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East Hampton Nick and Toni’s Nice and tony, this is one of East Hampton’s "in" places, and not simply because of its wood-burning oven. We could tell the moment we arrived and were led through the entire place to a rear table, which was fine with us. We became aware of the Hampton glance – all eyes on new arrivals to see who they are and with whom. Even the deuces are angled with backs to the wall so each diner can watch the passing parade. And why not, when the restaurant’s backer was Steve Ross, the late Time-Warner mogul who had a home in East Hampton, the place is run by his daughter and son-in-law, Toni Ross and Jeff Salaway, and the inspired cooks in the kitchen have a devoted following? There’s a variety of summery rooms with big windows and no curtains. Seating is on sleek, cushioned European contemporary chairs at tables set with crisp white cloths. The look is unadulterated: no candles, no flowers and fairly bright overhead lighting. Dinner begins with dense Tuscan bread served with olive oil for dipping. For starters, we tried the night’s soup, grilled tomato with a very smoky flavor and a sensational wilted dandelion salad with a bacon and mustard vinaigrette. Among main courses, we fell for the loin of pork with nectarines and swiss chard and the fettuccine with rabbit, lemon and rosemary. The house wine we had with appetizers was poured from an Italian pitcher, and meals came on various pottery serving pieces. With our meal we chose a sauvignon blanc from the nearby Hargrave winery among a number of good, affordable choices. Dessert was the day’s special blueberry-peach buckle from a selection that included tirami su, "serious" chocolate cake and homemade ice cream. Although the clientele is haute, this did not strike us as a haughty place, as many in the area are. But the reservation system is complex (those with unknown names may not get in), and the prices have risen lately. (631) 324-3550. Entrées, $23 to $34. Dinner nightly, 6 to 10 or 11. Sunday, brunch 11:30 to 2:30, dinner 5 to 10. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday, September-May. Della Femina In East Hampton, don’t be surprised by the improbable. Here was Jerry Della Femina, arguably the world’s most famous ad man and full of Brooklyn bravado, opening a restaurant – named after himself – across the street from Nick & Toni’s. Nine months later, he took over another restaurant on the waterfront, East Hampton Point. Soon followed an Italian food market and deli to go, also bearing his name. And a couple of years later he acquired a propitiously located lumber yard for, at the time, who-knew-what-purpose – not, wife-TV newscaster Judy Licht hoped, another restaurant. As New York magazine put it in an article headlined "The Adman Who Ate East Hampton," Jerry Della Femina has a way of making his presence known. The 80-seat dining room is stark white except for beige cane chairs at well-spaced tables, a wood-paneled ceiling, tall straw wall sconces that look like sheaves of wheat and, near the far corner, a decorative fireplace with colorful jugs on the mantel. The menu changes monthly. Look for starters like green gazpacho, grilled Hudson Valley foie gras and tartare of ahi tuna with seaweed salad, wasabi tobikko and cucumber-kaffir lime sauce. Fettuccine with lobster, asparagus and sundried tomatoes is one of the stellar pastas. Main courses could be roasted Mediterranean daurade (a seldom seen fish) with tomato-thyme sauce, pan-roasted local chicken with grain mustard sauce, and wood-grilled loin of Colorado lamb with black olive-herb sauce. A six-course tasting menu, selected by the chef, is available for the entire table. Summer desserts are refreshingly cooling, among them Italian plum and blackberry cobbler with blueberry ice cream, banana tarte tatin with ice cream, root beer float with chocolate ice cream and something called a fudge brownie and malted milkball ice cream sandwich. (631) 329-6666. Entrées, $23 to $34. Dinner nightly, 6 to 10:30, fewer nights in off-season. East Hampton Point Formerly Wings Point, this used to be the place that everyone locally recommended for cocktails on an outdoor terrace beside the water. They didn’t seem to eat here, which is why we were able to get an 8 o’clock reservation for a window table on a weekday evening when other restaurants were full. Enter adman Jerry Della Femina, who whitewashed the dining room and removed walls so that every seat on two levels looks onto boats bobbing to and fro in the marina and the sunset across Three Mile Harbor – or into mirrors reflecting same. Now its tables are coveted as much for dining as for the view. The place looked appealing for a summer lunch, except that we (and other latecomers) were thoroughly ignored, we felt underdressed amid all the fashion and media peacocks, and we didn’t care to spend $15 for a chicken BLT sandwich or a tuna niçoise salad. View carries only so far. For dinner, the kitchen delivers such standouts as grilled yellowfin tuna with wasabi crème fraîche, penne with shrimp à la vodka and a perennial favorite, barbecued braised lamb shank over red onion and corn risotto. Start with a roasted vegetable and goat cheese terrine or king salmon and crab cakes with avocado tartar sauce. Some of the kicky desserts bring back childhood memories: root beer float with chocolate-chip cookies, and toasted marshmallow and chocolate s’mores with tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, at un-childhood prices in the $7 range. (631) 329-2800. Entrées, $22 to $35. Lunch daily in season, noon to 3. Dinner nightly, 5:30 to 11. Sunday brunch, noon to 3. The Farmhouse
Restaurant Situated on four beautiful acres and framed by masses of zinnias, the historic Spring Close House has new owners, new decor and a creative kitchen featuring American bistro cooking with a French influence. In the late 1600s, this dining room was the center of a 55-acre working farm. Today it specializes in farm-fresh food, and grows its own herbs and vegetables. From a wood-burning oven come chicken, local fish and gourmet pizzas. The short menu starts with items like local mussels with smoked tomato sauce, roasted eggplant caviar and olive tapenade with wood-fired focaccia crisps, and crab cake with saffron-garlic mayonnaise. Main courses could be grilled Atlantic salmon with sweet corn and tomato ragoût, oven-roasted organic chicken with white cheddar polenta and grilled Australian rack of lamb. Save room for dessert, perhaps pear cobbler, banana tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, the brûlée du jour or assorted homemade sorbets. Canning jars and cans hold fresh flowers on each table in various dining rooms, outfitted in beige with dark green accents. Owners Fred and Susan Lieberman designed the country casual decor, augmented with antique toys from his collection and a delightful mix of whimsy, barnyard nostalgia and sophistication. A large screened porch with flagstone floor has a billowing white canopy and Japanese lamps for outdoor dining in season. (631) 324-8585. Entrées, $19 to $30. Dinner nightly, 6 to 10 or 11. Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places / Mid-Atlantic, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2003. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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