Raay-Nor's pop-up returns to Maliblue in Lido Beach
The southern fried chicken plate at the Raay-Nor's pop-up in Lido Beach comes with candied yams, a corn fritter and a piping hot biscuit. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
It's tough to see the ocean at Lido Beach's Maliblue,, but thankfully there's a whole lot of chicken to look at right now.
Servers rush past the palm trees carrying three plates on one arm, piled high with crackly fried chicken breasts. They're all wearing T-shirts (available for purchase in the lobby) with cartoon chicken superheroes wearing sunglasses. Even the signs are different. Instead of advertising Maliblue, they all say Raay-Nor's Famous Chicken, a legendary spot from Baldwin that was in business for more than 50 years before it closed in 2005.
This is all part of Raay-Nor's yearly pop-up, an end-of-summer event where restaurateur Butch Yamali revives the South Shore classic for a couple of weeks (this year through Sept. 4).
A steady soundtrack of '80s pop hits blare through the speakers as a server sets down a menu with a faded old picture of the original Raay-Nor's. The restaurant was beloved for its log cabin atmosphere, complete with kitschy rooster lamps.
Yamali was not involved in the original Raay-Nor's but he tracked down a cook, Robert Organ, and flew him from Texas to re-create the recipes.
The menu is full of honky-tonk memorabilia, a blast from America's not-so-foodie past. There are shrimp cocktails, sugar-glazed ham steaks, chicken livers in brochettes with bacon and mushrooms, chicken Maryland with a "sauce supreme," and a curious appetizer of tomato juice. The prices do not seem vintage though, because a platter of fried chicken with corn fritters, biscuits and candied yams is $18.95.
For $8, you can take home a bottle of Raay-Nor's "famous" French dressing. But you'll probably have enough of it in the starter salad, a bunch of lettuce served in a large wooden bowl with red tongs. A trio of housemade pickles, beet relish and jam follows. Those pickles have serious crunch, and you'll want to slather the jam all over those piping hot biscuits.
The fried chicken legs are tender and soft, with a satisfying crunch. I would not order anything else, aside from the jug of alcoholic sweetness that was the Maliblue Bowl ($22). Although it did not come with the gummy fish garnish that was advertised, it was shockingly blue from the Curacao, and devilishly boozy.
And although you're at a beach club, it's probably best to sit inside, and not on the patio staring out at the sandy beach lockers and the row of portable grills. The mosquitoes were fierce during a recent visit.
Raay-Nor's at Maliblue, 1500 Lido Blvd., Lido Beach, 516-442-2799, maliblueny.com. Open 4-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and noon to 9 p.m. Monday (Labor Day).
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
