The Steam Room in Port Jefferson. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo
By Toni-Elena Gallo
The Steam Room restaurant provided a free Thanksgiving Day meal Thursday, Nov. 28, with all welcome. Whether the person who dined at the restaurant was financially struggling, alone for the holidays or simply in the neighborhood, no one was expected to pay for the feast, which was provided by DiCarlo Food Service.
“When we started this three years ago, we did it for those in need. But what happened was, not a lot of people came,” said Vinny Seiter, general manager of The Steam Room. “I think a lot of people felt that they did not need the meal as much as somebody else, and had the feeling they were taking away a meal from someone who might need it even more.”
So the restaurant opened it up to everyone. “Even if someone comes down in their fancy jewelry and nice car, so be it,” Seiter laughed.
The manager explained that the initiative came about when Welcome Friends Soup Kitchen, located in Port Jefferson, shared with him that they did not have people to help on Thanksgiving Day and were not able to serve. “That is what inspired us to do this,” he said.
Seiter estimates that about 200 people partook in this year’s event, which saw them seated throughout the front dining area as well as in the large dining room in the back of the restaurant.
In addition to Thanksgiving Day’s free meal, a discounted menu was available all weekend long.
The Steam Room is located at 4 East Broadway in Port Jefferson.
The sign hung above the Roger’s Friage ice cream and candy shop May 26 was spray painted by an unknown person the day after it was hung. Photo by Roger Rutherford
A new banner was installed above Roger’s Frigate candy and ice cream shop in Port Jeff Tuesday, May 26. While previous politically minded banners above the candy shop expressed support for President Donald Trump (R), the latest one now reads “Impeach Cuomo.”
A woman that Rutherford said had trespassed on the property to deface the banner. Photo by Roger Rutherford
Roger Rutherford, the general manager of Roger’s Frigate, reiterated he has no control over signs being put up because longtime Port Jefferson shop owner George Wallis owns the building. Rutherford did however support Wallis’ right to free speech.
“He has a strong belief in protesting Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and his reopening plan,” the general manager said. “George is frustrated that he can’t reopen and believes that he can run business safely.”
Sometime around midday Wednesday, May 27, a person reportedly trespassed upstairs on the frigate’s property and defaced the banner with spray paint. Rutherford said the banner was temporarily removed, but was back up by the end of the day Wednesday.
“The police were called and they are currently looking for this woman who vandalized our property,” Rutherford said.
Back in February, Wallis installed a pro-Trump banner above of the frigate. Village officials said that it violated village code and fined the business owner $2,000 a day for the time it had not been taken down.
Mayor Margot Garant said the banner is an illegal sign.
“The sign was just put up yesterday late afternoon and our legal department is handling the situation,” she said.
Steam Room Receives Distancing Complaints Memorial Day Weekend
The East Broadway seafood restaurant was on the receiving end of a social distancing complaint earlier this week, with Suffolk County police responded to the 311 call. George Wallis is also the owner of the restaurant space.
Rutherford didn’t know the nature of the call but said the complaint was the result of the outside dining on the restaurant’s premises.
“They thought they were being safe by having tables six to 10 feet apart,” he said.
Multiple posts to social media included pictures of the Steam Room’s dining area, which is enclosed but exposed to the outside, packed with sit down diners Memorial Day weekend, despite current mandates that all restaurants be restricted to takeout or pickup operations.
SCPD warned the restaurant owners that they couldn’t operate outside dining and said it could face further fines and penalties if it continued, according to Rutherford.
Suffolk County Police confirmed the restaurant was visited a total of three times Sunday and Monday for noncompliance complaints. The restaurant removed seating after the first complaint to comply with the New York on PAUSE order, police said. They found the restaurant to be in compliance the second and third time they were called.
Garant was adamant restaurants needed to comply with the PAUSE order.
“Restaurants cannot have outside dining,” the mayor said. “We are not in Phase 3 yet, they can only do take-out [at this time] … I think what happened was unfortunate.”
The Mayor also added that the village and the Business Improvement District have given owners specific guidelines on what they’re able to do during this time.
“We want them to operate responsibly, but we have to continue to follow these mandates if we want to get to the other side and stay open,” she said.
This year's event will feature samplings from Danfords Wave Seafood & Steak
Save the date! The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Dan’s Papers, will host its 11th annual The Taste @ Port Jefferson at the Village Center, 101-A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson overlooking the Harborfront Park and harbor on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 6 to 10 p.m.
This year’s event will feature samplings from Kilwins.
In celebration, the chamber has reached out to the greater Port Jefferson restaurant community and will highlight over 20 restaurants and purveyors offering top-quality food tastings and desserts as well as samples of premium liquors, wines and beers. The event, for ages 21 and over, will feature musical entertainment by the popular band 1 Step Ahead.
As of press time, participating businesses include Barito’s, Bliss Restaurant, C’est Cheese, Costco, Danfords Wave Seafood & Steak, Dos MexiCuban Cantina, Kilwins, Flying Pig Cafe, Haikara Sake, Twin Stills Moonshine, L.I. Pour House Bar & Grill, Locals Cafe, Manhattan Beer, MELTology Mount Sinai, PJ Brewing Co., Port Jefferson Frigate, PJ Lobster House, Slurp Ramen, Starbucks, The Steam Room, St. Charles Hospital, Tuscany Gourmet Market, Uncle Giuseppe’s and The Waterview at Port Jefferson Country Club.
Sponsors this year include St. Charles Hospital, Paraco Gas, Harbor Hot Tubs, Haikara, TGIF Rentals and Fenelon Landscapes. BNB Bank is this year’s VIP Lounge Sponsor Dan’s Papers is the media sponsor.
Tickets, which may be purchased online at www.tasteatportjeff.com, are $70 per person for general admission starting at 7 p.m. and $99 for VIP guests at 6 p.m., which includes early access by one hour, a special VIP lounge with a private seating area, speciality spirits, dishes, wine pours and more. For further details, call 631-473-1414.
