4 Long Island dining adventures: See planes, ride a boat and more

Planes, boats, cars — you can get a taste of them all at these Long Island restaurants that have built-in adventures. Late summer is an ideal time to say, have an early breakfast at an under-the-radar tiny airport cafe or beat summer boredom by taking the kids on a free boat ride up a canal en route to lunch.

Watch the planes: Wings Airport Grill

135 Dawn Dr., Shirley

 Talk about a view! Wings Airport Grill is basically on the tarmac at Brookhaven Calabro Airport, and, on a clear day, the skies are full of planes landing and taking off. It’s mostly prop planes (many of them vintage), but you can also see the odd small jet, helicopter and even skydiver.

The aviation theme extends to the decor — toy planes, informational place mats, cloud panels in the ceiling — which appeals particularly to children. Owners Joe and Lisa Cooney double down on that appeal by providing board games and lawn games and showing vintage cartoons on weekends. Chef Joe’s menu is divided into Early Departures (breakfast items) and Late Arrivals (lunch), the dishes identified by airport code: DEN is a chock-full Western omelet ($12), JFK is the perennially popular Reuben sandwich ($12), LAX is a garden salad ($8), BUF is, inevitably, Buffalo wings (big and delicious, $13).

MTP is Wings’ code for pancakes — something to do with Dutch settlers in New York and the Montauk airport whose code is KMTP — but the obscure reasoning should not get in the way of ordering them; they are stupendous: a stack of three, tender (but not cottony) golden-brown flapjacks that measure a good 10 inches across. They cost $10 and could feed a family of four.

While families and airplane buffs make up one segment of the client base, the other is pilots, some of whom keep their planes here but many more of whom fly in from nearby airports because the food is so good. "We’ve got pilots who fly here from Republic Airport in Farmingdale," Joe said, "but also from Connecticut, from all over the Northeast. The pilots talk about who has good food, and they’ve put us on the map."

According to Joe, there had been a cafe here for at least 30 years but that "no one could figure out how to make it work." He and Lisa took it over five years ago and implemented a three-pronged approach: "We improved the food, made everything in front of the customers, and made it a place for families."

The Cooneys' own grown children, Olivia and Justin, help out too. Both teachers, Olivia has the preschool expertise while Justin, who teaches physics, can expound on Bernoulli’s principle, which explains how planes stay in the air. More info: 631-432-5522, facebook.com/WingsCafeNY

Eat in a railroad car: Taj Crown of India

10 Woods Corner Rd., East Setauket

It’s hard to make out what exactly is happening on North Country Road just east of Nicolls Road: It looks like a vintage railroad car has T-boned the low-slung building, dividing it into two restaurants, Taj Crown of India in the western portion, and Bliss in the east. If you drive past Taj’s side entrance, you’ll see another railroad car around back, this one clearly marked "dining car."

The story starts in 1974 when railroad buffs David and Sandra Skulnik opened Dining Car 1890 here. Originally, the restaurant integrated four railroad cars: two cabooses, a refrigerator car and a "business car" that had served as a rolling campaign headquarters for Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman. The 200-seat restaurant carried on serving continental cuisine until around 1990, after which it became UB Loves Cafe.

By 1996, the building had been divided into two separate venues, Crocodile Cafe in the east and a specialty market in the west. That year, Chani Singh (of the new Saffire in Commack) opened an Indian restaurant, Curry Club, in the larger space and turned the smaller space into an American eatery called Village Bistro.

In 2004, Rob Hoffman purchased the smaller space and opened Bliss, which continues to serve American cuisine with international influences.

Curry Club lasted until 2022, when it was taken over by the Kumar family, redecorated and relaunched as Taj Crown of India. The menu, vast as the subcontinent, is full of familiar crowd-pleasers like samosas ($6.95), chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken (both $18.95) and lamb vindaloo ($21.95), but there are also many lesser-known items to explore. Pani puri ($8.95) is a street food comprising delicate, hollow, golf-ball-size orbs stuffed with a spiced potato mixture and moistened with flavored waters. Kathi rolls ($14.95 to $21.95) are roll-ups of whole-wheat flatbread with fillings that range from marinated fresh cheese to fried potatoes to lamb seekh (minced and spiced kebab) and beyond. Taj serves many seafood dishes, including whole pomfret roasted in the tandoor oven ($29.95), and the comprehensive "mix grill platter" ($32.95) with tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, lamb seekh kebab, creamy malai kebab, boti kebab and shrimp tikka.

Somewhere along the line, a second railroad car went missing but one of the cabooses is still in use as an auxiliary dining room. It’s a fun event space — they’ll set up a projector screen — but you can also request to be seated there for your railroad tour of India. More info: 631-825-2345, tajcrownofindia.com

Road-trip ready: Ford’s Garage

355 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove

Calling all car collectors, fanatics, and ... burger fans who happen to need a shopping trip: With its 1920s service station vibe, Ford’s Garage in Lake Grove's Smith Haven Mall is the brand’s lone location in New York, a solid spot for burgers and brews after a full day of retail therapy.

Inspired by the Ford Motor Company, the massive Lake Grove space — which clocks in at over 5,000 square feet — has seating for 275 diners, all anchored by a vintage, shiny black Ford hanging above the bar. Casual, with plenty of televisions carrying the latest sports games, the auto-themed decor includes kitschy memorabilia, all licensed by the Ford Motor Company, from gas pumps to tire-themed bathroom sinks with fuel nozzle faucets. Napkins are made from blue shop towels wrapped in metal gaskets; servers, of course, wear mechanic shirts.

The menu, like the decor, also plays on nostalgia, with a roster of comfort food that begins with Black Angus burgers piled high with toppings (apple wood smoked bacon, fried eggs, caramelized onions) served on brioche or pretzel buns branded with the Ford’s Garage logo. For purists, there’s the American Standard ($15.99, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle). Other burgers include a Green and Clean veggie burger; even a Jiffy burger ($16.50) with peanut butter.

In addition to burgers, there are soups (French onion, chili), sandwiches (crispy chicken, smoked brisket) and homey classics including fish and chips ($19.99), pulled pork mac and cheese ($16.50), ribs in bourbon barbecue sauce ($20.99) and Mama Ford’s homemade meat loaf ($18.50). Finish strong with a milkshake, caramel apple cookie skillet ($10.99) or brownie sundae.

Owned by Long Island native Steve Israel— who co-opened the first Ford’s Garage in 2012 in Fort Myers, Florida, and owns the Lake Grove restaurant with his son, Jake — the chain now has 30 locations nationwide with many clustered in Florida and the Midwest. More info: 631-818-3673, fordsgarageusa.com

Take a boat ride: Cowfish-Rumba

Cowfish: 258 E. Montauk Hwy.; Rumba, 43 Canoe Place Rd., Hampton Bays

All summer long, visitors to the East End stop by Cowfish, the magical, multistory waterside eatery owned by Rachel and David Hersh that opened in 2012. With sweeping views of the Shinnecock Canal and bay, an outdoor bar, picnic tables, a play area for kids, even boat slips, it’s here that beachy moms and dads can grab a frosty summer beverage from the bar, while kids play cornhole and hide and seek until their surname is called; table is ready. "Let’s go wash our hands," someone’s— anyone’s—  parent shout. "It’s time to eat."

Cowfish captures the lighthearted spirit of summer dining in a seaside town with a menu that has something for everyone: creamy clam chowder ($13) for the traditionalists; tuna poke with strawberries, mango and avocado for the tropically minded ($38); NOLA shrimp with rice ($38) for Cajun spice lovers; baby back ribs ($39) or a cowboy rib-eye ($79) for carnivores; chicken fingers for small fries.

Cowfish is the Hershes' second canal-side eatery; their first restaurant (they now own seven) was Rumba, about a half-mile south. Here’s where the boat comes in.

With its ramshackle charm and Caribbean-inflected menu, Rumba's seating capacity is small — 65 to Cowfish’s 150 — parking is slim and there's little room for idling for a table. That’s what inspired the Hershes to launch the RumBarge, a shipshape little ferry that shuttles customers between the two venues. It seats six, so large parties may need a double shift. It also works wonders on hangry little ones. Put your name on the waitlist at Rumba and motor up to Cowfish for a drink (they’ll text you when your table is ready). Or dine at Cowfish and get some Key lime pie at Rumba for dessert. You decide.

Rumba’s menu draws from warm-weather climes all over the globe: Barbados cream roasted-garlic Caesar, coconut-crusted local fluke with banana-coconut rum reduction ($38); Dominican ribs ($38) with sweet chili-ginger soy glaze; soy-sugar cane salmon with coconut risotto ($34); Granada jerk chicken ($32); and an allspice and peppercorn crusted Jamaican swordfish ($40). Key lime pie ($14) with a graham cracker-pecan crust is reason alone for a ride on the barge. More info: Cowfish: 631-594-3868, cowfishrestaurant.com; Rumba: 631-594-3544, rumbahamptonbays.com