Public dining spaces become sparse on Fire Island’s west end once you pass Kismet and before you get to Ocean Beach. For this reason, Fair Harbor’s Le Dock has become something of an oasis. Under the guidance of Michael Miller, Lance Nash, and Russell LeScala it has come into its own now under their partnership for seven summers.
And if one takes advantage of their outdoor café style dining, perhaps no establishment on Fire Island can offer a view quite as sublime.
The proprietors are not shy. Mike and Lance mingled freely at the tables chatting and catching up. Of course, Mike ran a pizzeria in Ocean Beach for many years before relocating to his Fair Harbor headquarters. He maintains the small take-out pizza parlor to the rear side of the establishment, so he never wanders too far from his roots.
The menu, while concise, covers all bases – fish, poultry, and beef. They even have a children’s menu for the younger patrons.
For starters, we went with salads. Le Dock has epically beautiful salads and vegetarians will not find themselves wanting if they dine here. My friend went with the Caesar salad, and I chose the Greek Horiatiki salad, which I have been thinking about ever since. It was a Greek salad without lettuce, but chock-full of grape tomatoes, olives, peppers, red onion, and cucumber blended in perfect harmony, with a generous helping of feta cheese.
While Le Dock’s reputation is largely built on fish and seafood, neither of us felt like having fish that night. She ordered the Le Dock cheddar burger with bacon, sautéed onion, and mushrooms on a brioche roll. I keep a mental note to remember where one can get a decent burger on Fire Island. Now I know that Le Dock is one of them and will add it to the list.
I looked at our waiter, who happened to be Mike’s son Gavin, and asked him about the Korean fried chicken.
“Oh, it’s good,” he said with a smile. “But spicy.”
It was spicy. That Gochujang sauce is powerful stuff. However, served with soba noodles, sesame seed garnish, and seared bok choy it was a satisfying dish that did not overpower the palette.
That said, I did order ice cream for dessert to cool down the fire in my mouth. I’m glad I did, because I discovered their ice cream served with fresh fruit may well be the sleeper hit on Le Dock’s dessert menu. Those two heaping scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream served on a bed of berries were like the nectar of the gods.
The weather started to threaten rain toward the end of our visit, but if you have to eat indoors, Le Dock’s inside atmosphere is also pleasant. It is worth mentioning that their compound also includes the liquor store next door which has an excellent curated selection of fine wines. Private party seating for large groups within the liquor store is possible with reservations.
It is also important to note that Le Dock offers one more thing to make that dining experience special – a free water taxi ride home! Present your dinner receipt to the Fire Island Water Taxi crew and your trip back home will be covered. This offer is good from Sunday to Friday evenings within the communities of Fire Island Pines through Ocean Beach.
Le Dock also offers catering services from Ocean Bay Park to Kismet. They have live music nights and other entertainment with regularity, making this not only a place of fine dining but one in which neighbors can gather together and enjoy.
