A Night in…Patchogue?!

I have to admit I am a bit ignorant of the South shore of LI, but since I have moved back to LI a little over 3 years ago, I have made a point of spending more time there. In my younger days the the south shore of LI meant one thing: Long Beach/Island Park. I worked at places like Paddy Mcgees, Sprats on the water and the Coyote Grill, so that was really what I was familiar with.

Since moving back I have had several great dining experiences in places like Sayville and Babylon, but last night was a first for me in Patchogue. I was out with 2 friends, Lenn and Dan and we started off at Blue Point Brewery, which was definitely not what I expected. Its quite a small room and bar, although the energy in the room is high and in good spirits. Anne Marie the bartender took care of us and walked us through the complimentary tasting, starting with the Golden Ale in these little 4 ounce cups, and took us through the whole process tasting such fun brews as the ‘No Apologies’ Imperial IPA, ‘Old Howling Bastard’ barley wine and my favorite ‘Hoptical Illusion’ American style IPA. The room had a nice mix of people, some wearing frat sweatshirts and others that looked liked they just came back from some pre-spring fishing. We spent about an hour and half sipping and sampling (we had to pour alot out because we were driving) the different ‘hoppy’ concoctions and then we decided to stop by one of the newest craft beer locations on LI, ‘Once and For All’ about a 1/2 mile away on Main St in downtown Patchogue.

This location has a real homey feel and you can tell they are still getting there feet wet but a very nice beer list including one of my absolute favorites: Chimay Triple. Chimay is made by trappist monks in Belgium since 1850, they are famous for their brewing expertise as well as their delicious cheeses. It is an interesting mixed decor with a nice looking bar and metal bar stools. I saw something really cool for the first time it was a ‘Beer Message Board’, it is a chalk board where you can buy your friend a specific beer and leave them a message, how neat! Lenn and Dan both had a version of Sly Fox that slips my memory. About half way through my Chimay I was starting to get real hungry and we had Bobbigue on the schedule which I had heard quite a bit about so I was excited. Sadly, I had to leave half my Chimay because I was driving, but it was still worth ordering, it is so darn good.

Bobbique was great! Atmosphere is fun and lively, there was a live band playing some old blues covers that was decent. You walk in and order right at the front desk, I went with the St. Louis ribs and sides were beans and mac n cheese with corn bread. The ribs were fabulous, moist, juicy and delicious. We had some good service from Sadi, she brought me a small taste of Bulleit bourbon, which was a very nice, smoky choice. Lenn and Dan opted for the Stone IPA and we had good conversations about food, beer, the wonders of fatherhood and life. The sides were ok and the corn bread wasn’t good enough or the birds. Also, I like it in bbq joints when there are 3 or 4 different bbq sauces to try, at our table there was only one and it was pretty good but not great. I will definitely go back to try some other dishes, the menu is stocked with different choices that I would like to explore.

I am really glad that we ended up in Patchogue, it certainly seems like a growing cultural area here on LI where we will have some great choices in food, beer and art in the future. The Patchogue Theater which frames out some other quite interesting architecture in Patchogue, is just across the street from Bobbique, which has some really nice events every month. I think Patchogue is going to become a regular point of destination for me after this most recent experience. Would you like to join me?

- Matt O’Grady, Associate Publisher, canvas Magazine