Seven Quarts Tavern review: Northport restaurant offers friendly service, high-octane dining

Englishmen acquired “Great Cow Harbor,” now Northport, from the Native American Matinecocks in 1656. The sum apparently included seven quarts of liquor.

There are at least as many served at the namesake tavern, a noisy, crowded, high-octane addition to the neighborhood.

Seven Quarts poured into the address vacated most recently by the stellar, upscale J. Michaels Tuscan Steakhouse. For decades, La Capannina, the respected northern Italian-continental restaurant, whipped up zabaglione and flaming coffee royale in what once was a private home.

Things have changed.

Exposed brick, woodwork suggesting wine crates, craft beers listed on a mirror, a main room where squeezing in another table would make all dining communal — memories are erased fast. Voices ricochet. Between sips, you’ll make acquaintances, intentionally or not. Service is friendly, efficient, rarely overwhelmed. The mood is buoyant, the pace quick.

You may linger a bit, however, over the warming, well-made onion soup gratinée. The hearty production is preferable to a sweet-potato-and-coconut number, which is more than accurately advertised as sweet and could double as dessert.

“Crabmedos” clams, a wordplay opener of baked topnecks with roasted corn, panko breadcrumbs and pico de gallo, is satisfactory, though you should be drawn instead to the raw Pine Island oysters and local clams. Beijing duck-style tacos may make you think there’s a worldwide shortage of hoisin sauce.

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“Harvest chili” politely sets off no alarms. “Black & Bleu" shrimp, blackened and set in a soupy union of scallions, carrots, celery and Gorgonzola cheese, also represses any spice. The broiled shishito peppers, with chorizo, olive oil and sea salt, work best with drinks. The house’s macaroni and cheese: good anytime, with cavatappi pasta, Asiago cheese, house-made sauce and just enough duck confit.

Enjoy it as a side dish with the excellent, cooked-to-order “1656 Burger,” which could have sealed the deal in any buyer-seller real estate debate. It’s a combination of rib-eye cap, brisket, short rib and Kobe for a savory union, topped with caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese.

The alternatives take in a fibrous, tasty strip steak accented with blue cheese and red-wine braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Pan-roasted Murray’s chicken arrives juicy, with mashed potatoes and asparagus. But oven-roasted red snapper is just dull.

Desserts are afterthoughts, whether bland banana-pudding parfait or singed apple pie burrito, which truly defines “bad concept.”

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It could lead you to a round of drinks.