Chef Francis Derby departs Patchogue for Greenport
Chef Francis Derby in the kitchen at The State Room, his former Patchogue restaurant. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Francis Derby, the high-flying chef who launched The State Room and Shands General in Patchogue, is now overseeing two kitchens on the North Fork. He left Patchogue in May to take on the position of culinary director at Arbus Hospitality, which oversees the food-and-beverage operations at boutique hotels such as The Halyard at Sound View, on Greenport’s waterfront, and The Harborfront Inn, in downtown Greenport.
"After 30 years in this business," Derby said, a "more corporate" position seemed like the right move for "a father who is going to be 50 and is looking for more stability. Cooking on the line is more of a young man’s game."
He spent the summer streamlining Sound View's culinary operations, which include catering, the food-truck service on the hotel’s beach and overhauling the menu at The Halyard, the property’s fine-dining restaurant. Heading into fall, that menu is now a study in upscale, coastal-focused crowd pleasers with a soupçon of Long Island cred: local oysters and salad greens, grilled swordfish au poivre and broiled miso-maple-glazed halibut, grilled skirt steak with carrot-pepper romesco. Starters range between $18 and $26, mains from $25 (for a double smashed burger) to $54 (for that skirt steak).
The deck at The Halyard in Greenport is perched above Long Island Sound. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
As ever, the view of Long Island Sound is unbeatable.
In the coming months, Derby will turn his attention to creating a wine bar at The Harborfront.
Back in Patchogue, Shands General partner Stephen Rizzo said "We haven’t skipped a beat." Derby’s sous chef, Kenny Siegel — "who has been here from Day 1" — has been promoted to executive chef.
Initially, there were different menus at The State Room (upstairs, small plates) and Shands General (downstairs, modern brasserie), but in February — three months before Derby left — the partners decided to combine them into one. " "We only have one kitchen," Rizzo said, "and it didn’t make sense financially to be bringing in different ingredients, doing different platings. We really looked at what was selling and what wasn’t."
The State Room is still offering a tasting menu — the whole table must participate in this $155 feast (plus $45 for beverage pairing). Not to be outdone, Shands General will prepare a nose-to-tail "pig feast" for a group of 10 or more for $85. Advance notice is required for both menus.
The Halyard, 58775 Rte. 48, Greenport, 631-477-0666, thehalyardgreenport.com
Shands General, 67 W. Main St., Patchogue, 631-447-2337, shandsgeneral.com
