FOODIE
Mill River Inn: Dining Ecstasy
By Michael Schenkler/ foodie@longislandernews.com

It doesn’t get any better than this!

An evening out, a country road, a quaint cottage, and the most memorable dining experience await at the nearby Mill River Inn.

This unassuming gem, serving creative American fare with a French influence rivals or surpasses anything you’ll find on Long Island. With service on par with the best Manhattan has to offer and a kitchen as creative and consistent as the Hampton’s best, you need not travel far for one of the most memorable meals you’ll experience.

Consistently on Zagat’s top five Most Popular Long Island Restaurants list and surpassing all others in service while rivaling them in food, Mill River Inn is an absolute must for any serious Long Island foodie.

Hyperbole is not our style, but visit after visit, year after year, we are amazed at the quiet culinary crescendo that stays with us weeks after dining at the Mill River Inn.

Mill Riiver Inn occupies a pleasant but far-from-pretentious small building on Mill River Road. You park your own car and they take care of the rest. The small room which seats perhaps 50, feels like the dining room of a large New England home.

Open seven nights a week for dinner beginning at 6 p.m. (5 p.m. on Sundays) Mill River is a spectacular special occasion place or our choice for a quiet weekday romantic dining experience.

The restaurant is the creation of Kenneth Starr who also owns Tupelo Honey in Sea Cliff – another exceptional Long Island destination restaurant – and has quietly built a reputation for fine dining since its opening in 1989 when Long Island super-chef Michael Meehan was running Mill River Inn’s incredible kitchen.

Chef Michael Barato, a CIA grad, and Executive Chef Anthony Falco, more than adequately have maintained the standards while keeping up with the cutting-edge culinary trends incubating on the west side of the east river.

Edmond Pollard, the long-time Maitre’ D and resident sommelier, oversees an exquisite wine list and keeps the entire operation purring with precision. Pollard is one of several who captain the room and assure the meal and service are perfect. Elani Andrews who has been working the room since 1993, or Charles, a 10-year veteran, can assure the same quality. The seniority and passion for food of those who work the front of the restaurant are responsible for the seamless orchestration of your perfect dinner. Rely on them to help you with your choices.

And yes, the food is perfect too.

Starting with the bread basket – we got to choose from three delightful home-baked wonders and have praise for each: the semolina fennel raisin bread; French cluster roll; and a memorable sourdough offering. Each diner is presented with an “amusé bouche,” the French word used to describe what the sweet potato and goat cheese dumpling did to our mouth.

The menu is a guide to pleasure – each dish painstakingly prepared and presented. It didn’t take Pollard long to convince us to have the daily “Chef’s Tasting Menu” (Five course plus a tasting of three desserts, $85; also available with 3oz. of wine paired with each course, $110). Available only for the entire table we’d encourage foodies to indulge themselves and go prepared to taste, smile and enjoy. The portions are appropriately sized so you can get through the two plus hour experience and not feel too guilty in the morning.

We started with a light salad of Chestnut Crusted Goat Cheese over pickled beets, upland cress and topped with chestnut-bacon vinaigrette. Each course – whether it sounds like something you’ve had before or not, is an experience of delight.

The Pan-Seared Diver Sea Scallops were served with a Maine Shrimp Rice Cake, Candied Kumquats and a Blood Orange Vinaigrette. Mill River has found the largest, sweetest and most tender diver scallops, seared them perfectly and then enhanced the taste with magical accompaniments.

The Hudson Valley Foie Gras which was infused with a red wine sauce and served with quince chutney is a must – one of many. It was followed by a palate cleansing intermezzo of a raspberry infused champagne. By now you should have gotten the idea of ecstasy. With each dish, the kitchen takes that extra step caring for each small part of the medley.

The Sesame Crusted Rare Tuna with a lemon-infused tuna tartare, daikon radish with a hoisin and sweet piquillo pepper sauce blew us away. And… the chilled saki, Dreamy Clouds, a favorite of Pollard, was served to be consumed from a traditional chilled saki carafe which worked the mouth perfectly to experience the wonderfully refreshing and cooling complement to the bold tuna sauce.

The final entrée, was an Australian Rack of Lamb with Sweet Potato and Taro Root Puree, a crisp Gaufrette and a Goat Cheese Stuffed Lady Apple. The accompaniments were again as intoxicating as the perfect main.

And as we sat back, relaxed, digested and smiled, gloating at the experience, out came a dish beautifully presenting a sampling of three desserts: A Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with White Semi-freedo; a Mixed Berry Napoleon with Vanilla Pastry Cream and Berry Coulis; and a Mint Chocolate Chip Coup with mint chocolate fudge and whipped cream.

Oh my God!!!

The entire evening was perfect. Each course remarkable, each accompaniment flawless, and each presentation, picture perfect.

The options are many in addition to the ala carte menu, First Course (appetizers, most around $15), Second Course (entrees, $20-$39), Third Course (desserts, $10). The Formula Menu – a bargain — offered Mon to Thurs, for seating between 6 and 6:45 provides a choice of two dishes from each menu category for $35 (or paired with wine, $50)

The Sunday to Thursday tasting menu ($85) provided an experience we will not forget or stop talking about. We urge Long Island foodies to try it and those of you who are aspiring foodies, this is your opportunity to cross over.

If you had to pick the top Long Island restaurants for the ultimate dining experience, start with Mill River Inn.

It leads our list.

Mill River Inn
160 Mill River Rd. Oyster Bay, NY, 11771
(516) 922-7768
www.millriverinn.com

Experience: Serious gourmet dining

Atmosphere: Elegant casual

Price: Expensive

Cuisine: Creative American with French flair
Specials: Tasting menus
allow you to sample the
culinary wonders.

Hours: Monday - Saturday,
6 to 10 pm.
Sunday, 5 - 10 pm.

Main Menu