62 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2017 62 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2017 62 LONGISLANDPRESS.CO M • SEPTEMBER 201-----------TUTU111
By JEFF AND VERA WURST
Tucked in Island Park’s thriving
bayside restaurant row is Jimmy
Hays, a sophisticated steakhouse
with a reputation as one of the top
chop houses on Long Island. Jimmy,
the namesake and proprietor,
is usually on hand greeting dining
guests as did his grandfather, Jimmy
McCluskey, at the old McCluskey’s
Steak House in Bellmore,
which is now an Applebee’s.
The full breadth of steaks and
chops are consistently prepared
to your temperature by Executive
Chef Carlos Miranda. Our go-to
entree is the bone-in ribeye. On a
recent visit we paved the way with a
crispy Caesar salad and warm shiitake
mushrooms over with sautéed
spinach.
Our friends opened with Maryland
crab cakes served over potatoes
with roasted peppers and baked
Blue Point oysters. Try Jimmy’s Michael
Cohen’s Lobster Salad made
with Maine lobster, applewood
smoked bacon, chopped lettuce and
tomato in a light Thousand Island
dressing.
Don’t decide until hearing the
evening specials. There is often an
elaborate ribeye special that may
be served over a potato pancake
topped with Gorgonzola. Our
friends enjoyed a commanding
bone-in filet mignon and the tuna
special — pan seared dressed with
wasabi sauce, avocado, sautéed
spinach and olives. The veal and
lamb chops are as big and juicy
as you will find. Don’t ignore the
seafood entrees.
The wine list is always groomed
with excellent choices and fair
prices. A waiter shared that while
most restaurants charge triple their
cost, Jimmy’s wine prices are only
double his cost. On our last visit we
had a 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
for $70 that would have cost $150
elsewhere.
We couldn’t leave without tasting
Jimmy’s Deep Dish Hot Brownie
Pie with vanilla ice cream.
Jimmy Hays Steakhouse, 4310 Austin
Blvd., Island Park, 516 432-5155.
Mon.-Thurs. 4- 10 p.m.. Fri.-Sat.
4-11 p.m., Sun. 3-10 p.m. jimmyhayssteakhouse.
com.
CHEFS ON THE RUN
Chef Jonathan Scinto, a North
Bellmore resident who does private
parties (chefjonathans.wixsite.com/
jonathanscinto), took first place in
Seafood for all of New York State
in the Taste of America Challenge,
giving him the opportunity to
compete at the World Food Championships.
David Ladner recently joined the
team at Sandbar (55 Main St.) in Cold
Spring Harbor as Chef de Cuisine.
JORDAN LOBSTER FARMS
The Jordan family has been providing
Long Island with the tastiest
lobsters for nearly 80 years. Keeping
the crustaceans in a strikingly
clean environment, Jordan Lobster
Farms initially was wholesale but
later added a lobster bar, then a
full-service retail counter before
graduating to a full restaurant.
Steve Jordan is a hands-on proprietor.
In addition to the outdoor
picnic tables to accommodate
the exterior window service at
the lobster bar, Jordan’s added an
indoor dining room and a beautiful
patio to dine al fresco when
the weather’s nice. Ask for a tour
of the lobster tanks, unlike those
tanks seen in most restaurants.
Each is a huge bin filled with an
abundance of live lobsters sorted
by size and ready to be shipped to
Jordan’s retail store and restaurant
customers.
Vera loves the big ones. Not 2 ½
or 3 pounds, but 7- to 10-pound
lobsters. Properly cooked, they are
the best-tasting lobsters.
Dig in and break up those legs and
knuckles. The lobster meat inside
is the tastiest. The small ones have
juicy meat, but the big ones have
chunks of lobster meat that taste
even better than the tail.
Four of us recently shared a
10-pounder for under $150, accompanied
by cole slaw, fries, and corn
on the cob (all included in the price).
The price is tough to beat and Jordan’s
always has a special on lobsters.
Appetizers are not to be missed.
The lobster roll is the best we have
had. The crispy, tender, fried calamari
is done to technical brilliance
and served with both homemade
tartar and tomato sauces. Broiled
scallops, shrimp, seared tuna,
salmon – we could go on.
Want to savor the flavor the next
day? The retail counter has a full
array of fish and seafood and prepared
dishes to serve at home.
Jordan Lobster Farms, 1 Pettit Pl.,
Island Park. 516-992-6690. Every
day 10 a.m.-9 p.m.. jordanlobsterfarms.
com.
Jeff is a practicing attorney. Vera is
a retired schoolteacher. Both love
Long Island food and wine and are
delighted to share their discoveries
with you. Contact them via lipressfood@
gmail.com.
FOOD & DRINK
Best of the Wursts
Island Park hopping with surf and turf
The 10-pound lobster at Jordan Lobster Farms in Island Park is the tastiest.
