Bar Marseille/Batesy's BBQ and Bar

[Wilfrid]

If you spend an evening in the Rockaways and need to eat dinner, you have come to the right thread.

I don't usually think of the Rockaways having neighborhoods, but I spent some time this week in Arverne (or Arverne-by-the-Sea). It's on the way to Far Rockaway and seems to have more neighborhood-based diners, drinkers and beach-goers than day visitors.

There's a small cluster of fairly new restaurants, bars and coffee shops near a big, expensive-looking apartment complex called Tides.

Batesy's rightly calls itself a BBQ and Bar. Some patrons were there just for cocktails. It's a swish setting for food served on trays. I have had smokier brisket, but i have also had dry and chewy brisket. This was fatty and tender and a smoked kielbasa link was good too.

Bar Marseilles is really quite elegant with formal touches to the service (hand behind back when pouring wine). The menu is unadventurous but I can hardly blame them given the location and likely clientele. That's why I avoided the entrees (they looked fine) and ordered oysters, followed by steak tartare, followed by a lobster roll that I treated as lobster salad. (No, given the weather I didn't crave piping hot food.) The wines BTG were fine and I finished with an Armagnac.

No, not a destination, but if you happen to be there...

P.S.: I also had cocktails in a bar where the bartender couldn't have been nicer but had to look up a recipe for a martini. Thank god the recipe mentioned dry vermouth.

[MitchW]

This ought to be fun, but is Arverne on the way to Far Rockaway...or to the Rockaways?

And my favorite Forever Jerk has their big set up on Arverne Blvd. and B. 62nd St.

[Wilfrid]

I guess it depends which direction you're coming from, but on the A train it is on the way to Far Rockaway.