You didn't think we'd tackle the Hamptons restaurant scene without help from our colleagues at Eater, did you? Here now, a rundown on the new restaurants gracing the East End in Summer 2009.
Georgica Restaurant and Lounge (above)
Skinny: The early leader for summer '09's most buzzed-about opening, Georgica takes over the former Saracen space on Route 27 on the Wainscott/East Hampton border, promising to serve "modern American comfort food." Chefs Robert Hesse and Seth Levine are veterans of Gordon Ramsay's televised shitshow Hell's Kitchen, and Matt Levine (of The Eldridge and Lower East Side newcomer Levant East) overseeing the lounge, so expect fireworks of one sort or another.
Obligatory Locavore Quotient: "Robert and Seth are using only the highest quality ingredients inspired by the local East Hampton environment."
Menu items: Local Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato salad, Grilled marinated pork tenderloin with honey and Kentucky bourbon glazed apples and red cabbage, Fennel Sausage and little neck baby clam rigatoni, White truffle tagliatelle with wild mushroom roasted cherry tomatoes.
Status: Opening this Saturday.
Details: 108 Wainscott Stone Road, Wainscott; (631) 537-5603.
Further Reading: Guest of a Guest, Grub Street, amNY (interview).
Mezzaluna AMG [website]
Skinny:The takeover of the old Gordon's space by owner Jack Luber and the team behind Upper East Side stalwart Mezzaluna is well underway, but the doors won't open here until sometime in June at the earliest. Expect an instant hit.
Menu items: Salads, pastas, wood-grilled pizzas, and other Mezzaluna standards.
Status: Opening mid-June.
Details: 231 Main Street, Amagansett; (631) 267-6399.
Further Reading: BlackBook.
Philippe [website] (above, courtesy Rob Rich/GofG)
Skinny: Famed restaurateur Philippe Chow looks to succeed where another famed restaurateur, Jeffrey Chodorow, ran Kobe Beach Club last summer—in this space adjacent to the Lily Pond nightclub. We'd tell you the food is sort of really not the point here, but the food is sort of really not the point here.
Menu items: Chinese cuisine of the ilk served at Chow's half-dozen-ish other outposts.
Status: Certified Open.
Details: 44 Three Mile Harbor Road, East Hampton; (631) 907-0250.
Further reading: Dan's Blog, NYT, Guest of a Guest
The Living Room [website]
Skinny:The remade restaurant at the remade c/o The Maidstone in East Hampton, chef James Carpenter promises not just local food but slow food, too, with a "Scandinavian twist." Alrighty.
Menu items: Tarte flambee of house-smoked Norwegian salmon with capers, red onion and creme fraiche; Catapano Farms' goat-cheese tart with house-made lingonberry sorbet; Satur Farm spring-vegetable Napoleon.
Status: Certified Open.
Details: 207 Main Street, East Hampton; (631) 267-6399.
Further Reading: Newsday.
Blue Sky Restaurant and Lounge
Skinny: Settling in at the former Spinnaker's space is this mid-tier Mediterranean eatery with chef/partner Giuseppe 'Beppe' Desiderio (ex-Ristoranti Capri) at the stove.
Menu items: Bruschetta with truffle mushroom, goat cheese, and toasted nuts; Roast chicken Saloniki with lemon sauce, herbs, and escarole; Paella d'Espana with assorted seafood.
Status: Opening tonight.
Details: 63 Main Street, Sag Harbor; (631) 725-9353.
Further reading: Newsday.
We'll have word tomorrow on three more restaurant relaunches: Montauk Yacht Club, Montauk's Fishbar on the Lake, and East Hampton's Blue Parrot.
MEANWHILE IN CLUBLAND...
As we've said, the club world isn't really going to be our beat this summer. But for those who must, here's what's new, and who's got the word on it:
· Harbor Club, Bridgehampton. Further reading: Guest of a Guest, Blog Hamptons, Newsday.
· Koch Brothers at Pink Elephant, Southampton. Further reading:
· AXE Lounge (f/k/a Dune), Southampton. Further reading: Newsday.
· 1OAK at Lily Pond, East Hampton. Further reading: Grub Street.
· Chloe 81's 'Ivy' Team at Solé East, Montauk. Further reading: Grub Street.