BY RICHARD JAY SCHOLEM As seen in Long Island Pulse Magazine, syndicated with Publisher's Permission. Long Island, with hundreds of miles of coastline, has precious few waterfront restaurants. What is there is often beyond the financial reach of most diners. Low and middle priced seaside restaurants are virtually nonexistent, no doubt due to the exorbitant cost of a property that fronts the water or even has water views. But there are exceptions. fatfish Bar & Bistro in Bay Shore is one. Tucked into the end of out-of-the-way Cottage Avenue in an area of marinas and boatyards on the Great South Bay, it's the sort of laid back, relaxing spot that should dot Long Island but doesn't. It's a casual, shorts and t-shirt kind of place, a use-your-fingers, by-the-sea spot with an expansive deck, a canal side bar, an indoor dining room and a small tap room. The covered deck (that most patrons choose) is sufficiently sheltered from foul weather so that it's almost always available. You get the idea. fatfish is a jovial, sometimes rollicking eating place, a scene of sorts with loud, live music from the bar filling the air, waitresses in t-shirts scurrying about, happy families seated at the bare, marble tables, Monday night lobster fests, good bread and garlicky olives. Located near the Fire Island Ferry, it offers many golden oldie seafood favorites including steamers, shrimp, scallops, mussels, lobster, seafood bisque, clams, oysters and fish cakes. Surprisingly, the menu at fatfish lists even more "from the land" than "from the sea" entres. Flat fish are especially scarce at fatfish. There were but two: A bronzini sea bass filet and an excellent Toscana black grouper in a vibrant white wine sauce with a whole fresh artichoke accompanied by roasted red potato and a char grilled vegetable salad. Other main courses sampled were a hearty, husky 16-ounce pork chop with a wrap of pancetta atop Port wine butter sauce with tasty bacon and leek potato rsti and a high, thick porterhouse veal chop la Greque packed with minerally flavor and enhanced by its wild mushroom sauce, garlic and lemon olive oil add-ons. Mussel and clam linguine on the other hand needed more sauce and shellfish and less pasta. Two tapas starters batted .500, four jumbo shrimp in a crackly beer batter with a mayo dip were first-class, but two of four meat-filled empanadas were cold at their core. Appealing appetizers included crisp surfaced salmon and cod fishcakes; crusty, just slightly sweet garlic shrimp; a soothing steamed clam special; and rich bisque laced with shellfish that came to life when salted. There were no letdowns at dessert. An intense, flourless chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce; a delicate vanilla ice cream stuffed crepe; classic apple tarte tartin; and a banana toffee cheese cake draped with rum chocolate sauce all sent four smiling diners home. fatfish Bar & Bistro 28 Cottage Ave Bay Shore, NY 11706 631-666-2899 ----------

As seen in Long Island Pulse Magazine, syndicated with Publisher's Permission. Long Island Pulse brings you the best of Long Island Restaurants, Entertainment & Lifestyles in a dynamic full color magazine. LI Pulse Magazine features reviews of Long Island's finest restaurants, articles and recipes from some of the culinary masters, things to do and "hot spots" across Long Island, New York. Copies of the magazine are available by subscription. Click here to get your FREE ISSUE of the Magazine.