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20 years ago, on December 9, 1985, I took over the ownership of Canterbury Ales in Oyster Bay. Prior to this, the only thing I knew about Oyster Bay was that it was the stomping ground of two pretty cool guys…Teddy Roosevelt, our 26th President and Billy Joel. In fact, Oyster Bay is once again Joel’s stomping ground. I understand that Billy popped into Canterbury’s for a quick coffee recently, unfortunately I was home.

The original owners started Canterbury Ales in Huntington in 1977. They later opened the Oyster Bay store in 1981. After selling it to me in ’85, they sold the Huntington store to their manager a year later. At this point, both stores had the same name, décor, menu, and ambiance. Within a few months, it became clear that the place in Oyster Bay needed some change. For starters, how could a place in a town named Oyster Bay not have oysters on the menu? This was a No-No. In no time, oysters hit the tables in all varieties and style. Shortly thereafter boatloads of other shellfish were found in abundance; shrimp, mussels, clams, lobster and steamers. Oh those steamers! I must confess that if you love a good "mess" of steamers, we have ‘em…harvested locally out of the area waters…it doesn’t get fresher! Speaking of FRESH, we also added lots of fresh fish, SO FRESH, the fish sometimes talk back to you.
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Word began to spread that we were doing some strange things to a Traditional English Style Pub. A menu that was once dominated by fish-n-chips, bangers-n-mash, steak-n-kidney pie and a scotch egg to name a few, was beginning to move uptown and take on a new look. It was in 1986, that the two Canterbury Ales were no longer the same. The menu in Oyster Bay constantly added new items year after year. Big bowls of pasta, interesting salads, steaks, chops, ribs and that fresh fish (We didn’t fish in the freezer). As the eighties pub and happy hour days came to a close, it was apparent that the community was enjoying our metamorphosis into an everyday family bistro instead of a pub. We removed the back bar and put in booths. Out with the tiffany, stained glass and fox hunting pictures and in with the Roosevelt picture gallery, historic Oyster Bay photos and the fish house accents. Today the decor is that of a rustic New England Chowderhouse with Roosevelt era & Historical Oyster Bay accents. The place was transformed from a cozy pub to a causal American Bistro with comfort and cutting edge food. DON’T LET THE NAME FOOL YOU! The menu shed its twelve varieties of burgers and added more American comfort food with a little twist. The specials began to take on new culinary verve. At this point, around 1992, the restaurant had truly found its harmony. It struck an important balance of yesterday and today, a little tradition and a little cutting edge. From this point our philosophy hit the bulls eye! - A balanced menu with some of the old pub hits, some good comfort food combined with regional and ethnic twists producing eclectic food in a cozy, comfortable, unpretentious atmosphere with affordable prices. This would be a place you could be happy in everyday… In TR.’s words," a good deal for the people…a SQUARE DEAL". It became a great place to enjoy a diverse menu ranging from burgers and thin crust pizza to the freshest global seafood and exotic culinary creations... a real hidden pearl!
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As each year went by, you’d notice that the menu always had some change. We added a little more of this and took off a little more of that. However, the "staple" items remain. Then we added many specials. We utilize our specials as a way to flex our culinary wings bringing you the best that each season has to offer. This is the fun part of the job, being able to purchase the seasons freshest bounty and experiment with different flavors. This allows us to be creative and get a little funky, bringing you new dishes everyday with a little twist. This is a real part of the energy here!
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As for beverage, we employ the same philosophy we have with food…. Lots of choice and variety. From a Rheingold, (that’s right Met’s fans), to the most artisan Belgium triple fermented beer, we have the bases covered. Back in ’85, I wondered how a place with the word Ales in the name didn’t have a ton of beer and Ale on the menu. As fast as you can sing, "99 Bottles of Beer on The Wall" in the back of a bus, is as fast as 95 more beers were added to the original beer selection, which became Long Island’s first Beer menu of this kind!
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Wine you ask? Quite the wine list for a little joint! In the beginning there was, I repeat, WAS, Soave Bolla, Black Tower, Mateus and Lancers. Today, you can choose from a great selection of moderately priced wines by the glass, some really nice mid-priced wines and some of the most highly sought after wines on the planet. We have wines you probably won’t find anywhere else as well as some so limited you have to know the secret password to get them… If you’re interested, ask Cynthia or Jeff. By the way ANY WINE FROM OUR LIST IS HALF PRICE MONDAY EVENING WITH DINNER! Tequila, Single Malt Scotch, Flavored and Premium Vodka followed the beer and wine lists to create one of the nicest back bar selections around.
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These changes led us to what we know Canterbury’s to be today. We added "Oyster Bar & Grill" to the name to give it a more up to date feel and to call attention to Oysters and our town, Oyster Bay. If you are going to meet friends at Canterbury Ales Oyster Bar and Grill, make sure you specify the Oyster Bay store. Both are under independent ownership, have different décor, different menus, different philosophies and a different style. Thankfully, both of us have transcended over two decades and remain fixtures in our respective towns. BUT, WE ARE DIFFERENT! While the place is quite a bit different than it was in ‘85, many of you have grown with us and have been part of the changes so you understand and know the differences. For those of you reading this for the first time, you now have been brought up to date on the history of Canterbury’s.
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In this wonderful 20-year run, people have made lots of recommendations, perhaps change the wall color, make the menu more upscale, move this over here, add that to the menu etc. etc. While I take it all in and change is often made, the bottom line and the beauty and personality of the place is what you see. We know our place and we know what our intention is and I believe we deliver that. We know who we are. Many of you have called the place Old Reliable because like the Eveready Battery, it keeps going…and going and …still going. It’s a place you can feel comfortable everyday. Dress up or dress down…just Dress! We’re not looking to be the "in" spot or the "power" scene. Those places seem to come and go. We want to be a go-to spot, a place you can rely on for consistency, good attitude and most of all…. GOOD TIMES!
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Over the years, we have been fortunate to garner some very nice praise and reviews from the media. (N.Y. Times, Newsday, New York Magazine to name a few). One of my favorite quotes of all time came from Newsday’s, Joan Remenick. When putting together her Top 10 EATS Restaurants of the year, (yes, we were one of them), she wrote:  "Recently, I spoke with a man who said he and his wife believe in dining only at the finest restaurants, I like to experience every meal as though it were my last." He added, " I frequently spend $100 per person for that type of experience." Remenick then said," My view of dining is decidedly more lighthearted and less costly…. I maintain that great, not just good food, can be found at the low to moderate end of the price scale, and that snagging a super meal for less than $30 per person adds a certain note of victory to the experience. What makes a great EATS meal though is not merely price or cuisine, but warmth, honesty and festivity that rather than adding up to the last best meal on earth, instead seems to say, "Party on food pilgrims, the fun is just beginning". I couldn’t agree more! I couldn’t have said it better. This is what it’s all about at Canterbury Ales Oyster Bar & Grill…In Oyster Bay…. OF COURSE!
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Here’s to having a great time when you’re here!
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Mark.