FOODIE

Fresh Fish Stars At The Greek Captain
By Danny, Betty & Karen/ foodie@longislandernews.com

Fried calamari is not supposed to be rubbery, no matter how much tough squid you’ve gnawed away at over the years.

Don’t believe us? Order it from Huntington Station’s Greek Captain Seafood Restaurant, open just over a month. They serve the tenderest, freshest, melt-in-your-mouth fried calamari we’ve ever had.

Husband and wife Nick and Niki Kritikos get the seafood they serve from her father, whom everybody at the shop knows as “the Captain,” every morning. The Captain’s been at it for more than 40 years, and that means amazingly fresh seafood for their patrons.

“Our food and our portions speak for themselves,” Nick said. “We want our customers to leave happy. Everything’s always fresh, prepared to order and made by us.”

This is their first venture into Long Island: there have been Greek Captain restaurants in Corona, Jackson Heights and most recently, Long Island City, which they sold a year ago. The venture evolved from a fish market in Corona to its current setup, where you can get a seafood dinner to stay and wholesale fish to go.

So, what sort of bounty did this trio of landlubbers gleefully dive into at this charming, nautically-dressed Greek eatery? The New England clam chowder ($6) is spectacular, with its thick creamy consistency, whole clams and big potato chunks. So too is the sweet, savory and meaty lobster and shrimp bisque ($6).

The crab cakes ($16) come as four generous, heaping mounds of lump crabmeat. They’re mild, hearty and incredibly filling. No flat, mashed-down patties that skimp on the meat here – these are the real deal.

All of the entrees are served with Greek salad (take note of the imported olive oil, vinaigrettes, robust feta and homemade dressing), French fries or rice and zesty, buttery garlic bread. Be sure to check the $9.99 daily specials, as well.

If fried seafood is what you yearn for, the Captain’s ready to please. We had the amazing calamari ($13.99 entrée, $7.99 appetizer), salty, crunchy and tender jumbo shrimp ($16.99), fried clams ($12.95) and buttery and flaky flounder ($9.99, served as the Fried Filet Deluxe).

The broiled shrimp and scallops in scampi sauce over rice or pasta ($9.99) is another knockout, featuring huge, fresh scallops, a creamy, flavorful scampi and crunchy vegetables to match. Broiled salmon encrusted in walnuts makes for a unique, mild and satisfying choice.

Cap off the visit with some baklava ($3.50) and bold coffee ($1.50). Drizzled in honey and complete with freshly chopped nuts and layers of buttery, flaky heaven, it’s a great bookend – if you can find room for it after the generous portions that came before.

It’s a challenge we were all up to. New Year’s resolutions don’t start for another couple of weeks, thank you very much.

Greek Captain Seafood Restaurant
195 Walt Whitman Road
(Rte. 110 South)
Huntington Station
631-629-4254

Cuisine: Fresh, Greek-style seafood

Atmosphere: Casual, friendly Mediterranean eatery

Price range: Moderate

Hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.,
seven days a week

Main Menu