It was a beautiful day out this weekend, so we wanted to have lunch with a view. We headed to The Point Lookout Clam Bar located in Point Lookout. We know that was a stretch to figure it out. For those unaware, Point Lookout is a quaint looking town at the end of the Loop Parkway. It has a great beach vibe. There a few restaurants on the water and in town.
Point Lookout Calm Bar is on the inlet so you have people docking their boats and coming for lunch or dinner. There is also a small beach for kids to play around. The views of the water are well worth a trip out to Point Lookout!!
As to the restaurant, you have to go inside and order at the counter. Typically, there is a line so you have the opportunity to decide what you want prior to getting to the front. You then grab table and they bring the food to you. They provide a beeper which you place on the table so they are to locate you. It is pretty efficient. The food is the classic seafood shop. They have soups, lobster rolls and fish options.
We decided to go with a Manhattan Clam Chowder, which I am sucker for. I basically try it at every restaurant that offers it on the menu. Most tend to disappoint since the broth is a challenging one. Point Lookout Clam Bar had one of the best Manhattan Clam Chowders that I have had in a long time.
This Manhattan Clam Chowder started with a great tomato-based broth that had a good balance of acidity from the tomatoes, sweetness, and savory notes from clam juice, vegetables, and herbs. Then they added in potatoes and fresh clams along with carrots, celery and peppers. Their clam chowder was meal unto itself. This was the highlight of our meal.
We then order the Blackened Shrimp Roll and a Grilled Tuna Taco. The Blackened Shrimp Roll was served on a hot dog roll. This item looked really good. Unfortunately, it was bland and overcooked. I am still surprised that a blackened dish could be so bland. This was the most disappointing dish that we had.
The Grilled Tuna Taco was also bland and overcooked. I just did not understand how you can serve a taco so bland. There is the seasoning that you get for either a Tex Mex taco or a Fish Taco? I recognize that I should be partially at fault since I should not have ordered a taco and non-Mexican restaurant.
After the soup, we were disappointed in the food options. It just reinforced my belief that it is really hard to find a restaurant on the water that has good food. Most restaurants with these water views just coast on that and serve mediocre food. It is so sad that we live on an island that is hard to find good food.
The only restaurants that have delivered on both good food and good views are the Lakehouse in Bay Shore and Dirty Taco in Port Washington.