James Beard Awards & Navy Beach in Montauk

Anybody make it to the James Beard Awards on Sunday or Monday? I tried my best to get in there but it wasn’t to be. An old pal, Andrew Zimmern (Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods) was the co-host of Sunday’s media and book awards along with Kelly Choi (Top Chef Masters).

Little known fact: Zimmern and I once worked together back in 1989-90. He, as a consultant to Café Rakel; me as the restaurant’s bar manager. He’s a great guy, but I never saw him sneaking bites of Carmine Street rat! Zimmern walked away with the TV Food Personality award and best Food Blog went to Ed Levine for Serious Eats. Speaking of Rakel, congrats to Thomas Keller who won the General Cooking award for his book, Ad Hoc at Home.

Anyway, over the weekend I had a chance to partake in a “family and friends” pre-opening, work-out-the-kinks dinner at the now open Navy Beach (Navy Road, Montauk, [631] 668-6868).

This newbie features the cuisine of East End veteran chef, Paul LaBue, who cut his teeth at Nick & Toni’s, the Beacon, and The Laundry prior to accepting the head toque at Navy Beach. Besides the ridiculously wicked sunset view, I’ll be back for his halibut ceviche, the whole roasted bass and the truffled mac n cheese. Other winners include the summer lobster pot pie, the buttermilk fried chicken and the surf n turf (with lobster tempura).

Prediction: this will be the new darling for local hip Montaukers and visitors who like to dine on the water. Oh, and The Sopranos Aida Turturro was there the night I was there. Cool!