5 Bites Of The Hamptons
The Hamptons, once just a string of beautiful and desolate beach towns, has become synonymous with chic personalities, exclusive dinner parties, and see-and-be-seen socializing. Though each hamlet of the Hamptons has grown with each passing season, one thing remains the same: good food.
Whether they're serving fresh seafood or fusion, fabled restaurants like Nick and Toni's in East Hampton and Dave's Grill in Montauk please diners from year to year, while new favorites like Navy Beach and Meeting House in Amagansett become perennial hits. In the spirit of highlighting what's new for the 2012 Hamptons season, we're banking on the following five bites to satisfy your summer palate.
Brunch: Hoping for the same successful following that made Beau Brunch the place to be each weekend in New York City's Meatpacking District, Beaumarchais's new East End outpost will set the scene for a the same chic party on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, only this one will take place in a new indoor/outdoor space not too far from the beach.
Featuring a cast of international DJs and endless pours of rosé wine and champagne, the menu is heavy on brunch favorites from poached eggs to pancakes, croque monsieur and madams, as well as a killer tuna tartar with avocado and plantain chips. (44 Three Mile Harbor Road, East Hampton; 212-675-2400)
Dinner: Beacon, red|bar, Little Red and Fresno are some of my favorite Hamptons spots, so I was thrilled to hear that restaurateur David Loewenberg, the man behind those aforementioned joints, is adding to his empire this season with The Bell & Anchor.
Focusing on simply prepared seafood — including steamed lobsters and a raw bar — the large menu also features appetizers like duck tacos and baby back ribs, salads and chowders, and entrées, including a veal chop, a requisite burger, and surf and turf. Executive chef Sam McCleland of The Beacon heads up the kitchen. (3253 Noyac Road, Sag Harbor; 631-725-3400)
Drinks: It was only a matter of time before someone ran with polo as a theme for their Hamptons establishment. The debut of The Hamptons Players Club fits the bill.
Part drinking hole, part restaurant, decorated with equestrian details from photos to riding gear, The Hamptons Polo Club features an open-air beer garden with six taps and 16 bottles, plus swank fire pit, communal tables, and banquette seating.
If you're more cocktails than beer, hit the lounge-style VIP area filled with white couches. Though a food menu with burgers, pizzas, Long Island corn, pastas and chops exists, this spot is more drinking, less eating, especially after a long, hard day at the beach. (103 Montauk Hwy; 631-324-1663)
Dessert: Momofuku Milk Bar needs no introduction. With a cult-like following that goes bananas over cereal milk flavored soft-serve ice cream, compost cookies, and pies in crack (oat crust, butter filling) and candy (chocolate crust, caramel, peanut, pretzel filling) varieties, the sixth location opens in Montauk just in time for summer. Iced coffee and shakes round out the list at MomoMontauk, the chain's first spot outside New York City. (696 Montauk Highway, Montauk)
Combo Meal: If you need a sampling of all the spots the East End has to offer, do yourself a favor and buy a ticket to the Second Annual Dan's Taste of Two Forks on July 14, and hosted by the legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
A grand tasting of all the East End has to offer from wine and beer to headlining plates, this year's Taste of Two Forks will again take place at Sayre Park in Bridgehampton. Restaurants like Georgica, 1770 House, Luce and Hawkins, Race Lane, Nick & Toni's, Beaumarchais East Hampton, Navy Beach, and Rumba Rum Bar have already signed on to participate. Tickets are $150 for general admission, $225 for VIP.