Restaurants in Elwood

Mill Creek Tavern’s nautically themed dining room excites the eyes with model ships, wood crackling in a stone fireplace, and the restaurant’s logo of crossed canoe paddles. Meanwhile, the aroma of freshly caught seafood and juicy steaks on the grill signals the feast to come, much like the smell of cigar smoke signals a spritz of Winston Churchill cologne. A part of the Mim’s family of restaurants, Mill Creek Tavern has been a Bayville staple for more than a quarter century. One of the tavern’s owners is always onsite holding the entrees to a consistently lofty standard, inspiring a rave review from Joanne Starkey of The New York Times, who recommended “the fall-from-the-bones-tender baby-back ribs, a perfectly grilled fillet of lemon sole, and a rousing rendition of chicken scarpariello with meat on the bone and lots of garlic, sausage, and potatoes.”

Frank's dinner menu is filled with thick, meaty entrees and beefy appetizers. Load your table early with a starter of double gorgonzola bread ($5.95) and lump crabmeat cocktail bedded on fresh greens ($15.95), and then ready the dinner party for the entrees. Frank's celebrated Romanian skirt steak is marinated in a secret garlicky sauce ($27.95), and the 12-ounce filet mignon is served with your choice of béarnaise, bordelaise, or au poirve sauce ($34.95). Or order a 42-ounce porterhouse for two and watch Frank's expert servers forklift it to the table (au jus and butter, $81.95). Beef disbelievers can order a delectable platter of pan-seared jumbo shrimp (with beurre blanc sauce, $24.95) or devour roasted honey-pecan chicken ($19.95). To top off a family meal or a feast with multiple strangers, order a family-style side such as steak fries or mashed potatoes with sautéed onions (each $7.50).

Coyote Restaurant's recently revamped menu focuses on the cuisine of the southern border region. Starters such as chorizo, roasted corn, and avocado quesadillas ($9) and pulled pork carnitos sliders ($8) draw deliciously on influences from both side of the Rio Grande, while new entrees like ancho seared salmon ($22), slow cooked baby back ribs ($21), and warm lobster and avocado salad ($21) hold their own against Coyote classics like the Grilled Cowboy Steak, served with Texas mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, and romesco sauce ($27) (no cowboys are harmed during the making of this steak). Add extras like chili-lime fries, roasted corn and green chili rice, tobacco onion rings, or ranchero beans, each $5.

Save for the sunlight streaming in through the windows, Blue Fish Restaurant and Lounge immerses patrons in a sleek, dimly lit lounge as they wash down the Japanese cuisine with swigs of hot sake. Behind the bar bathed in dim blue light, chefs carefully prepare bites of fresh sashimi and specialty sushi rolls such as the Coco Loco—spicy tuna topped with coconut shrimp and avocado in a piña colada sauce.

The culinary experts at Rachel’s Waterside Grill unite local ingredients and fresh seafood within a tasty array of inventive entrees, salads, sandwiches, and pastas. The waterfront eatery uses fresh-from-the-sea catches, simmering them in house-made sauces, speckling them atop veggie-laden plates, and catapulting them into outer space in an effort to send the first fishes to the moon. The indoor seating area treats guests to a painted seascape, while the expansive seaside deck regales al fresco diners with the real thing.

Husband-and-wife team Ali and Nazifa acquaint American palates with Afghan flavors through accessible fusion fare—with many vegan options—that has caught the printed eye of the New York Times. Cushion-covered benches grant comfort, and glasses of wine complement entrees. The eatery’s framed art hangs on exposed-brick walls instead of over an art museum’s embarrassingly outdated Chuck Norris poster.