Rockaway of Ages: Cookout Food Truck
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Rockaway Beach Surf Club
302 Beach 87th St.,
Rockaway Beach, New York 11693
www.rockawaybeachsurfclub.com
As evidenced by everyone and their mother's Instagram feeds and early Leo DiCaprio films, the beach is pretty great...as long as you manage to steer clear of "herbal" farmers and Tilda Swinton.
And while this fact is unlikely to change at any age, we can think of one thing that would make it even better: being able to get Southern barbecue without having to stray too far from your beach towel. Enter the Cookout, a new food truck from the team behind Lodge and Urban Rustic that will spend the summer parked at the famed Rockaway Beach Surf Club, a restaurant slash bar slash venue that has firmly established its place in the local community.
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Beckoning you over from whatever beach blanket bingo set-up you wrangled on the stretch of sand near 91st street, the surf shack's massive outdoor space has been taken over by Chef Patrick Quinn barbecue operation, a state-of-the-art truck that serves up a menu of backyard favorites that use local produce and ethically raised meats, while offering plenty of veggie/vegan options.
Messy yet ultimately satisfying eats include smoked Carolina-style pulled pork shoulder, smoked chicken wings with sriracha-honey sauce, grilled watermelon and charred corn-on-the-cob with ricotta smear and smoked paprika. It's the perfect type of grub to be consumed at this open-air seaside hangout, an ode to the laidback surfer mentality that features eclectic details like furniture constructed from driftwood, vintage surfboards hanging from the ceiling, Dia de los Muertos murals, and events like scavenger hunts, ping pong championships, and Moma PS 1 exhibitions.
More: E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. New York
And now that you no longer need to lug a cooler to the beach, there's really only one thing to remember: waiting the requisite 30 minutes before you swim...
By Arielle Sachar
Arielle Sachar writes and edits E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. lifestyle content for CBS New York.
