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This venue is closed.

The off-duty firemen and laborers who hang ten inside of this freestanding panel house are more likely to surf channels for the Rangers game (nearly every table is equipped with a miniature plasma screen) than ride the waves; nonetheless surf boards and buoys netted against the walls make this pitched-roof shack near Rockaway Beach the closest thing the city has to a genuine surf club. On a docklike back deck that's occasionally enlivened by a steel-drum band, a thatch tiki bar turns out pints of frozen margaritas, lobster rolls held together by American flag toothpicks, and shrimp and burgers off the grill. The eclectic programming ranges from ventriloquists to cover bands like Alive 'N Kickin' (apparently known for its number one hit single "Tighter and Tighter"), but the real draw is a view of Jamaica Bay and the looming Cross Bay Bridge that makes one want to fish for striper rather than for that nearby MILF's phone number. Should you actually catch the impulse, there's a bait shop right next door. — Daniel Maurer