Rachel’s Restaurant Review

My first experience at Rachel’s Fire Island restaurant followed a night of raucous debauchery centered around Houser’s Hideaway bar. Emerging from Houser’s Fire Island hotel groggy and washed out, squinting my eyes against the morning sun, I stumbled into Rachel’s seeking what every hung-over person needs – a damn good diner-style breakfast. At Rachel’s I found it.

Rachel’s host, sensing the pitiful condition of me and my crew, quickly led us to a table, much like a nurse would usher a sick patient to a chair in the waiting room. Coffee followed soon thereafter, along with an entire carafe of ice water – a welcome panacea to the day-after blues. Rachel’s menu revealed a cornucopia of classic breakfast selections, including omelets, croissants and pastries, pancakes, egg sandwiches, and fresh fruit. I ultimately selected the Southwest Breakfast Burrito . . . a soft flour tortilla densely packed and overstuffed with scrambled eggs, potatoes, peppers, and cheese. Words cannot describe how good this burrito tasted. As the coffee and water continued to flow, I emerged from the hangover stupor, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Thanks, Rachel!

Of steadier body and mind I recently returned, to assess Rachel’s Fire Island restaurant with a deeper perspective than that of a bleary-eyed victim of overindulgence with a jones for a good breakfast. On my return to Rachel’s the deeper I dug, the more well-pleased I became.

Rachel’s is important to the Fire Island community – not so much because it’s been around since 1975, or because it’s a landmark of sorts in Ocean Beach – but because of what it represents. Rachel’s is the reliable, versatile standby that every town should possess – making it all the more valuable for an island town like Ocean Beach. Rachel’s is the place where you can get a top-notch breakfast during dinner hours, if you so desire. Rachel’s is the town bakery, with confections so decadent, they exceed the offerings of mainland bakeries. Rachel’s has a simple burgers-wraps-sandwiches-fries lunch menu, but expands to more exotic international fare for dinner hours. Finally, Rachel’s is a café where you can get an outstanding mocha latte – a godsend for Starbucks junkies who’ve been painfully aware of the lack of green sea goddess logos since they disembarked the Fire Island ferry.

Rachel’s menu has less of a seafood emphasis than other Fire Island restaurants, instead focusing on a diverse array of pasta, meat, and international dishes like Brazilian Paella, Chicken Parmigiana, Southern Style Fried Chicken, Seafood Risotto, Fajitas, and Rigatoni & Sausage. The average price of a dinner entrée is about $20.

The lunch menu focuses on wraps, grilled sandwiches, and burgers, with some of the more intriguing choices including the Spinach & Egg Classic, Caribbean Chicken Breast sandwich, and Crazy Ed’s Smashed Sandwich. Exploring the menu, I chose and dined:

Tropical Stuffed Crab Cakes ($12.99): Typical crab cakes these were not . . . this dish consisted of three crab shells, stuffed with crab cake mixture, baked and then slathered with big hunks of juicy hot pineapple and a spicy-sweet tropical jerk sauce. At first I thought this dish was way too sweet, and questioned the pairing of such sweetness with crab. But then, I found that I simply couldn’t stop eating it. I demolished the dish. The crab cake mixture was consistent in texture, very finely chopped crabmeat, peppers, and breadcrumbs – likely pulsed together in a food processor. The mixture lacked the form and crispiness of a simple pan-fried crab cake, but was smooth and delicious.

Beach Burger ($11.99): But can Rachel’s do a burger? Of course they can, and at lunch, the burgers dominate Rachel’s menu. When the craving for a burger trumps fancier dining, Rachel’s is the laid-back diner-style burger emporium which has the Art Of The Burger down to a science. Rachel’s offers burger creations like the feta/sun dried tomato Tuscan Burger and New Mexican Burger with green chile and cheddar. . . I decided on the Beach burger with cheddar cheese, guacamole, and bacon. Cooked medium rare, juicy and served on what appeared to be a home-baked Kaiser roll, the Beach Burger approached burger perfection and satisfied my burger craving. The dish was served with crispy fries and a pickle in true diner fashion. Tune in next season to see where Rachel’s lands on the list of Top Burgers of Fire Island.

Oatmeal-Raisin Brownie with Caramel: Following lunch, I entered Rachel’s bakery intending to buy a chocolate chip cookie – the bakery staple that formed the foundation of the restaurant’s success. Standing before the glass bakery case, however, my head began to spin with the dizzying possibilities beyond a simple cookie. I elected for the oatmeal brownie because it looked too good to be true. I never had a confection like this before. The brownie was rich and dense, with the indulgent texture of an oatmeal cookie, flecked with juicy raisins, and literally oozing the gooiest, stickiest caramel sauce imaginable. If this is any indication of the other confections behind the glass case, I must return to eat them ALL.

Mocha Latte: Prepared by a real French Barista, this latte hit the spot – and served as the perfect complement to the aforementioned oatmeal brownie. Rachel’s café section features a limited menu (in the context of Starbucks and other full-fledged cafes) of coffee and espresso drinks, with a predictably inflated price. Be prepared for sticker shock – my “small” mocha latte cost $4.95. Of course, true latte-holics will be more than willing to pay the price to get their fix.

Rachel’s Fire Island restaurant is the diner of Ocean Beach. Its high ceiling and wood interior create a chill-out atmosphere that seems well-appreciated by the Fire Island share tenants and Fire Island rental vacationers that filled the restaurant. Its fast-moving and diverse international waitstaff were attentive and competent, ever ready to refill a coffee mug or check on progress. For breakfast, bakery goods, coffee or a casual lunch, Rachel’s is a slam dunk. Rachel’s dinner menu remains to be explored, but all signs indicate that this is a relaxed gem on the west side of Ocean Beach’s main street, with all the deliciousness of fancier fare and none of the presumptuousness.