Kingston's Clam Bar

This weekend, ABF (Awesome BoyFriend) & I hit up a seafood spot in Sayville, out in Long Island. We'd tried to go here once before, but they were already closed for the season. This time around we thought, it being Labor Day, there might be a long line, but we walked right in and got a table overlooking the water. (Speaking of, we also hit the beach on Labor Day and it was almost empty! Awesome, but weird!)

Kevin ordered the bread bowl of chowder, I ordered the house salad. The house salad was great--an interesting mix of greens, a scrumptious vinaigrette, and really fresh veggies. Kevin's 'bread bowl' was made of plastic. ;) I'm guessing they no longer offer the bread bowl?? It was also NOTHING like New England Clam Chowder (which is what the menu said). In fact, it was like nothing I've ever tasted before. It tasted more like a cream of mushroom soup with a few pieces of clam in it. ABF thought it was okay, but not great, and definitely not New England style (my favorite way to eat clams!)

There were a lot of delicious-sounding options, but once I saw the broiled seafood platter, I was down for that. It came with corn on the cob, french fries, or sweet potato fries. I asked for the corn on the cob, and then the server asked me if I wanted fries as well. I said "Oh, it comes with fries, too?" She said yes, so I ordered the SP fries (I found out later they charged 50 cents extra for the fries. Not extravagant, but hey, let a gal know. They were totally worth it, but I would have been just as happy with only the corn, and I just don't like surprise charges at the end of the meal). Kevin got the same platter, but fried. They each came with shrimp, flounder, scallops, and clams. My shrimp and clams were stuffed. The platters were quite a vast amount of food for not too terribly much money. Favorite parts first: the broiled flounder fillet was awesome. It was flakey and tender and not at all fishy. The corn on the cob was PERFECT--still crunchy but juicy, made even more fantastic with a dash of salt and some real butter. SUMMER!!!

ABF's shared some of his fried platter with me, too. I actually enjoyed the tartar sauce (not usually a fan), and the fried flounder was good. I also enjoyed the clam strips. The breading, however, was a little heavy. I agree with ABF, who commented that fried seafood should be beer-battered! For instance, a fried scallop was perfectly cooked, but the breading was so tough you had to chew through it to get to the goodness!

The sweet potato fries were one of my favorite things on my plate: you could still taste the sweet potato, and they weren't fried beyond belief. What we COULDN'T believe was what they serve with them! I saw a small container of what I assumed was honey-mustard sauce. I dislike honey-mustard sauce, so I set it aside, and ABF dipped one of his fries into it later. His face changed ever-so-slightly, and he said "That is NOT honey mustard." I tasted it and got smacked in the mouth with maple syrup flavor...but what was it in?? We asked our server, who then asked me, "Do you really want to know?" A bit scared, I said "Well, now you HAVE to tell me!" She explained that it's maple mayo. Um. NO. Do not want. Trust me on this--NO.

Overall, the food wasn't as seasoned as I'd like, so I added my own salt and lemon juice, but I would much rather have it that way than too salty. Overall, I'd say the food is just okay, not great. If you're in the area, it might be worth a try, but I wouldn't go out of your way. It is, however, a peaceful place to sit: you can just stare at the big, fancy boats, listen to the lapping water, and imagine yourself back out on the waves...instead of back at work (wahh-wahhh...sad trombone sound).

Kingston's Clam Bar
130 Atlantic Avenue
West Sayville, NY 11796
(631) 589-0888