It’s going to be an endless summer in Rockaway. The Riis Park Beach Bazaar is set to unveil its new off-season restaurant. Starting this weekend, The Dropout will take over the Bay 9 pavilion, the beachside spot in Riis Park that last winter was occupied by Rockaway’s “Pizza Nazi”, Whitney Aycock. (The National Park Service gave him the heave-ho over the summer.)
The new endeavor is run by Julia Steinberg, a Rockaway native who has been doing pop-up and guest-chef dinners and who at one point worked alongside Whit. “She’s all the talent and half the crazy,” joked Dominique Cannelongo, GM of the Bazaar, at a friends-and-family preview on Sunday.
More recently, Steinberg was general manager of Rockaway Clam Bar, the offshoot of Red Hook Lobster Pound that operated out of Bay 9 during the summer. She’s doing seafood here as well, but not exclusively. Dishes served at the preview included a whole fried porgy, a spicy chicken sandwich, edamame sauteed in pork fat, and broccolini topped in “everything bagel” seasoning. Cannelongo said her offerings will combine “whatever comes off the pasture, off the farm, or out of the ocean,” usually with just four or five ingredients. You can see some sample menu items here.
The Dropout grand-opens this weekend during Riis Point’s third annual Oktoberfest. Details on that below.
