GETAWAYS • Shelter Island
After a dramatic exit from the mainland, eclectic Chinese-French cafe Opties and Dinghies has set up shop on Shelter Island in one-half of the forever-in-flux North Fork Fish Market. Bright and awash in cottage-coastal colors, it’s the type of anytime dining that the island’s been needing.
Orders placed at the counter are served in plaid paper-lined baskets atop red plastic trays. There are a handful of tables inside and picnic tables in front. The menu takes up an entire wall — a black chalkboard scribbled with colors, all done by hand (like their dumplings).
The casual manner doesn’t carry over to the food, which takes its inspiration from the backgrounds of married owners Vincent Bertault and Claudia Lin. This isn’t an attempt at fusion, and while it can feel like there are two menus simply existing side by side, the treasures from each cuisine make it work.
Homemade dumplings rival any you can get in the city. (They also sell them frozen to-go.) There are extraordinarily flaky, scallion pancakes for sharing, and a kimchi salad, something you can’t find anywhere else on Shelter Island. On the French side of the menu, crepes of sweet and savory varieties and a handful of homemade pastries and breads are made fresh every morning.
Everything’s made in-house, in fact — except for the ice cream, which comes from Il Laboratorio del Gelato, a bougie alternative to the bright blue “Cookie Monster” flavor from the nearby Tuck Shop.
With dumplings worth a ferry ride from either fork, on an island with relatively homogenous restaurant options, Opties and Dinghies is a glorious addition to the Shelter Island dining scene. –Sylvie Florman
→ Opties and Dinghies (Shelter Island) • 87 N Ferry Rd • Daily 7a-10p • Walk-ins only.