I'm posting my original review from last summer, which was three stars.
I'm removing a star because claiming to 'MOVE' in a town with exactly ONE restaurant (and a pizza place), a wine shop, a supermarket and a fire house as a way of removing reviews is sleazy and the antithesis of the town Jean Georges has decided to set up shop in.
"Stand by: full disclosures abound.
Disclosure #1: I've been coming to Fair Harbor for many years, and have eaten at Le Dock on occasion. mostly I would wander in on hot afternoons straight off the beach for a margarita, or sometimes to pick up a to-go drink to take out for the sunsets. It was a very casual place, almost tiki lounge-like, with laid back staff and clientele.
I think those days are if not over, at the very least they will be at odds with the gentrification the new Le Dock brings to my sleepy little hamlet. Sunday night was jam-packed with a crowd alternately over groomed and sporting sportcoats and high-hair who water taxied or boated in from other towns or the mainland, and the flip-flop and tee shirt-wearing traditionalists. It's an uneasy sight to behold in the re-vamped space, but aside from a few people who just want to complain for the sake of complaining during a soft opening (including here on Yelp: btw, joel s, he's 'Jean GEorges), people seem willing to give Le Dock 2.0 the benefit of the doubt.
Disclosure 2: I didn't eat. I'd made a reservation Saturday night, but when several houseguests ended up staying over I knew that not only would this hot spot not be able to expand our reservation (it was a challenge even in the old days), but that even if seating were possible, several people would have been priced out. I watched the dishes coming out, listened to people's experiences, asked customers who dined, and get the feeling that when they're open, and if you can afford it, the food is pretty good (though I hear wildly conflicting reviews of the buttermilk chicken; some say it's brilliant, some say the sauce that accomapnies it is too hot).
The pirces are STEEP, for the most part. Like, SoHo steep. (But there are silver linings; keep reading)...
They gain a star with me for being incredibly accommodating with the locals in a big way; Douglas, one of the managers, worked at the original Le Dock, is a longtime resident of FH, and opened up the wine store for this ning-nong who forgot what a ghost town FH can be in mid season, even this late in mid season.
They should, however, perhaps be a little more accommodating when someone calls twenty minutes before the kitchen closes to say they're running over (a literal three-minute sprint); that's a really great time to offer said caller to put our order in (we were willing to order right there) as opposed to saying that the kitchen will be closed by the time we get there. Not a big deal, and I'm sure this will change as LD2.0 finds its sea legs, but this is very much the spirit of the Fair Harbor I've grown so fond of these many years.
The new bathrooms are a HUGE improvement.
They also get props for making sure to have items on offer "simply prepared" (seafood) that are more in the traditional LeD price range; a good thing because not only do people who get their tans on a beach and not a salon like fresh simple fish (especially on the island), they are going to be the mainstays there, I suspect.
Likewise, I applaud the fact that while actually offering $18 designer martinis and (I hope I'm remembering this right) $15 twee margaritas, Le Dock 2.0 also makes regular drinks for the masses at the old price points.
If only it didnt have that 'poor-door' feel. Maybe the clientele will loosen up and embrace the town as much as they're embracing the name.
Because I actually think (or at least hope) that this place won't over-gentrify a sweet little corner of the world.
(For those who wonder, the pizza place is still up and running).
All in all, thoughtful staff hard at work on a soft opening, and a potential looming culture clash that I think may iron itself out should the 1% not SoHo the crap out of the place. And provided the locals stay loose, and the awesome staff loosen up just a little more as they get the lay of the land.
I'll hopefully be back again this summer, and look forward to seeing LD2.0 in full swing. I'll eat there next time, and can't wait.
And not for nothing, but I miss the old "CREW" staff shirts. But that's me.
See you soon!" read more