The Land of no Sweet Tea: Day 2

My second day on Long Island was really nice. It started off with trying a bialy. Something I did not know existed but definitely going to see if I can find them somewhere when I get home. If you don’t know what a bialy is, it is half bagel and half English muffin. The bottom is the English muffin and the top half is an onion bagel. However they are their own thing and different than an actual bagel. Bagels are boiled before baking so they have that shiny outside. Bialys are just baked, so they are not shiny looking and don’t poof up like a bagel, bialys are rather flat. It was really good. I tried it toasted with some butter and honey (I have been told they go well with butter, cream cheese, or just plain). The honey might not have been the best choice with the oniony flavor, but it was still good. Anyone have any recommendations for other yummy bialy toppings?

Pre-cut bialy

After the bialy lunch we went out and about. Had early dinner plans so only had a few hours to explore. Decided to explore around the Ocean Parkway on Jones Beach Island.

First stop was this little ice covered dock. It was cool to see the ice caked over a boat dock. Took a few pictures there before continuing down the parkway. The second area we stopped to check out was called Cedar Overlook Beach. This was a nice area. It had a beautifully done 9/11 memorial walk in a little area right off the beach. After wandering there for a while we moved on to the Richard L. Brooks Memorial Park. This was just a small little beach area. Had a view of the Fire Island Inlet Bridge off in the distance. The little beach was a curious area for me because the beach was covered in pebbles and glass, could barely see any of the sand. This is very different than any of the beaches I have ever been to which were either powdery sand or very shelly. The last area we stopped on the parkway was Captree State Park. This was a cool area with great views of a lot of the local fishing charter boats and ferry boats. Walked along the captree fishing pier as well.

The Captree Fishing Pier

(Cell Phone Quality Picture)

The Ocean Parkway had a lot to offer but I didn’t have time to see it all. In the spring and summer the restaurants would all be open and I imagine their seafood would be really fresh and delicious. Maybe one day I’ll be able to make it back out this way when everything is open for the season. There were various playgrounds and a golf course as well. A little of everything for everyone.

A cool Fishing Christmas tree found in the Captree Boat Basin. All ornaments are various fishing lures and bobbers.

(Cell Phone Quality Picture)

Had early dinner reservations for a local fancier steak house called George Martin’s Strip Steak. Dark ambiance lit by little candles (nice but also made reading the menu a little difficult). They start you off with a lovely assortment of breads. I was very partial to the yummy pretzel rolls. As an appetizer we had a lobster, fontina, and crab fondu with little grilled ciabatta bread chips to dip. It was really delicious and my only complaint was there were not enough bread chips. For the main course I had the smokey sweet braised short ribs. They came with a street corn demi glace, ancho chili crema, crispy onions on a bed of mashed potatoes. For dessert had a creme brûlée cheesecake. All around was a fantastic meal and because of that I ate far too much. Definitely no regrets.

It was a great day and I look forward to heading out to Robert Moses State Park and to the lighthouse tomorrow.

~The next few blogs will be continuation of my explorations of Long Island. Please follow along with me.

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