HungryHamptons: Best of Long Island and the Hamptons
June 04, 2010
Food pit-stops for your drive out to the Hamptons, and what to eat once you arrive.
Summer is here, and with it begins the weekly Friday trips to the Hamptons. If you’re driving, and looking for culinary distractions from traffic, there are plenty of pit-stops to make along the way. So we’ve created a map of all the delicious things you find on Long Island, and a guide to the best food in the Hamptons for when you finally arrive.
HUNGRYHAMPTONS: WHERE TO EAT ON THE DRIVE
Some of the places to hit along the LIE on the way out, including some that are off the beaten path if you’re in the mood for adventuring.
HUNGRYHAMPTONS: BEST OF THE HAMPTONS 2010
From jelly doughnuts, to soft shell crab sandwiches, skillet fried chicken and ribs to lobster rolls— where to go and what to get when you’re out there.
HungryHamptons: Best of the Hamptons 2010
Jeff Zalaznick — May 26, 2010
Always Hungry’s guide to the best places to eat in the Hamptons.
We have already put together a user-friendly guide to what and where you should eat while you are driving to the Hamptons, so now we can move on to the fun stuff. A guide to the best foods that the Hamptons has to offer. What to eat when you get there. From jelly doughnuts, to soft shell crab sandwiches, to big nights out for dinner, these are the best things that you can put in your mouth this summer. Print this baby out, unleash your inner fat kid, enjoy the AlwaysHungry 2010 Hamptons Guide, and start crossing these off your summer to-do list.
HungryHamptons: Where to Eat on the Drive
Jeff Zalaznick — May 26, 2010
Always Hungry’s guide to where to stop along the LIE for good food on your way to the Hamptons.
Summer is finally here, and with it comes the weekly Friday trips out East to the Hamptons. As we will all find ourselves sitting in perturbing amounts of traffic on the Long Island Expressway (LIE/495) over the next few months, we thought that it would be kind to put together a map of all of the delicious things along the way where you can stop to satisfy your hunger and to break up the trip. All of these locations are also accessible if you take the GCP/Northern State, but that you will have to map for yourself. The conclusion: there is actually some great food that is worth eating on Long Island—you just have to know where to find it. You’re Welcome.
HungryHamptons: Navy Beach (Montauk, Long Island)
Arthur Bovino — May 21, 2010
Navy Burger with Onion Bacon Marmalade, Hand-cut Fries, and House Pickles at Navy Beach.
Restaurant: Navy Beach
Address: 16 Navy Road, Montauk, NY 11954
By Boat: 41° 02′ 45.11″N, -71° 57′ 44.88″W
Contact: (631) 668-6868
Hours: Thur, 3:30pm-12:00am; Fri, 3:30pm-12:00am; Sat, 12:00pm-12:00am; Sun, 11:30am-12:00pm; Mon, 3:30pm-12:00am.
Grade: A-
Recommended Dishes: Littleneck Clams, Navy Burger, C.M.P. Sundae.
Past Lunch, beyond the Clam Bar at Napeague, just off 27 and the turn for 2nd House Road, there’s a new addition to the Hamptons dining scene in Montauk: Navy Beach. Sand, water, picnic tables, and tiki torches, the old Sunset Saloon has been whitewashed, the interior redesigned, with chef Paul LaBue in the kitchen. The project is backed by partners Frank Davis and his wife Kristina Davis, and Leyla Marchetto of Scuderia and her fiancée, Franklin Ferguson.
Survey Navy Beach, your toes in Fort Pond Bay, or catch a glimpse of a classic Mustang parked outside, and you glean its black-and-white postcard quality. There are open portals behind the bar, rods and lures at the door, and framed vintage bathing suits in a dining room with thick wood beams and rattan windowshades. Boaters are being encouraged to anchor and come for dinner. They, and anyone nautically-inclined will notice the message spelled out in naval flags under the bar: DRINK. It was the brainchild of the woman behind the restaurant’s design touches, Kristina Davis.
Photographs of the food at Navy Beach >>
AlwaysStrong: Breadzilla (Wainscott, Long Island)
Arthur Bovino — January 11, 2010
Shrimp Salad Sandwich on Squishy Bread.
Location: Breadzilla (map)
Address: 84 Wainscott Northwest Road, Wainscott, NY
Hours: Mon, closed; Tues-Sat, 8am-4pm (lunch, 11:30am-2:30pm); Sun, 8am-3pm (lunch, 11:30am-1:30pm)
Contact: (631)537-0955
Always Hungry Grade: A-
Always Hungry Recommends: Shrimp Salad Sandwich on Squishy Bread
What possesses the Always Hungry Crew to go on a road trip to the Hamptons in a snowstorm at the crack of the new year? The answer is the good fortune that happenstance brings. Like when you eat something you would never order because you arrive at a place nine minutes after lunch ends and that’s what you’re given after begging the kitchen to make you something, anything. That’s what happened recently with a Shrimp Salad Sandwich at Breadzilla, the East Hampton sandwich shop.
For the uninitiated, Breadzilla the bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8am to 4pm, but lunch is only served until 2:30pm (1:30pm, Sundays). A menu featuring about 20 to 25 options goes online about 11am (with photocopies at the counter). As noted on Serious Eats New York some of the sandwiches seem like “mad scientist creations.” The handwritten menu changes daily and has something Shopsin’s-like about it. The three or four items at the bottom are the ones you’ll find consistently. They are: Spicy Tuna Jade on 8 Grain ($8.95), the Zilla Melt ($8.95), and two sandwiches on “Squishy” Bread, Tuna Salad ($6.95) and Egg Salad ($5.95).
Given the more complicated, enticing options that were on the menu (Ribs and Potato Salad, Gooey Cheezy Roasty Beasty, Steadkadilla, and the Crispy Duck Wrap), Shrimp Salad Sandwich would normally be one of the last things selected. But it was incredible. Full of unchopped, tender shrimp with the texture of the amaebi you’d get at one of the City’s better sushi restaurants. Barely dressed with mayo and seasoned just enough, so the fresh flavor of the shrimp was the focus. Beautiful.
HungryHamptons: Clam Bar at Napeague (Montauk, NY)
Arthur Bovino — September 10, 2009
Fried Clam Roll ($6) from the Clam Bar at Napeague.
Restaurant: Clam Bar at Napeague (view site)
Address: 2025 Montauk Highway (Route 27), Montauk, NY 11954 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A-
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Lobster Roll, Fried Clams
Hours: Late March to Thanksgiving, daily, 12pm-8pm.
The old-fashioned, red and white Clam Bar at Napeague on Montauk Highway on the narrow tract between Amagansett and Montauk has been owned and operated by Dick Ehrlich since 1981. It’s the picture-postcard place to stop in the Hamptons for a bite to eat after a day of driving around with your music blaring, the top down and your cheeks flushed pink and freckled with sun. Even if this roadside seafood shack didn’t serve good fare, you’d almost have to stop there and take a picture with your girlfriend for no other reason than the one sung about in that old Kinks song.
But there’s nothing to prove at the Clam Bar. Its fish and shellfish are from local fishing boats and baymen. You can eat freshly shucked clams on the half-shell with local white wine from Duck Walk Vineyards or local beers from the Blue Point Brewing Company while sitting at the bar or be waited on by one of the efficient servers at a yellow and white parasol-shaded table.
The menu is thorough and reasonably priced. You’ll find: Cajun Popcorn Shrimp ($6.50), both New England and Manhattan Clam Chowder ($4.50/cup), Steamed Mussels or Lobster, Crab Cakes, as well as all manner of fried fare (whole clams, shrimp, oysters, scallops, clam strips and chicken nuggets). There are also grilled fish specials like Tuna, Swordfish, Shrimp, Salmon and Mahi Mahi. The Lobster Roll is good— better than the one available at the nearby stalwart, Lobster Roll (aka Lunch).
Still, the best thing to get at the Clam Bar at Napeague are the fried clams, which are great. It’s a high quality stop, a great place to sit outside and soak in the summer, or what’s left of it.
The menu: from Spicy Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder ($6.50) and steamed lobster to hamburgers.
Lobster Salad Roll, Market Price.
Crab Cakes, $7/2.
HungryHamptons: Gosman’s Dock (Montauk, NY)
Arthur Bovino — September 02, 2009
Top, Lobster Rolls, Fried Clams & French Fries. Left, Gosman’s Fish Market. Right, Gosman’s Topside.
Restaurant: Gosman’s Dock (view site)
Address: 500 W Lake Dr, Montauk, NY 11954-5152 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: C-
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Bring Martin’s Potato Long Rolls and “Fantastic Lobster Salad” from Sable’s to make your own lobster rolls and just have drinks Topside at sunset.
Hours: Topside, daily, 12pm-10pm
If you spend time in the Hamptons during the summer, you can’t really call the season complete without a visit to Gosman’s Dock. The Gosman family, fishpackers for the Fulton Market back in the mid-20th century, founded it in 1943. Robert and Mary Gosman started it as a chowder stand that specialized in lobster rolls in 1950. From there, they gradually added components, culminating in what is now practically a compound with four different spots to eat (the Restaurant, the Inlet Cafe & Sushi Bar, the Clam Bar and Gosman’s Topside). Then of course there’s a bevy of stores that qualify somewhere between kitsch and quaint, and Gosman’s Fish Market, which sells fish straight from the dock where local boats unload their fresh catches.
Unfortunately, the food doesn’t measure up to the fantastic location, at least the lobster rolls and the fried clams don’t. Gosman’s lobster rolls are different both in style and presentation from those we’ve become accustomed to in the city with the proliferation of the Pearl-style. This roll is more akin to lobster salad, in fact, that’s how it’s described on the menu: Fresh Lobster Salad on a Roll. The salad is served in a large, rounded scoop on a traditional hot dog bun. At $16.95, it’s cheaper than most of the ones you’ll find in Manhattan, but in this case you miss what you don’t pay for, the meat is ground and watery. The fried clams are chewy and rubbery.
You would be better off buying whole cooked lobsters at Gosman’s Fish Market or even better, picking up Martin’s Potato Long Rolls, and a pound of the famous, “Fantastic Lobster Salad” at Sable’s (a reasonable $34), and enjoying an end of summer drink Topside as the sun goes down.
HungryHamptons: Briermere Farms (Riverhead, Long Island)
The Gluttoness — August 28, 2009
Clockwise, from top left: Briermere Farms’ pie menu, Pies, more pies and cookies.
Restaurant: Briermere Farms (view site)
Address: 4414 Sound Ave., Riverhead, NY 11901 (view map)
Grade: A-
Recommended Dishes: Fresh Blueberry Cream and Apple Crisp Pies
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-5pm; Fri-Sun 9am-5:30pm
Everyone has their favorite Hamptons farm stand, but when it comes to fruit pies, everyone’s favorite is Briermere Farms. It looks like any other on-site greenmarket, but the outdoor display of tomatoes, sweet plums and snap peas isn’t why pie lovers rush to Riverhead. Rather, it’s the tiny indoor bakery that brims with homemade fruit pies, cakes, cookies and freshly baked breads. The seasonal pie list features classic fillings like Peach, Cherry and Pumpkin (come fall), and of course, the fruit is all from their own farm. Briermere also creates clever combinations like Blackberry Apple and features less frequently used fruits like Boysenberry and Apricot.
Briermere Farms’ fresh Blueberry Cream Pie, $28.
Briermere is particularly well known for its cream pies, which can be topped with either apricot-glazed fresh fruit or cooked fruit pie filling. The bottom is lined with a buttery crust and a delectable, smooth whipped cream cheese base. On the weekends, specials like Lemon Meringue, Coconut Cream and Chocolate Cream rarely last until the 5:30pm closing time. The fresh Blueberry Cream Pie is out of this world. The mountainous arrangement of sweet sapphires is impressive enough, but it’s the simple trifecta of flaky crust, fruit and billowy cream that is simultaneously rich and refreshing.
Fresh Blueberry Cream and Apple Crisp Pies.
Briermere’s other standout is the Apple Crisp Pie ($16), the only pie given the “crisp” treatment, an atypical one at that. It’s covered completely with a crust onto which the crisp is adhered. The result is an exorbitantly crunchy coating. Once you break through the covering, the freshly caramelized apples spiced with brown sugar and cinnamon ooze out decadently. It’s legitimately one of the best apple pies ever, making Briermere a mandatory stop on any summer trek out east.
HungryHamptons: Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe (Riverhead, NY)
The Gluttoness — July 17, 2009
There are several hidden gems on Eastern Long Island worth bragging about, one prime example being Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe, a roadside ice cream shop in Riverhead, NY, which has been open for business since the 1950s. It’s a great pit-stop en route to the Hamptons and a fantastic rainy day destination if you’re out there already.
Restaurant: Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe (view site)
Address: 1148 West Main Street (Route 25) (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Peconic Swamp Thing, Sorbets
Snowflake is everything you’d expect from a mom and pop roadside ice cream parlor that first opened in 1953. The small space on Route 25 with the giant swirled cone atop it, was purchased in 1987 by Carolyn and Stewart Feldschuh from its original owners, Herb and Joan Kunitz. The ice cream is homemade, and the soft sorbet may be the closest thing to authentic water ice you can find in New York.
Creamsicle and Black Raspberry Sorbet
As for the ice cream, it’s rich and creamy, and comes in about 30 fabulous different flavors. Aside from standard favorites like Mint Chocolate Chip, Strawberry, Cookies and Cream, and Maple Walnut, there are more interesting flavors like: Banana Split and Peanut Butter Cup. The owners’ favorites are Carolyn’s Peconic Swamp Thing: chocolate ice cream, raspberry fudge and brownies, and the Cherry Pistachio, which Stewart Feldschuh is responsible for. It’s a lime green pistachio ice cream riddled with black cherries, an homage to Mr. Feldschuh’s favorite childhood dessert at a local Chinese restaurant in Long Beach, NY, where he grew up. The perfect bite is at the bottom of the cup where the pistachio and cherry flavors eventually meld together.
Cherry Pistachio and Peconic Swamp Thing Ice Cream
Snowflake also offers a flavor of the week. For example, on the Fourth of July it was Red, White & Blueberry. You can send ice cream flavor suggestions to Snowflake by e-mail if you hope to have them turn your dream dessert into a reality. If there were to be a “The Gluttoness” flavor it would include: strawberry ice cream with real strawberries, crushed Butterfinger and a butterscotch swirl.
Featured Dish: Philippe’s Crispy Beef
The Gluttoness — June 26, 2009
Whether you’re on the Upper East Side or in East Hampton, Philippe Chow’s Crispy Beef is one of those sinful dishes that always hits the spot. Health-wise, it’s absolute garbage: deep-fried slivers of beef lacquered with sweet, honey-tinged sauce. Taste-wise it’s awesome, addictive and exponentially better than the original dish at Mr. Chow. For the most part, the menus at these two restaurants are identical. Sure, there is squab in the lettuce wraps at Chow, and the handmade noodles go by Mr. Cheng’s at Philippe, but even with these alterations the dishes taste the same.
The greatest distinction between the cuisines of Mr. Chow and Philippe (restaurant page), its bastard offspring, is in the Crispy Beef. At Mr. Chow you can barely find the stringy bits of beef inside the soggy batter, and excessive oil prevents the dish from achieving the crispiness its name suggests. Philippe’s super-sized version has some serious beefiness beneath an impressive crunch. It’s hard to resist popping these bad boys into your mouth with your fingers— they’re like high-end beef version of Cheetos Crunchy Cheese Puffs. Considering the mountainous portions, don’t say we didn’t warn you: Philippe’s Crispy Beef is best enjoyed when wearing pants with an elastic waistband.
Featured Dessert: Colossal Cookies from Levain Bakery
The Gluttoness — June 23, 2009
Plenty of places are making great cookies these days, take Milk & Cookies Bakery for example, or Momofuku Milk Bar. But the cookies at Levain Bakery (view site) on the Upper West Side, are six-ounce bad boys that separate the average cookie from the big dogs. They look like super-sized scones, have the gooey soft texture of brownies, and are jam-packed with rich goodies. The sheer size of each cookie makes it hard to comprehend that these actually are cookies.
Levain Bakery only makes four cookie flavors. It’s hard to believe anything could be better than their Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cookie, a rich, dark chocolate treat bedazzled with peanut butter chips (somewhere, a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is crying). But the Chocolate Chip Walnut, Oatmeal Raisin and Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies will also transport you to cookie heaven with your first bite.
Each cookie costs $3.75 and a sampling of all 4 will run you $15 at the store. In addition to Levain Bakery’s Upper West Side location there is a Hamptons store in Wainscott. Cookies can also be ordered online and shipped in gift boxes (although a sampling of four costs $22 when ordered online). Either way, educated consumers know this is money well spent—cookies don’t get bigger, or better, than this.
HungryHamptons: Westhampton Beach Farmers’ Market, Stall by Stall
The Gluttoness — June 19, 2009
Crabs from Seatuck Fish Co.
This past Saturday was the debut of the Westhampton Beach Farmers’ Market, and the 24 stalls had the parking lot behind Waldbaum’s bustling with fresh produce, fruit pies, chocolate fudge, homemade pasta and preserves. While Montauk Highway is riddled with roadside stands, this pop-up farmers’ market is known as one of the best in all of the Hamptons.
Highlights included Blue Duck Bakery’s sweet and sour cherry pie, Papa Pasquale’s burrata and homemade Lobster Ravioli, Horman’s spicy pickles and Seatuck’s bucket of live crabs (shown). The market is sponsored by the Westhampton Beach Historical Society, and will operate every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until mid-November.
AlwaysPartying: Fat Ass Fudge
The Gluttoness — June 16, 2009
Today is National Fudge Day, and when it comes to fudge, one woman really embraces the AlwaysHungry lifestyle. Her name is Donna McCue, and you won’t insult her by calling her a fat ass.
As President of Fat Ass Fudge (located in East Hampton, New York), McCue is the woman responsible for delicious, homemade fudge sold under a brilliant, eye-catching name. She said she purposely chose it in order to make her customers smile. Her organic products are made to order and come in a variety of flavors including: classic dark chocolate, White Chocolate and Almonds, Peanut Butter, Goat Milk Fudge and English Toffee.
You can find McCue in person at the Farmers’ Market in Westhampton Beach on Saturday mornings, or order Fat Ass Fudge on-line. Just remember, as her website proclaims, “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you fudge.”
HungryHamptons: Stone Creek Inn (East Quogue, NY)
The Gluttoness — June 12, 2009
It doesn’t have the raucous scene of Philippe or the antiquated past of Nick & Toni’s, but Stone Creek Inn is nonetheless a premiere, if under-looked, dining destination in the Hamptons. You’ve probably passed it a million times on Montauk Highway, potentially not even realizing that this renovated, historic building is home to Chef Christian Mir and his modern French and Mediterranean cuisine. Mir, a native of southwest France, and his wife, Elaine DiGiacomo, purchased the East Quogue establishment in 1996, and the elegant, artistic food has lead to a loyal clientele.
Restaurant: Stone Creek Inn
Address: 405 Montauk Highway, East Quogue, NY, 11942 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: B+
Recommended Dishes: Grilled Portuguese Octopus, Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, Crispy Soft Shell Crabs, Herb de Provence Crusted Rack of Lamb
Crispy Soft Shell Crabs w/Fricassee of Faro, Spring Vegetables, Capers, Almonds & Lemon Beurre Blanc
The upscale yet unpretentious setting is as fitting for a romantic date as it is for a group dinner with friends. The seasonal menu features expected stalwarts like Goat Cheese & Beet Salad, Yellowfin Tuna Tartare and Butter Poached Lobster and dishes that demonstrate a commitment to local products like the Duck Meatballs, sourced from nearby Jurgielewicz Farm in Moriches, and an accompanying Wolffer Verjus Reduction from Wolffer Estates Vineyards, also nearby.
HungryHamptons: Bagatelle Out, T-Bar In at Savanna’s
June 08, 2009
Before Memorial Day Weekend began, we reported that the Bagatelle crew was going to be taking over at Savanna’s in Southampton. We were NOT wrong. On that Memorial Friday, the Bagatellians were in the restaurant, but unfortunately, they did not even last the whole weekend. After an immediate disagreement with ownership, the deal was over before it started.
Finally, we have more information. Instead of Rosé & EuroTrash, Savanna’s plans on bringing you delicious Steaks & Upper East Side Cougars. This past weekend, Tony Fortuna and the crew from T-Bar Steak & Lounge took the reigns. They spent this weekend working on service, and we can expect menu changes to be made over the next few weeks. More details to come…
Click here to see the dishes that we recommend at T-Bar’s Manhattan restaurant—hopefully most of them will make it out East.
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