Maude Muto, the owner and chef at Hampton Herbivore, and a member of the team at the Wellness Foundation of East Hampton, will demonstrate how to make a delicious plant-based dessert at a potluck dinner on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. Those who plan to attend have been asked to take a dish made without animal ingredients to share, as well as one’s own utensils and plate to sample the variety of heart-healthy, plant-based foods. In addition, a donation of $10 has been recommended, to benefit the museum and the Wellness Foundation’s W Kids program. 

Fall Menu

The fall menu at Baron’s Cove restaurant in Sag Harbor includes dishes based on locally sourced ingredients, such as scallops with spaghetti squash from the Milk Pail farm, roasted North Fork fennel and radishes with brown butter vinaigrette, parsnip soup, and cauliflower beignets with a spicy carrot dipping sauce.

Baron’s Cove is open for morning coffee at 7 a.m. daily, with an a la carte breakfast served on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30 to 11 a.m., brunch on those days from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner nightly beginning at 5.

Dave’s Gone Fishing

In Montauk, Dave’s Gone Fishing on East Lake Drive is open for dinner tomorrow and Saturday starting at 5:30 p.m. before closing for the season.

Bridgehampton Prix Fixe

The restaurant at the Bridgehampton Inn is offering a three-course prix fixe dinner for $35 on Wednesdays through Sundays before 7 p.m. There is no corkage fee on Sundays. The inn has a new cocktail lounge for relaxing before or after dinner. 

Sunday Dinner

Babette’s will offer a $19.95 “locals” prix fixe on Sundays from 5 to 9 p.m. Appetizer choices will include turkey meatballs, barbecue tofu, steamed edamame, and crisp goat cheese dumplings. Among the entrée choices will be pan-roasted Atlantic cod, chicken mole enchiladas, vegetable pad thai, roasted organic chicken, and entrée-size salads, and for dessert, there will be a choice between two vegan options: carrot cake or chocolate fudge cake. 

Holiday Fare

For those hosting meals or get-togethers to mark the Jewish holidays, Art of Eating in Amagansett is offering catered menu items for breakfast and other meals. Orders for Yom Kippur must be placed by Sunday. The choices include a smoked fish platter, salads, salmon — smoked, lox, and poached and roasted — and noodle pudding. 

For starters, one can order mini potato pancakes, hummus and eggplant caponata, chopped liver, gefilte fish, and chicken soup with matzo balls. Entree choices include fish, filet mignon, roasted turkey, chicken, and brisket. Side dishes and desserts are available as well. 

Smokin’ Wolf

Smokin’ Wolf, the barbecue takeout shop on Pantigo Road in East Hampton, will be open on Monday, the Columbus Day holiday, for both lunch and dinner. The spot is normally open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 to 9. 

At Baron’s Cove

Baron’s Cove restaurant in Sag Harbor is open year round, and on Saturday will have a fall festival from 1 to 8 p.m. featuring barbecue brisket, ribs, beer-can chicken, and smoked striped bass, along with sliders, burgers, and hot dogs. Taking care of the outdoor barbecue pits will be Matty Boudreau, the Baron’s Cove chef, Rob Shawger, the owner of Pig Beach in New York City, and a special guest, John David Wheeler of the Memphis Barbecue Company, who is well- known for his barbecue. There will be live music from 2 to 5 p.m. 

Outdoor service at Baron’s Cove continues on the terrace, where a fireplace and heat lamps help make it comfortable for an extended season. 

A lounge menu is available from noon to 9 p.m.

Momi Ramen

Wednesday is locals’ night at Momi Ramen in East Hampton. From 5 to 10 p.m., Sapporo draft beer is two-for-one, and free snacks will be served at the bar.

Wine Wednesday

Wednesday is also the night for wine sessions at Wainscott Main Wine and Spirits, which has a weekly fall series of wine tasting and discussion sessions under way. Next up will be a field trip to the tasting room at Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, led by Roman Roth, the winemaker and a partner in the vineyard, and Richie Pisacano, the vineyard manager. Reservations are a must as there is a limit of 30 participants. The full line-up of wine sessions, which cost $10 each and begin at 5:30 p.m., can be found at the shop’s website. On Oct. 19, Christian Troy of Indie Wineries will discuss wines for Thanksgiving. 

Service Station

100 Montauk Highway

East Hampton

631-267-5603

Lunch and dinner daily Once upon a time there was a restaurant in East Hampton called Nichol’s. It was tiny and cozy and chock full of Anglophilia and served good pub grub. The drinks were cheap and large, wine served in goblets, beer by the bucket. It was popular with those who appreciate good value. It changed hands a few times. For a while it was Winston’s, with the same decor but with a few Jamaican accents added to the menu and decor. Winston’s was good, but now it is the Service Station and it is better.

The warren of small rooms has been opened up and lightened. The floors and trim are dark, the walls off-white, and there are a few hints that this location was, in fact, once a service station, such as the old-fashioned bell hose outside that gives a little “ding ding” when you walk or drive over it.

There is a nice outdoor patio next to the parking lot for those who don’t mind dining 20 feet from the zoom-zooming traffic of Route 27. The inside is still cozy but now feels bigger. There is an attractive copper bar in the back with two big flat screen TVs.

We began our meal with very reasonable, very good cocktails, along with Caesar salad, calamari, beef satay, and spinach artichoke dip. Now, I consider myself quite a connoisseur of Caesar salad. I make it at home all the time and feel very strongly about the balance of flavors. It must be lemony and garlicky and have at least a whisper of anchovies. A somewhat creamy consistency is good, homemade croutons a must, and it needs just the right amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The Service Station version was most excellent — tart, flavorful, well-balanced dressing on a whole wedge of crisp romaine with house-made croutons. We all agreed it was just right. 

The calamari was also very good and a good-size portion. One of the best parts about it was the addition of string beans, lemon slices, and strips of peppadew peppers that had also been fried with the calamari. It was served with a slightly spicy sriracha aioli. But the aspect that really caught our (okay, just my) attention was the spectacular batter on the squid and its little vegetable buddies on the plate. Extra crunchy and savory, it was so good it convinced us to order more fried stuff, as in chicken. More on that later. 

The beef satay was also delicious: six skewers with tender, marinated grilled meat and a zesty peanut sauce. It was almost as tender as filet, but I’m guessing it was hanger or skirt steak. The spinach artichoke dip (compliments of the management because one of our guests is a friend) was served in a warm ramekin with creamed spinach on the bottom and marinated, chopped artichokes and red onion on top. The fried flour tortillas served alongside were a good accompaniment.

For entrees we tried the fish tacos, seared scallops, Lee Roy’s Southern-fried chicken sandwich, and a special of that evening of chicken thighs with polenta. 

The two codfish tacos were on grilled flour tortillas with a creamy slaw, pico de gallo, and a tart avocado sauce. They were very good. 

The scallop dish was pretty good but a bit messy, as was the chicken thigh dish. Both were completely covered with a layer of arugula. The scallops were tender and cooked properly, but my guest found them to be a bit sweet. The corn orzo served underneath was pretty good, but the big leaves of curly kale didn’t add anything. The Southern-fried chicken sandwich was a winner. It was served on a brioche bun with a tomato slice, red onion, lettuce, more great slaw, and a hidden treat of pancetta bacon. Once again, the batter on the chicken was superb. The sandwich also came with a little basket of excellent skin-on French fries. 

The chicken thigh special was tasty, but as I mentioned before, the huge layer of arugula covering the whole dish made it hard to navigate slicing the meat. But the flavors were good — creamy, somewhat cheesy polenta with boned, very crisp thighs, and a slightly sweet glaze.

Service on the night of our visit was excellent, and the place filled up quickly. Our waiter, Dominique, was helpful and knowledgeable, and one of the owners visited our table several times. It was a happy, professional, and welcoming environment. 

Prices are reasonable. Starters and salads are $10 to $17, main dishes are $17 to $26, sides are $6 to $8, kids’ menu items are $10, and desserts are $9 and $10.

For dessert we ordered the brownie sundae and strawberry rhubarb pie. The cookies and brownies are made in house. The brownie sundae had a very good fudgy brownie with chocolate chips, along with a premium dark chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream. I’m not sure where the strawberry rhubarb pie came from, but it was tart and fresh with a good flaky crust. The slice was enough for two people.

The Service Station offers very, very good comfort foods at reasonable prices and is a family-friendly place. What kid wouldn’t love getting “breakfast for dinner”?!

I was never a fan of fare at Nichol’s, and I admit I will miss Winston’s jerk chicken, but the Service Station is just what we need out here: open every day, year round. Fill ’er up? Yes, please.

As early adopters of the Slow Food movement, East End foodies may find the WLIW21 Metrofocus feature on the movement and its adherents old news. Yet to many around the region, the coverage of the East End’s farmers, chefs, and schoolyard gardens may prove edifying.

A screening of the feature and a panel discussion took place in Amagansett on Saturday. The segment included interviews with Scott Chaskey at Quail Hill Farm, Jason Weiner at Almond restaurant, Justin Wesnofske at his North Fork farmstand, and Megan Schmidt from the Good Farm Delivery, which offers an online service to order produce grown here.

The area looked its late-summer best, all golden light, green stalks, and vibrant flowers and vegetables, with charming schoolchildren pulling up carrots and other produce.

The panel consisted of Jack Bishop, a chef, author, and chief creative officer of “America’s Test Kitchen”; Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz, a teacher at the Bridgehampton School and Edible School Gardens co-founder, and Ian Calder-Piedmonte, a co-owner and farmer at Balsam Farms. Diane Masciale, the station manager of WLIW21, was the moderator.

There are now 25 East End school districts that have schoolyard vegetable gardens, Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz said, some of which even provide food to students as part of their lunch or to take home. “It’s a great model for the rest of the country.”

Mr. Bishop credited his family’s closeness to his commitment to cooking at home. “Our kids tell us everything, because they have to talk at dinner.” The use of fresh ingredients will always make someone a better chef regardless of skill, he said: “You will never be a good cook without good ingredients.”

Over the years, said Mr. Calder-Piedmonte, a transplant to the region,  he had “grown and learned along the way.” He started out with a self-serve wagon and now has a farm and stand with 45 employees. Balsam Farms produce is also available through farmers markets, stores, and restaurants. 

A major challenge for him is supply and demand. Who will take all the zucchini harvested in a given week? How long can it be stored and where? Some surplus goes to Long Island Cares, a nonprofit organization that acts as a distribution center for the area’s food banks. 

Mr. Weiner said during the segment that he doesn’t decide his menu for the restaurant and then ask for a specific ingredient from farmers. Instead, he asks what’s available and builds a menu around it. Farmers appreciate that, Mr. Calder-Piedmonte said.

Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton will kick off its next series of artists and writers nights with an appearance on Tuesday by Iris Smyles, the author, most recently, of “Dating Tips for the Unemployed.”

The evenings include a family-style, three-course dinner, served with a glass of local wine or craft beer, and a talk by the featured guest. Ms. Smyles, whose other work of fiction is “Iris Has Free Time,” was a humor columnist for Splice Today, and is the founder of the web museum Smyles & Fish. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, McSweeney’s, and “Best American Travel Writing 2015,” among other publications. She is the fiction editor of The Star’s East magazine. 

Reservations are required for the event, which begins at 7 p.m. 

Prix Fixe Drop

A three-course prix fixe at the Living Room restaurant in East Hampton, at c/o the Maidstone inn, has dropped in price to $35, from $49. Served Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the menu includes new and innovative dishes created by David Armone, the restaurant’s chef. Tax and gratuity are additional. 

A happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday at the inn features half-price cocktails and food from the bar menu. There is also a deal for dogs, which are welcome at the inn: half price on treats from the inn’s Woof Menu. 

Fall Farmers Markets

While a number of farmers markets have wrapped up their 2016 seasons, the Sag Harbor Farmers Market will continue through October on Saturdays on Bay Street, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. There is one more opportunity to visit the regular Montauk market, tomorrow on the green between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. There will also be a farmers market during the Montauk Chamber of Commerce’s annual Fall Festival on the Saturday and Sunday of Columbus Day weekend.  

Join Slow Food

The East End’s Slow Food chapter has mounted a membership drive this month, urging people to “come to the table.” Members can participate in Slow Food dinners and other events that highlight the role of local agriculture and locally grown food. Individual memberships are $60 a year; family memberships for up to four people are $100. 

Your mind may already be turning to pumpkins and apples this time of year (or mush, depending on how busy your summer was), but it’s time to get to work. If you want to save some of the glorious corn, tomatoes, herbs, and more to enjoy throughout the winter, you need to get cracking. 

Gather up your plastic containers and recycled jars and hit the farm stands with a vengeance.

I am not an expert at canning, but I am very industrious when it comes to freezing. And there is no greater pleasure than to pull out a Ziploc bag of frozen, blanched corn kernels to turn into a chowder in the middle of February. 

By this time of year, I have tried numerous kinds of corn from various locations. Some of the best has been from the Daytons’ farm stand at the corner of Stephen Hand’s Path and Route 114 in East Hampton. I buy three or four dozen ears, then shuck and blanch them. After cutting off the cob I pack them into Ziploc baggies and freeze them. They will come out a bit watery after defrosting, but the flavor of pure sunshine remains. (Note to self: Buy one of those vacuum sealers.). From there I make a simple sauté of onions, peppers, and mix the corn in at the last minute. 

With large tomatoes I make marinara sauce. Since I don’t have a food mill, I seed and peel them first and leave it chunky. The best way to peel tomatoes, especially large quantities, is to cut a small, very shallow cross through the skin and drop them into boiling water for about 20 to 30 seconds. After that, the skins will slide right off. 

Because they are so sweet, I also like to roast the smaller red and orange cherry tomatoes with some whole cloves of peeled garlic, olive oil, and salt. I toss them around with the oil and seasonings, and then spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. I bake them at 350 degrees until most have gotten puckery and wilted, stirring occasionally. Once cool, I pack into plastic tubs and freeze. These are delicious on top of any baked white fish or in a simple salad of arugula and toasted pecans with a honey vinaigrette. I purposely leave out herbs such as basil, thyme, or rosemary, because I prefer to introduce the fresh herbs when I prepare the dish and tailor it accordingly.

And what about all those herbs flourishing in your garden? If you are lucky enough to have lots of basil, make pesto and either freeze it in ice cube trays for small amounts to add to vegetable soup or use half-pint plastic containers. I leave out the cheese and nuts so the pesto is just pure basil, garlic, and olive oil. If you blanch the basil leaves first, they will retain their glorious green hue forever. 

There’s really no point in freezing or drying parsley, chives, or cilantro. But oilier herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and sage are perfect for drying. I spread them out on cookie sheets and shove them under the bed of the guest room until ready to stem and place in jars. I have also had great luck with drying peppermint leaves and lemon verbena for teas. They don’t last forever, but they will certainly last one winter.

Another way to save the flavors of summer is to make a vegetable tian. Layer sliced potatoes, onions, zucchini, and tomatoes in a single layer each, adding salt and pepper and chopped thyme leaves. Drizzle with olive oil, bake, cool, and then freeze. You can top it with shredded Gruyere or Parmesan cheese when you reheat it. The beauty of this dish is that you can use less-than-perfectly-ripe tomatoes and those zucchinis that got away from you and grew into billy clubs.

Some people are fans of dehydrating fruits and vegetables, but this can be tricky without a dehydrator. You must cut the chosen items in uniform, extra-thin slices, which is best done with a mandoline. If you have a convection oven setting on your oven, which blows air around, ensuring even drying, then you could try it that way. But you will be chained to the kitchen for six to eight hours if you go this route.

I admire folks who can and preserve and pickle, but I have no aptitude for these methods. I cheat by buying these vacuum-sealed-by-professionals items at Balsam Farms and other farm stands and markets.

All of these methods require time and attention, not to mention picking, shopping, washing, chopping, and cooking. But the rewards mid-winter will make you happy. Heck, just seeing all these summer goodies in the freezer makes me smile. I see the frozen striped bass filets next to the corn niblets next to the cherry tomatoes, and I can see a full menu with black olives and lemon slices added to the tomatoes to top the fish. The corn can be mixed into some mashed potatoes to go alongside. Finish this off with the Briermere Farm raspberry peach pie I bought a few weeks ago, and it won’t seem so bad that soon our sun will be setting at (gulp!) 4:30 in the afternoon.

Click for recipes

The Southampton Publick House, settled in at its relatively new Job’s Lane location, is serving Sunday brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A $16 prix fixe includes pancakes, French toast, eggs Benedict, huevos rancheros, quiche, omelets, and steak and eggs, along with coffee or tea. 

The Publick House will tap its first keg of this year’s Octoberfest Lager at the start of a 4 p.m. happy hour tomorrow. That will kick off a celebration to include German dinner specials such as sauerbraten, ale-braised short ribs, horseradish-crusted cod, smoked salmon salad, and a bratwurst and knockwurst platter. Happy hour drink specials will be offered as well. 

Learn About Wine

A new wine-tasting workshop series begins at Wainscott Main Wine and Spirits on Oct. 5. The fall session will take place weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. through Dec. 7, and will include, besides different presentations, a BYOC (bring your own cheese) potluck, with participants encouraged to bring noshes to contribute to the appetizers served weekly. At the first session, Andrew Bell of American Sommelier will give a refresher course on “tasting like a pro,” and at the last session, in December, Michael Cohen, the wine director at the 1770 House restaurant in East Hampton, will give his “Shop It Like a Somm: Value Wines for Your Celebration Table” talk. Information on sessions in between, and registration information, is available on the shop’s website. Each session costs $10; all levels of oenophiles will be welcomed, and R.S.V.P.s have been encouraged. 

Pancakes in Paris and Sag

Pancakes will be served at Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor following a talk on Saturday at 5 p.m. by Craig Carlson, the author of a memoir, “Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France.” The book discusses his efforts to introduce the traditional American breakfast to Parisians. 

Nick and Toni’s Brunch

Another Sunday brunch choice is Nick and Toni’s in East Hampton, which offers an a la carte menu and specialty brunch cocktails each week between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.  Pastries, salads, pizzas, egg dishes, pasta, and more are on the menu. 

Evening Eats

At Momi Ramen in East Hampton, a bar menu offered on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 10 p.m. includes oshinko (Japanese pickled vegetables) and eda­mame for $5; two types of gyoza, a Japanese-style dumpling, for $8, and kara-age, fried items, for $8.

Pre-Theater Dinner

In conjunction with Guild Hall’s John Drew Theater Lab shows on Tuesday and on Oct. 4, the 1770 House in East Hampton will offer a $27 prix fixe dinner for those who place orders by 6:30 p.m. in order to make the theater’s 7:30  curtain time. A starter and main course, or main course and dessert, can be ordered off the a la carte menu. Reservations must be made using the code JDTLab. 

Fall Sports, Food, Drink

At Townline BBQ in Sagaponack, specials available at the bar Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m., and all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays to coincide with football games, include drinks as well as orders of half a dozen chicken wings (choice of style) for $6, and a cheeseburger or hot dog with fries and a beer for $9, or without the beer for $6.50. 

At Indian Wells Tavern in Amagansett, a snacks menu will accompany drink specials offered in the bar room on Sundays and Thursdays. Wings, nachos, chili, chowder, quesadillas, potstickers, and more are among the snacks. On Monday nights during football games, a burger, a half-dozen wings, and a draft beer can be had for $25. 

It took longer than anticipated, but last month a 1977 Citroen H van rolled into the Kirk Park Beach parking lot in Montauk and Bex Waffles was open for business. 

With an original spin on the classic waffle, Becky Moody and Tanya Simmonds-Rosa were in the van six days per week through Labor Day, serving up waffle sandwiches infused with handmade ingredients like bacon, chicken, or fruit like banana or mango. The sandwiches include additions like guacamole or maple cream and extras like cinnamon, Nutella, or peanut butter. For the adventurous, there is a roasted ratatouille vegetable waffle sandwich, featuring eggplant from a neighbor’s garden in Sag Harbor and said to be reminiscent of pizza. On weekends, Bex Waffles offers a potato, egg, and salsa breakfast sandwich. Gluten-free options are available. 

“It’s ‘build your own waffle sandwich,’ ” said Ms. Moody, the managing director, or Bex to her friends in London, where she did a postgraduate internship. “You get two waffles with your order. Anything gets baked right into the batter. Then, you can take anything from sweet or savory to go in it — people like bacon-maple, chicken-maple. Bacon, guacamole, and cheese is really popular. Banana is popular with peanut butter or honey. We do a lot with dark chocolate or Nutella, like mango-coconut cream.” 

A career detour from corporate work to pastry chef, both in Manhattan and then to a food truck on the South Fork, was decided more than a year ago, said the Arizona native, after she found the Citroen van, manufactured in France and nicknamed Barry. “I saw one like this for the first time in London,” she said, “and then found a guy that brings them over to England and restores them. It was in the South of France, then it went to London, from London to New Jersey, from New Jersey to Brooklyn. We built the kitchen in Brooklyn, and it arrived in Montauk a little over a month ago.” 

That was after a month-long holdup, courtesy of the United States Customs and Border Protection. The permitting process with the Town of East Hampton and Suffolk County delayed the launch further, “but we finally got done, and now we’re here,” Ms. Moody said.

The response has been “really good,” she said. “It’s taken a while, but we see a lot more locals now than we used to. People really like the product, and they’re telling their friends. It’s a lot of fun, and really rewarding to see people enjoying it.” Ms. Moody also delivers orders — by bicycle — to customers in the downtown Montauk area. 

Ms. Simmonds-Rosa (official title: assistant to the director), a native of Kent, England, left a law firm in Hong Kong to help Ms. Moody with the launch. “People like the product,” she said while creating a delectable banana-and-maple-cream sandwich, “and we just want people to come try it. The community has been so great and supportive. They seem to love the food, and even go online and give us reviews. It’s been really good to have such great support.”

Patrick Kline, a Southampton native, is the third partner. “He’s been helping me learn all things local that I need to do to get set up,” Ms. Moody said.

Bex Waffles has a three-year permit for the Kirk Park Beach lot. This year, “We are definitely sticking it out through September and into October,” Ms. Moody said. “I plan on being open as long as possible, roaming a bit more on the South Fork in the off season, and definitely doing any events, weddings, or parties.”

Estia’s Little Kitchen

1615 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike

Sag Harbor

631-725-1045

Monday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. 

and 5-9 p.m.

There is something about a small, cozy restaurant that creates an atmosphere of jollity and camaraderie. Estia’s Little Kitchen is such a place. 

If you’ve ever driven by around breakfast or lunchtime, you would see a massive number of cars lined up, some parked willy-nilly. It’s hard to believe that this many people can fit into this tiny spot. In Italy, it would be called a trattoria, in France a bistro, in Greece a taverna. It’s not a cafe, and you certainly can’t call it a diner, especially if you’ve had the good fortune to dine there in the evenings.

Estia’s Little Kitchen is located on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike and consists of one small dining room with about 10 tables, some bar stools, and another even smaller dining room off to the left. What used to be a bunch of weeds and grass in the back has been transformed into an oasis with a big garden and a grassy seating area with tables and a lot of charm. The interior is painted a pale yellow, and the simplicity of furnishings belies what is about to appear on your plate.

While this place is best known for its breakfasts and lunches with a Mexican accent, it transforms in the evenings with a somewhat more sophisticated atmosphere and more diverse menu. The tables don’t just have a perfunctory sprig of chrysanthemum or single rosebud, they have pretty bouquets in Mason jars: purple dahlias and white cosmos, no doubt picked from the garden in back.

I visited Estia’s Little Kitchen recently with some fellow year-rounders who had been for breakfast before, but not dinner. We began our meal with tortilla soup, crab tostadas, and adobo pork nachos. We were told the soup was spicy, and we all agreed it was just spicy enough. It was full of flavor from peppers and tomatoes, pureed and served with crisp, fried tortilla strips, cubes of ripe avocado, and bits of cotija cheese. 

The crab tostadas were two crunchy tortillas on top of refried black beans, topped with a mayo-y crab salad. The coleslaw served alongside was full of Napa cabbage, carrots, red onions, cilantro, and bright bits of pickled red peppers. This dish was delicious, but we all agreed that the cold bean puree on the bottom was superfluous. 

The adobo pork nachos were insanely good and a big enough portion to be an entree. The tortilla chips were freshly fried, topped with just enough jack cheese, and smothered with chunks of tender, flavorful pork. The salsa on top was perfectly balanced, spicy and tasting of roasted tomatoes. The occasional bit of chorizo gave it an extra kick, and it was topped with excellent guacamole and sour cream.

For entrees we had the shredded pork burrito, crisp California chicken, and crab cakes. The shredded pork burrito was very good, full of more tasty pork and served with a lighter slaw full of corn, carrots, avocado, diced tomatoes, and red onions. A cup of pico de gallo was served with it. 

The crisp chicken was indeed crispy, even with a generous topping of more salsa. It was a boned breast with the wing bone attached and was perfectly seasoned and juicy. The mashed potatoes served with it were a nice old-fashioned version, a little bit lumpy. The coleslaw served with the chicken seemed lighter and more citrusy than the previous slaws, which provided a nice contrast to the chicken and potatoes. 

The crab cakes were excellent — three good-sized sturdy ones with a crunchy panko breadcrumb crust and enough slaw to feed three people. A dollop of tartar sauce was on the side of the plate, but it was more fun to sample the two hot sauces on the table with the crab cakes, one a tart, creamy tomatillo, the other a peppery, vinegary tomato version. As we were passing our plates around for each of us to taste, one guest refused to surrender the burrito until his chicken dish came back. It was akin to a hostage-trading situation, which I took as an excellent reflection on the food!

The service on the night of our visit was very good. Our waitress, Julia, knew the menu well and agreed that our choice of wine was perfect with the dishes we had chosen. Prices at Estia’s Little Kitchen are moderate, especially for the quality and size of the portions. Starters, salads, and soups are $9 to $16, entrees are $17 to $32, and desserts are $9 to $12. There is no hard liquor, but there is a nice selection of beers and wine. And for those who are so inclined, the corkage fee for bringing your own bottle is a ridiculously reasonable $20, which is about a third of what you would pay at other restaurants.

For desserts (which are all made in house) we tried the tres leches cake, chocolate flan cake, and carrot cake. 

The carrot cake was definitely the star of the three — moist, nutty, just sweet enough, and with an excellent cream cheese icing.

The tres leches cake was pretty good, a pale white cake with a cinnamon dappled whipped cream topping and a few berries on the side. We couldn’t quite detect the traditional moistening layer of sweetened condensed and evaporated milk. The chocolate flan cake was okay. It was a bit dry on the bottom, and the flan layer was slightly overdone and lacked the caramel syrup one expects swimming on the plate.

After our meal we took a peek into the back dining room. Only one couple was there, and they looked a bit startled to see us. “This is our private room,” they said, and laughed. We all agreed it was a fine and cozy place.

Colin Ambrose, the chef-owner, has been in the restaurant business on the East End for a long, long time, first with the original Estia’s in Amagansett. He is known for his vigorous support of organic farming and use of the freshest local ingredients, and it shows in everything he serves. Looking back, I wish we had sampled his famous homemade pasta or the potato-crusted flounder. Next time.

Bravo, Mr. Ambrose, your seemingly humble little restaurant on the turnpike packs a superb and flavorful punch. I wouldn’t call it a hidden treasure, just a treasure.

Jason Weiner, the chef and owner at Almond in Bridgehampton, the new Zigmund’s bar, also in that hamlet, and several New York City restaurants, will help kick off this season’s international brunch series at the Watermill Center. At noon on Sunday, Mr. Weiner will present a family-style meal centered on seasonal farm-fresh ingredients. A menu can be seen at watermillcenter.org. The meal will follow a presentation by Tori Wranes, an artist-in-residence at the center, and be followed later that afternoon, at 4 p.m., by “INXILE,” a collaborative dance performance and ritual presented by another resident artist, Alvaro Restrepo, and his dance troup, El Colegio del Cuerpo, in collaboration with members of the Shinnecock Nation. Tickets are $75 per person, and advanced registration is required through the center’s website. 

At Nick and Toni’s

Speaking of brunch, Nick and Toni’s will start serving its version this Sunday and continue through the off-season. The a la carte menu will consist of pizzas, including a breakfast pizza with eggs and pancetta, salads, breakfast pastries, sandwiches, pasta, and more breakfast-like fare such as French toast, frittatas, and a pancetta benedict. It will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

A dinner at Nick and Toni’s on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. will feature the products of La Quercia Cured Meats of Iowa during four courses to be served with wine pairings from Channing Daughters Winery of Bridgehampton. Herb Eckhouse of La Quercia and James Christopher Tracy of Channing Daughters will be on hand to talk about their crafts. There will be a cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeuvres. The cost is $95, including wine, or $75 for dinner with soft drinks only, plus tax and gratuity, and reservations are a must. 

On the tentative menu are dishes such as clams casino with pancetta, halibut wrapped in prosciutto, and garganelli with lobster and spicy pork salami. 

Almond’s New Specials

And speaking of Almond, the restaurant has a new fall menu featuring daily specials such as a three-course prix fixe for $29 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Meatless Mondays continue with a $35 prix fixe menu all night. Tuesday is steak frites night with a $19.95 special. Thursday nights, six Montauk pearl oysters are $10, and a shrimp cocktail is $10 at the bar or at tables. Sunday night is beer and burger night at the bar for $15. The prix fixe menu includes items such as delicato squash “doughnuts,” day boat scallops with curried cauliflower, bacon, apples, and onion, and Joe and Liza’s ice cream for dessert.

Oktoberfest Begins

Rowdy Hall restaurant in East Hampton has scheduled the start of its eighth annual Oktoberfest with a festival from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The restaurant will be transformed in German beer garden style, with picnic tables in the courtyard and communal dining tables inside, and German bar snacks, including pretzels and wursts, will be available to purchase. There will be Bavarian music from 4 to 6 p.m. and Oktoberfest beer specials, including a $10 tasting flight. 

Oktoberfest will continue at the restaurant through Oct. 2 with a $27 prix fixe dinner special each evening beginning at 5. The menu will change regularly. From Saturday through Wednesday, it will feature knockwurst, bratwurst, and bockwurst with German potato salad, sauerkraut, and mustard, and German cheesecake with caramel apples for dessert. Next Thursday through Sept. 25 it will be kassler rippchen with braised red cabbage and grilled apples as an entree, with Prince Regent torte for dessert. The Oktoberfest entrees will not be sold a la carte.

Other Small Bites

The Hayground School Farmer’s Market will remain open through the end of September. Its hours are 3 to 6 p.m. on Fridays and it takes place on the school grounds at Mitchell Lane in Bridgehampton.

Tickets are still available for the At the Common Table benefit for Quail Hill Farm on Saturday. This year, Joe Realmuto of Nick and Toni’s is overseeing the chefs who are cooking the meal and hors d’oeuvres using the farm’s produce and regional fish and meats. Dinner, served at 4 p.m., is $250, and the cocktail hour, which begins at 2:30, is $60. Tickets are available through Robin Harris at the Peconic Land Trust, 631-283-3195 or rharris@peconiclandtrust. org. 

Mexican Independence Day will be celebrated tomorrow at La Fondita with a special dish that displays the colors of the Mexican flag — green, red, and white. Chiles en Nogada is a poblano pepper stuffed with picadillo with a walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds. It will be served with rice and beans for $14. Pozole rojo, a pork and hominy stew, will be offered in two sizes, for $5.75 and $11.