Surf’s up at ’Surf’s Out’
Upon first glance at Kismet’s newest restaurant, Surf’s Out, you realize The Out, which closed last season after more than three decades, underwent a complete renovation. Rebuilt by local construction company Sam Wood and Co., the bar is now on the opposite side of the old restaurant, the decor is upscale and the vibe fresh and modern. On a recent afternoon in early June, the crowd amassed on the side yard grooved to a popular cover band called McLovin.’
Aside from the nearly $2 million facelift, Surf’s Out’s owners are reviving the Pizza Shack on the ferry dock directly across the walk. It is expected to open this month after spending two years shuttered. In this reincarnation, the shop will split the location with the Red Wagon Emporium, run by neighbors Jane Mooney, whose husband Tim owns Fire Island Ferries. They already have some healthy competition from Nature’s Shapes, a Sayville-based surf shop that has been testing the local waters with a weekend sidewalk sale in front of Surf’s Out.
Rounding out downtown, the classic Kismet Inn is now in its second generation, and the Kismet market, just east of the Inn, remains the hub of town life, still in the Whitney family’s hands. The Kismet Fire Department also recently moved and expanded. Around the corner, young Kismetians can still indulge their sweet tooth at the candy shop as their parents and other older residents can quench their thirst at the Beaver liquor store or splurge on some bling at the friendly neighborhood jewelry table. This tight-knit community even continues to publish their own small newspaper, Kismet Kronikle, which launched last year.
Dean Cirella, the lone restauranteur among Surf’s Out’s four owners, does not think of the restaurant as a catalyst behind Kismet’s semi-revitalization. He’s simply doing what he does best: serve great food.
"We’re bringing our success on Long Island to Fire Island," said Cirella, who also owns restaurants in Melville and at Walt Whitman Mall in Huntington.
All have a like-minded, all-inclusive menu. Not too many places offer a tuna chimichanga appetizer with veal parmigiana for dinner or sushi as a warm-up to filet mignon. Step outside on the right day and there are burgers, hot dogs and oysters being grilled and shucked outside on the patio-or maybe hot wings. The Asian-style wings doused in Teriyaki sauce and cilantro on the full menu are not to be missed either. Nor are the meaty muscles marinara in Cirella’s own sauce that is also for sale by the jar.
Surf’s Out’s signature dish is the Pollo Cirella. It is chicken marsala spiced up with prosciutto and eggplant tucked beneath melted mozzarella with a hearty helping of linguini to help it go down.
"We created an open, airy Fire Island beach restaurant," Cirella said as an acoustic guitarist singing outside could be heard through the wide open doors and the Fire Island Lighthouse could be glimpsed with the slight crane of his neck from his bar stool.
In spite of the fact he ensured Surf’s Out has what seafood eaters crave (and yes, the clam shucking contest will be here this year), patrons have shown a good Italian joint is perhaps exactly what Fire Island needs."We’re selling a lot more Italian food than I anticipated," Cirella said of his first month in business.
That doesn’t mean, however, visitors can skip the Japanese. The Surf’s Out Roll, made with spicy salmon and avocado inside with a heap of roe piled on top is one such temptation. The spicy tuna roll, which lives up to its name, is yet another.
The dessert menu is a whole other matter-and there is a long list of bikini martinis to help wash it down. The bartenders’ own creation here is an appropriately beachy drink whose ingredients I won’t disclose here. And for those looking for something to stick a tiny umbrella in, this place gets creative with the frozen drinks.
Its obvious residents and visitors appreciate the vibe Kismet has been nurturing for decades: self-reliance (they build their own beach every year, thank you), casualness (shoes are hard to find), polished (the sidewalks are smooth, a touchy issue for years), yet friendly and tan. A great place to go Inn and Out of the beach, all while taking in the sunset with views of the Lighthouse.
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