The Star stops into longtime Bridgehampton favorite Bobby Van's this week, giving the steakhouse a good news/bad news review. One of eight Bobby Van's in the Northeast, the East End incarnation has long been noted for its classic interior and excellent people-watching views, but the food has seemed to fair less favorably among reviewers. This was no exception.
THE GOOD NEWS -
· Winning bisque: 'It was a beautiful deep, dark red, had good lobster flavor with a bit of bite to it, and had a generous amount of lobster chunks.'
· Small salmon: 'The salmon was served on braised lentils and was delicious, although quite a small portion. I would guess it was about four ounces of salmon.'
· Duck takes all: 'Probably the best dish was the papardelle with duck. It was a generous portion, the duck confit bolognese full of flavor, and it was served with a slice of crisped duck skin on top.'
· Sweet service: 'The service at Bobby Van’s was, without a doubt, the highlight of the meal. Our waiter, Daniel, was intelligent, helpful, knowledgeable about the food, efficient, and funny.'
THE BAD NEWS -
· No welcome: 'The hostess told us that seating six would be "tricky" and that we should have called. We would have to wait awhile.'
· Cocktails near Nello-prices: 'Two Cosmos — $28. Ka-ching!'
· Palm pricing: 'The menu is very Palm-like, heavy on the meat, lots of variations on potato preparation, chopped salad, and super-duper high prices. All of the steakhouse classics cost $45.'
· Peculiar dipping sauces: 'One was a well-flavored but too-watery-for-dipping marinara, the other was a mystery. It tasted like heavy cream with garlic but no salt whatsoever. Rather peculiar.
· Grease police: 'The lamb chops were delicious, perfectly cooked to order, but the plate rim was smeared with grease. Ew.'
· Slimy sides: 'All of the side orders were disappointing. The onion rings and crispy fries were tasty, but slightly pale and undercooked. I cannot express how ghastly the creamed spinach was. It was a dark grayish-olive green color, rather slimy. We didn’t mind that it was a chintzy portion for $9.'
· Busy in Bridgehampton [EH Star]