Farmers Markets Open

It’s that time again. Farmers markets are beginning their season all over the East End. Tomorrow will be the first day in 2015 for the East Hampton Farmers Market, which will continue each Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Nick and Toni’s parking lot on North Main Street. There are a number of new vendors this year.

On Saturday, the Springs Farmers Market sets up shop on the green outside Ashawagh Hall, where it will continue each week from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. The Sag Harbor Farmers Market on Bay Street starts its run the same day, and has the same weekly hours.

Also beginning its season tomorrow is the Hayground School farmers market, which occurs on Friday afternoons from 3 to 6:30.

There is a Sunday market in Southampton on Job’s Lane starting this week and continuing throughout the season, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Montauk farmers market, held on the village green on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., begins on June 12.

Stonecrop Wine Tasting

The Baker House 1650, an inn on East Hampton Village’s Main Street, will host Sally Richardson and Andy Harris, Montauk residents and owners of the Stonecrop vineyard in New Zealand, for a tasting on Saturday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For $20, those who attend can sample Stonecrop’s pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, and rosé. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the Baker House.

Celebrating Rosé

The Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton will have a “pink event” next weekend, starting with an All Things Rosé dinner on Friday, May 29. It will feature rosé wines by Sagaponack’s Wolffer Estate, paired with four courses. Tickets are $195 per person. The weekend festivities continue with a  pool party on May 30, where Wolffer wines and light bites will be served. The cost is $85. On May 31, Topping Rose will host a brunch featuring seasonal fare, live jazz, and, you guessed it, rosé. Attendance is limited, so advance reservations have been suggested.

Foraging Trip

Chandra Elmendorf, a naturalist, will lead a foraging walk for wild edibles in Bridgehampton on June 13. Ms. Elmendorf will discuss how to identify more than a dozen edible plants, how to harvest safely and with care, and how to store and prepare the foods.

The event is sponsored by Slow Food East End; advance registration with the organization is required, and can be accomplished through its website at slowfoodeastend.org. The cost is $20, or $15 for Slow Food members. Space is limited.

Shellfish Event

Slow Food East End will hold its second Shellabration, a waterfront food and drink event celebrating local shellfish, at the Montauk Lake Club and Marina on June 18 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Tickets, which sold out fast last year, are $60 per person, or $45 for Slow Food members. They will be offered soon through the Slow Food website at slowfoodeastend.org. Seafood Safari, a locally owned business that provides seafood caught in a sustainable manner, will provide the raw materials for numerous East End chefs to prepare their shellfish specialties. Proceeds from the event will support Slow Food East End programs. A cash bar will be available.

Backyard at Sole East

The Backyard Restaurant at Sole East motel in Montauk will be serving dinner tonight through Sunday, lunch on Saturday, and Sunday brunch, which will feature live jazz and bossa nova music from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Seven-Day Schedule

Also in Montauk, 668 the Gig Shack is now open seven days a week, serving from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The bar stays open even later.

Italian Specialties

The Montauk Bake Shoppe is now offering products from the Villa Italian Specialties store in East Hampton. Items such as fresh mozzarella, sausage, and ready-to-heat dinners will be brought daily from East Hampton to the Montauk store.

Taste the East End

Taste the East End, a food and drink extravaganza, will bring chefs and craft beverage makers to the Long Island Aquarium on Sunday for a foodies’ experience from 7 to 10:30 p.m. More than 40 vendors will be on hand as well selling food and beverage products, and there will be live music. Tickets, which must be ordered in advance at tastetheeastend.com, are $64.95 per person.

Reopenings

Bay Kitchen and Bar, the restaurant at Harbor Marina on Three Mile Harbor in Springs, will reopen for the season tonight and serve dinner on Thursdays through Sundays until July, when it will be open daily. From 4 to 7 p.m. nightly, the restaurant has a happy hour at the bar, with $1 oysters and $5 glasses of rosé.

New menu items this year include red snapper ceviche, mustard and herb-crusted Montauk tuna, seafood pasta, and mushroom fricassee polenta. A new beverage director, Maura Mc­Guigan, has joined Eric and Adam Miller, the restaurant’s father-and-son co-owners, and will be offering new libations.

Also open again this week is Rowdy Hall in East Hampton, which suffered damage in a fire that gutted most of a neighboring Main Street building last month. The restaurant opened its doors last Thursday for a thank-you party for emergency responders, and was back to regular lunch and dinner service on Friday.

New Hampton Seafood

The Hampton Seafood Co. in East Hampton has new ownership and an executive chef, Ian Lowell. Catering services include a clambake menu, barbecue menu, and a la carte dishes including appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, entrees, sides, desserts, and raw bar items.

Parties can also be catered with a variety of food stations: a taco station, pasta station, slider station, and “artisanal” station featuring fruit, cured meats, dips, crackers, cheeses, and vegetables.

The shop continues to offer a takeout menu with tacos, burritos, and sides, as well as fresh fish and shellfish.

Montauk Eateries

O’Murphy’s in Montauk has decamped from the circle downtown and reopened near the harbor at the Tipperary Inn on West Lake Drive. The restaurant is serving lunch and dinner every day, and breakfast on Sunday.

Dave’s Grill, with a spot overlooking the docks, reopens for the season tonight and will be serving dinner Thursdays through Sundays.

Juice and More

Lisa’s Lovely organic juice bar has opened on Race Lane in East Hampton. The menu includes a wide selection of juices and smoothies as well as acai bowls and daily salad specials. A selection of local and organic products is offered as well.

Get Happy

Bar food, tap beers, and house wine and liquor are half-price at Fresh Hamptons in Bridgehampton each day between 4 and 6 p.m. Among the specially priced menu items are grass-fed beef sliders, organic whole wheat pizza, fish or spicy vegetarian tacos, and snacks such as baked kale chips, steamed edamame, and hand-cut Sagaponack potato fries.

A new happy hour at Indian Wells Tavern in Amagansett will be held Mondays through Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. and feature discounted drinks and a wide selection of half-price dishes. They include chicken wings, calamari, mussels and fries, nachos, quesadillas, potstickers, and a Medi­terranean platter with pita bread, hummus, olives, and eggplant caponata. House wine and well drinks will be $6.

Little Leaguers’ Dinner

At the Harbor Grill in East Hampton, East Hampton Little League players who dine at the restaurant with their families after a game will get a burger for half price, and receive a free scoop of strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate ice cream to top off their meal. They must be in uniform to be offered the deal.

M.J. Dowling’s

3360 Noyac Road, Noyac

725-4444

Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight. Friday through Sunday, noon to midnight

M.J. Dowling’s Steakhouse and Tavern, which calls itself “a friendly neighborhood pub,” is just that. It has a friendly atmosphere and very reasonably priced food, especially on its specials nights. For sports bar fans there are four flat screen TVs above the long bar by the entrance. For game fans there is a back room with two pool tables, Ms. Pacman, and Hoops. Feel like shooting something? Try the Big Buck Safari video game!

The menu is fairly simple as befits a pub grub joint.  You ain’t gonna find a kale salad or any dish with a Wellness Foundation-approved symbol. The dining area is composed of comfortable booths and banquettes all around and lots of license plates and photos and local directional signs adorning the walls. The bar area is pretty action-packed early in the evening. There is also a spacious patio in front, with picnic tables and screening that almost helps you forget you are smack dab on Noyac Road.

We began our meal with chicken wings, calamari, and an appetizer special of spicy beef spring rolls.

The wings were excellent although not as spicy hot as we had hoped and had ordered. It was a generous helping with carrots, celery sticks, and blue cheese dressing. The wings were very crisp and the vinegary hot sauce nice and salty. The calamari was also very good, with a crunchy coating, some lemon slices, and a dish of mild marinara sauce for dipping.

The spicy beef spring rolls appetizer special was, unfortunately, an epic fail. They were large, kind of greasy egg roll wrappers filled with a ground beef mixture. “Shepherd’s pie in an egg roll” is how my witty foodie offspring described it. The dipping sauce appeared to be high-sodium soy sauce with a few flakes of crushed red pepper in it. No Asian flavors involved as far as we could tell.

For entrees we ordered a burger, ribs, bratwurst, and ribeye steak. The burger was made of high quality meat but was underseasoned and undercooked. It was ordered medium rare but was very rare. The bun and garnish of lettuce, tomato, and red onion slice were good. The ribs were excellent, nicely charred and tender. They were served on top of a huge pile of hand-cut, skin-on French fries, which were delicious. I was the “when in Rome” guest who ordered the bratwurst with sauteed onions. Ever since reading the comedian Jim Gaffigan’s book “Food: A Love Story,” I have been wanting to try a nice grilled brat, one of his favorite meals. It was tasty, but I couldn’t finish it. It was also served with the excellent fries, coleslaw, and a pickle.

The ribeye steak was cooked as ordered and was tasty and reasonably priced. The mashed potatoes were delicious but lukewarm, which always makes me sad. The vegetable side was a few florets of broccoli and baby carrots, steamed. Snore. I reckon this is not a place for vegetable lovers.

The service on the night of our visit was good, and our waiter was personable and knowledgeable.

Prices are $5 to $20 for soups, appetizers, and salads, $11 to $17 for burgers, pizza, sandwiches, and quesadillas, $18 to $39 for steaks and other entrees. Sides are $4 to $7 and desserts are $7 and $8.

Some, but not all of the desserts are made in house. We tried the pear bread pudding, profiteroles, and brownie sundae. All of them were pretty good, or as my aforementioned son said, “they don’t taste not homemade.” They tasted fresh and the chocolate sauce on the brownie sundae was a good bittersweet version.

You probably wouldn’t choose this place for your vegetarian friends and family or someone on a diet. But for those who love beer and burgers and Buffalo wings at reasonable prices, M.J. Dowling’s is a nice neighborhood place to go.

After duck, lamb is my absolute favorite meat. It is healthy, delicious in many forms, and sadly, quite expensive. Since I don’t cook a lot of meat, cooking lamb intimidates me. So I order it in restaurants, which is really expensive.

Braising and stewing are good methods for cooking tougher cuts, while a quick sear, broil, or grill are best for the tender chops. The terminology used to describe types of lamb is as confusing as chicken. “Natural” is a meaningless term, as may be “pasture-raised.” “Grass-fed” is more specific. Better yet, look for organic “100 percent grass-fed.” Baby lamb and spring lamb are also somewhat misleading or confusing descriptions. Baby lambs (usually around 20 pounds) are available in spring and are usually roasted whole. Spring lambs are born in spring and best served in fall. There is also a huge difference between Australian and New Zealand lamb and domestic lamb. The imported lamb cuts are considerably younger and smaller. A rack of New Zealand lamb will only serve two people, whereas an American rack will serve four.

Lamb is most popular in the Middle East, Mediterranean countries, and India. New Zealanders and Australians consume approximately 25 pounds of lamb per person per year, according to the Agricultural Marketing Research Center. That’s a lot compared to Americans, who consume about half a pound per year. Because lamb is usually lumped in with “the other red meat,” beef, its nutritional value can be overlooked. It is rich in conjugated linoleic acid, a “a health supportive omega-6 fatty acid,” and is an excellent source of vitamin B12 and niacin. Keep in mind, however, that we are talking about four ounces of lean, humanely raised, 100 percent grass-fed lamb!

The popular cuts of lamb and how to cook them are as follows. The shoulder, which includes shank and shoulder chop, is good for braising, poaching, stewing, and roasting. The chop is good for sauteing, grilling, and broiling. The rack (which includes the rib chop) is best sauteed, roasted, grilled, and broiled. The loin (saddle and loin chops) is also good sauteed, roasted, grilled, and broiled. The leg, shank, and breast are best roasted, braised, and grilled. Lamb meat is very perishable, so it is best to consume the various cuts within three days of purchase and ground lamb within two days of purchase. The lighter the color, the younger the meat. Baby lamb should be pale pink, regular lamb pinkish-red.

Lamb is particularly delicious when prepared with Middle Eastern and Indian seasonings such as cumin, coriander, garlic, and mint. The lamb of Bordeaux is a match made in heaven when cooked in and served with, you guessed it, Bordeaux! Butterflied and grilled leg of lamb is great when marinated for a day with a heavy dose of garlic and rosemary. In James Peterson’s “Meat: A Kitchen Education,” he suggests trying lamb chops with fresh marjoram, shanks braised with shallots, and a tagine (made with shoulder meat) full of raisins, almonds, and saffron. And of course, there’s the old English method of lamb chops with mint jelly.

“Lamb” is a word with a German root meaning “a wee sheep.” In the Middle Ages the plural of lamb was the same as ox and child, as in “lambren.” Lamb becomes “hogg” or “hoggett” after one year, and then “mutton” as the years progress and the flavor gets a bit stronger.

Because some cuts of lamb are quite fatty, they are frequently cooked with an acid. In Spain wine and wine vinegar are used, and in Greece a sauce of egg yolks and lemon juice is popular. In the Middle East apricots and quince are stewed with the meat. In India yogurt serves the dual purpose of tenderizing and adding some tang to compliment lamb’s richness.

Probably due to its high price, lamb was not often served in our household. As in many other frugal homes, it was saved for special occasions, usually religious. I’m going to try to get over my fear of ruining an expensive cut of meat and tackle some lamb recipes this summer.

Click for recipes

Bourbon and BBQ

Texas bourbon from the Garrison Brothers Distillery will be paired with barbecue fare during a dinner at Townline BBQ in Sagaponack on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. Along with tastes of whiskey and cocktails made with the spirit, there will be guests who will discuss bourbon making and lead a tasting of two bourbon vintages.

The meal will include raw clams and oysters, smoked turkey wings, kielbasa with sauerkraut, smoked rib roast, sides, and dessert, though changes may be made. The cost is $90 plus tax and tip. Reservations are required.

For Mother’s Day

Those intending to mark Mother’s Day on Sunday with a restaurant visit will find a special menu at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor.

A $65 prix fixe lunch will be served from noon to 4 p.m., featuring five courses, with choices among entree dishes of roast leg of lamb, wild striped bass, Long Island duckling, grilled Scottish salmon, and pappardelle with asparagus and morels. The cost for kids is $32.50.

In Bridgehampton, the folks at Almond, which will serve a $40 Mother’s Day brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will give moms a free mimosa with their meal. Entrees will include pork chops Milanese, sausage and eggs, Nicoise salad, eggs Benedict, and buttermilk waffles.

The “bottomless” Mother’s Day brunch at the Harbor Grill in East Hampton begins at 10 a.m. and will cost $14.95 plus tax and tip. At noon, the restaurant will offer $5 mimosas and Bloody Marys and serve a la carte dishes as well. A la carte specials for the holiday will include steamed whole lobster, fire-roasted tomato and lamb bruschetta, herb and panko-crusted Montauk fluke, and pistachio-crusted oysters. Kids under 10 can eat for free.

At Indian Wells Tavern in Amagansett, brunch specials will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mother’s Day, along with lunch and dinner specials as well. Among the menu items will be a lobster and sausage frittata, tuna poke jicama tacos, roast Long Island duck, hanger steak au gratin, and broiled stuffed fluke.

A three-course Mother’s Day lunch served at Navy Beach restaurant in Montauk from noon to 4 p.m. will be $42 plus tax and gratuity and, for mothers, will include a complimentary mimosa or Bloody Mary. Entrees include seared Atlantic salmon, a “Navy burger,” and pappardelle with shrimp, tomatoes, fava beans, asparagus, and pecorino in a lemon-butter sauce.

Holiday a la carte specials will be served at brunch and dinnertime at Nick and Toni’s in East Hampton. They include soft-shell crab, wild King salmon, and rhubarb crisp.

Chocolate Tasting

A chocolate tasting on Monday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at a new wine bar and cafe at La Parmigiana in Southampton will feature artisanal chocolates by the Hampton Chocolate Factory, which has a store inside La Parmigiana. The Peconic Land Trust will receive 15 percent of the proceeds from all chocolate sales. Space is limited, so reservations have been requested and can be made by calling the land trust office in Southampton or sending an email to [email protected].

Tidbits

Inlet Seafood in Montauk has expanded its service for the month of May and is now serving lunch and dinner Fridays through Tuesdays.

On the other side of Montauk Harbor, Dave’s Grill will reopen next Thursday and will serve dinner Thursdays through Sundays.

Monique Singh-Roy, an Emmy Award-winning TV producer and freelance writer, will be at the Rogers Memorial Library on Wednesday at noon to prepare a meal celebrating the 375th anniversary of the founding of Southampton. Those interested in attending must call the library to reserve a space by Sunday or register online at myrml.org.

Reservations are being taken by the Friends of the Montauk Library for a baking class on May 16 with Lisa Basini, “the baking coach.” She will teach participants at the 1 p.m. session to make crepes from scratch. There will be a $5 “tasting fee.”

The Harbor Market Kitchen, a grocery and takeout food market, has opened in the Sag Harbor space formerly occupied by Espresso. It is owned by Abbey Warsh and Paul and Susana Del Favero.

Pizza Night

Thursday is pizza night at Fresh Hamptons in Bridgehampton. A three-course dinner is $18 plus tax and tip and includes a Caesar salad to start followed by an organic whole-wheat pizza with sauce and cheese. For $1 extra per item, diners can choose among a variety of additional toppings. Gelato or sorbet will be served for dessert.

Derby Day

Derby Day is also upon us, and venues such as East by Northeast in Montauk will celebrate on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. with Woodford Reserve, a small-batch bourbon likely to be mixed in a mint julep to mark the occasion.

Mother’s Day

A number of restaurants are already posting their Mother’s Day menus. Cafe Max in East Hampton will have a three-course dinner beginning at noon with appetizers such as shrimp cocktail and spring rolls, and sliced filet mignon and Dijon salmon as entrees. The $30 menu includes a variety of dessert options.

Gosman’s Dock restaurant will feature a number of entree specials in the $30-to-$35 range, including prime rib, seafood-stuffed jumbo shrimp, pan-roasted halibut, and a steamed 11/2-pound lobster. Each entree comes with sides, and the price also covers appetizers and dessert.

The Montauk Yacht Club’s Mother’s Day brunch buffet will feature carving stations of leg of lamb and turkey, omelets, a raw bar with oysters, peel-and-eat shrimp, king crab claws, lobster mac-and-cheese, Montauk tilefish, and more. The cost is $34.95 per person, $12.95 for children, with no charge for kids under 8.

At c/o the Maidstone

The Living Room restaurant at c/o the Maidstone in East Hampton is heralding summer early with a new menu designed with beachgoers in mind. Their “grab-and-go” options will include baguette sandwiches with such choices as roasted brisket, local vegetables, and braised pork. Gluten-free baguettes or lettuce wraps are also available for those forgoing wheat. Toast Skagen, a Swedish classic combination of shrimp and other ingredients on a piece of sautéed bread and gravlax, will also be featured.

Spring Awakening

Gosman’s Dock restaurant in Montauk will be open on Saturday for the season, with regular dining hours from noon to 10 p.m. The restaurant will close on Tuesdays until Memorial Day. Its clam bar is also open, but is dependent on the weather.  Gosman’s Topside and Inlet Cafe will open on Mother’s Day weekend, beginning May 9.

The Lobster Roll on Napeague, an institution made even more popular by its prominent exposure in the Showtime drama “The Affair,” will reopen tomorrow for lunch and dinner.

The long-established farmstand Vicky’s Veggies, in Amagansett, will be open for seven days a week beginning tomorrow.

Help Wanted

Amagansett Food Institute members have a variety of jobs available for those interested in food preparation and related positions. Jobs available through its business members and currently listed on the resources page at its website, amagansettfoodinstitute.org, include an outreach and communications coordinator, drivers, farmers market staff, buyers and merchandisers, kitchen prep, cooks and chefs, communications assistant, baker, retail and kitchen assistants, and more.

1770’s Prix Fixe

The 1770 House in East Hampton  is offering a three-course $35 prix fixe special from Sunday to Thursday nights through June 11, excluding holidays. A sample menu lists such entrees as salmon with French beans and parsnips; roast chicken with fricassee of artichoke, pancetta, fresh garbanzos and mushrooms; or Maine diver scallops ($5 supplement). Appetizers might include asparagus and hot smoked salmon, a Balsam Farms beet salad, or Montauk fluke tartare ($10 supplement). Dessert is also included.

Winston’s Opens

Winston’s Bar and Grill in East Hampton, housed where Nichol’s restaurant used to be, is open and is serving lunch and dinner from noon to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Breakfast service will be added in mid-May.

The restaurant is a new venture by Winston Lyons, a chef whose local resume includes Bostwick’s, East Hampton Grill, and Turtle Crossing. The menu features a number of dishes with a Caribbean flavor, including seafood and steak.

At Smokin’ Wolf

Also in East Hampton, though at the eastern edge of Pantigo Road heading toward Amagansett, Smokin’ Wolf, the takeout barbecue place, has opened its ice cream bar, and is serving lunch specials for $7.75 on Wednesdays through Fridays.

Another Restaurant Week

Prix fixes will be $27.95 at numerous restaurants across Long Island from Sunday through May 3, during Long Island Restaurant Week. The special will be offered all night each night except Saturday, when it will be available until 7 p.m. A list of participating eateries may be found at longislandrestaurantweek. com.

Poetry, Dinner

Julie Sheehan, a poet who directs the M.F.A. program in creative writing and literature at Stony Brook Southampton, where she is an assistant professor, will be the speaker at the next Artists and Writers Night at Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton.

It begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and features a family-style, three-course meal for $45, which includes a glass of wine or craft beer as well as tax and a gratuity. Ms. Sheehan, the author of several poetry collections, is the recipient of a Whiting Writers Award and a New York Foundation for the Arts poetry fellowship. Reservations are required.

Bar Bites

Bar bites at the Harbor Grill in East Hampton are $6 and $8, depending on one’s choice, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays, and on Sundays starting at noon. Menu choices include corn fritters, cheese quesadillas, zucchini sticks, gravy cheese fries, chicken wings, baked clams, and grilled cheese.

Opening on Fort Pond Bay

Navy Beach restaurant in Montauk reopens for the season tomorrow at 5 p.m. and will serve dinner through Sunday and lunch on the weekend days.

This year the restaurant is offering a launch service for guests who come to the waterfront spot by boat. Using a 13-foot, vintage 1967 Boston Whaler, it will pick up those who anchor offshore. The service begins Memorial Day weekend. Also new this year will be a number of menu items, and an expanded rosé wine list.

Montauk Beer Dinner

A dinner featuring dishes paired with brews by the Montauk Brewing Company will take place tomorrow night at the Harvest on Fort Pond.

For $65, diners will get seven courses paired with five different beers, and a live musical performance. Reservations have been suggested.

Brooklyn Brewery Beer

Edible East End magazine is co-sponsoring a launch of the Brooklyn Brewery’s latest concoction, a beer called I Wanna Rye-it, at the Bell and Anchor in Sag Harbor next Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will also include pickles by Divine Brine, bites by Le Fusion, and tastes of Joe and Liza’s Ice Cream, a Sag Harbor brand. Advance reservations are required. They may be made, and $5 tickets reserved, at edibleeastend.com. The event, called the Quarterly Carousal, is free for magazine subscribers.

Taste of Tuckahoe

A fund-raiser for the Tuckahoe School in Southampton tomorrow night will be held at 230 Elm restaurant, also in Southampton, from 7 to 10 p.m. and include food from a number of East End restaurants, food and beverage producers, and chefs. Among them are the Blue Duck Bakery Cafe, Edgewater, Old School Favorites, Palmer Vineyards, Townline BBQ, and Tully’s Seafood Market. There will also be a D.J. spinning music, and a silent auction. Tickets are $35 in advance and may be purchased at Southrifty Drug in Southampton, or online at TasteofTuckahoe.com. They will cost $40 at the door.

New this year is a 6 p.m. V.I.P. hour featuring a cooking demonstration by Maurizio Marfoglia, the executive chef and a partner at Tutto Il Giorno in Sag Harbor and by Alexander Apparu, a Southampton chef de cuisine.

Reservations are being taken for an April 30 wine dinner at Michael’s restaurant at Maidstone Park in Springs, which recently remodeled to create a wine bar featuring a wide selection of vintages.

The dinner will feature six courses created by Luis DeLoera, the restaurant’s owner and chef, each paired with a different wine from the Ferrari Carano Wineries of California. Among the menu items will be a fried lobster spring roll, grilled duck breast with homemade fettuccine, New York strip steak, and five-spice crusted Chilean sea bass. The cost is $75 per person.

Thursday for Prime Rib

Thursday is prime rib night at the Bell and Anchor in Noyac, with eight-ounce or 12-ounce portions of meat au jus served with a vegetable and potatoes for $34 or $39. Dessert can be added for $5.

Food and Detox

Fresh Hamptons restaurant in Bridgehampton will host classes designed to help participants detoxify while learning how to eat in a healthy manner. Lillian Grajeda, a yoga and Pilates instructor and detox specialist, will lead three, three-class sessions in upcoming weeks. While a Tuesday class began this week, a Thursday session begins today from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m., continuing next Thursday and April 30. The third option is a Saturday class, which will meet on April 25, May 2, and May 9 from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

A $299 fee per session includes a cleansing lunch at each class, a personalized detox program, and ongoing support.

Montauk Beer Dinner

A dinner featuring Montauk Brewing Company beers will take place on Friday, April 24, at the Harvest on Fort Pond in Montauk. The restaurant will serve seven courses paired with five different beers. Live music will accompany the meal. Among the menu items will be a seafood trio starter, spring salad, bucattini pasta with Montauk lobster, littleneck clams, and scallops, and Colorado lamb. Reservations may be made by calling the restaurant. The cost is $65.

Montauk Coffee Spot

Left Hand Coffee has opened in the South Elmwood Avenue spot that formerly housed Coffee ’Tauk,

The espresso bar’s menu features a variety of artisanal coffees and teas; cold brews will be added for the summer season. Besides beverages prepared on site, coffee and tea are available for retail purchase, along with brewing accessories. The shop also sells pastries and other baked goods and bites, and will have a selection of books, magazines, and newspapers for customers to peruse. Shop hours until Memorial Day weekend will be Wednesdays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Three upcoming sessions of the Wednesday wine-tasting and discussion series presented by Wainscott Main Wine and Spirits will feature wine experts from the East End.

On Wednesday, J. Christopher Tracy, a partner and winemaker at the Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, will discuss his vineyard’s wines, and on April 22, Christian Troy, a partner in Indie Wineries, will discuss “Cali­fornia’s Rhone Rangers and West Coast Syrah’s Young Turks.” Indie Wineries, a distributor of artisanal wines from small producers in Europe and across the United States, was founded by Summer Wolff, a native of East Hampton who now lives in Italy.

Mr. Troy will be followed on April 29 by Eileen Duffy, an editor at Edible East End and Edible Long Island magazines, who will discuss the rise of the wine industry on Long Island.

The sessions begin at 5:30 p.m. and cost $10. Those planning to attend have been asked to call the store or to email [email protected] to sign up.

Next to Reopen

The opening for the season of Harbor Bistro on Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton is, for some, as much a harbinger of spring as daffodils and, this  year, the trickly demise of the last of those gray lumps of no-longer-welcome snow.

It happens next Thursday evening. Dinner will be served from Thursdays through Sundays, beginning at 5 p.m. Hours will be expanded later in the season.

Goat and Wine

A dinner on Tuesday at Almond in Bridgehampton will pair Channing Daughters and Paumanok Vineyards wines with a five-course family-style menu centered on dishes made with locally raised goats. The cost is $75 per person plus tax and gratuity; reservations are required.

Lucky Perks

Page restaurant in Sag Harbor holds a drawing each week for a $100 dinner for two for those who have subscrcribed to “Page Perks,” the restaurant’s news­letter. The restaurant’s website is at page63main.com.

Indian Cooking

Penn Hongthong, an author and personal chef, will give a demonstration of Indian cooking at the Montauk Library on April 18, beginning at 1 p.m. She will prepare basmati rice, seasoned chickpeas with tomatoes, and chicken curry. Limited space is available, and advance registration has been requested by contacting the library’s circulation desk. There is a $5 fee.

At 1770

Wintertime dining deals will continue until June 11 at the 1770 House in East Hampton. They include a $35 three-course prix fixe Sundays through Thursdays and a Thursday-night $17.70 special in the inn’s downstairs tavern, offering the choice of a burger, meatloaf, or pizza, and Soave or Malbec wines at $9 a glass.

The restaurant’s early-spring menu changes weekly according to seasonal availability. Spring ingredients include entrees such as roasted Atlantic halibut with white wine and truffle emulsion, fingerling potatoes, leeks, and wild mushrooms; Maine diver sea scallops with black rice, crisp Korean pork belly, carrot-ginger puree, and snow pea salad, and braised California rabbit with black chickpea spaetzle and ragout of carrots, green garlic, and hedgehog mushrooms.

Lobster Night

Lobster night is Wednesday at the Bell and Anchor in Sag Harbor. A three-course menu will feature a choice of appetizers and entrees such as lobster garganelli, steamed lobster, and butter-poached lobster claws with filet mignon, at varying prices.

Family Night

Sunday is family night at Fresh Hamptons in Bridgehampton. A $59 (plus tax and gratuity) dinner deal, enough to feed two to four adults or a pair of adults and several kids, includes a large salad, large sides, and a choice of a whole roasted organic chicken, a pound of barbecued short ribs, or twice-baked butternut squash with vegetables and smoked tofu, plus apple crisp and ice cream for dessert.

It all began with ice cubes, or the lack thereof. Expecting some swells for dinner, I had to choose between having enough cubes for adult beverages or using them to shock and retain the beautiful emerald green hue of my green beans to be served later. The adult beverages seemed far more crucial, so I just rinsed the beans after cooking under cold water for a minute or two until they had cooled off. Mission accomplished.

Why do “they” say you must shock them in a bowl of ice water to retain color? You have to get out a bowl, you have to empty and refill ice trays (can you tell I don’t have an ice cube maker in my old fridge?), swirl the beans about, drain again, rinse and dry the bowl. Totally unnecessary. A myth. Which got me to pondering: What other food myths are still floating around out there, just waiting to be debunked? Or in some cases, proven true?

One common myth is the suggestion to put an avocado pit in your guacamole to prevent it from turning brown. This does not work. What works is laying a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guac. You’re welcome.

There are numerous suggestions for removing the odor of chopped onions and garlic from your hands. When it was discovered some years back that stainless steel helps remove the odors, Williams-Sonoma jumped on the bandwagon and produced a stainless steel blob in the shape of a bar of soap. Pretty silly considering how many stainless steel utensils and surfaces there are in your kitchen.

How does it work? The amino acid sulfoxides in onions and garlic form a volatile gas (propanethiol S-oxide), which is also responsible for making you cry harder than watching the end of “The Bucket List” starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. When and if these sulfur compounds bind to the steel, the odor is removed. Somewhat. Which brings us to preventing tears while chopping onions. Where did the myth of holding a piece of bread in your mouth come from? It is ridiculous nonsense and a waste of bread. Other suggestions are chill the onions, chop them under water (whah?), run a fan, or wear goggles. I say just man up (woman up?), chop fast, and enjoy that cathartic minute of tears. Obviously, if you’re chopping onions you’re making something homemade and delicious. Some other bizarre suggestions for removing the odors of onion and garlic on your hands are rubbing them with lemon juice, soaking them in tomato juice for 10 minutes, or rubbing them with peanut butter. Gross.

What about fish odors? My chef friend Ellen White suggests rubbing hands with baking soda, then rubbing vigorously with a cut lemon half. She said your hands will smell like a summer day. Not quite, but we tested this method and it works. It also works for removing beet stains. Some methods suggested for removing beet stains were downright dangerous and disgusting. One website suggested rubbing hands with Vaseline before grating beets. I see a slippery accident about to happen. Another suggested using hand lotion before handling beets. I taste Jergens in my beet salad.

Bryan Futterman, a chef at Nick and Toni’s, came up with a doozie. He recalled another chef always boiling squid with a wine bottle cork in the belief that this keeps it tender. This, too, is a bunch of hooey from somebody’s nonni’s cucina.

Does searing meat seal in the juices? No, but it does cause the Maillard reaction, creating a delicious, caramelized crust. Letting the meat sit for a few minutes after cooking is what seals in the juices.

Cooking dried beans in salted water is a big boo-boo. Colin Ambrose of Estia’s Little Kitchen pointed this one out. You shouldn’t salt the water until the beans have softened. How about baking soda added to boiling vegetables like our grandmas used to do? Chef Kevin Penner supports this philosophy, saying “green vegetables stay greener in an alkaline environment.” Harold McGee, author of “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” disagrees, explaining that baking soda can “turn vegetable texture to mush, speed the destruction of vitamins, and leave a soapy aftertaste.” I’m staying out of this one because I steam my vegetables anyway.

What about only eating oysters and other mollusca shellfish in months with an “R”? This is a complicated one, but nowadays you can generally enjoy oysters year round, just be sure your source is reliable. How about not ordering fish in restaurants on Mondays? Nonsense, fresh fish is delivered all through the week to reputable restaurants.

Whoever made up the rule “no swimming for 45 minutes after eating?” Cruella DeVille? What if you just ate half a cantaloupe? Suppose you consumed a pastrami on rye with an egg cream and a side of fries? Use your own judgment on this arbitrary rule.

Do older eggs whites whip up better than fresh ones? Yes, but they have less structure, as will room temperature eggs. So use fresh, cold egg whites for whipping, it takes a bit more time but the tight little proteins will have stronger, more uniform bubbles.

There are many nutrition myths that come and go. Egg yolks are bad for you; just eat the white. Not true, the whole egg is a perfect little ovoid of protein. Agave syrup is good. No, it’s not. Fresh vegetables are better than frozen, so not necessarily true. Your “fresh” vegetables may have come from another continent and be weeks old. Frozen vegetables have been frozen right after harvesting. Chocolate, red wine, nuts, and oils have all gone from one end of the bad-for-you food spectrum to the other.

Aluminum pots do not cause Alz­heimer’s. Olive oil does not lose its nutritional value when heated. Cucumber seeds do cause indigestion. Brown eggs are not more nutritious than white. Chicken soup is good for a cold. And no, you cannot determine the sex of a bell pepper by the number of bumps on the bottom. Peppers come from flowers possessing male and female sex organs, but the peppers themselves are hermaphrodites.

Lastly, boiling water beforehand will not make for crystal clear ice cubes. So there you have it, many canards and myths and old wives’ tales of the food world debunked or proven true, a few even supported by actual scientific experiments.

Now that you can handle stinky fish with alacrity and chop those onions and garlic without fear, here are some tasty recipes utilizing a few of those previously offending ingredients.

Click for recipes