Blue Point Oyster Bar and Bistro - Not Just for Seafood

"What do you want to do for dinner?"

That's code for, "I don't want to cook. I want to go out to eat."

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. It's 5 o'clock. Nothing happening food-wise and you look at each other, like, "Well?"

So, you pull up Open Table , put in the number of people, time, location and click "Find a Table". It's like rolling the dinner dice. You see what comes up and go from there.

That happened over this past weekend. The Boss said, "I want seafood, but I don't want to drive too far AND I don't want to go to Red Lobster."

We live on Long Island's south shore, so that shouldn't be hard to do.

Out comes Open Table and we roll the dice.

Up comes Blue Point Oyster Bar and Bistro. Recently, my wife has acquired the taste for oysters, so this place piqued her interest. She made a reservation online and off we went.

It turns out, if you're familiar with the area, the location is the old "Cilantro" restaurant on Montauk Highway. It's really the east edge of Blue Point. It's a smallish establishment, but the seating is comfortably spaced. You walk into the bar that also has some tables in it. The Dining Room is beyond that.

Table Setting was Very Pretty with Fresh Flowers

It is casual, but classy. You can come straight from the beach or dress nice. You'd not be out of place either way.
We were greeted by Gina, the Hostess (and co-Owner). Gina is a friendly, gregarious, smiling person who quickly treated us as if we had known her for a long time despite just meeting her that moment. We had been to Cilantro (a previous restaurant at this locale) before, and the layout is the same. The decor is somewhat different, but it's fresh and well done.

Tables were set with vintage bread plates and fresh flowers. Very nice.

Our server, Jen, quickly came over to take drink orders and tell us of the specials. Jen was also very friendly and greeted us with a big smile.

Part of the Menu at Blue Point Oyster Bar and Bistro

Now, I think the name of this establishment can be deceiving. This place is not strictly a seafood/oyster restaurant. They do have a wonderful selection of seafood appetizers: calamari, clams (raw and baked), tuna (seared rare), PEI mussels, crab cakes and, yes, the freshest most succulent local oysters both raw and "rockefellered". But, as you can see by the entrees, they also have a nice selection of all types of dishes. So, if you aren't seafood friendly, you have many great choices.

Dinner Rolls Baked Fresh Daily

Jen quickly brought over a couple of rolls and butter to get us started. A variety (sourdough, multigrain, and so on) of dinner rolls are baked fresh everyday. And, you can tell. We had sourdough and multigrain and they were delectable. The
sourdough (a personal favorite) had a nice chew to it. And the multigrain was tasty without being "cardboardy".

Short Rib Mac & Cheese

I had the short rib mac and cheese and it was mighty awe-inspiring! The perfectly cooked short rib was mixed into the dish with a nice crunchy topping to give some textural contrast. And the sauce added a nice punch to the meal. Really very good.

My wife had the sirloin and shrimp kabobs. These had a tropical pineapple glaze and were quite tasty!

Shrimp and Sirloin Kabobs

They were served over a bed of rice which didn't compete with the aggressively flavored kabobs.

We had no room for dessert, so I can't comment on that.

During our entire meal, both Jen, our server and Gina, our hostess, kept checking in asking how we were doing and if we needed anything. They were attentive without being intrusive. I like that. I hate being ignored in a restaurant and I was not disappointed here.

All in all, I'm glad we took the chance on Blue Point Oyster Bar and Bistro. I can see us becoming regulars. You'll enjoy too whether you are with a small group or taking that special someone out for a romantic date.

Hit me up and let me know what you think.  Enjoy!