Great Eats |
Chef Luis Juarez of Drift 82 was somewhat confident in his lobster bisque going into the big annual Chowder Contest last month at The Snapper Inn.
After all, he serves it up to happy customers nearly every day on Patchogue River.
But he was also instructed to bring a second soup for the Feb. 4 contest, so he went with New England Clam Chowder — something that’s not on the Drift 82 menu.
“So I just made it on my own, the day before,” he said.
It would seem Juaraz performs well under pressure; his New England concoction took third overall (tied with The Irish Coffee Pub of East Islip). And the Lobster Bisque took First Place.
Also locally, the Oar Seafood Grille of Patchogue took second place in the Manhattan category. Click here for the full results.
Drift 82’s awards are especially noteworthy because the restaurant isn’t even a year old, having opened in June near the Davis Park Ferry Co. terminal.
Of course, Juarez is packing nearly 20 years of professional experience in the kitchen.
“Luis worked for years at Tellers Chophouse, and I know him from Lombardi’s, so I knew what he could do,” said Drift 82’s general manager, Fred Norden. “Going in [to the contest] I had a good felling.
Juaraz wasn’t so sure the judges would love him. He attributed his First Place award to the length of time he cooked his stock: “all day.”
“But wasn’t expecting to win first place, honestly,” he said. “I was like, all right!”
Photo: Luis Juarez and Fred Norden celebrate their big win last month at The Snapper Inn in Oakdale. (courtesy)
