NYC 2025 – Port Jefferson New York

On Wednesday morning we left Essex Connecticut and made the straight run 50 miles to Port Jefferson New York.

The Port Jefferson Harbor is a little confusing.

It’s a no-wake zone through the breakwater. If you proceed on the east side of the harbor, the speed limit is 5 MPH all the way to the downtown docks. According to the Dockmaster, if you stay on the west side of the harbor, there is a section with a 30 MPH speed limit.

I learned this because the ferry Long Island passed me as I crawled into the harbor.

We are docked at the Danforth Hotel and Marina. Docking was tricky. The fairway to the slip was so narrow that I had to back all the way in. The slip we’re in is only about 35’ long.

By the time we sorted through the power issues, it was 12:30 and time to head into town for lunch.

Prohibition Port Jefferson

Port Jefferson is loaded with little hole-in-the-wall bar & grills. They all look funky from the outside and only Yelp could help me identify the most promising one.

The first sign we were in the right place was the extensive blackboard of craft beers on tap.

Our server suggested the Montauk Juicy and since I’d never had it before, I went with it.

Great color and not too juicy.

Mrs. Horne saw Sweet Potato Fries on the menu and kicked off the great debate about whether or not they were any healthier than regular fries.

After extensive online research, we concluded that sweet potato fries are only healthier if you have a vitamin A deficiency or you need more fiber in your diet!

I generally prefer dirty (white potato) fries, but Prohibition’s Sweet Potato Fries beat out their pedestrian whites.

I was torn between the Kung Pao Cauliflower and the Ribs. I asked the server how wet the ribs were and she said “I can have the chef go light on the sauce.”

That’s all I needed to hear. I chose the ribs, light on sauce, and extra sauce on the side.

They were extremely well executed. The outside was dry, but flavorful, the inside was moist and done to fall-off-the-bone perfection. There were six fat ribs and I could only eat four.

Not only was everyone’s lunch delicious, but the prices and portions were an incredible value for a seaside eatery on Long Island.

The Village

Despite the 90° temperature, we took a stroll down Main Street and did a little shopping.

It’s a decent downtown with several women’s clothing stores, bars, and ice cream shops.

Kind of like Oak Bluffs and little more hokey than Essex Village.

The Black Pearl

The Black Pearl is located inside the Danforth Hotel and some of the tables are actually on the marina dock. It is also the #1 restaurant on Yelp.

You enter through a hip bar and step down to a very inviting waterfront dining room.

The service was prompt and before they brought our drinks, they set out a beautiful bread service.

The bread was great, the butter was soft, and the roasted garlic was a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, it wasn’t roasted through, so it didn’t have the mushy spreadability.

Despite this miss, it was still a first-class bread service (I did tell the server just to give the kitchen a “heads up.”)

The food was all respectable. The presentation was a little lame, and the melted bleu cheese had the texture one might find on a pizza.

That said, the steak was cooked and seasoned perfectly.

It’s funny how they got the hard parts right and stumbled on the easy stuff.

Overall, the crew was happy with the meal and the service was outstanding!

We were also happy that the passing shower ended and the sun came out before we walked back to the boat.

Thursday Biking

Peter discovered a bike trail Northeast of the marina, so we set off for it.

We started up East Broadway and it was a mistake. It was very steep, had no bike lane, and lots of cars were driving too fast. I opened Apple Maps and saw a better route via Thompson Street and we took it.

It too was steep at first, but it was a nice country road and almost no cars.

After about twenty minutes we reached the trail…

The pavement was smooth, but it’s pretty much entirely under power lines.

The Sad State of American Parenting

A few miles in we were about to pass a young family coming the other way when two gas-powered dirt bikes roared by us going 60 miles an hour.

The wife was pushing a baby in a baby carriage and two kids who looked three and five were walking near the middle of the path. The dirt bikes missed the toddlers by 1-2 feet.

A thousand feet up the path, one of the bikes stalled.

Peter and I stopped and said “Are you an idiot? Didn’t you see the small children on the path?”

All the dipshit could say was “Whaaat…”

His dipshit friend came back to see him.

I screamed “Smarten up you idiots before you kill someone.”

We enjoyed our run for another hour when another biker gang appeared. They were too young to shave – maybe 12 years old.

This time Mrs. Horne let them have it…

The one closest started mixing it up with her while I kept shooting photos of the rest.

“I’m taking your photos, we’re reporting you to the police and they’ll call your parents.”

All but the one giving Mrs. Horne lip turned and ran…

Then the king dipshit said to Mrs. Horne “The police won’t do anything and neither will our parents.”

Then he turned and took off down the road doing 60 MPH.

As we rode back to town, we passed a police car and Mrs. Horne flagged him down.

This is when we realized just how sad parenting in America has become:

• He said if they’re under 18 there’s nothing he can do.
• He said the parents don’t care (what kind of parent would buy a 12-year-old a high-speed dirt bike and have no idea what they’re doing on it all day?)
• He said they do it to get adults to scream at them and then they video it for TikTok and YouTube.
• He also said there had been several accidents and some kids had been badly injured.

It’s sad that these kids had already become human excrement at the age of 12, but it’s hard to blame them for being so disrespectful.

My question is – what kind of parents raise kids this way?

BARITO

We built up a good appetite on our 20-mile ride. I was hankering for something different than what’s on the menus in most of the seaside eateries we frequent – perhaps Mexican!

A quick trip to Yelp revealed a decent (3.6 stars) Mexican Joint on Main Street.

It’s up a flight of stairs and I was a little taken aback when we walked into a completely empty dining room. But the bartender was pleasant and it was after 1:00 on Thursday with rain in the forecast, so what the hell?

They had three different cocktail menus, so it was clear this was not going to be an IPA day.

I immediately removed the big jalapeño and put it in a safe place where it could do no harm. Other than that, it was perfectly spicy.

The food was also very good. Peter ordered the Barbacoa and that was a home run.

The beef was totally broken down and full of flavor.

I considered a Taco Salad, but went for the Carnitas Taco instead.

My first bite was rather so-so. It was dry and rather than cilantro, they had added green onions. I stole some of Peter’s Crema Mexicana, Pico De Gallo, and Salsa Roja and quickly upgraded them to decent.

Just as we were leaving the forecast rain arrived and we trudged home with no umbrellas.

We were soaked when we got back to the boat and quickly decided to cancel our dinner reservations and break out the Strategic Leftover Reserve for dinner.

The Strategic Leftover Reserve

As I’ve mentioned before, the crew on Amazing Grace eats well, eats often, but we seldom finish our dinners.

Most people would stuff their leftover boxes in the refrigerator for a few days and then toss them – but not me!

While our leftovers are still hot, I decide which can be instantly frozen and returned to a tasty meal later, and toss the rest.

If they can’t be frozen, I don’t bother bringing them home (hence the Strategic) otherwise they go immediately into deep freeze to be resurrected on a cold rainy night.

Dinner Thursday featured Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings from Coop de Ville and Pepperoni, Sausage, and Onion white pizza from Marc Anthony.

We paired this meal with a Shattered Grenache.

My friend Harris introduced me to this great wine years ago. He loved it so much he had his club in California ship it to his home on Nantucket.

We fired up Top Gun Maverick and enjoyed listening to the wind and the rain washing the boat.

Danforth’s Decrepit Docks

Overnight the winds kicked up to 30 knots. I didn’t like the sounds coming from our windward dock lines and upon inspection, I realized Amazing Grace was tearing the flimsy finger pier off its mounts.

While the finger pier looked decrepit, the piling looked new, so I tied the bow cleat directly to the piling.

The more I looked around, the worse the marina looked.

I checked the reviews on Dockwa and found numerous complaints about failing electrical pedestals.

In fact, most were dead and the docks were strewn with patch cords.

One can only imagine what might happen if one of the high-powered extension cords falls in the water.

We were clearly in a slip that was too small for a 100,000-pound boat, but it was worse than that. Danforth’s Marina is on the verge of falling apart.

Understand, this has nothing to do with to dock crew. They are hardworking, knowledgeable, and friendly.

We dug a little further and discovered the entire property was acquired by the TPG Hospitality Group in 2021. The seasonal tenants expected they would invest in a facility upgrade, but after four years they are getting pissed.

Stay tuned…

Friday – Port Jefferson

The rain stopped around 8:00 and the wind was forecast to die around noon, so we took the bikes to town and planned to go find the other bike trail after lunch.

We needed a pumpout and the marina referred us to the town service. They can be hailed on Channel 73, but be advised they only work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (9-5).

Nantucket Port Jefferson

We had planned to eat at Nantucket before the rain hit, so we went there for lunch.

As you might expect it’s a very hip restaurant with multiple levels and dining rooms.

Langonitas is one of those IPAs I hate out of a can and love on tap.

I was juggling a lot of reservations and mixed up Castaway’s website with Nantucket. I thought I’d seen three lamb chops ($26) on the Nantucket website (it was actually Castaways).

As soon as I sat down I said to the server “I came for the lamb and it’s not on the menu.”

She said “Sorry, I can check with the kitchen if you want.”

I said “Sure” and she came back to report they would make them for me.

At this point, I was still expecting the three chops I’d seen on the website.

As soon as my meal showed up I knew I’d made a mistake.

It was a full rack with two dinner portion sides. Oh well, it was very good and the crew helped me eat it all.

After lunch, we took off to find the Setauket Greenway Trail to the south of the harbor.

Peter plotted a route through quiet back roads…

The trail was beautiful!

Smooth elevation changes and plenty of shade…

It ended up being 16 miles.

Mrs. Horne really wanted a Manny Petty and she found a nice spot in town – Shades of Beauty (631) 331-3938.

POSTSCRIPT: Who are their parents?

While we were waiting to get seated, another gang of feral* young children sped up Main Street doing wheelies on dirt bikes.

I couldn’t believe the cop who said “There is nothing I can do,” so I researched it and discovered these dipshits can be arrested for reckless driving (NY VTL 1212) – even under the age of 18.

“A teen driver may be charged as an adult for the crime of reckless driving—even if the driver is under the age of 18. That means that your teenager may be facing confinement in a juvenile detention center, a significant fine, license suspension, and other consequences if he is convicted of reckless driving.”

By the way, they can also be arrested for driving an unregistered vehicle with a driver’s license (NY VTL 509).

Sorry, but their parents are grossly negligent and the cops are wimps.

Swim Across The Sound

A long-time follower of this website reached out to me to tell me he too would be in Port Jefferson.

His name is Kevin and he has a beautiful Back Cove 32.

He stopped by we chatted a bit on the Skydeck.

He couldn’t stay long because he was sponsoring a swimmer in an incredible event called Swim Across The Sound.

The thought of swimming the 13 miles across Long Island Sound is mindboggling. All I can say is GOD BLESS THEM.

Castaways

We visited Castaways for our final night in Port Jefferson.

Let me sum up the night before I get into the details:

1. The food was great.
2. The decor is neither hip nor old school, more Miami Vice.
3. The acoustics in the dining room were horrible.

I began with a glass of Quilt Cabernet.

It was delightful and tasted far richer than its $14 price.

The bread service was perfect.

Large crusty rolls – hot and soft inside, served with soft butter.

Peter ordered the lamb chops I wanted for lunch.

As we were enjoying this incredible spread, a large group joined us in the hokey back dining room.

There were 12 of them and they were having fun, but the dining room was instantly unbearably loud.

98 decibels is well above the level that can cause permanent hearing loss – somewhere between a lawn mower and a live rock concert.

Fortunately, we were nearly done. I got up and did sound tests in other dining rooms.

• The Bar was 80 db.
• The side dining room was 85 db.
• The patio was 75 db

I’d probably go back just for the food, but if I do, I’ll insist on eating on the outside patio.

The walk home was almost mystical…

This morning we started our fourth day in Port Jefferson with a 40-mile run south to Port Washington before landing in Manhattan Monday Morning.

Next Up: Port Washington