Quality Food, Craft Beer Pair Perfectly At Seven Quarts Tavern
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By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com
Seven Quarts Tavern may have the word “tavern” on its sign out front, but the food inside the restaurant is far from traditional tavern fare.
Owner and manager Brian Adams, a Smithtown native, opened Seven Quarts Tavern on Fort Salonga Road in Northport just over two years ago to fill what he said was lacking in the Northport restaurant scene.
But he also threw his hat into the ring of Northport’s bustling bar scene.
“You can come here for craft beer, a nice glass of wine, and good quality food made from scratch,” Adams said.
Adams described the food as “modern American with a gastro pub flare” that also features American style tapas on the menu. The tapas-style dishes allow foodies to try many of the unique flavors from the tavern’s menu, and a large selection of regular appetizers and entrees allow for a more traditional dining experience.
The restaurant seats around 100, with a second floor space that can be used for private parties of up to 40, according to Adams.
More a restaurant than a bar, Seven Quarts’ exposed brick and fireplace give its space a cozy, homey atmosphere. The bar features 10 rotating seasonal craft beers, including those from Northport-based Sand City Brewing Co.
Seven Quarts Tavern is also rolling out a new seasonal menu, which The Foodies got a taste of.
From the raw bar, the Peconic Bay Scallop Crudo ($16) is served with pomegranate, pistachios, yuzu, white soy and mint. This refreshingly light dish is the perfect start to a meal, with a complexity of texture and flavor that keeps the seafood in the forefront of the dish.
For salad lovers, the Baby Kale Caesar ($14) is an elevated version of the salad everyone knows so well. Baby kale serves as a tastier basis for the salad in place of the usual romaine, and marinated white anchovies might seem like a strange twist, but the flavor from the Caesar dressing and Parmigiano-Reggiano compliment the marinade on the anchovies to form cohesion that vibes well.
For an entrée, the Classic Linguine and Clam ($22) features manila clams served with guanciale, garlic, white wine, parsley and rustic bread served over linguine. The guanciale, or pork cheek, completes the classic combination of pork and clams. This fresh take on classic flavors keeps you coming back for one more bite, and even when the pasta and clams are gone, the toasted bread is perfect to soak up the garlic and white wine sauce that is waiting in the bottom of the bowl.
From the selection of American tapas, the Berkshire Pork Belly ($15) is served with a cabbage and apple slaw and a maple bacon bourbon vinaigrette. The outside layer of crispy skin gives way to an incredibly tender piece of pork with a surprising depth of flavor. When combined with the citrus notes in the fresh slaw, one could almost call it the perfect bite. The maple and bourbon flavors linger, and are not lost in the dish.
There are dishes on the new menu to satisfy every taste bud, including shrimp and grits, and Adams said the restaurant is excited to offer special menu items for Thanksgiving Eve, Chanukah, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Adams praised the small town feel in Northport.
“There’s a nice camaraderie in this town, everybody knows each other,” Adams said, adding that the tavern has also attracted customers from beyond the town’s borders. “I think the people are the best part; they’re not ostentatious and they’re friendly.”
Seven Quarts Tavern
688 Fort Salonga Road, Northport
631-757-2000
www.sevenquartstavern.com
Cuisine: Modern American
Atmosphere: Casual
Prices: Appetizers: $7-$16; Entrees: $21-$41; Tapas: $6-$19
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday, 12 noon-11 p.m.;Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
