The first annual Dan’s Taste of Two Forks this past weekend was a smashing success in Bridgehampton, producing a complete sell-out crowd of 1,600 people in attendance!  Those that attended feasted on East End fare from over 40 restaurants, sampled wines from 23 different LI wineries, and mingled with celebs and VIPs. A fun a delicious evening for all, the night was also for a good cause with a portion of the proceeds going to the Have a Heart Community Trust which benefits local east end food pantries.

The HUGE Crowd

Speech Time

Longest Line: LT Burger for LT Backyard Sliders

Nick & Toni's Balsam Farms Strawberry & Ricotta Tart with Mascarpone Cream

Fresno: Striped Bass Ceviche

House-smoked Pastrami with Bread and Butter Pickles and Grain Mustard

Blue Duck Bakery Cafe: Mini Fruit Tarts

Citarella: Filet Mignon

Montauk Lake Club: Seared Sea Scallop Over Sweet Pea Cheesecake with Lobster Foam

Georgica: Truffle Salmon Tartare

North Fork Potato Chips

Jamesport Manor Inn: Chopped Montauk Lobster with Sweet Corn and Basil

Rugosa: Long Island Duck Mousse with Cantaloupe-Tomato Salsa

Can you spot the celebrity?

What a great event. We can't wait until next year!

One of the best-kept dining secrets on the East End of Long Island has to be Harbor Grill on Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. The brainchild of Pat Glennon and Chef Damien ODonnell (both are also co-owners of the wildly successful Harbor Bistro, up the road a few miles), Harbor Grill offers simple, well-prepared food at truly affordable prices. It’s a Godsend for year-rounders but also a welcome wallet break for the wealthy. And when you consider that O’Donnell was once the executive chef at Roy Yamaguchi’s in Baltimore, MD.

Ever go to a restaurant, order a dish, and then HAVE TO ORDER IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT WAS SO GOOD? Enter the fried calamari with banana peppers and chopped tomatoes at Harbor Grill: it was gone inside 4 minutes.

And I ask the jury, where else can you score a big plate (could feed two) of chicken Parmesan with linguine? And did I tell you that they throw in a small salad or soup with that dish for $17.95?

The point is, not only can one grab exceptional food at Harbor Grill, but the portions are great and it won’t hurt your pocketbook. Go. Hint – you don’t have to dress like a local.

Thursday before 4th of July weekend in the Hamptons… open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres?! No better way to kick off the holiday celebrations. We give you: Banzai Burger, located in Amagansett on the Napeague stretch.

The Crowd

The Food

Burgers and sushi, an odd combo - BUT it works!

Overlooking Peconic Bay at the site once occupied for years by the iconic Seafood Barge, comes the dynamic A Lure Chowder House & “Oyster-ia,” which is part of the Port of Egypt Marina in Southold. It’s the brainchild of Long Island super-star chef, Tom Schaudel, and his partner, Adam Lovett; chef de cuisine, Jeffrey Uguil, is also a co-owner.

I’ll go out on a limb and say this will be one of the North Fork’s hottest restaurants.

Why?

It’s the food, stupid. And the view.

Not that the décor is shabby. The shiny new dining room opens up to a striking vista of Peconic Bay and the small green hills of Shelter Island in the distance. And there are enough Grady White’s moored to make one consider boating as a new pastime. Scenes of North Fork fishing life adorn the walls courtesy of local painter, Max Moran whose warm palette is created by a mix of oils and acrylic.

Appetizers sampled included Satur Farms mixed salad, Bay Scallops ceviche (with coconut, passion fruit, lime and chilies); Baja style fish (tilapia) tacos with guacamole; and Tom’s spiced-up gumbo ya-ya (yes, that’s what it’s called) which packed a piquant punch.

Entrees included a lobster roll with hand-cut fries and country slaw; potato crusted cod (with braised green beluga lentils and verjus beurre blanc; steamed halibut with chorizo, new potatoes, fennel and a wonderful Romesco sauce. All were well-presented and honestly: fabulous. Schaudel – ever the purist – has this to say about how he’ll serve your lobster: “I believe it to be somewhat sacrilegious while gazing out at the Peconic Bay, to eat a whole lobster any way other than steamed with lemon and butter. Therefore, being a purist, and a bit hard-headed, please don’t ask me for broiled, stuffed or grilled. I simply will not defile the magnificent creature with unnecessary flame, flavors or focaccia.”

The menu also offers a raw bar, three pasta selections and another category called, “If You Must” – marinated skirt steak; filet mignon and a cheeseburger. We didn’t dare order from that section for fear of recrimination.

Desserts delivered as well. Our favorite was the Catapano Farms goat cheese tart with rhubarb; housemade Key Lime pie with blackberries; plaintain spring rolls with vanilla ice cream and chocolate and raspberry dip-dip and a delightful chocolate cake.

On the way home, we saw an angler land a “keeper bass.” I asked him what he was using. “A lure,” he wisecracked. A Lure indeed.

When a legendary restaurant closes, sometimes that’s good news for fellow restaurateurs – not that anyone would wish ill will against Jerry Della Femina and his eponymous eatery. Indeed, it IS a big deal that Della Femina has served its last meal. However, the beneficiary of this closing is the newly launched Page at 63 Main in Sag Harbor, for they named long-time sous chef, Jessie Flores, to be top toque. Flores worked in Della Femina’s kitchen for ten years, the last five years under a combination of Mike Rozzi and James Carpenter (the executive chef at The Living Room at c/o Maidstone). A recent Friday evening’s meal proved satisfying if not dynamic.

We started with four appetizers – and while we don’t want to rank them (all were really solid) – the Asian steamed buns proved the most inventive and flavorful. This visually appealing dish (see above) featured pickled cucumber, avocado, scallions, cilantro, green curry, soy glaze, smoked coconut and shitake mushrooms. Zowie Batman! This amalgam of flavors was stuffed into three steamed buns; you want to pick one up soft-taco style but you’re better off using a knife and fork. Great dish.

The local baby beet salad with apples, smoked Cheddar, endive and watercress was large and tasty; home made black bean ravioli (tomato concasse, chorizo ragout and Parmesan cheese) had us grabbing for “mop-up bread.” And the grilled melon salad (with Maytag bleu cheese, roasted cashews, candied carrots and mache) had such a flavor explosion, that I sent a brief “thank you note” to the melon.

Appetizer prices range from $11 - $21 (foie gras); all the portions were hefty. Page at 63 Main doesn’t skimp on portion (or prices) when it comes to main courses either. Entrees range in price from $25 - $33, but again: very satisfying. Seared fluke over baby bok choy, plantain puree and carrot beurre blanc was perfectly cooked, presented – and shortly demolished; vegan soba noodles (with black trumpet mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts and lemongrass soy) seemed to be a direct challenge to traditional pasta.

However, it was countered by a luxurious lobster fettuccine that demanded attention – and a doggy bag. The winner, however, might have been the lamb chops – the size of which still impresses. Tender, meaty, and just right fatty, these were of the sort that King Arthur chomped on. (“Another rack for my men Squire!”)

Desserts were simple and not over-sweet: flourless chocolate cake; tres leches; sorbet and ice cream. Chef Flores will no doubt add another one or three. Not that we had any room.

Page at 63 Main will be a welcome addition to Sag Harbor’s Main Street – and the East End dining scene may soon forget that other restaurant. What was its name again?

It’s always a treat to check out a restaurant before the reviewers get there. Such was the case last night when four of us hit Vitae Restaurant & Wine Bar at 54 New St. in Huntington. It was their fourth night of operating.

Put this place on your list.

Vitae (pronounced Vee-Tay) offers modern Continental cuisine in a very smart setting. Located on the site of the former Abel Conklin’s, Vitae is managed by the very able John Estevez (former Bin 56). The kitchen is manned by Lawrence Palladino; he’s a welcome addition to Huntington’s rocking dining scene.

Behind the discreet exterior façade of Vitae, in keeping with village neighbors, is a richly designed and cutting-edge interior décor that is cool and modern, warm and sensual. Walls are dressed in soft and textured metallic shades of bronze, copper and gold. Artwork is by celebrity-collected Long Islander Dean Johnson www.deanjohnsonart.com. A large Venetian-style floral in oil hangs in the dining room. A 12×4-foot multi-media wall relief, with vineyard theme, rises high in 11.3-foot high lounge and over a 29-foot brown leather upholstered banquette, nearly the length of the room.

In the lounge, the amber back-lit bar, with 26-foot long honey onyx marble top, incorporates panels of glass basket-weave tiles in shades of bronze and silver. A striking floor-to-ceiling wine room, encased in glass with brushed chrome racks, showcases the 1400-bottle inventory. An architectural panel treatment decorates French doors.

In the dining room, banquette seating, upholstered in burgundy leather, complements chairs with bronze-textured fabric and sleek table tops of mahogany with a walnut finish. Soft lighting, from brass and fabric framed sconces, reflect the warm and inviting ambience. In season, the main patio opens for dining. Though Vitae resides in a building dating from 1841, there is nothing old about it. The building has been completely renovated with modern design evident in the dining room and lounge but also a newly installed kitchen and porcelain-tiled restrooms with state-of-the-art fixtures. This makes for a happy chef.

We ordered four different appetizers and all delivered on flavor: a sensible chopped salad that included chick peas and currants with a lemon honey vinaigrette; short rib croquettes with horseradish crème fraiche and a red-wine demi-glace; seared scallops in a parsnip puree and lemon butter white truffle sauce and seafood bisque. Entrees included a Berkshire pork chop with hot and sweet cherry peppers and artichokes hearts (yum!); Chicken Vitae (wild mushroom demi-glace, marsala, and scalloped potatoes; crab crusted sole with diced grilled vegetables, orzo and lemon beurre blanc; and seared tuna steak with white bean ragout, spinach, and olive relish. The trio of crème brulee, organic carrot cake, and Stefani’s cheesecake were delightful desserts.

Photo Credits: Chris Foster, Jim Lennon

We hear that … A well-known Long Island restauranteur/chef will be opening a new restaurant at a well-known marina on the North Fork … A prominent restaurant group will be opening a new restaurant in Babylon in about a year … Another prominent restaurant group is about to sell one of its flagship eateries in Huntington to an up-and-coming restaurant group – soon! … The former Citarella market in Water Mill will soon be occupied by an Italian-inspired culinary team who will keep the market concept but add a whole lot more … That Huntington will soon have a new restaurant (surprise!) in a space once occupied by a venerable institution. Keep checking back on the site for more!

… ate at the same restaurant last Friday night: Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton. The quintessential power restaurant on Long Island, the thing that always impresses me about Nick & Toni’s is their “honesty” – maybe that’s why the corporate name is Honest Man. (The group also runs the solid Rowdy Hall, Townline BBQ and La Fondita in the Hamptons as well as Nick & Toni’s Café on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.) And when I say “honesty” what I mean is humility in how they treat their customers (and employees) as well as authenticity in the menu and plate presentations. Is there better food on Long Island? Sure. It all depends on what one fancies too. But here’s what I found interesting on Friday night: ABC-TV’s and Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos was there with his kids and wife (he with in

a jacket and tie), while in the backroom, were four separate tables of local business types (a lawyer, an insurance agent, another chef and a marketing type) all dressed down, all yucking it up.

It’s a down-to-earth restaurant despite catering to the likes of Colin Powell, Steven Spielberg, Alec Baldwin, Martha Stewart, Russell Simmons and Sarah Jessica Parker. (They’re regulars.)

Their Caesar salad is a classic – perfectly dressed and plentiful. The penne alla vecchia bettola with spicy oven roasted tomato sauce has never left the menu since the restaurant opened in 1988 – it’s properly spicy and always consistently satisfying. One diner ordered Berkshire pork paillard with prosciutto di Parma, sage, braised

escarole and black ceci beans; the pork was moist and flavorful. (Plate cleaned.) Another had house-made ricotta gnocchi with lamb stracotto and fresh mint – which I promised myself I’d order next time.

For dessert, they offer a rather large sharing tartuffo (the size of a large softball), which the three of us split.Yum. For the tea purist, know that they serve loose leaf Harney tea in individual pots. Nice touch – just like Stephanopoulos’ jacket and tie.

Go. Especially in the off-season. They also offer a 3-course $30 prix fixe as well as a two-course “Film & Food” promo which gets one a complimentary United Artists movie ticket!

I came across 15 predictions from the Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. recently and thought I’d share them with you. (Editor’s note: I used to work for the late Joe Baum in the late 80s at Aurora on E. 49th. When Joe Baum walked in the restaurant, you knew it.) I’ve paraphrased some of the predictions to keep it brief:
1)    Old Italian is Back: Think negroni’s, red-checkered tablecloths, pesto, speck, guanciale (pork cheeks), tripe, house-made mozzarella – you get the idea. It’s comfort food at its finest, and what Long Islander doesn’t like Italian, I ask the jury?

2)    Good News at the “Wall”: Wall Street, that is. Upscale restaurants thrive because the financial sector thrives (good news for Long Island restaurants).
3)    Restaurants Feel Competition: From “grab-and-go” departments at supermarkets, drug store chains and even service stations.
4)    Keep on Trucking: Food trucks are cutting into the restaurant dollar.

5)    Korean cuisine: Kimchee might become as ubiquitous as kale. Look for Korean food to gain as much respect as Thai, Indian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine has in this country.
6)    Popsicles: Think gourmet ice pops like blackberry-black tea.

7)    Pushing Customers Away: Baum & Whiteman predict signs like “cash only” or no reservations or rationing time spent by customers at tables.
8)    Calorie Counting Cafes: it’s already becoming exhausting, but look for even more emphasis on menus as per calorie count, the fact that the food is “locally sourced,” that it’s “organic,” that it’s “local.” Yawn. But good.
9)    Breakfast all day: Notice the battle between McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks for the breakfast dollar?
10)     Grits: Grits will find their way on to dinner menus.

11)     Free: As in menus that are gluten-free, sodium-free, sugar-free, fat-free, lactose free …
12)    Pop-up Restaurants and Chef Swapping: restaurants that will open for two months (say, in the Hamptons or Fire Island); chefs who swap kitchens for a night.
13)    Sandwiches: think, um, more sandwiches on menus (Vietnamese, Mexican, Cuban)

14)     Done: As in food crazes which are sooo over: Artisan hot dogs, pork belly, bacon (on everything) … cupcakes may peak; ditto to the gourmet burger.
15)     In it Together: Groupon, OpenTable, Foursquare, BuyWithMe, Zagat – everyone wants in on either deals or offering deals.
Baum & Whiteman also offer predicted buzzwords for 2011: coconut water, bourbon, lavender, macarons (not macaroons), umami and poutine. What do you think about their predictions? I predict their right on a lot of accounts!

Without question, one of the best kept secrets on the Long Island dining scene may be found on Middle Neck Road in Great Neck – at LOLA. Those of us who regularly dine around the metro area have often encountered seeing the phrase “Hudson Valley Foie Gras” on the menu as it is the preferred choice of top chefs from around Long Island, let alone the United States. Michael and Laurie Ginor are the owners of LOLA and Michael Ginor is the force behind Hudson Valley Foie Gras. So let’s stop right here (and I can’t be more direct): IF YOU LIKE FOIE GRAS, THIS WOULD BE THE PLACE YOU WOULD WANT TO COME BECAUSE YOU ARE TASTING FOIE GRAS FROM THE BEST SOURCE IN AMERICA.

Ahem. I guess I made myself clear.

But Ginor is not a one-trick pony. The man can cook. And create. And present. We started the meal off with fresh baked herb and olive oil focaccia.

Herb & Olive Oil Focaccia

We had an artfully displayed Local Heirloom Tomato Salad with fresh ricotta, crispy duck prosciutto and arugula pesto, whose flavors melded perfectly.

Local Heirloom Tomato Salad

A Prawn Ginger Bisque with Carrot Flan and Candied Lemon Zest (had the perfect amount of ginger); Miso Marinated Black Cod with Shitake Mushroom, Forbidden Black Rice and Lemon Grass Emulsion – and those Chinese Duck Sliders with Korean Milk Bread and Hoi Sin Aioli: we could have eaten five of them. Or ten.

Chinese Duck Sliders

Predictably foie gras is evident on the menu from the wonderful torchon of Hudson Valley Foie Gras with yuzu marmalade and hibiscus as a small plate and as an accompaniment to a perfectly cooked 14 oz. 28 Day Dry Aged Strip Steak topped with seared foie gras served with custard, mustard greens, “LOLA” fries and red wine sauce. As for desserts, they were simple and satisfying: an ice cream sundae; a giant chocolate cookie with chocolate sauce and meringue.

Meringue Cookie Sundae

Service was professional, prompt and perfect. Dynamic wine list too. Go.