Great Chefs Dinner

Power dining: The Great Chefs event at the Hayground School on August 9 was a success – and why wouldn’t it be? When you have chefs like Tom Schaudel, Kevin Penner, Gerry Hayden, Andrew Engle, Cheryl Stair, Claudia Fleming, Joe Realmuto and Paul DelFavero cooking up the treats, those folks from Weight Watchers just shake their heads and walk away. And, oh yes, Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert! I arrived late as I was winding my way down all day (three ferries, thank you) from Ogunquit, Maine. The night before, I had the pleasure of dining at Arrows. I stumbled upon Arrows to be honest, but I’ll return: I rate it just below my dining experiences at Tru and Per Se. Some nice touches: they have a rather large garden adjacent to the restaurant – many of the herbs, lettuces and vegetables found their way to my plate. My lasting memory is my first impression: as we walked up the stone pathway to the restaurant from the parking lot, a server was stationed out front offering canapés. Nice.

Tis the Season: Check out the shrimp tacos at La Fondita in Amagansett . . . or a lobster roll at the Clam Bar out on the Napeague Stretch – you’ll often see Alec Baldwin flying solo chowing on fried clams and chowder at the counter.

Tags: Andrew Engle, Cheryl Stair, Claudia Fleming, Eric Ripert, Gerry Hayden, Joe Realmuto, Kevin Penner, Le Bernardin, Paul Delfavero, Tom Schaudel