Ensenada Bay steakhouse opens in Freeport

There are two awesome dishes at the new Ensenada Bay steakhouse in Freeport, and both involve rib eye.

The first is rib-eye aguachile ($21), which sounds counterintuitive if you've never been to the Baja. The northwestern Mexican dish is typically a seafood affair that showcases the freshness of the fish by enhancing it with tangy chili juice. But a less common version is the rib-eye aguachile, which has the same flavors but with thinly shaved steak. Beautifully presented in the center of a row of English cucumber slices, the shaved strands of rib eye are just ever so-slightly cooked in the dark brew of lime and soy sauce. It's so tasty that it's even worth ordering when your main dish is an actual rib-eye steak. 

Ensenada Bay is a rare concept on Long Island, a Mexican steakhouse with waterfront views, a solid selection of Mexican wines and specialties from Baja California. Co-owner Karina Abreu opened the place in November with her husband, Victor Rivera, and their friends Jose Pineda and Mariely Perez. The space formerly held Seafood Grill on the Bay. With backgrounds from several Latin American countries, the idea of a Mexican steakhouse sounded unique and they thought it would help them stand out. 

In between the rib-eye aguachile and the actual rib eye, there's a vibrant shrimp ceviche ($17) in a rip-roaring broth and strands of dill for freshness. Skip the tableside guacamole, though, which isn't prepared tableside. Ditto with the tacos, which don't stand out.

Still, Ensenada Bay is already one of the best places to grab a steak in Freeport. The 20-ounce 1855 rib eye, $61, arrived beautifully cooked to a medium rare, with a nice sear on the outsides, slathered with a sumptuous chile-lime butter. Together with a glass of Juntos merlot from the well-known Mexican wine-growing region the Valle de Guadalupe ($12), it felt like we'd hit the jackpot.

Ensenada Bay, 507 Guy Lombardo Ave., Freeport, 516-208-8680, ensenadabay.com. Open 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.com

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.