Moby’s

341 Pantigo Road

East Hampton

527-5388

Dinner nightly

I never Google a restaurant before I review it. I like to approach it with a fresh, albeit gimlet, eye. Our first impression upon arriving at Moby’s was the unfortunate amount of trash in the parking lot and leading up to the front door. Secondly, there were the able-limbed young couple who hogged the handicapped parking space in front, sideways no less. Okay, I guess that does make them handicapped.

Moby’s is a pop-up restaurant where the Spring Close House was many years ago. This space has also been the Farmhouse, some kind of piggy-named place, and the Laundry. It is a tricky location because it is fairly huge. Sometimes we refer to such places as Indian burial grounds, sacred spots where no white man’s business will ever succeed. Enter two attractive Aussies with several other restaurants and pop-ups under their belts and you have Moby’s, a somewhat nautically themed establishment. Maybe not “somewhat nautically themed.” It’s very nautical, with vintage charts on the walls, roping everywhere, buoys on the tables, boat scraps, and a lifeguard chair out back. You’ve entered Melville territory, maties, aaaargh! Well, actually, that would be Sag Harbor . . . details, details.

Upon entering you face the L-shaped bar and get a good view of the wood-burning oven. To the left is one dining room, beyond that a private room, and in the middle of it all, a small courtyard with another dining table and a huge tree growing through it. Walk towards the back and there are more tables, many family-style seating arrangements. Straight back is a huge patio with picnic tables and a lawn with many amusements for children who don’t care to sit still. There is a swing, the aforementioned lifeguard chair, and fireflies galore.

The decor is mostly black and white and the interior dining rooms have director’s chairs, cute but fairly uncomfortable. One guest noticed a clock on the wall, the time stopped at 4:20. Ha ha, I know what that means. These guys are hep cats!

The menu is very short and rather expensive. We began our meal with tuna crudo, octopus, and heirloom tomatoes. The tuna crudo was excellent. It was five thin slices of tuna on top of a mild avocado puree, topped with plenty of lemon juice, chili oil, flaky salt, and cilantro embryos. The octopus was also excellent, perfectly tenderized, then charred. It was served with a dollop of mild hummus, a few bright green and tasty Castelvetrano olives, and lots of chopped parsley. The heirloom tomato salad was pretty straightforward, a variety of sliced sweet Sungolds, one or two purple fellas, and a few other tomato slices not quite at their peak.

For entrees we ordered the roast half chicken, whole black sea bass, and one of the pizzas. The roasted chicken itself was well executed, with a nicely crisped skin and seasoned just right, but would have benefited from a bit of chicken jus. It was on a bed of wilted baby spinach with a few slices of zucchini and squash, which made for a somewhat watery plate. The spinach is billed as wild on the menu, but these bland, evenly shaped leaves had “Fresh Express, a division of Chi­quita Brands” flavor and appearance all over them.

The whole black sea bass was extremely small for $39 but t was tasty. It was served with about six shishito peppers and a piece of lemon. The lemon is on the menu as “charred lemon,” but I don’t think you need to list garnishes on the plate just because there’s nothing else served with it. It was at this point we noticed that there is no bread offered, and no rice or potatoes whatsoever. It’s nice to have the option of a carbohydrate.

The pizza, sadly, was not very good. The beauty of having a wood-burning oven is to achieve that blistering char, or at the very least, crispness on a crust. This pizza was a bit undercooked and bland.

The service on the night of our visit was fine. Our waitress was very nice, however, our entrees were served rapidly, before our appetizer plates had been cleared. The server put them down anyway. He also helpfully told me I’d probably want my fork back so I could eat the next course.

When we arrived, Moby’s was mostly filled with young families, who were later replaced by lots of attractive and apparently wealthy youngsters. Prices for appetizers and “to-share” plates are $15 to $25, pizzas are $19, main courses are $30 to $39, sides are $8, desserts are $12. The cheapest bottle of wine is $60.

There are three desserts, but two of them are really more like assembled items, one a root beer float, the other affogato (espresso over ice cream.) So we only tried the blueberry parfait. It was layers of spongecake with vanilla pudding, Balsam Farm’s blueberries, and whipped cream in a Mason jar. I’m pretty sure the spongecake was commercially made, and the pudding may as well have been Kozy Shack. It was ice cold and just okay.

We enjoyed our visit to Moby’s and some of the dishes were delicious. The casual, open atmosphere is fun for families and millennials with moolah. But the prices don’t jibe with the quality for this Queequeg.

“I was within a few hours of listing my tractors on eBay,” said Sam Lester of Pantigo Farm Co., in regards to the sale of his family’s farmland on Skimhampton Road in East Hampton. “But I remember waking up Sunday and thinking, ‘I’m not going to go out like that.’ ”

Mr. Lester began his farming venture in 2011 and operated a stand off of the Lester family land, which had been in the family since 1851. He had been helping out at the family farm stand for most of his life, but was unable to purchase the land from his family, and it was sold to another buyer in the spring.

“I was pretty upset with the farm leaving the hands of our family . . . but I didn’t want to give up farming because of circumstances beyond my control,” he said.

Mr. Lester turned to the community for help, and another local farmer came up with the idea of leasing land in Sagaponack. He found an acre parcel of farmland near Wolffer Estate Vineyard, but it had not been plowed for 10 years. He only began planting at the beginning of June, “extremely late in the season by farmers’ standards,” he said. He counts himself lucky to be open for the summer at all.

When Mr. Lester farmed off Skim­hampton Road, everything was in one area — the farm, the chickens, and the kitchen. Now he has had to rent out kitchen space to make his famous beach plum jelly and has had to relocate the chickens to new coops.

But despite all this change, he is still selling the same array of products as he did last summer. His stand in Saga­ponack is laden with zucchini, eggplant, radishes, corn, onions, blueberries, and tomatoes. He also sells jams, jellies, sunflowers, and eggs. Mr. Lester uses organic practices to grow his produce, and almost all of what is sold at his stand is either made or grown locally. New this season are baked goods made by Carissa Waechter of Carissa’s Breads. Ms. Waechter uses organic wheat grown by Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett and mills it by hand.

Although moving has been “bittersweet,” as Mr. Lester put it, there are some advantages to the new location. Being that the stand is right off Montauk Highway, he is sure to reap the benefits of Sunday vacationers stuck in traffic on the way back to Manhattan. The soil is also good Sagaponack loam of “top notch quality,” he said.

Mr. Lester is grateful to all his “loyal customers, friends, and family who have been there for me and who have helped me in my new endeavors.” As a close friend of his said to him, “When one door is closing, it’s opening on the other side.”

Pantigo Farm Co. will be open for the rest of the summer, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The stand is on the north side of the road, just west of the Allstate insurance office.

Stonecrop Wines

The Stonecrop vineyard in Martinborough, New Zealand, which is owned by Andy Harris and Sally Richardson of Montauk, has released its first rosé. The Montauk duo will be on hand for a wine-tasting at the Domaine Franey wine shop in East Hampton from 4 to 7 p.m. tomorrow, and will be pouring not only this year’s rosé but a Stonecrop 2013 sauvignon blanc and a 2010 pinot noir.

Food Truck Derby

The chuck wagons will circle round at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton tomorrow afternoon for Edible East End’s Great Food Truck Derby. From 4 to 7 p.m., more than 20 food trucks will be serving those who purchase the $65 tickets, which entitle holders to one serving, along with beverages, from each truck, provided one can make one’s way to the front of what are typically very long lines. There will be regional wines and craft beer and juices. Among the participating food trucks are Eat Me Drink Me, Food Freaks, Hamptons Foodie, Morris Grilled Cheese, the Wandering Plate, Noah’s, and Silver Spoon Specialties.

Tickets for children aged 12 and under are $20. V.I.P. tickets, at $100, entitle holders to enter before the general admission crowd, at 3:30 p.m., and to a private food and drink tasting in the school’s Jeff’s Kitchen.

Canning Tips

Mark Vosburgh, who has been canning fruits, vegetables, soups, jams, and jellies for years, will give a presentation on home canning at the John Jermain Library in Sag Harbor today from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The discussion will include a history of canning, principles of safe food handling, equipment, and water bath and pressure canning methods.

Mr. Vosburgh has been awarded the title of certified master food preserver by the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Preregistration with the library is required.

Wagyu Beef

Sen restaurant in Sag Harbor is accepting reservations for a special dinner tomorrow night centered on Wagyu ribeye steak. The meal, for $85, will include a lightly seared five-ounce steak served with wasabi mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach garnished with Shisito peppers, along with a taste of Densin Natsu Daigingo, an unpasteurized seasonal sake.

Old School Favorites

A Southampton producer is making Old School Favorites, artisanal, all-natural homemade sweets for snacking or adding to ice cream or other foods. The company’s Szauce, a chocolate sauce, comes in dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and cognac flavors, as well as a version made with a sugar alternative. Old School Favorites Nutsz are California walnuts in a shell of maple syrup and sea salt. The products are sold at the Hayground and Southampton farmers markets, at Hampton Coffee Company in Southampton, the Green Thumb in Water Mill, and several other stores, as well as online at oldschoolfavorites.com.

Bridgehampton Inn

2266 Main Street

Bridgehampton

537-3660

Dinner Tuesday through Sunday

Brunch on Sundays

Having dinner at the new Bridgehampton Inn was one of the best dining experiences I have had recently. From start to finish, it was delicious, seamless, imaginative. The Bridgehampton Inn has been open and functioning for years, but the restaurant has been open less than two months. Set back from the bustle of Route 27, the inn, dating back to 1795, is a beautiful building to begin with, and the grounds and garden are expansive.

We were encouraged to dine indoors on our maiden voyage at Bridgehampton Inn but couldn’t resist sitting out on the brick patio in back.

Strolling through the inn on our way to the back porch we were struck by the beauty of the walls, chairs, and table settings. The walls are a soothing taupe-tan, the chairs a wild orange leather that mellows to a coral tone as the sun sets. Roses from the garden adorn each table. Outside, the chairs are a pale Scandinavian blue-gray, and there are wispy white panel curtains hanging from columns. Can a place be serene and classy and sexy all at the same time? It must be, because those are the adjectives that most come to mind.

In case you don’t know the background of the Bridgehampton Inn, here is a brief primer. It is owned and operated by Anna Pump and her family, notably her daughter, Sybelle Van Kempen, who also owns the Loaves and Fishes Cookshop. Ms. Pump still operates the Loaves and Fishes takeout shop in Sagaponack and has authored numerous cookbooks. The Loaves and Fishes Cookshop carries the most beautiful collection of tableware, cooking equipment, books, and linens. I am telling you this because I’m pretty sure most of the tableware and linens used at the Bridgehampton Inn are from Loaves and Fishes Cookshop, which just makes the experience triply delightful.

The water glasses are hand-blown wonders with swirls of orange. The votive candleholders are wrapped in bamboo, giving the table an amber glow. The napkins are neatly pressed French linen dishtowels. Your cocktail arrives in a sturdy looking but ever-so-delicate thin old-fashioned glass.

We began our meal with the fresh corn soup, assorted fritters, tomato tart, and blue snapper ceviche.

The corn soup was delicious, light and sweet. It was a smooth puree, not rich and creamy, simply tasting of summer. The assorted fritters, three to an order, were very good, but one guest said she couldn’t distinguish between the three. I could, cuz it’s my job. One was lobster, one was olive, and the third was cheese. They were crunchy on the outside and creamy within. The saffron-y aioli served with them was outstanding.

The tomato tart was the best appetizer of all. It was a little round of flaky pastry into which had been baked tomatoes, Gruyere cheese, and basil. It was rich and savory. A dainty salad was served alongside, and its dressing was a perfect foil for the nutty Gruyere, delicate and lightly sweet. The tart was no bigger than an English muffin, so it was difficult to share. Or maybe it was difficult to share because it was so good.

The blue snapper ceviche was also excellent. Served in a martini glass, it was citrusy and full of avocado, cucumber, diced tomato, and cilantro.

For entrees, we tried the scallops, boneless quail, and duck and vegetable paella. The scallops — four juicy and perfectly caramelized beauties — were accompanied by a tasty basmati rice and a delicious mild curry coconut sauce, and topped with pomegranate seeds. Interestingly, the perfection of how the scallops were seared started a conversation among other tables on how it’s done. Hot pan, folks, super hot pan!

The quail was divine, slightly gamy, served in a rich, meaty sauce with muscat, walnuts, and pale, sweet grapes. Some haricots verts added color and crunch to the dish. The duck and vegetable paella arrived piping hot in its little casserole dish. While the ingredients were not traditional, the classic saffronal (I just made that word up) flavors were there. The duck was tender and the rice (I’m not sure if it was the classic bombi or arborio) was perfectly cooked. It had absorbed the moisture and flavor of the dish without turning mushy. There were big quarters of artichoke hearts throughout, some smoked sausage (andouille?), green and black olives, garlic, and lima beans. It was complex.

The service on the night of our visit was impeccable. Our waitress was knowledgeable about everything, which is no mean feat considering the menu changes weekly. The staff was efficient and swift; they floated by, refilling glasses, replenishing flatware, unobtrusive. I had hoped that going on a random weeknight would allow for anonymity, but no such luck. Anna Pump was dining at a nearby table, Sybelle was in charge everywhere, and even her son, Kyle, was playing mixologist behind the majestic walnut bar. But there was no fawning or comping or frantic whispered instructions. These people are pros and they are cool as cucumbers.

The prices at Bridgehampton Inn are high, but worth it. Small plates are $14 to $58. The higher price is for caviar and blinis. Large plates are $24 to $54, desserts are $14 to $16. You can get a glass of wine or classic cocktail for $10, but I would encourage you to try one of the specialty cocktails like the Blueberry Buzz, a muddled concoction that turns magenta from the blueberries, has citrusy notes and an intriguing sweetness from a bit of elderflower liqueur. The wine list is short and thoughtful, with serious emphasis on local wines. We were fortunate to try a brand-new albarino from Palmer on the North Fork.

We decided to have dessert indoors by the bar, a cozy room that had a door open to the highway. Still, you couldn’t hear a single honk or swish of traffic passing by.

We had the strawberry tart, triple chocolate pudding pie, and a scoop of homemade vanilla-thyme ice cream. All are made in-house. The strawberry tart was in a crumbly Linzer cookie-type crust, nutty and sweet and buttery. It was served with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and swirls of caramel sauce. The triple chocolate pudding pie was, we all agreed, one of the best desserts we had tried in a long time.

At this point, I would like to emphasize the importance of temperature. If this dessert had been served ice cold, the flavors may not have come fully through. It was served at perfect room temperature. The bottom was crisp, dark chocolate cookie crumbs; the filling a rich, bittersweet, silky pudding, like ganache on steroids. It was topped with coffee whipped cream, representing all essential food groups as far as I’m concerned. The house-made vanilla ice cream was just right, full of vanilla flavor and just a whisper of herbal thyme.

Bridgehampton certainly has its share of good restaurants within a few blocks of each other: fun World Pie, charming and healthy Yama Q, the excellent bistros Almond and Pierre’s. For your big bucks there’s Topping Rose House and now the Bridgehampton Inn. Topping Rose House is excellent, although a tad austere, and oh, I don’t know, serious. Bridgehampton Inn is cozy and chic, European with a true respect for local bounty. It is the place I hope to go when I want a special and creative meal.

Chefs Dinner

The annual Chefs Dinner at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton takes place Sunday. A V.I.P. dinner in honor of Tom Colicchio, a four-star chef, and Lori Silverbush, a filmmaker, will be prepared by Alfred Portale and Eric Ripert, among other chefs. Tickets are $1,000. 

Those cooking will also include Christian Mir of the Stone Creek Inn, Claudia Flemming of North Fork Table and Inn, Jason Weiner of Almond, Josh Capon of Lure Fishbar, and Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar and Grill.

A live auction will be held, with prizes including a tasting dinner for 12 at Mr. Ripert’s Manhattan restaurant, Le Bernardin, with dishes handpicked by the chef and paired with wine; five nights in Paris and at a beach house in Kenya; Broadway theater tickets; a Hamptons garden tour, and an East End chefs package, including restaurant gift certificates and a catered, casual home party.

Local Products

The folks from Vine Street Café on Shelter Island and Blue Canoe Oyster Bar & Grill in Greenport are producing sauces, pickles, preserves, and smoked meats and fish that are being sold at local farmers markets. They will also be available online at bottlehousefoods. com.

Harvest Sea Salt

On Aug. 9, the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton will present a hands-on workshop featuring instruction in harvesting sea salt from the Atlantic. Michele Martuscello, the founder of Shelly Sells Sea Salt, will join Molly Adams, a museum educator, for a 10 a.m. session on a Southampton beach. Reservations may be made by calling the museum.

Class With Karen Lee

At a cooking class tonight at an Amagansett residence, Karen Lee, a New York City caterer and cookbook author, will teach students how to prepare a meal beginning with crostini with white bean puree and rosemary oil, followed by herb-crusted local fluke, seared tuna with sautéed vaegetables, sauteed corn with red onion, a “seasonal surprise,” and blueberry crumb cake and crème chantilly for dessert.

Dinner will be the payoff for the maximum of 12 students, who will actively participate in the 6 to 10 p.m. session. The cost is $115; students may take their own wine. Reservations may be made at karenleecooking.com.

Additional cooking classes with Ms. Lee, which focus on cooking for taste and for health, will take place on Aug. 20, with a Chinese menu, and on Aug. 28.

Country Supper

The Peconic Land Trust will hold its annual “Through Farms and Fields” supper on Sunday on Shelter Island. Individual tickets for the “country supper,” which will be hosted by Richard Hogan and Carron Sherry, are $350; groups of tickets for “friends,” “patrons,” and “benefactors” go up from there. The event will honor Barbara Slifka for her “conservation legacy,” and include online and silent auctions and live music. The event begins with a reception for patrons and sponsors at 4 p.m., with general admission at 5. 

Dining With Piano

Diners at the American Hotel will hear standards by Gershwin, Porter, Kern, and Sondheim, among others, on Wednesdays through Sundays in August, when Lee Glantz performs beginning at 6:30 p.m.

At least once a summer a friend will call me with the discovery of a newer, better, easier way to cook corn. It involves a microwave and is guaranteed to remove all of the silk.

Last summer it was Steve, whose helpful hint was a wet paper towel. This week, Barbara called to explain the following method: You place an unhusked ear of corn in a microwave oven and cook for four minutes. You slice through the stem end, then slip the corn cob’s chemise and underpinnings off from the top/silk end. Voila! One ear of cooked corn. Congratulations. Now you can repeat this process 24 more times if you have a big ol’ passel of friends coming over for dinner.

Here are my problems with these methods. One, I do not have a microwave oven. Two, microwaved foods simply don’t retain heat, so by the time you’re done, you have some cooled off corn. Three, have you ever tried to cut through the stem end of an ear of corn? It’s not easy, and with the wrong knife, it can be treacherous.

To cook corn for a crowd, you may just have to go out on the back porch and shuck. No need to boil corn, you can steam it in a few inches of water, just stack the ears Lincoln log style and poke them around a few times while cooking. Cook for about five minutes and do not salt the water.

My latest favorite ways to cook corn are Mexican style on the grill and in Thai corn fritters (with corn cut off the cob). I have experimented with the Mexican corn recipe and have found that the more labor-intensive method is the best. That is, you need to peel back some of the husk, remove the silk, fold the husk back as best you can, soak in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, grill, then peel. The smell of the husks getting charred is heavenly, and this permeates the ears with wonderful flavor.

Alternatively, you can shuck the ears completely beforehand and then grill, but this won’t achieve that smoky flavor. You can also wrap each shucked ear in foil with the seasonings (butter, salt, smoked paprika, herbs, whatever) already applied to the corn.

As for the mayo-chipotle coating traditionally used on the grilled corn recipe, I have been experimenting with a lighter version, using a slathering of Greek yogurt mixed with the spices. The yogurt adds some tang that you would get with the squeeze of lime juice used at the end. However, it also wants to slide off the hot corn, being a bit watery . . . so this is a work in progress.

As I have already written quite a few previous columns about corn, its amazing history throughout many cultures, and have described the many types — dent, flint, pop, sweet, and so on — this week’s column is purely dedicated to recipes for sweet corn.

Here are my current favorites. And please remember, it is essential to get the freshest corn available, as the sugar starts turning to starch immediately after picking. Our local farm stands understand this; many of them pick the corn twice a day for maximum freshness, and they keep the delicate ears nicely protected under umbrellas and burlap to prevent drying out.

Click for recipes

Peter Ambrose, a well-known East Hampton chef and caterer, has moved on from the Hampton Seafood Company and opened Pete’s Endless Summer Taco shop in the former Food & Co. spot on Pantigo Road in East Hampton.

The takeout shop, open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 11 to 6 on Sunday, has a menu listing numerous specialty tacos, from braised Long Island duck with kimchee slaw, hoisin barbecue sauce, and duck crackling, to nori-brined applewood barbecue chicken, fish tacos, a vegan taco, and “Chef Peter-style” pork carnitas tacos, served with apple habanero chutney, slaw, and lime crème. Taco salads are available, along with side dishes, and tacos of the day.

Weekly at Solé

The Backyard Restaurant at Montauk’s Solé East has a lineup of specials on different nights of the week. Mondays are Mexican night, featuring a la carte specials on Mexican-themed dishes; Tuesdays the restaurant offers two-for-one pasta dishes, and on Wednesday there are discounts on bottles of wine. On reggae night, Thursday, when Winston Irie performs, Red Stripe beer is on special.

Edible School Cookbook

The Edible School Garden Group of the East End has published the “Delicious Nutritious FoodBook.” The project was supported by a Kickstarter campaign and members of Slow Food East End. The book will be made available for purchase at locations, such as farmers markets, to be announced on the Slow Food East End Facebook page.

A Slow Food “snail supper” will be held at Judiann Carmack Fayyaz’s residence in Southampton tomorrow to celebrate the book’s publication. The meal is a potluck, with dishes and beverages featuring local products. The cost, $20 for Slow Food East End members and $25 for nonmembers, includes a copy of the book. Proceeds will be divided between the Edible School Gardens and Slow Food groups. Reservations may be made at slowfoodeastend.org/snail-supper-foodbook/.

Trendy Cocktails

At Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton, a new cocktail menu includes house-made bottled cocktails and cocktails created and served on tap. Among the bottled choices are an apricot-ancho spicy Manhattan, a lavender-pear concoction with gin, Channing Daughters vervino, pear liqueur, a lemongrass-infused cosmo, and a honey Negroni.

New at Rowdy

New items on the menu at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton include crab and corn hush puppies, fried oyster tacos, house-pickled vegetables, grilled hanger steak salad, seared tuna salad, poached lobster salad, and lobster roll.

Fresno Prix Fixes

Two prix fixe dinners are available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, at Fresno restaurant in East Hampton. Two courses — appetizer and entree — are $30, and three courses, which include dessert, are $35. Tax and gratuity are additional. Among the choices are, as starters, chicken liver paté with pickled beets and rye toast points, smoky chipotle and chickpea hummus with grilled flatbread and marinated olives, and artisanal baby greens salad. For entrees diners may choose from chicken Milanese, orecchiette with sausage, broccoli rabe, and white beans, moules frites, burgers, or pan-seared Scottish salmon.

La Brisa

752 Montauk Highway

Montauk

668-8338

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily

La Brisa in Montauk is just that: a breeze. If you don’t like paper plates and picnic tables and wobbly stools and loud music, maybe this isn’t your cup of tea, or shot of mezcal. I found it delightful and I am an expert on Mexico, having been there . . . once.

La Brisa is located where the Plaza Diner used to be, and is modeled after the taquerias you find all over Mexico. Right on the Plaza, it offers primo people and tourist watching from the wraparound floor to ceiling windows or the numerous turquoise picnic tables under shady trees outside.

The decor is simple and charming, lots of white, with turquoise walls, retro logos, fresh pineapples ripening on shelves by the bar, and bags of masa harina, cans of chipotles, various chilies, and dried herbs lining the back wall.

On a recent visit we opted for the outdoor picnic tables, as the inside only offers high backless stools at small tables, and the music was inexplicably loud for Sunday lunch. We began with guacamole, fluke ceviche, and corn on the cob. The guacamole was very good and a bit mild, probably a necessity for gringos. It was chunky, full of onions, cilantro, and lime juice. If you want it spicy, there are three excellent sauces on each table to amp up the heat. The chips served with it (all tortillas are made in-house) were excellent, thick and crunchy with a whisper of mild chile powder on them.

The fluke ceviche was also delicious and a good-sized portion for $16.95. It was cool and super fresh, full of cucumbers, tomatoes, and lime juice and served on a bed of guacamole with chips on the side. The corn on the cob was superb, the corn roasted, then coated with chipotle mayo and sprinkled with cotija, a crumbly salty cheese reminiscent of mild feta. The corn was sweet and not overcooked; often this classic Mexican street treat can be starchy and dull. It was served with a wedge of lime to give it a bit of tang.

From there we moved on to the crispy local tilefish taco, vegetarian taco, chicken taco, and a side order of rice and beans. The tacos come three to an order and they are small but seem to be the right amount. The crispy fish taco was delicious, topped with lots of cabbage and moistened with a bit of chipotle mayo. The vegetarian taco contained sweet potatoes, black beans, and a bit of red sauce. It was okay; I would have appreciated a bit of crunch in it, perhaps some cabbage or pico de gallo. The chicken taco was good, just a bit bland. The chicken was shredded and topped with pickled red onions. The three sauces offered in squirt bottles at each table allow you to doctor up your taco to your liking. All three are great.

One is a dried chile de arbol, tart and smoky with a bit of heat. Another is a hauntingly delicious and sweet chipotle hibiscus. The third is a creamy, green concoction of chiles and tomatillos, muy caliente! (Under the label Vista Hermosa, they are available for sale, and I bought all three.) The rice and beans were excellent, perfectly cooked and seasoned black beans with garlic-cilantro infused green rice. It was a small portion but was a mere $4.95.

La Brisa has a tiny, reasonable menu and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast items are $7.95 to $10.95, starters are $4.95 to $16.95, tacos are $10.95 to $24.95. There are creative and not terribly expensive cocktails such as the Paloma, a tart and refreshing mixture of fresh grapefruit juice, tequila, and lime. Beer, wine, sangria and many aguas frescas are offered as well. There are no desserts.

The service on the day of our visit was great, from the manager to our waitress, Pilar, to the chef, Luis, coming out of the kitchen to share a recipe for cochinita pibil. (He saw me purchasing the sauces and a block of achiote paste.)

The food and atmosphere, especially outside under the majestic maples, is fun and family-friendly. La Brisa is indeed, a breeze.

Montauk Eats

A Taste of Montauk, the Montauk Chamber of Commerce’s shindig celebrating Montauk restaurants and local wines and beers, takes place on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the 360 East restaurant at Montauk Downs. In addition to live music by Ocean Dream, there will be bites by the Westlake Fish House, 668 the Gig Shack, Backyard at Solé East, East by Northeast, the Seawater Grille at Gurney’s, Joni’s, Swallow East, Gulf Coast Kitchen, the Montauk Shellfish Co., and Turtle Cove Café. Tickets are $65 in advance from the chamber, or $75 at the door.

At Topping Rose

The Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton is offering a Ladies Who Lunch package on weekdays that includes a 60-minute facial or massage, at a Naturopathica spa outpost at the inn, followed by lunch in the restaurant from a special menu. The cost is $135 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and includes a glass of Topping Rose House rosé wine.

Topping Rose continues its weekly pig roast and barbecue on Sundays through August, beginning at 6 p.m. The three-course family-style menu is paired with wine selected by Roman Roth of Wolffer Estate. The event takes place regardless of weather, with an indoor area used in inclement conditions. Reservations have been suggested, as space is limited.

From noon to 2 p.m. on Monday through Friday at Topping Rose, the lunch choices include a $35 prix fixe with three courses and choices of items such as snow pea, radish, mizuna, and ricotta salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette, and a strawberry sundae with cream cheese ice cream and shortbread. Fruits and vegetables grown at Topping Rose are used.

Pantigo Farm Stand

Sam Lester, of the former Pantigo Farm Co. in East Hampton, will open a new farm stand tomorrow on Montauk Highway in Sagaponack. The new stand, called simply Pantigo, will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow through Sunday. It is located on the north side of the highway, just east of the Wolffer Estate vineyard.

Summer Wine Options

Lieb Cellars, which has a tasting room in East Hampton, has packaged several of its wines in kegs and boxes that are easy to transport for outdoor summer events.

Lieb’s 2013 Bridge Lane rosé, chardonnay, and merlot are available in 19.5-liter recyclable kegs. They contain the equivalent of 26 bottles, are priced lower than the cost of individual bottles, and, according to the winery, stay fresh for up to two months after tapping. The Lieb Cellars 2012 Bridge Lane red and white blends are available in three-liter boxes (equaling four bottles), which are said to stay fresh when refrigerated for six weeks.

Prix Fixes

The Bell & Anchor in Sag Harbor offers two and three-course prix fixes nightly between 5:30 and 6:30. Two courses are $30, while the three-course special is $35. Sample menu choices include brandade, chowder, arugula salad,  fish of the day, and steamed mussels and fries. Other choices are available at an additional fee.

Early birds who land at the Harbor Bistro in East Hampton between 5 and 6 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays may order a three-course prix fixe for $19 plus tax and gratuity. Appetizer choices are lobster bisque or a mixed greens salad. Entrees available are a vegetable stir-fry, orecchiette Bolognese, and a crispy lobster “bundle,” served with citrus slaw, spiced sesame aioli, and a Thai chile glaze. Dessert may be profiteroles, ice cream, or sorbet.

Farm Memberships

Memberships are available at the Peconic Land Trust’s Quail Hill community farm in Amagansett. Summer shares, which began in early June and run through mid-November, are $895 for families and $450 for individuals. The cost will be pro-rated for those who sign up now.

A share in the winter vegetables produced at the farm, which runs from mid-November through next winter, costs $395 for families and $250 for singles. At Quail Hill, members visit on designated picking days and gather their own vegetables from the field.

Shuko Beach

Shuko Beach is the new sushi restaurant in the former Highway Diner and Bar space in East Hampton. Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau, the chefs, formerly worked at Neta in New York City, and opened Shuko NYC last fall. Specialty dishes include whole roasted fish and local vegetables served family-style. The restaurant is serving lunch and dinner daily.

The beauty of the restaurant Yama Q in Bridgehampton is that it doesn’t need a review by me or anyone, good or bad. It doesn’t need to have a tattooed, surfer-celebrity chef profile in Hamptons magazine. You won’t read about Beth and Howard Stern slurping miso soup and chomping on burdock salad on Page Six of the New York Post. Nor is it likely that as the Kardashians cut a visible and terrifying swath through our charming villages this summer they will ever cross the threshold of Yama Q. Yama Q is pure and quaint, virtuous, quiet, and fine.

It is a tiny restaurant, with 12 small tables inside and a sushi bar with a few stools. The walls and ceiling are rough-hewn boards, the floor stone. There is a chalkboard with daily specials and a few black and white photographs on the walls. It is closed on Sundays, even in summer. If you blink on your way to hot yoga or the Candy Kitchen, you might miss it. It is the little freestanding, shingled building next to Bobby Van’s.

The night of our visit was one of those hot, muggy evenings. The air-conditioning was kaput but not a single guest complained. The windows and doors were opened and it was all okay. I think that says something about the kind of people who enjoy going to Yama Q — not high maintenance, just here for the food.

We began our meal with spring rolls (actually summer rolls because they weren’t fried), a soft-shell crab special, pork dumplings, and burdock root salad. The spring/summer rolls were absolutely delicious, filled with sweet beets, carrots, mango, cabbage, romaine lettuce, and cucumber. The peanut dipping sauce was just right, substantial and flavorful. The soft-shell crab was also excellent, the crab crunchy from a dusting of cornmeal, served with a small salad on the side and perky ponzu sauce.

The pork dumplings were the best of all. They were folded into pretty pockets and the filling was delicious on its own, but the rich and meaty dipping sauce made them even better. The burdock root salad, usually not one of my favorite items because it can be a bit tough, was also very good. Burdock, similar to lotus root, is a member of the daisy family. This version was crisp and just a bit salty and sweet, shredded and topped with carrots.

From here we moved on to the duck quesadilla, chicken teriyaki, red Thai curry stir-fry, salmon avocado rolls, and some yellowtail sushi. The duck quesadilla was somewhat disappointing because it didn’t have much duck or ducky flavor to it, mostly the jack cheese came through. It was prepared in a nicely baked (not fried) whole wheat tortilla and had excellent guacamole, salsa, and sour cream on the side.

The chicken teriyaki was good but the sliced chicken could have had more flavor. The vegetables were perfectly stir-fried and tasty — bok choy, carrots, red onion, and snap peas. Once we added a bit of ponzu, the chicken improved. The red Thai curry stir-fry with brown rice was very good, although I prefer a bit more spice and Thai curry flavor. The lime wedges served on top helped give this dish a bit more spark. The brown rice was, and always is, excellent here.

The salmon avocado rolls were excellent. It’s hard to review a simple sushi roll; all you ask for is that the fish be fresh, the rice delicately seasoned, and that the roll doesn’t fall apart. These rolls were perfectly prepared. The yellowtail was also just right, mild and buttery.

The service on the night of our visit was great. Our waitress, Babette, was charming and cheerful and the chef-owner’s son Maki was making the rounds, greeting guests. Sushi is expensive everywhere, but I would say the prices at Yama Q are moderate. Starters are $3 to $14, vegetable rolls are $4.50 to $8, sushi rolls $8.50 to $12, entrees are $15 to $28, sides $4 to $11, and desserts are $6 to $9. It doesn’t have a full bar, just a short wine, beer, and sake list that is reasonably priced.

For desserts we tried the blueberry almond streusel pie, banana tempura, and gingerbread. All were great. The blueberry pie had a nicely made bottom crust, crunchy sweet streusel, and good filling. The banana tempura (who invented that, anyway???) was well executed if you like deep-fried fruit. It was crisp and not too greasy. The platter was thoughtfully adorned with a plentiful array of other fresh, sliced fruit, including apples, kiwi, and oranges. There were also two strawberries cooked in tempura batter that were oddly delicious. The gingerbread, which seemed to us an interesting dessert to serve at this time of year, was absolutely perfect — moist and gingery. I hope Yama Q does serve it year round.

The chef-owner, Hisao Shiroyama, has been in the restaurant business on the South Fork for almost 30 years. There are plenty of other sushi restaurants out here nowadays that come and go, change names, and charge more.

“Yama” means mountain in Japanese. “Hisao”: long lived man. Long live the chef and the little mountain that is Yama Q!