also the only restaurant in Greenport to boast a raw bar with several varieties of fresh oysters shucked-to-order. With Chef Noah in the kitchen and Sunita managing the dining room and acting as sommelier, diners can expect a wonderful meal.
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Noah's
