FOODIE
The Seafood Place You’ve Been Waiting For
By Luann & Margaret Ann/ foodie@longislandernews.com

If there was ever a place where lobster and plastic forks go together, Southside Fish & Clam is it.

A very casual eatery, you’ll order at the counter, seat yourself and retrieve your food when your buzzer goes off. You’ll use paper napkins and drink out of a paper soda cup. But you’ll also have a delicious broiled lobster tail, the best clam strips around and an array of fresh seafood at your fingertips.

The original Southside opened in 1934 in Lindenhurst and is still there today. The Commack location opened in October 2009, taking over the home of a former diner on Jericho Turnpike east of the Sunken Meadow Parkway. After extensive renovations, the restaurant now boasts a distinct nautical, at-sea theme with booths and tables, complete with a fish market that displays fresh catches brought in daily. Southside also boasts a clam and oyster bar with little neck, top neck and cherrystone clams, blue point and wellfleet oysters, beer and wine.

We parked ourselves in a cozy booth in the middle of the sizable restaurant and pursued the extensive menu, featuring everything from fried seafood and land-and-sea platters to pasta creations and their famous twin lobster dinner. There are even hamburgers and chicken parmigiana.

We loved our pair of appetizers: the Super Clam Strips ($8.99) and Baked Clams ($7.39 whole, $6.39 chopped). The clam strips were long, tender and tasty, fried in a delicate batter and not chewy in the least. Our baked clams were chopped, but tasted like they contained several whole clams. The stuffing was excellent, a combination of bread crumbs, crab meat and peppers and other ingredients, leaving us hopeful for the stuffed items on the menu.

The Seafood Fra Diavolo ($25.99) is a huge portion, with a 1 and 1/8-pound lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and bay scallops over linguine in a garlicky scampi sauce. Mussels are enormous but do not lose their tenderness, and scallops are soft and not rubbery.

The cold salads enticed us from behind the counter, so we opted for the scungilli salad with large, thick pieces lightly flavored with oil and lemon. It was a nice change of pace from the hot dishes.

All in all, Southside is a seafood delight with a simple message: Don’t over-season and let the freshness speak for itself. We love a good clam place, no matter how far from the water it is. Check out the $6.99 lunch specials.

Southside Fish & Clam
1095 Jericho Turnpike, Commack
www.southsidefishandclam.com

Restaurant: 631-486-8864

Fish Market: 631-670-6464

Atmosphere: Casual, walk-up counter

Cuisine: Seafood, lobster specialties

Price range: Inexpensive-moderate

Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Main Menu