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Updated: September 3, 2009, 4:56 pm	Share    Print    Email

Dining al fresco at those off the beaten track places are one of the finer pleasures of the post-season season. Photos by Christine Bellini

Southampton - Looking to stretch the Summer a bit into the brilliant afternoons of September, dining al fresco far off the beaten path of this year's trendy hot spots? How does the idea of fresh lobster right off the boat, steamed and cracked at the foot of Fort Pond Bay in Montauk grab you? Or stealing away for a delicious lunch dockside tucked behind a boatyard on the Shinnecock Canal? Here's a quick guide to our favorite hidden spots that offer up the freshest local seafood without the fuss and hype of more expensive locales, now that the crowds are gone and you can enjoy the view.

The chilled seafood salad at the Canal Cafe is a winner.

Our first stop in our travels is just west of the Shinnecock Canal. Tucked behind a flank of boatyards on Newtown Road in Hampton Bays is the Canal Cafe (631-723-2155). Quickly becoming a not-so-secret hot spot, you'll forgive the bustle once you sit down overlooking the docks and order up a cocktail. The service is cheery and welcoming, the decor appropriately lighthearted and the fare clean, fresh and down right tasty.

At a table of four, we ordered three appetizer plates and a customary fried clam roll and fries (which were killer). Although the fried clams received a hearty endorsement, it was the Seared Sea Scallops served on a bed of black beans and corn, topped with ancho chili maranade ($12) and the Chilled Seafood Salad, chock-a-block with calamari, shrimp, and scallops in a lemon basil tomato vinegrette ($16) that stole the day. This was perhaps the most perfect seafood salad we had ever eaten - a perfect blend of fresh, tender dollops dressed to bring out the flavor of each morsel.

Sag Harbor bound? You'll be glad to no longer have to wait an hour to nab a table at The Dockside (26 Bay Street, 631-725-7100), by far the most reliable eatery favored by locals all year round, and of course the hungry tourists come the high season. These folks have served up the house favorite, a baked fresh herb and crumb crusted cod ($22) with lemon beurre blanc, sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes, to the multitudes. Looking to sample a lighter plate? Try the lobster and avocado spring rolls ($14) served up with a sesame ginger dipping sauce or the Mussels Milano ($16.50) featuring Prince Edward Island mussels sautéed with dry vermouth, crisp pancetta, roasted garlic, dressed in butter with basil and garlic toast points. They won't disappoint. Of late I've become particularly enamored with the Brick Pressed Free-Range Chicken, served as a french cut half chicken with preserved lemon, on a bed of sautéed pea shoots. It's clean and neat, offering just the right amount of savory chicken to satisfy without tipping the scales.

Duryea's Lobster Deck - quintessential no-fuss no-muss seafood dining at its best.

Heading further east? Here's the best kept secret of all - Duryea's Lobster Deck (631-668-2410). Out past the trendy Surf Lodge and before you kick yourself for not putting your name on the list (again) at Dave's Grill, take a left turn off Edgemere Road just after the train station and follow Tuthill Road to the whitewashed warehouse and seafood market with the simple red sign that sits like a beacon at the edge of Fort Pond Bay.

Go ahead, treat yourself to a Duryea lobster roll before they button up for the season.

If you've come this far, you've come for unadulterated lobster, shrimp, scallops and clams - served up picnic style with a baked potato or ear of corn. No linen tables and no roof over your head. This is a roll up your sleeves kind of place where steamed lobsters, little necks and mussels rule. Try the New England Clam Chowder, cup or bowl, it's worth it ($5.75/$6.75). Not into doing all the work yourself? The Lobster Salad Roll ($18.25) works. But true aficionados ought to go for it and order up the 2-Claw steamed pound-and-a-quarter Montauk original ($29.95) and have at it. You can of course, take them home fresh and give a go at steaming them yourselves, but then you miss out on the great view and have to the clean-up yourselves.

We're heading into some of the best weather of the season when the village streets return to an inviting pace, nudging the crowd-weary out of their backyards and into the marketplace - a gentle invitation to experience the fruits of Summertime before the Fall air turns chilly.