Union Station Restaurant & Tavern

Union Station traces its history to the old Smithtown Hotel, which stood there in 1917. The kitchen could, too.

This is an old-fashioned American restaurant, where, despite a new adjective or ingredient, you could just as easily be hoisting a pint and toasting the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

The tavern itself is a friendly, welcoming spot, neatly restored. But there are moments when the noise level rises and the joint seems poised to lapse from its specialty of beer-on-tap to Jell-O shots.

Striped wallpaper and light wood define the restaurant's clubby look, as do the expected railroad photos. The dining room staff is earnest and accommodating, even on a crowded, boisterous Saturday night.

Union Station's fare, initially uneven, improved after the first visit. You can have a satisfying meal, just order carefully.

That means trying the fried oysters "BLT," a crisp opener with oven-dried tomatoes and sweet-pepper mayo. The shrimp-and-crab martini has good shrimp, but the crab meat looks either minced into submission or run over by the express. Crab cakes need more crab, less breading. The fried calamari, while crunchy, are undone by an overly sweet orange glaze. Instead, try the baked clams or mild, composed version of steak tartare.

Consider the tartare a preliminary event. The best dish at Union Station is the 48-ounce long-bone rib-eye steak for two. It is thick, juicy, full-flavored. And that bone looks like a prehistoric weapon. The prime competition is from the 16-ounce New York strip steak and the 22-ounce T-bone.

The steaks arrive with a choice of two sauces from an offering of six: peppercorn, hollandaise, Cabernet butter, "Asian spiced," au jus and melted Gorgonzola. Most are harmless and dull, although the Gorgonzola had some personality.

A slowly roasted duck materializes, moist and meaty, atop a creamy hash of sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Pan-roasted wild salmon also is recommended, paired with chive-whipped potatoes. Likewise, the sesame-crusted tuna, as contemporary as Union Station gets in its Orient Express mode, with shiitake mushrooms and sticky rice. Pastas, however, are skip.pable.

Salads improve the selections. A baby arugula number, with roasted beets and goat cheese, tastes fine; same for the chopped salad, which includes hearts of palm, roasted tomatoes, pine nuts and olives.

Vegetables are a la carte, led by the mashed Yukon gold potatoes and the creamed spinach au gratin. Avoid the greasy thatch of frizzled onions and the limp sweet potato fries.

"Train tracks" refers to a clever, two-level dessert that marries French toast and churros (fried dough). And the Holy Moses cheesecake is as lush as the slabs of bread pudding are pasty.

To suit the setting, be a traditionalist; stick with ice cream.

Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti, 2/25/07.
peter.gianotti@newsday.com