Dining Excitement At The Sea Shanty

By Andrea & Sara/ foodie@longislandernews.com

The allure of the sea has long been the topic of stories, poems, and fantasies—old and new—and we, the Foodies in training, believe that we can now tell you why. It has dawned on us that the water carries with it an excitement that is unparalleled. It inspires the child, the explorer, and the adventurer within us and one often feels lucky to stumble upon a place that complements those powerful qualities without eclipsing them.

In a place like Northport village there is no shortage of sea-themed restaurants but in our quest to discover eateries that hold more appeal than simply that of a great menu we quickly learned that this is an area where the bar is set high and the competition stiff.

Luckily we stumbled upon the Sea Shanty.

The Sea Shanty is modest in size and is located across from the harbor on Woodbine Avenue just where it intersects with Main Street. To the left of the entrance is a counter area that leads to the bustling kitchen and perhaps it is where orders were taken. We don’t know this for sure and we didn’t ask because we were ushered into the charming dining room where it seems that most people choose to enjoy their meal.

Its atmosphere has the distinct quality of making patrons feel as though they are close to the action without being at risk of being swept away by it. A handful of tables are spread throughout a simple room. The seaside theme is apparent. The specials board—a large chalkboard with the specials written in decorative letters—is posted despite that every server seemed to know by memory exactly what was featured, the day’s freshest cuisine—often alive—is periodically brought in by Long Island fisherman fresh from the sea, and even the understated white and beige uniforms represent an image of seaside dining.

Jen Levin, a college student from Northport who has spent the past three summers serving shrimp, mussels, and crabs to the hungry and more often than not, the sun burned, took our order. Though we had some idea of what we wanted, she happily took charge pointing out that despite the presence of chili, chicken, and burgers on the menu, people came to the Shanty for seafood and that is what we were going to get. We were more than happy with her directive and were quickly presented with a slew of tender mussels marinated in a white sauce and mint leaves ($9.95), perfectly chilled crab meat ($12.95), and a crispy golden sautéed crabcake ($7.95).

While we savored our appetizers we became aware that the dining room had begun to fill up. Like ourselves, our neighbors were laughing and chatting energetically amongst themselves but it also seemed like some of the conversations jumped from the table of origin to another one. The Sea Shanty is definitely the kind of place that has regulars and owner Charles Marzocca stopped at each table to suggest dishes, check to make sure that orders were filled to standard, and as he did on this instance, to introduce the diners to those who made sure that their meals were up to par.

On the evening that we were there, that meant walking Graham, “the clam guy” through the dining room and even bringing a live crab out to a guest for inspection. Even though we were stuffed from all of our seafood appetizers—most of which came from Long Island—we were eager to move to the entrees. Just as we were finishing the final mussel and dipping the last lump of the crab meat into its dipping sauce, Jen brought out a place of steaming hot grouper francaise perched on a tangle of buttery linguine ($18.95) and a generous piece of seared tuna topped off by brilliantly colored bruschetta ($17.95). Marzocca explained that Chef Jose Reyes (a Yankee fan) cooks each meal with loving discretion. One of the many perks the restaurant features is that Reyes will cook up any of the choices to be delivered dockside.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tender grouper and the refreshing tuna but we couldn’t stop ourselves from eyeing some of the other items on the menu. I decided that next time I came to the Shanty, I was going to get The Mariner ($17.95)—spread of broiled flounder, shrimp, scallops, and steamed clams—and Sara decided that she was going to bring some friends along on a Monday night next time and take a shot at the all-you-can-eat Maryland Blue Claw Crabs ($35.95).

Even though we felt ready to burst, we could not turn down the fragrant desserts placed in front of us. The apple crisp ($4.75) and chocolate cake ($4.75) were both homemade to perfection. We first dove into the apple crisp, which was served in a ramekin and was overflowing with fresh apples and a golden topping. The chocolate cake did not linger; we both commented that we were impressed by the unusually fluffy texture for a cake that was so rich. In both cases, the crowning jewel was a generous dollop of homemade whipped cream.

While we ate our deserts and chatted with Marzocca, a pair of women from a table across the room stopped by as they left. Though we didn’t immediately know it, the woman joking with Marzocca happened to be Billy Joel’s mother, Rosalind Joel. “I’m coming here for 50 years. I brought Billy here in my arms.”

Marzocca was unflustered. “That’s the Shanty. Anything can happen here.”

The Sea Shanty
16 Woodbine Avenue,
Northport, NY
(631) 262-7100

Cuisine: Seafood

Atmosphere: Casual with flip-flops and bathing suits not uncommon

Price Range: Inexpensive to Moderate

Hours:
Monday to Thursday
11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Friday to Sunday
11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

Main Menu