We arrive at Silver Sands just before 6 p.m. on a misty Friday evening in January, the red and turquoise neon motel sign casting a soft glow over the parking lot — which is surprisingly full.
As owner Alex Perros leads us along a dark path to The Boathouse, it feels like he is letting us in on a little secret. But as soon as the door swings open and we step inside, it quickly becomes clear that the secret is most definitely out.
A super soft opening
The Boathouse at Silver Sands opened last fall with little fanfare and no marketing plan, yet, it has quickly become a locals’ living room, defying the usual winter hibernation of the North Fork.
“This is all locals … people here that want to participate, that want something new,” Perros tells me over the energetic buzz of conversation around the room. “Quite frankly, there’s not been a lot of new opening[s].”
Housed in a restored, century-old structure on the working waterfront, the space has been thoughtfully preserved and transformed into something equal parts wood, warmth and welcome. The walls are lined with authentic buoys and lobster traps, all found items from the property. During the renovation, a refrigeration repairman recognized a buoy hanging on the wall that belonged to his grandfather.
A giant sail hangs on another wall, serving as a projector screen for old movies (tonight’s choice: Pulp Fiction). Perros restored the original, 1930s “Silver Beach Houses” sign he found in the attic.
Opposite the entrance stands a large wooden bar salvaged from Porky’s, a Greenport hot spot in the 1950s and ‘60s (the current location of the Lin Beach House.) The tables are communal, encouraging guests to share space (and play board games) with their neighbors, fueling a lively atmosphere that is already in full swing as we arrive our table.
Hospitality over transactions
From the time he purchased the historic property, it was important to Perros to provide a year-round retreat. But to do that successfully in a seasonal location like the North Fork, a strategy for repeat business is essential.
“They need to see familiar faces,” Perros says. “You don’t get that if you close for six months … It just becomes transactions, and to us there’s a lot more than just transactions.”
The motel’s main restaurant, Nookies, is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, with dinner service Wednesday through Saturday. It is a commitment, but a necessary one in Perros’ eyes. Since Nookies transforms into a chef-driven dining room in the evening, it was important that The Boathouse feel different enough not to cannibalize it.
For executive chef Finn O’Hara, the new space solves a major problem: keeping a talented summer team employed year-round. He says it allows the staff to “blossom” and take ownership of a menu during the quiet months.
“I have really great team members and we run these huge restaurants in the summer. I don’t want to lose this team,” O’Hara says. “So to open another thing that can give us space to expand … I would open five more if I could.”
The menu
The Boathouse menu is a departure from the refined plates at Nookies, though it retains the DNA of the property’s al fresco, seasonal oyster bar, Eddie’s.
For The Boathouse, O’Hara says, “we thought, okay, fun, approachable … lots of sandwiches, lots of fun, crispy fried snacks … and then lots of special and featured dishes in between.”
The 27-year-old chef draws inspiration from both the waterfront location and his local seafood purveyor, Southold Fish Market. A bright scallop crudo arrives at our table dressed with a green apple salad, smoked trout roe, and black sesame.
“Charlie, the owner [of Southold Fish Market], just texted me. He’s like, ‘Hey, we have amazing scallops.’ Great. We’ll do something with it tonight,” O’Hara says.
Diners can also order freshly shucked “Darlings” and “Rascals,” which are signature oysters harvested from the on-site Pipes Cove Oyster Farm. The 15-acre underwater lot is located just 200 feet from shore and was founded in 2000 by the motel’s previous owner, Ed Jurzenia. It is now the largest oyster farm in New York State, filtering roughly 150 million gallons of water a day.
On this particular evening, the oysters are dressed with fresh grapefruit, a house-made gooseberry vinegar, and fermented Fresno hot sauce. On Saturdays, the kitchen features “East Coast Oyster Flights” that take diners on a tasting tour from Virginia to Canada. Sundays and Mondays are Neapolitan wood-fired pizza nights, extending the popular summer program from Eddie’s.
But the dish on almost every table this Friday evening is an unmistakable North Fork icon: the McCall’s burger and fries.
Winter burger night
Spend enough time on the North Fork, and you will eventually find yourself at McCall Wines for one of their famous burger nights. During the summer season, visitors sit outside on Thursday and Friday evenings looking at the vines while sipping Pinot Noir and eating beef raised on the family’s Cutchogue farm.
The McCall’s herd began with Charolais cattle, a French breed known for size and muscle, imported in 2010. However, after their first harvest in 2012, local culinary legend Chef Gerry Hayden of the North Fork Table noted the meat was a little too lean, recalls Brewster McCall, who manages the vineyard and ranch
“It was a couple years later that I was chatting with Kurt Beecher Dammeier (of Beechers Handmade Cheese) about his herd of Wagyu, and it hit me like a lightning bolt,” he said. “What a perfect cross it could be: Wagyu/Charolais.”
As for burger night, it “started with Russ and a grill at the tasting room,” he said, referring to his [vineyard owner father, and has evolved into the farm buying its own mobile food truck and expanding to two days a week. Over the years, the summer tradition has developed somewhat of a cult following.
“I think people really love having a connection to their food and wine,” the younger McCall says. “The whole idea was to keep it farmstead. Beef and wines served at the source … our guests appreciated the authentic and low-key experience.”
Perros saw an opportunity to continue that experience in the winter while McCall’s is closed to the public, a move that benefits both businesses. Perros and the McCalls have become friends over the years, so the Silver Sands owner invited the family in to check out the new space.
“It was actually at this table that we hatched the idea,” Perros says. “Honestly, over a bottle of [McCall’s] wine.”
The McCalls instantly loved the concept.
“We have so much faith in Chef Finn and the whole team at Silver Sands,” McCall says. “Their desire to carry on with the vibe of our burger nights — down to the ingredients, plating, and pricing — made it a natural match.”
From a chef’s perspective, O’Hara isn’t one to mess with perfection.
“We don’t want to step on toes. We want to honor their burger,” O’Hara says. “And their burger is insanely simple. It’s salt and pepper, a piece of cheddar cheese between a bun, and that’s it. It’s all about the beef.”
The locals’ living room
As the night goes on, the volume in the room ticks up a notch, but the vibe remains communal.
“That guy right there, that’s David, our concierge. David’s an old butcher,” Alex says, pointing out a man holding court near the bar. “David probably brings more people here than I do.”
For Perros and O’Hara, the McCall’s collaboration isn’t just about selling burgers in the off-season; it is about proving that the North Fork doesn’t have to turn into a ghost town in January. By blurring the lines between a hotel amenity and a community dive bar, they have created a cozy destination where the lights stay on even when the rest of the town goes dark.
Come summer, the space will transform again. The doors will open up to the water, and the menu will shift to a more limited, walk-in-only format to accommodate the beach crowds. But for now, amidst the mist and the chill of a quiet winter, The Boathouse has managed to do the impossible: give the locals a reason to leave the house.
“I’m more humbled than surprised,” Finn says as he scans the full room. “I really appreciate that people come out in mid-January … it’s full and people are happy.”
Jaymee Sire is an Emmy Award-winning TV host, writer, and North Fork resident. She hosts the Webby Award-winning podcast “Food Network Obsessed” and appears as a judge on several Food Network shows, including “Beat Bobby Flay.” She documents the local food scene for the North Fork Sun alongside her partner and photographer, Justin Aharoni.