East End Eats: Ruschmeyer's

SHERIDAN SANSEGUNDO

Ruschmeyer's
161 Second House Road
Montauk
668-2877
Open every day for dinner.

If you're a Montauker, then you know Ruschmeyer's, and you know how to find it. But if you're not, then get directions before you set out, because "off the beaten track" is the word here.

But once you find the place, perched on a hill looking east across Fort Pond, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Ruschmeyer's used to be a not-very-attractive purveyor of heavy and unsubtle food, but both the building and the menu have undergone a transformation.

The dining room is now a delightful airy space with spectacular wood-and-steel trussed beams. Walls have been removed, making the attractive bar, lounge, and dining room all part of one open area. And the evening view across the pond is a delight, even if there is an electricity substation on the far side.

Starters Included

Tables are large and well spaced and you don't have to shout to make yourself heard. The service is good, the presentation of food attractive, the wine list ample and reasonable, with only one choice over $40 and a good selection of wines by the glass. There's a children's play area outside.

We tried two appetizers, but the drill at Ruschmeyer's is that the price of an entree (from $15 to $20) includes selections from a salad and appetizer bar.

On the evening we were there, this meant that you could start with a bowl of soup, then have a plateful (or two platefuls since they were exceptionally plump and good) of mussels, and then a salad of your choice.

Chicken With Bite

One of us abstemiously stuck to a plain green salad. Others sampled tomatoes in a delicate dressing or a really excellent cucumber and dill salad -the thin slices had been left with part of the rind, so they remained a little crisp. More than one of us sneaked back for more of those mussels. The barley soup was pretty utilitarian, but, hey . . .

The generous appetizers we tried were skewers of chicken satay and a melted brie concoction. The chicken was a smidgen overcooked but otherwise very good. It had just a ghost of a hot bite to it and the excellent peanut sauce was a little more complex than most.

The melted brie dish was rather too much of a good thing. There was a foundation of garlic toast, topped with red peppers, then melted brie, then thinly sliced apples, then a honey mustard sauce. Any combination of two was delicious, but put them all together and the flavors got swamped.

More Like It!

Obviously, being in easy reach of the docks, fish dishes are a safe bet anywhere in Montauk. The striped bass in a cornmeal crust was great, especially as it came on top of a wonderful concoction of crushed avocado and corn. This time the chef was adventurous and pulled it off.

When it came to the penne with broccoli and tuna, the computer crashed. It didn't look very appetizing, anyway, but the tuna had turned to little India rubber nuggets and we had to request that it be returned to the kitchen and put out of its misery.

The remorseful chef thereupon sent out a dish of sea scallops with corn, mushrooms, and a sauce that had a hint of sesame in it. That was more like it! It came accompanied with excellent mashed spuds and an interesting seaweed salad.

Angry Crabs

A separate paragraph here to say that the accompanying side dishes of spinach and mashed potatoes with scallions, often a mere afterthought, couldn't have been improved upon.

Another exciting dish was Angry Soft Shelled Crabs, where the spidery little critters were rolled in a hot peppery coating. This, too, is a dish that works, though on this occasion the intense crab flavor was lacking, which I don't feel was any fault of the kitchen.

A rather old-fashioned dish of stuffed shrimp rolled in bacon and then placed on a bed of mashed potatoes and served au gratin was delicious.

Not surprisingly, no one was really up to dessert, though we did try the chocolate mousse cake. It was chocolaty, it was moussy, but I didn't faint with joy.

The menu at Ruschmeyer's is adventurous, though the chef's enthusiasm occasionally runs away with him and he adds one ingredient too many. But what we're talking about here is a comfortable, attractive place with a charming view, that offers soup, salad, mussels, and an imaginative, prettily served entree for $20 or less ($15.95 if you're an early bird).

In these days of $30 entrees, that's a find.