Ditch Plains (Upper West Side)

Northwest winds blow in perfect swells off the shore of Ditch Plains, the legendary Montauk, Long Island surf spot. It was here, after elbowing through the notoriously packed line-up that Chef Marc Murphy caught his first wave - and he rode it all the way to New York City's West Village. The raffish restaurateur and his wife Pamela Schein Murphy, who garnered top reviews with their highly touted eateries Landmarc [Tribeca] and Landmarc [at the Time Warner Center], opened Ditch Plains in April 2006, a simple yet stylish New York-style oyster bar and fish shack that pays homage to Murphy's long board triumph and the couple's devotion to the sea. The restaurant's mood is very much aquatic, evoking a sense of casual cool while surpassing design and culinary standards. Ditch Plains offers fresh seafood and the best of beach dining - from oyster shooters and lobster rolls featuring fresh local lobsters from Long Island, to a grilled fish of the day plus celebrated specialties such as the Ditch Dog (a hot dog smothered with mac & cheese), fish tacos, spicy bloody marys, a selection of beers on tap and the famously well-priced wine program that Murphy is so well known for.