David Girard, the guy who made Buoy One in Riverhead one of the Island’s more interesting fish places (it leads a double life as both fish market and restaurant) is leasing a marina restaurant-bar at Island Boatyard on Shelter Island. The space has lain idle for at least a year, said Girard, who has his work cut out for him. At any rate, he hopes to open mid-July. It sounds awfully scenic--a patio and an upper deck overlooking the boats and the water.
So who’ll be minding the Riverhead store when the owner is shucking clams and searing tuna out on Shelter Island? Girard couldn’t say enough good things about his sous chef, Balthazar Cano, who started out with him as a dishwasher and learned to cut and cook fish like a pro.
--Joan Reminick
Aerial photo of Island Marina © 2006 marinas.com