La Plage is a hidden gem, nestled into Wading River's north shore. La Plage is French, meaning "the beach," and the restaurant earns its name by being situated just footsteps from the beach. When Mother Nature feels accommodating, diners are seated at elegantly clad tables outside. This dining area is framed by a colorful flowering garden, and a sweeping view of the Long Island Sound's gentle surf perfects the ambience.
Wayne Wadington is the founder of the restaurant, and he is also the chef who skillfully executes the impressive menu sensations. The fare is primarily an eclectic melding of American, French, Spanish and Italian flavors and highlights local and seasonal edible delights. The appetizer portion of the menu features an applewood smoked beef carpaccio with manchego, white truffle oil and a sage vinaigrette, mussels with creamy pesto and polenta croutons, and a tart green apple and mâché salad with walnuts, blue cheese and a black sesame-Jerez vinaigrette, among other selections. Duck confit with chive risotto and exotic mushrooms, pappardelle with chorizo, shellfish and spicy pomodoro sauce, braised lamb shank with butternut squash and Swiss chard risotto and pan-roasted Bronzino are just some of the entree options. Wadington's creations showcase world-class epicurean artistry, from visual presentation through every last, magnificent mouthful.
The dessert menu continues to dazzle the palate with such blissful choices as a warm chocolate banana bread pudding with a molten chocolate center and an accompaniment of cinnamon ice cream, a Bartlett pear cannoli drizzled with chocolate rum sauce and sprinkled with salted hazelnuts and a peanut butter chocolate mousse with luscious blackberries and a caramel sauce.
The wine list offers wines from around the world and sparkling wines from France, Italy and Long Island's own Sparkling Pointe. A variety of dessert wines, including a late harvest Chardonnay from Long Island's Wolffer Estate, ports, cognacs, grappa and scotch, are available to close out the superb meal under the evening stars.
Depending on your chosen dinner time, a spectacular show of the sun setting beyond the horizon of waves that ripple and sparkle under the fiery, rose-tinted glow accompanies the first sips of wine or the final mouthful of a decadent dessert. As the moon takes the sky's center stage for the night, the tide beckons full diners to kick off their shoes and embark on a romantic after dinner stroll along the stretch of sand to the sound of the water lapping into the shore.
To make a reservation at La Plage is to schedule an evening of treats for all of the senses, from the aromas and flavors of an outstanding gourmet menu to the visual elegance of every detail of dinner's presentation to the sights and sounds of the beachfront setting.
La Plage is located at 131 Creek Road in Wading River. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and catering is available for private affairs. Call 631-744-9200 to make a reservation. Although menu items change with the seasonality of ingredients, you can browse some menu choices at laplagerestaurant.net