The best dinner we had during our three night stay on Shelter. Lovely menu with something for everyone. Great service– professional/fine dining — unlike another restaurant we went to that had inexperienced kids as servers while attempting to be an upscale restaurant. The atmosphere brings an updated cool while keeping with the Shelter Island chill. The wine list was good– local options mixed in — a less $$ pinot noir by glass would have been nice. The fluke was amazing. The brownie sundae was out of this world. They were out of many items on the menu tonight and were a tad understaffed, but they had a busy weekend and were not expecting to be busy tonight– I am sure as the season goes on they will get more used to what supply they need. Nevermind these small issues, we had a fabulous meal with wonderful service. Will definitely come back again and again.
Sam C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Oakland, CA
The herb roasted chicken was delicious! Five stars for the chicken. And five stars for the brownie sundae as well. The pork chop, on the other hand, was rather bland. Three stars for the pork chop.
Tina M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Brooklyn, NY
Wow!!! I’m so excited we have another great place to go to in Shelter Island! Food & service were great and the décor was outstanding. Hats off to the designer… It’s so pleasant inside. This is a very kid friendly lunch spot(burger was amazing) and has a beautiful and stylist bar in side. We’re always looking for something new on Shelter Island and this is the place!!! Thank you and best of luck!!! You will be seeing a lot of my family this summer!
Jae L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Manhattan, NY
Food, service, ambiance all in all excellent! Everything I ordered was so delicious and just properly seasoned. Mussels, lamb meatball, cod. Portobello quinoa dish is also a must! Peanut butter mousse cake for dessert
Rebecca T.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Washington, DC
Delicious food, wonderful ambiance and lovely service!
Philip O.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Maplewood, NJ
Having been a visitor to Shelter Island for years, I managed to miss ever dining in The Chequit’s previous incarnation(pre change of ownership). I was intrigued to try The Red Maple. On an impulse, I took my mom for dinner on the first Saturday night after high season finished. It was a mixed experience. We were greeted quickly and seated at an extremely wobbly table. I pointed this out almost immediately but it took several requests and the arrival of our entrees(and my passive/aggressive refusal to start eating) to get it remedied. Meanwhile, tables were seated and seen by servers after us — one of my pet peeves. I got up and spoke with the greeting staff, and the remedy was that the hostess acted as our server for the night. She was quite nice, but at prices like this, I was not pleased that we in effect had no actual server for our entire meal.(I made certain to hand actual cash to the hostess, nor wishing the tip to go to the non-existent server.) Our meals were edible, interesting, but nothing extraordinary. I might or might not give this place another try, but it barely passed the threshold of acceptable. Management, if you’re listening, work on improving service. Atmosphere is sufficiently pleasant. On a side note, one nearby table seemed to have more attentive service from a pleasant and efficient seeming waitress. Another nearby table had a rather smarmy waiter, whom I’m glad to have avoided, even though our experience was notable for having no server at all.
Jimi R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Shelter Island Heights, NY
Beautifully redone. I admit it was weird at first walking through and it being so different. But after being there for a while I forgot where I was. But good I will always have a big spot into heart for the old Chequit. But there’s also room for Red Maple(new Chequit) in there too. Dawn the manager is full of energy. I was swiftly greeted with a smile that made me feel appreciated. The patio was packed so we chose to eat inside. The room is put together so tastefully. It could use a little local art work but I love the feel. Large selection of wines by the glass and very reasonably priced. I hear they are going to have a larger local selection real soon. We had a great Riesling with fresh AF local oysters and local smoked blue fish rilletes that are a must. Then we had shaved asparagus salad and fried artichokes with a nice Syrah. I can’t remember which. Then I had the local striped bass and stuck with that Syrah. Skin on and pan seared perfectly crispy on one side. My only regret is I didn’t get dessert. Place is so beautiful and so welcoming. Food is awesome. Definitely give it a try if you haven’t yet.
Christine H.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Manhattan Valley, Manhattan, NY
I live in NYC but I’ve had a summer home on Shelter Island for years; the restaurant at the Chequit has been a favorite all that time. It was never a 5-Star restaurant but it made no pretenses. The previous owners were not restaurateurs but the food was consistent, well-prepared and presented and local ingredients were used where possible. Was it great? No, but it was a strong«good to very good». Importantly, the food and the prices matched. I had heard there was new management and was looking forward to a visit but was hugely disappointed. The menu is so pretentious for the setting and the prices are a mismatch as well. $ 29 for a lamb burger? Really? BTW, I love lamb but it’s not to everyone’s liking… why on earth don’t you also offer a beef hamburger? And truthfully, it wasn’t a great burger. Unlike the menu in previous years, this menu is woefully short on mentioned locally-sourced ingredients, of which there is an abundance at this time of year on the east end. The wine list was fairly extensive but very much at the higher end. Disappointingly, of the 61 bottles on offer, only two were Long Island wines. The North Fork of Long Island is comprised of numerous vineyards… surely there could have been more local selections. At a time when we are all trying to be more environmentally sensitive, importing 59 of the 61 wines on the menu from Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy and California seems to be way too much of a negative impact on the carbon footprint when there are good wines very nearby. I also believe in supporting our local producers. Beka F hit the nail on the head that this is a «Hamptons wanna be»… it has the feel of trying to be a smart, sophisticated restaurant. The menu items are described variously as «bites», «plates», «simply composed», etc. but still has college waitstaff in shorts and T-shirts. In summary, this is a pretentious and expensive place in which the food doesn’t come close to living up to the prices.
Christopher J.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Gulf Shores, AL
Dinner was outstanding as new management has revamped the hotel, restaurant, and added a café. The lobster roll was very good, and the wine selection deep enough for a suitable selection. One disappointment was the Colossal shrimp was not quite that large, but the oysters were fresh and served quickly. The outdoor setting was phenomenal — get a table outside and enjoy the view.
Beka F.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Orient, NY
So disappointed. Our favorite Shelter Island restaurant has become a Hamptons wanna be with insane prices and too much pepper on everything. Brought our well behaved children who are not picky. The waitress said they could make pasta with butter. .. or we could order the $ 38 steak. My teen with the violent fish allergy was very limited by the selection. She opted for the lamb burger which was very tasty. My $ 25 lobster roll was good regardless of too many turns of the pepper mill, but it was no better than one I had in the Adirondacks last week for half the price. One hour for the food to arrive. No bread or apologies for the delay. Oh and the lemonade was so sour it was undrinkable. Wine list is better than the menu, but don’t expect to have any local vintages. As Simon Cowell would say.. . too self-indulgent.
L R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Brooklyn, NY
We have been excited all summer for the restaurant to open and the wait was well worth it. We ate at the Red Maple last night and the food was excellent. I had the fried artichokes and then the garlic prawns and both were delicious. Also the re design of the hotel looks beautiful. We highly recommend eating at the Red Maple and checking out the new Chequit!