by Evelyn J. Mocbeichel
While there are so many things to do when visiting Montauk, one of the best is probably dining out with good friends in a relaxed and lovely atmosphere. Recently we did just that when four of us had dinner together at the Gin Beach Café. It is located on East Lake Drive at the Montauk Anglers Club & Marina, a premier sportfishing marina, and less than one mile from the Montauk inlet. The restaurant is owned by Amy Breidenbach, who also has the recently opened “Caps” on West Lake Drive. With its perfect location, every table at Gin Beach Café has an absolutely gorgeous view of the boats docked at the marina with the evening sunlight glistening on the water to complete the picturesque panorama.
Upon entering Gin Beach Café, we were greeted by our server, Jaimie, who welcomed us with a warm smile and friendly demeanor. Although most of the tables were occupied, after we were seated, she never made us feel rushed to place our order or to hurry along when deciding which of the many choices to start with. Taking time to decide, drinks were ordered first as we discussed the menu. House Cocktails and Specialty Drinks, spirts and beers fill the whole back page of the menu, making a decision a challenge. There were creative names such as Fire Island Rocket Fuel (amaretto, pina colada, 151 floater), Fishtales Mango Bellini (personal prosecco, black cherries), or a Montauk Mule (vodka, ginger beer, mint & lime) to name only a few on the first side of the page. Add to that ten House Cocktails, canned spirits, beers and you’ll understand why selecting from this inclusive list becomes daunting. One in our party ordered the Expresso Martini, made with vodka and Kahlua with coffee beans garnish, which she proclaimed to be perfect and not too sweet. Two wine selections and a draft beer rounded out our starter beverages. 
After our drinks arrived, we moved on to starters. The best part of having dinner with four is that is affords the opportunity to see other selections friends order and to share samples. This way on repeat visits to Gin Beach Café we can order from previous tastings. We started with Maryland Crab Cakes, made with jumbo lump and horseradish sauce on the side and the Firecracker Shrimp covered with a Thai chili sauce and cusabi. Not familiar withs the term, we learned cusabi combines the flavors of cucumber and wasabi, often buttermilk based and “tangy with a slightly spicy taste.” 
The two crab cakes were generous in size to share as was the large bowl of Firecracker Shrimp that had the perfect tang to highlight every morsel of shrimp that filled the deep bowl. Having bypassed for now other starters like Grilled Octopus, East End Mussels, Flash Fried Calamari, Smoked Fish Dip (with capers, red onion, grapes, crackers or the Hummus & Tzatziki, we know what we’ll be ordering on the next visit. Add to the menu is a half a column of soup choices, naturally both kinds of clam chowder included and an array of sliders to pick from in several portion sizes. Meanwhile, as more guests continued to enter the restaurant, we were happily pleased with the frequency Jaimie checked in on us, but always ensuring us to take our time, if we hadn’t decided what we wanted as our main. Her warm, friendly and professionalism was appreciated and added to the ambiance of the evening we were enjoying together. Even my husband commented later that of all the servers we have met over many years eating in restaurants, he’d rate a 10 for her genuine attention to guests and effervescent demeanor.
So now we come to the mains and looking over Gin Beach’s menu, it is quite evident the choices will satisfy any ages as well as tastes and preferences. For families arriving with children there are five choices on the child menu that comes with a beverage. Under “Hand Held” the list offered a variety of tasty choices like a traditional lobster roll, a must when in Montauk. Then there is panko fried soft shell crabs, BBQ pulled pork, blackened fish of the day wraps, NY sirloin club sandwiches and as well as several chicken items. 
The Baja Street Tacos list caught the eye of our friend, Mary, who ordered the Thai Chili shrimp taco, a spicy blend of scallions, cusabi, cilantro and slaw. With each bite, Mary, would say to us, “This is really good and I’m glad I picked it!” Meanwhile, her husband, Joel, who eats frequently at Gin Beach Café noted one of his favorites there is the crunchy Tuna wrap, which is an ahi tuna steak, wasabi peas, tempura flakes, crispy spinach & cusabi in a spinach wrap. That night he decided to try a new entrée and went with one of them listed under the House Favorites section. There was the Montauk Fluke Milanese, an Italian twist to this seafood staple. The fluke could be ordered pan fried or grilled and came with baby arugula, fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, with a balsamic glaze. The tempura lobster tail, sounded enticing as did the Soft-Shell Crab Francese over linguine with sauteed spinach or the Seafood Pasta, enhanced with steamed mussels, clams calamari and shrimp with garlic bread, roasted garlic, basil and wine marinara or Fra Diavolo.
The meat choices listed a 14 oz NY strip steak, baby back ribs with sweet potato fries and Cole slaw and a sauteed chicken breast with fresh mozzarella and roasted peppers. After much back and forth over what to order, Joel selected the Pan Seared Local Tile Fish, accompanied by wild rice, ratatouille, roasted garlic and red pepper butter. The generous size piece of fish, cooked to perfection was a winner and he was pleased at his exploration into a new item he hadn’t tried yet. All of us considered this to be a high compliment as Joel enjoys fishing on his boat and brings home his catch which they cook at home, using one of his many recipes. Actually, he happens to keep is boat at the same marina Gin Beach Café is located. That’s why he and other fisherman friends are frequent diners there and had recommended it to us for our dinner out. (By the way, a side note to anglers, Gin Beach offers “You Hook ‘Em We Cook ‘Em” option on the menu.)
At the beginning of our selections, Jaimie told us the three fish of the day were tile fish, fluke and cod, so when the menu listed “fresh fish” we had the option of either one of the three to pick from when ordering. Diners also had a choice if they wanted the fish prepared blackened, grilled or baked. I went with the grilled fluke, served with wild rice and a medley of sauteed vegetables. My fish was delicately tender, moist, flavorful and also a nice size portion to the servings. With any group going to dinner, there is usually a meat eater and my husband decided to go for the burger that evening. A full 8 ounces, jumbo-sized, char-broiled to order, it was cooked exactly how he requested it and came with a topping of lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese. The side of coleslaw that came with it also met with his approval as a “connoisseur” of this salad having grown up with his mom frequently making this family favorite. Naturally, no other recipe can top his mom’s, in his eyes, but this side to his meal received his nod of approval with the first taste.
When all of us finished with our meal, the question as to if there was even room for dessert came up. Naturally, we ladies always seem to have room for that! The desserts on the menu that evening were a chocolate lava cake, Key Lime pie and Tiramisu. The Key Lime and Chocolate Lava Cake won out and although they first declined dessert, when they appeared our guys had to take a taste naturally. Our pie was light, delicate and the perfect hint of lime for an end of the ending sweet tooth to be satisfied. The lava cake was warm and a generous dollop of whip cream on the side with a rich chocolate sauce drizzled artistically on top and along the perimeter of the cake. No clear winner which dessert was the best as all agreed it was easily a tie! It was the end of a perfect day and as we walked to the car, we all agreed our evening out was another wonderful one in Montauk enjoying time together and dinner at the Gin Beach Café.
The Gin Beach Café is open 7 days a week and serves lunch, dinner and cocktails from 11:30 a.m. – 9 pm. Their tag line is “Savor fresh flavors and coastal vibes with a craft cocktail in hand-beachside”, is exactly what you will discover there. There is live music every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 6 pm till 10 pm. Coming up in August the musical talents performing are Groove Daddies, Don Olsen, and Kaneb Andrews, each on different dates. Gin Beach Café is located at 467 East Lake Drive, Montauk, N.Y. 11954 (631) 483 5111. To see their menu or find out the dates for their music entertainment visit ginbeachcafe.com