Food for thought . . . or to dream about!

The Beach House Rockville Centre

21 S Park Ave

Rockville Centre

(516) 678-SURF

Sister to its “happening” namesake in Long Beach, The Beach House in Rockville Centre is off to a running start. A lively bar, flat screen TVs abound, and popular DJs attract a youthful after-hours crowd. Yet the fact that they offer exquisitely creative cuisine, reasonably priced and generously portioned, brings in all ages, including families, during lunch and dinner hours.

While wings, potato skins and other favorites are always on hand, the bulk of the menu is uniquely innovative. Executive Chef Bobby Antonetti brings his expertise from The Beanery, Four Food Studio, and the Mill Ridge Country Club. His presentations are way up there, the kind that rivals an upscale restaurant.

A warm loaf of pumpernickel with maple butter started our feast. We were wowed by seared sea scallops on a mound of chorizo hash with swirls of saffron aioli and herb oil. Burrata Beach Caprese — a ball of mozzarella filled with cream and cheese — joined grilled slices of Tuscan bread, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and a Balsamic drizzle.

Toasted macaroni and cheese topped with spicy chili was the ultimate in comfort food. If you like deviled eggs, you’ll adore the shooters, with crisp onions roasted peppers, and spicy mayo. Crispy calamari doesn’t get any better than theirs, served with garlic mayo and spicy tomato sauce. Potato skins are offered three ways: bacon and cheddar, Philly cheese steak, or Asian seared rare tuna with wasabi aioli. A fine salad choice is apple almond crunch, sprinkled with raisins, goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette. San Gennaro flatbread came topped with crumbled sausage, mozzarella, peppers, onions and tomato sauce.

The (enormous) Cubano burger, served with waffle fries, was topped with ham, onion, pickle slices, Swiss cheese and mustard. Shrimp scampi ravioli with whole shrimps was cheese-filled with tomato, basil and finished with breadcrumbs, garlic and wine sauce. Grilled French pork chops, thick and tender on the bone with a mushroom and balsamic demi-glace, arrived on a bed of potato/corn/bacon hash.