Clams (klam) & Crabcakes (krabkeyk) at Harbor Mist

This sounds fancy but it wasn't supposed to be that way. We were in Cold Spring Harbor, NY for the weekend to get away from the city...and transport was limited to our feet as we took a train ...despite my Long Island friends insisting we really needed a car to get around the area. Nonsense. WE WALK WHERE WE'RE FROM!  Except for when having a car really would have made sense as there weren't a lot of dining options by our bed and breakfast. But there was one place called Harbor Mist. The locals said we should sit on the second floor to look at the sunset and we had a coupon from our bed and breakfast. Coupons plus sunset roof decks equated (in my mind) to a local, casual hang where surely they'd serve a kick-ass burger with the unfortunate option of only getting chips (and not fries) on the side. Harbor Mist just had that look about it. How wrong I was. 

After a long day of hiking we rolled in looking as such and I could see the startled look in the impeccably dressed hostess's eye. Why is there an impeccably dressed hostess greeting us?? After confirming we did not have a reservation she led us upstairs to a room full of white tablecloths, well-dressed older people and a lot of small forks on the table. Noticeably missing: children. Especially the 14-month-old set. But there was no going back. There were no other options on foot and I needed a break from the judging stares as perplexed drivers whizzed past us on the shoulders of the local roads...undoubtedly wondering where our car broke down. Why don't people walk to places in the suburbs?   Back to the restaurant. As if on cue, Jenson immediately started screaming and crying and the stares from the dining patrons laser beamed our way. But you don't understand we DO restaurants....we DO going out to eat..for REAL!! I kept my internal dialogue in my head and immediately  shouted at Olly, "Goldfish...pacifier...board books..booster seat...GO!" Within seconds our circus act was completed and we were eyeing the country-club menu. I ordered an Old Fashion that came to me dressed up as an Alabama Slammer and started devising a plan for the least tacky way to slip our waitress the coupon. We ordered a clam pasta, some tuna tacos and crab cakes. The food...was surprisingly tasty and the harbor view was gorgeous.  The crab cake was the real show stopper of the evening. I had to fight for dibs on the crab cake and even distracted Jenson with the goldfish on his plate. He loved the clams as well. Who knew?

But the bigger takeaway for the weekend? We are not suburb people. We knew that before, but like..we really know it now. Especially as we walked back to our bed and breakfast...on the shoulder of course. But the upside is we effectively burned off all traces of our amazing clams, pasta and crab cakes. 

LOCATION: Harbor Mist, Cold Spring Harbor, NY