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Experience True Irish Hospitality At Shandon Court Shandon
Court is a cozy, family owned and operated restaurant and catering hall located on
the bustling East Main Street in East Islip. Gerry Finlay and his family opened the
restaurant in 2002 and since then Shandon Court has been making a name for itself
through its incredible food, impeccable service and true Irish hospitality. Executive Chef, Piers Stringer, is the innovative talent behind the cuisine at Shandon Court. His career began at the ripe young age of 11 where he started to learn culinary basics and catering trade by working and observing in the kitchen of his grandfather’s hotel in Pontefract, England. Building his skills at the hotel led him to discover his passion for culinary arts and in 1994 Piers enrolled in the Wakefield Technological Catering College in Northern England. Once he graduated Piers traveled to London where he worked as Chef de Partie in a fast paced restaurant and also worked at a variety of other notable restaurants and hotels including The Conrah Country House and Ghan House, which is located in County Louth, Ireland. While working at Ghan House, Piers worked his way to the top, becoming head chef and gaining much recognition and positive critique as he was mentioned in publications such as the Irish Times and The Bridge Stone Top 100 Places To Stay. His successful endeavors overseas eventually brought him to America where Piers met the Finlay family who were happy to have him on board at Shandon Court. In the five years he has been executive chef at the restaurant, Piers has been “wow’ing” patrons with his hybrid Irish/British menu of impressive, artistic dishes.
The
restaurant has a true, old world charm to it. You walk in and immediately feel
comfortable and at home. The dining room is extremely inviting and features a
beautiful fireplace (which was once a grill where steaks were prepared) that adds to
the already soothing, warm and toasty ambiance. Our server, Sean, was exceptionally
attentive, polite and professional throughout our dining experience as he, Gerry
Finlay himself and his daughter Sarah were constantly checking in on our table,
assuring our enjoyment and satisfaction. We were pleasantly surprised to find a menu was conveniently created for us outlining everything we would be sampling that evening, giving our appetites something to be excited for, beginning with Flamed Shrimp and Scallops (below). The pan seared sea scallops were tossed with cherry peppers, white wine and pepper broth with fresh herbs and shallots. The incredibly tender shrimp were plated atop the delicious scallops creating a lovely presentation for the eyes and a delightful treat for the palate.
The Lobster Risotto is another impressive starter (below left). The creamy risotto features a pleasantly abundant amount of fresh, butter-poached lobster in a sun blushed tomato cream and pesto dressing. Topped with two generous pieces of lobster claw meat, this dish offers a large portion of food and for a great value. We couldn’t help but finish every last bite!
We
continued with the Waldorf Salad consisting of red and green apple, endive, mixed
greens, Stilton bleu cheese, walnuts and tossed in a roasted garlic aioli (above
right). Again we were impressed with the presentation as Piers creates a creative
spin on a classic salad. The ingredients were notably fresh and the bleu cheese
wasn’t too overpowering, but just right. Once we heard that people come from far and wide for their burgers, we were anxiously awaiting on the arrival of the Shandon Burger and once it arrived, we couldn’t wait to dig in (below left). It is definitely not your average burger platter – it’s bigger and better! The 10oz ground sirloin burger is served with an outstanding homemade cole slaw and addicting, delicious home-cut fries. With one bite we could surely see why people rave about the burgers here. They’re extremely flavorful and juicy and combined with the slaw, fries and all the fixings creates a burger platter worthy of much praise.
The
Baked Seafood appetizer has received much critical acclaim and features
sautéed shrimp, mussels and clams in a bacon carbonara (above right). All the
seafood was prepared to perfection, fresh and impressively tender and topped with
lemon and shallot breadcrumbs, adding to the already enticing flavors. The bacon
carbonara is extremely flavorful and the ideal complement to the seafood. This
offering is also available as an entrée served over pasta. The Chicken Roulade is a standout chicken entrée which presents tender chicken rolled with prosciutto, mozzarella, red peppers and spinach in a creamy mornay sauce, served alongside parmesan roasted potatoes (below left). The chicken comes conveniently sliced and is attractively plated (like a most of the dishes are here). The chicken was exquisitely tender and bathed in just the right amount of the smooth, rich, mornay sauce. The potatoes are a great accessory to the chicken and the Parmesan twist was an original, scrumptious concept.
We
were very impressed with the Bass Ale Braised Short Ribs (above right) served with
crispy onions, char grilled asparagus and Ulster mash (made with peas and parsley).
The ribs are so tender they divinely melt in your mouth and the gravy completes the
entrée making it all the more savory and luscious for your taste buds. Rounding out our entrees was the Signature Steak – a 28-day aged, certified prime Angus 20oz New York Strip (below left). The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare as requested and served with caramelized shallots and sour cream and chive mash on a bed of spinach with a brandy green peppercorn demi glaze. The steak was flavorful and served the way a steak should be! It stands well on its own, but feel free to combine it with some of the glaze for some added flavor.
For
dessert we were treated to the Brandy Snap Basket (above right). This delectable
treat is a chef’s assortment of homemade ice cream (pretzel, coffee, walnut and
raspberry flavors) in a sweet tasting brandy snap basket. The pretzel ice cream
stood out in particular. Who knew they could make such a flavor, and so well! They
really hit it out of the ballpark with this dessert offering the crowning touch to a
delightful meal. Shandon Court offers patrons outstanding cuisine and hospitable service – all for a remarkably affordable price! The restaurant exceeded our expectations by a mile and the detail and precision in Chef Piers’ presentations was very much appreciated.
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