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Since MJ Dowlings opened three months ago, the steakhouse and sports bar has seen steady business. According to Michael and John Dowling, the father and son who own the restaurant, they’re filling a need in Noyac.
“It’s a neighborhood type of operation,” said Michael, the senior Dowling. He noted that people come for the food, fun and games from all the nearby towns, but mostly Noyac, North Sea and Sag Harbor. “We have a community here,” John added.
Though the father and son pair opened MJ Dowlings in October, they are also the owners of its previous incarnation, Italian restaurant Giordano’s, since 2000 and owned and operated a sports bar called Players Pub in the Meadowlands before that. The Dowlings were not the creators of Giordano’s, but they kept it the way they bought it because Noyac had several pubs at the time. Michael explained that when the nearby Chindas, Egans and the Salty Dog closed, he and his son saw an opportunity to fill a niche and at the same time create the restaurant they’d always envisioned.
The younger Dowling said the family’s new endeavor is doing better than Giordano’s ever did, noting that “we’ve been pretty busy all around.”
With its wooden interior accented by booths, a long bar, jukebox and a pair of 50-inch television screens, MJ Dowlings looks nothing like Giordano’s. Sports events play on the big screens and in the rear of the dimly lit and well kept dining room and bar, two pool tables and several arcade games are available.
The Dowlings teamed up to create the menu for the new business and the two men and their wives run the place as a family. John married his wife Catherine in November and she and Betty, Michael’s wife, share management, hosting and other duties at MJ Dowlings. “We all get along well,” John said, remarking, “We complement each other.”
The organizing principle of the menu is to serve “simple foods where you can taste the food and not everything around it,” the younger Mr. Dowling explained, adding, “We’re mostly a steakhouse: burgers, comfort food.”
“This is a place you can come and feel comfortable,” Michael said. He explained that MJ Dowlings serves only high quality meats, the 10-ounce burgers are “all black Angus” beef, and the French fries are cut and cooked in-house. On Friday and Saturday nights, MJ Dowlings serves prime rib for $24, Michael said.
“Our wings are excellent,” John said, with his father adding that the sauce is made from scratch at the restaurant.
MJ Dowlings has a varied selection of appetizers, soups and salads to start a meal. The owners recommend their Buffalo wings, served mild, medium or hot with bleu cheese, carrots and celery for $8. Nachos Caliente, $10, are another popular choice and come smothered in chili, pico de gallo and cheddar cheese and topped with black olives, jalapeños, sour cream, guacamole and scallions.
Other bar favorites include fried calamari with marinara sauce, $9; potato skins with bacon, cheddar and sour cream, $7; and steamed mussels with cherry tomatoes, scallions, corn and sweet chili sauce for $13. Clams on the half shell, $8; shrimp cocktail, $13; and baked clams, $9; are also available on the appetizer menu.
Both New England and Manhattan clam chowder, $6, are served daily, along with French onion soup, $6; and homemade chili with cheddar, sour cream and scallions for $7. Salads include a classic wedge of iceberg lettuce with chopped bacon and bleu cheese dressing, $8; simple salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and shredded carrots, $6; Greek salad, $10; caesar salad, $7; and arugula salad, $9.
Bigger salads that can work as a meal and include a chicken caesar for $15, and scallops over escarole with shaved parmesan and roasted pistachios or a sliced hanger steak over mixed greens and onions topped with crumbled bleu cheese, each for $17.
Just as the Dowlings did when they owned Giordano’s, the new restaurant serves 12-inch pizzas, including margherita, $11; Hawaiian, $13; and four cheese for $13.
Entrées derive from a variety of influences and include sizzling fajitas with sautéed peppers and onions, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes and Mexican rice with a choice of chicken, steak or shrimp, $23; BBQ baby back ribs with homemade coleslaw, $22; pepper crusted ahi tuna, $27; and several other fish, chicken and pasta dishes priced at around $20.
All steaks are served with mashed potatoes or French fries and seasoned vegetables. Cuts include a sliced hanger steak, $18; ribeye, $22; 16-oz. New York strip, $28; 20-oz. t-bone, $32; and Mike’s Cut filet mignon for $32. All cuts can be topped with bleu cheese, sautéed onions, a five-pepper crust or bearnaise sauce for $1 to $3.
Some burgers and sandwiches on the menu are named for different neighborhoods in the Noyac area, including the Noyac cheesesteak, made from shaved prime rib, sautéed peppers and onions and melted cheddar on a hero, $14; the North Sea flounder sandwich, $14; Mount Misery, a 10-oz. burger with jalapeños, guacamole and jack cheese, $13; the Pine Neck burger with sautéed onion, mushrooms and Swiss cheese, $13; and the Bay Point burger with avocado and bacon, $12, among other choices.
MJ Dowlings celebrates “Monday Night Football” broadcasts with half-price appetizers at the bar, and every afternoon Happy Hour features $3 drafts, $11 domestic pitchers and $2 off mixed drinks.
MJ Dowlings also has a take-out menu; call 725-4444 to order.
3360 Noyac Road, Noyac; 725-4444
Monday, Wednesday through Friday 4 to 11 p.m., Sunday noon to 11 p.m.
All major credit cards except Diner’s Club
Reservations accepted
Handicapped accessible
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