As a teenager growing up on Eastern Long Island, I spent my
share of time in the
Hamptons.
I even did the summer weekends as a young adult for a while. As the years went
by, I wasn’t out there as much as I’d like, so when the opportunity came up to
write for
Hamptons Magazine on a
weekly basis this summer, I figured it was a great excuse to get back in the
habit of going out there.
Trip number one was with my friend Lynn.
Wordhampton, a
public relations firm that specializes on Long Island, set up an incredible
schedule that would allow us to taste my way around the east end for three days. I don’t suggest a
non-professional attempt this. Instead, make plans to visit these
places (all great) when you have a chance to spend more time at them.
Stop one was at
Little Red in Southampton and
we were scheduled for a full lunch. This is a cute little place in town, just off
the water. They serve lots of seafood and Paninis, as well as salads and main
dishes. We sipped a few good cocktails,
such as the Silver Tulip and the Southampton Sour, and enjoyed some salads, my
favorite of which was the Roasted Beet, with Roquefort and goat cheeses in a
port wine reduction.
When our “grilled cheese” arrived, we weren’t sure what it
was, but we soon learned that the slow roasted duck, braised cabbage, Dijon and
brie on sourdough was as good as it tasted. We finished up with some bites of
two perfect desserts – Vanilla Cream Caramel and a Toasted Pecan & Honey
Tart.
We left Southampton for East Hampton and checked into
The Maidstone. This beautiful old mansion had rooms in all
directions with Norwegian touches (it's own by a Swedish company). I especially
loved our “Out of Africa” room, modeled after the book written by Danish author
Karen Blixen. It truly looked like it
was in the middle of an African safari, but had modern touches (like an IPod
docking station and Wi-Fi).
After we changed, it was off to restaurant two,
Muse on the Harbor in Sag Harbor.
The place is brand new and they’ve got quite a bit to offer for their first
season. We walked into to the sounds of Long Island’s own Billy Joel singing “Only
the Good Die Young.” The décor was modern, bright and comfy. The bar is large
and complete – they even make their own infused vodkas, as well as some unusual
offerings (try the Basil Raspberry Beret).
We had some yummy Apple Smoked Pulled Pork and then were
blown away by the day’s vegetarian special (chef/owner Matt Guiffrida has a
vegetarian dish each night). It was a
Mushroom Parmigiana, a cutlet made from mushrooms that was breaded, pan-fried,
covered in marinara sauce and mozzarella and served with a salad made from arugula,
artichokes and gigante beans.
As much as we wanted to finish that dish, it was time to
head off to
Almond in
Bridgehampton. The atmosphere there was totally different, with the restaurant
on the main road and much more classic, complete with Nat King Cole playing in
the background.
We sat at the bar and took a taste of “Fire in the Hole,” a drink made with jalapeño
puree that was much too spicy for me, but a favorite of many customers. The
Ruby Kiss was a bit milder and fruitier, with Ruby Red Absolute, grapefruit
juice, lime, cranberry juice, St. Germain and a bit of simple syrup. We also
tasted three incredible dishes – Brussels Sprouts Two Ways, La Gran Mac &
Cheese (with black truffle and lots of cheese) and Goat Cheese Ravioli.
We got a bit lost trying to find
Fresno, but that gave us a
chance to digest before the next food (and also see a great sunset over the
water). When we walked into this cozy
restaurant we were surprised to be greeted by Diego the bartender, making us a
Cucumber Caipirinha in the style of his native Brazil!
The drink and Diego were the only things at Fresno that are
from South America. The menu leaned toward the French, as illustrated by the
asparagus and poached egg in truffle oil with shaved parmesan we first ate. The
menu is filled with seafood (which both Lynn and I are allergic too), but we
also were told the French fries here are famous and agreed. We passed on trying any as we were off for
dinner, though we weren’t quite sure how we’d get through a full meal.
Dinner was at
The Living Room, a beautiful fine dining room at The Maidstone. We didn’t end up finishing our meals, but
certainly not because we didn’t like them. The mushrooms on toasted brioche
with a brandy cream sauce were full of flavor, as was the Ricotta Gnocchi, in a
garlic broth with Swedish lamb meatballs (that were also stuffed with ricotta). The Ginger Vanilla Crème Brulee was also
something we hated to leave, but we were as stuffed as the meatballs!
By the time we were done eating dinner, we barely made our
way up to our rooms before falling asleep. It had been a really long day and we
had another one ahead of us. I had neglected the Hamptons for two long and it
was time to make that up.
