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| East
Hampton - New York |
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Merit -
Extraordinary
September - 2007 |
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4 Stars
& 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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"Take a right turn just before the windmill, then left
under the old railroad tracks and right again on North Main Street and you'll
see the restaurant just opposite the row of tall old oaks". The directions to
the restaurant seemed like a throwback to a bygone era evoking warm feelings of
great anticipation while zigzagging to get to this historic part of the
village. What you can't miss is the underlying distinction that makes this
restaurant the type of place that it is by knowing a little about its namesake,
Jerry Della Femina. Jerry opened the restaurant in 1992 after a successful
career on Madison Avenue "... having the most fun you can have with your
clothes on" in the advertising business. He became a household name after
crafting the highly successful ad campaigns for Joe Isuzu and Meow Mix cat
food. But Jerry's quick wit and homespun humor doesn't guarantee fine cuisine
and service although it goes a long way toward serving up a good dose of
character. "I'm dealing with kids in their twenties now; my job is to be as
immature as they are", he once said just after opening his first restaurant and
quickly realized that he could get along just fine with his tremendous
street-smarts garnered from years of growing up in Brooklyn.
Walking into
the restaurant on this agreeably warm September evening suggested an atmosphere
of light, airy 'al fresco' dining. Restaurant manager Walter Struble greeted us
sincerely and led through the restaurant of seemingly happy diners right past
the wall of caricatures that include the likes of Billy Joel, Calvin Klein and
Martha Stewart. We took our places and were immediately handed menus among
which was an impressive wine list featuring a fine selection of Long Island
vintages, which was assembled by bar manager and sommelier John Cavalaro. Our
dinner for this evening has been planned by Executive Chef Michael Rozzi, known
as the "Homegrown Hamptons Chef" because of his culinary experience working the
local kitchens at a young age. |
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| In keeping with his personal
philosophy of 'fresh local ingredients blended with exceptional flavors and
flawless presentation', Chef Rozzi began his culinary courtship with a fine
display of Spicy Fluke Tartare with Hijiki Seaweed Salad, wasabi tobiko,
marinated cucumbers and radish salad. I remember being impressed with subtle
flavor of delicate fluke topped with a healthy measure of tobiko spiked with
wasabi. A straw yellow glass of Bisol Jeio Prosecco with persistent
perlage proved to be an honest wine with rich scents of wildflowers and
incomparable finesse. |
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| After a satisfying Greek Salad featuring local
heirloom tomatoes and feta cheese, Chef Rozzi again reached for the hook and
served up a Montauk Striped Bass with Crispy Long Island Potatoes, Lobster,
Fava Bean & Baby Carrot Ragu. As before, Chef Rozzi utilized local
ingredients while deftly pan searing the Striped Bass thereby providing for
that delicious crispy skin effect which is one of my favorite things to eat. A
glass of Palmer Cabernet Franc, North Fork was served with the
entrée despite the cautions against having red wine with seafood.
Although it was a good match for the Bass, I lingered a while longer with my
glass of Lieb Cellars Pinot Blanc 2006 left over from the previous salad
course. I felt that it brought out the best fresh ocean flavors of the fish and
lobster while cosying up nicely with the local produce. We loved the next
course of Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Lieb Pinot Blanc Gastrique
and Jen Halsey's local peaches and blueberries. Although we had had variations
of foie gras in many top restaurants, we felt that this rendition was
resplendent as it was sprinkled on top with Maldon sea salt, a light flaky sea
salt that both crunches and melts in your mouth. This ingredient added
character to every bite while subtly supporting the display of the fresh fruit
flavors of berries, stone fruit and grape. Also worthy of mention, the Rack
of Lamb with Garlic Fondue & Brioche Bread Crumbs, Baba Ghanoush and
Local Courgette Gratin was decidedly flawless in its color and uniqueness of
flavors. In this case we must take our hats off to Grill Chef Jonathan Lomitola
for his expertise, who like his boss Chef Rozzi is a graduate of Johnson &
Wales University. |
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We can't fail to mention the Warm Almond Cake
with Fresh Bridgehampton Peaches, orange scented mascarpone, classic
caramel and local basil that was the brainchild of Pastry Chef Holly Dove. We
marveled at her ability to coax exciting flavors by combining fresh fruit with
savory basil. Add to that the Wolffer Estate Late Harvest Chardonnay
2005, a marvelous intense wine that was named the "Best Dessert Wine" at
the 2006 New York Wine and Food Classic. Our overall dining experience was
pleasant and delicious outside of a few quirks in the service although the
atmosphere is one of 'casual elegance' and 'Hampton's chic' with an underlying
Brooklyn Italian personality. After selling his successful ad agency and diving
into the restaurant business, owner Jerry Della Femina was overheard saying
"I'm the only Italian in history who has lost his name who is not part of the
witness protection program", at the opening of the restaurant in 1992. His name
still shines brightly in the Hamptons! |
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“Executive Chef Michael Rozzi is known as the "Homegrown
Hamptons Chef"
because of his culinary experience working the local
kitchens at a young age.” ~ BK |
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by
Barry Kay & Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: John
Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2007 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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