Dining Out visits The Beacon

The philosophy about augmenting the dining experience at the Beacon in Sag Harbor goes something like this: There is no need for live music, because the sunsets and food offer enough delights for the senses and are entertainment enough.

“Rain or shine, we have incredible views,” owner David Loewenberg said in a recent interview. Even recent lightning storms provided their own kind of beauty and diners were reminded they were really on an island, he added.

Not only do the views add to and help define the ambiance, but the owner said The Beacon is “comfortable, convivial, casual and the food is fantastic.”

There are only nine tables on the deck, so it’s understandable that nice weather brings a line out the door. But patrons can get a drink at the bar or just sit or stand in the furnished outside waiting area and take in the scenery. And there are tables inside as well. “We want people to relax,” Mr. Loewenberg said, “and be happy.”

The site of a former bar over the marina called Force Ten, the building then housed the Sunset Grill and, more recently, Water Street Café before The Beacon opened in 1999.

Mr. Loewenberg also owns Fresno in East Hampton with co-owner Michael Nolan and Red Bar Brasserie in Southampton with partner Kirk Basnight. He said all his restaurants have a “European sensibility.”

He met Beacon chef and partner Sam McCleland 18 years ago, although the two didn’t start working together right away. “He makes me feel like I work half a day,” Mr. Loewenberg said. Mr. McCleland trained at Johnson and Wales culinary school and has prepared meals at such restaurants as Nick and Toni’s in East Hampton and 95 School Street in Bridgehampton. He has also worked as a chef on yachts in the Caribbean, but more recently has settled down in Colorado and spends his summer seasons working at The Beacon, where he has been for nine seasons now.

The menu at The Beacon takes accents from other cultures, but the owner calls the cuisine “regional American.”

“We use fresh and tasteful flavors while utilizing as fresh of a product as we can,” Mr. Loewenberg said, noting that the tuna is caught in local waters.

The menu begins with “starters” that range in price from $9 to $14 and include tuna tartare with capers, whole grain mustard, cucumber, red curry paste and mixed greens; watermelon and arugula salad with shaved fennel, toasted walnuts and cranberry vinaigrette; and cherry wood-smoked duck, bacon and goat cheese puffs with cilantro dipping sauce.

The steamed mussels “Beacon Style,” with garlic, white wine, lemon-thyme, cream and tomatoes is a popular appetizer that Mr. Loewenberg called a “Beacon classic.”

He described the popular lobster rigatoni entrée as an “adult mac ’n’ cheese” that includes aged cheddar, roasted corn, basil and cream for $29. Another signature dish, he said, is the sesame-crusted tuna with Napa cabbage-jicama slaw and an Asian glaze for $33. The owner said if these dishes where ever taken off the menu, regular patrons would not be pleased.

Other entrées include, among others, a grilled sirloin burger with pommes frites, lettuce, red onion and homemade pickles for $18; halibut baked in parchment with sun-dried tomatoes, tatsoi and toasted Israeli couscous for $29; oven-roasted chicken with julienne carrots, braised shallots and smoked bacon-pecorino risotto for $26; and a grilled NY strip steak with boursin butter tomato, arugula and pommes frites for $39.

The Beacon’s ice cream sandwich with house-made chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream is a popular dessert.

“Everyone has a different way of eating it; the dessert will make you feel like a kid again,” Mr. Loewenberg said.

All desserts are $9 and $10, including flourless chocolate cake with crème anglaise; maple crème brûlée with fresh berries; carrot cake with sweet carrot slaw; almond cake with mascarpone cream; Tahitian vanilla, caramel or Swiss chocolate ice cream; and champagne peach sorbet.

Lunch is served Thursday through Monday from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The midday menu features appetizer and dessert options from the dinner menu, but the entrées list contains new items that range from $16 to $22.

Lunch entrées include a blackened flounder sandwich with house-made remoulade and crispy chips on ciabatta bread; the Beacon Cubano sandwich with slow roasted pork, black forest ham, swiss cheese, homemade pickles and mustard; pressed panini with vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and pesto; grilled flatbread of the day served with a baby arugula salad; and the grilled fish of the day with haricots verts, heirloom tomatoes and raspberry vinaigrette.

A popular special on the lunch menu, the owner said, is the Beacon lobster roll, consisting of lobster meat tossed in a light mayo dressing with basil and tarragon served on a potato bun with house-made chips and Asian slaw.

The Beacon

8 West Water Street, Sag Harbor; 725-7088

Thursday through Monday, 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Sunday through Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 to 11 p.m.

Mastercard, Visa and American Express

No reservations

Not handicapped accessible