Andrra

39 Gann Road

East Hampton

329-3663

Dinner nightly

Lunch in summer

   The beautiful new restaurant at the end of Gann Road, most recently the Boathouse, and for many years Bostwick’s on the Harbor, is now Andrra, which means “dream,” and dreamy it is, beginning with the view. This particular spot on Three Mile Harbor doesn’t just have a simple, unobstructed water view; it presents a glorious panorama of boats, inlets, islands, and eddies, more like a delta, as one guest observed.

    Andrra has been renovated and opened by the brothers Sami and Noti Krasniqi with a business partner, Rich Silver. Sami Krasniqi is the executive chef and Bill Valentine, a longtime Hamptons chef, is the consulting chef. The space is sleek and modern with glossy white beadboard ceilings, deep slate blue walls and lots of mirrors to reflect the water view. A big outdoor lounge area greets you at the entrance. There are no bad seats at Andrra.

    I have been to Andrra several times since its recent opening and I have to admit this review is probably premature. So let’s cut them some slack for the few bumblings and fumblings we experienced.

    Each time I have been, the service — from the hostesses to the bartenders to the managers — has been friendly and welcoming. Tasim Kastrati, long ago the maitre d’ of Gordon’s in Amagansett, is at Andrra meeting and greeting and seating with a smile for everyone. The waiters, runners, and busboys, however, need a smidgen more training.

    Upon being seated you get some warm pita bread with a ramekin of garlicky herb butter and a dish of excellent marinated olives. For appetizers we tried the calamari fritti, crudo trio, baked clams, and cold soup of the day.

    The calamari fritti is worth the trip, super crunchy on the outside, still tender inside and served with a spicy harissa aioli. The crudo trio, while attractive, was most assuredly missing an ingredient or two. Fresh tuna, fluke, and salmon were served with a few drizzles of a spicy oil but nothing else, no citrus to give it zing or salt to give it umami. We each tasted a tiny bite and then my friend who ordered it sent it back to be substituted with the wedge salad.

    The wedge was a winner. Three small wedges of iceberg lettuce (so much more manageable than a huge quarter of a head), were dressed with a marvelous creamy gorgonzola dressing and sprinkled with garlic confit and cubes of crisped pancetta bacon. The baked clams were very good but a bit bready. The soup of the day was a thick puréed zucchini soup with a few chunks of lump crabmeat on top and some swirls of creme fraiche. The soup had a hint of curry and spice, very nicely balanced.

    For entrees we ordered the Canyons yellowfin tuna, branzino, ocean diver scallops, and Valentine’s soft-shell crabs. The tuna was cooked medium rare as ordered, and had a delicious lemony herbed sauce. It was served with Israeli couscous and vegetable tava, a mixture of peppers and squash, somewhat like ratatouille without the eggplant. The branzino was prepared the same way but was a bit underseasoned. My friend substituted the Tavarro mushrooms for the couscous, which were delicious and meaty and would be excellent with steak. The diver scallops were also very good, nicely caramelized on the outside and not overcooked.

    The soft-shell crabs were good, not great. They lacked the hoped-for crunch, but the cumin coriander butter sauce and coleslaw served with them were very good. We also got a side order of the Northeast Bay fries, which were superb, hand-cut fries with skin on, dusted with a bit of Old Bay seasoning and fried to perfection.

    The restaurant is big and it was packed on our most recent visit. Some dishes weren’t cleared, a soup spoon had to be requested, and the servers seemed a bit overwhelmed. But again, Andrra is a mere few weeks old. Prices are moderate to expensive and the menu is fairly short.

    The cooking is in the Mediterranean style with emphasis on seafood. There are a few mysterious items. I’m not sure what Toskan BBQ means, or Tavarro mushrooms. We did learn that ajvar, an offering on the Andrra mezze platter, is nicknamed “Serbian salsa,” a mixture of peppers, eggplant, garlic, and chilies.

    Prices are $8 to $20 for soups, salads, and starters, $9 to $80 for raw bar offerings (the tower of seafood carries the $80 price tag), $25 to $43 for entrees, and $9 for sides and desserts.

    All desserts are made in house, including the ice creams and sorbets. We tried the dulce de leche ice cream, the New York-style cheesecake, and baklava. The dulce de leche ice cream was very good, rich and caramely. The New York style cheesecake was not New York style at all. Rather than the tall white fluffy cheesecake with a whisper of a crumb crust that we associate with New York style, it was a thinner cheesecake with a thick graham cracker crust. It was excellent, however, full of vanilla bean seeds and a bit of citrus. The baklava, two dainty squares of it, was good, full of walnuts and pistachios, but I prefer it with crisper phyllo dough and a bit more drippy honey syrup. The humidity of the harbor will probably always wreak havoc on the crispness factor of any food served here. It was served with lovely, delicate threads of julienned candied orange peel and Chantilly cream, a nice touch.

    Over all, our experience at Andrra was great fun and some of the dishes I look forward to trying again. The few missteps and moderately faulted dishes can be tweaked, and time and training should help the staff. Until next time, I bid the boys of Andrra “Sretno!”

Amazing Sorrel Soup

    This recipe is adapted from Patricia Wells’s “At Home in Provence.”

    Serves four to six.

3 oz. fresh sorrel leaves, stemmed, washed, and dried (or you can substitute watercress)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 small onion, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

6 oz. starchy potatoes, peeled and diced

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

    In food processor, purée the sorrel. Add butter and purée again. Transfer to small bowl and set aside at room temperature.

    In large saucepan, heat oil, add onions, and cook until soft. Add potatoes and cook over low heat until golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add stock and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir in heavy cream. Use immersion blender, food processor, or blender to purée soup. Return to saucepan and whisk sorrel butter into soup quickly. Can be served hot or cold.

Vegetable and Herb Salad

    This recipe is adapted from one by John Suley, the chef at Gotham Steak restaurant. Therefore it has a bunch of ingredients you may not have on hand. Use what you have; it will still be divine.

    Serves four.

1 cup English peas, blanched

1 cup each, sugar snap peas and snow peas, thinly sliced on diagonal

8 small morels, lightly sautéed in olive oil

4 green asparagus, thinly sliced on diagonal

3 ramps, thinly sliced on diagonal

1 cup mixed herbs such as sorrel, chives, and chive blossoms, frisée, and pea shoots

Vinaigrette

11/2 shallots, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar

1 Tbsp. Champagne (who has that lying around?)

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/8 tsp. pink peppercorns, cracked

1/2 cup good olive oil

    Combine first four ingredients, let sit for half-hour, then whisk in olive oil. Drizzle over salad.

Vegetable Carpaccio

    I loved the looks of this recipe. It is from a German garden equipment company’s Web site, Gardena. It is best to slice vegetables on a mandoline. You can find fairly decent ones for about $30.

    Serves two.

l large carrot, peeled and sliced very thin

1 large turnip, peeled and sliced very thin

1 medium zucchini, sliced thin

Small handful of snow peas

2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup basil, cut into chiffonade

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp. good olive oil

Juice of one lime

Salt and pepper and pinch of sugar

    Arrange carrots, turnips, zucchini, and snow peas onto plates. Mix vinegar, oil, lime juice, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, and garlic. Whisk, then add tomatoes and basil. Mix well and drizzle over vegetables. Sprinkle with toasted­ pine nuts, and serve.

    As the spring season marches forward, more restaurant chefs are striding back into their kitchens to man their stations for the season.

    In Montauk, the Clam and Chowder House on West Lake Drive has reopened, and is serving dinner on Thursday through Sunday, and lunch also on Saturday and Sunday.

    Gosman’s Dock reopens tomorrow night. Lunch and dinner will be served daily, except Tuesday, at the restaurant perched at the mouth of Montauk Harbor. Drinks are served till midnight.

    The folks at Navy Beach will have their seasonal opening tomorrow evening at 5, at the restaurant’s site on Fort Pond Bay. A “preview menu” to be offered through late May will feature signature dishes such as crispy calamari salad, buttermilk fried chicken, Montauk clam and corn chowder, and truffled mac and cheese, as well as new dishes in a “raw and ceviche” section, and new salads.

    From now through May 7, Navy Beach will serve dinner on Friday through Sunday starting at 5:30 p.m., and lunch on weekends starting at noon.

Bagels for Montauk

    News that Goldberg’s will be opening a bagel shop in Montauk this summer will undoubtedly be welcomed by bagel lovers and others. The easternmost outpost of the bagelry that has shops in East Hampton as well as points west will be downtown, near the junction of South Edison Street and South Etna Avenue.

Lunch, Again

    The Lobster Roll, known as Lunch for the sign on the building on Napeague, will begin its new season on Friday, May 4.  New this year will be a full menu of gluten-free items. The restaurant’s Web site, lobsterroll.com, will have information about operating hours.

Bostwick’s Reopens

    Bostwick’s reopens at lunchtime today for the 20th season. The restaurant, which specializes in seafood, started out on Three Mile Harbor and is now on Montauk Highway in East Hampton. For now, they will be serving lunch and dinner, from 11:30 a.m., on Thursday through Sunday.

In Gansett

    A Northern Italian eatery, Sotto Sopra, has opened in the Main Street, Amagansett, space that for many years housed Gordon’s. Owned by several of the partners involved in Bobby Van’s, the restaurant features salads, antipasto, and pasta dishes, along with a selection of fish and meat entrees, including some classic steakhouse selections. Wood-oven pizzas are served on Sunday through Thursday nights. Josh Savi, a two-star Michelin chef who was recruited from Ireland, is the chef.

    For now, the restaurant is serving dinner on Wednesday through Sunday nights. Outdoor seating on a back patio will be offered in the weeks to come.

La Fondita

    At the western edge of Amagansett, La Fondita opens its doors tomorrow after a winter break. Until Memorial Day, Fondita will offer its Mexican takeout on Wednesday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

A N.Y.C. Newcomer

    Beaumarchais, a brunch and dinner spot in Manhattan’s Meatpacking district, will open for the summer on Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton.

    Dinner service will start on May 18, and brunch will be added as of Memorial Day weekend.

Cooking Demo

    A recipe for a fresh tuna salad, which could also be made using halibut or bluefish, will be demonstrated at the Loaves and Fishes Cookshop in Bridgehampton on Saturday between noon and 2 p.m.

    If David Burke, a well-known restaurateur, were to have a precocious baby chef it would be Matthew Guiffrida. His new Muse in the Harbor echoes the whimsy and quirkiness of Burke’s signature dishes: various foods shaped into lollipops, riffs on Tater Tots, tuna trios, and pork extravaganzas.

    Mr. Guiffrida’s Muse in Water Mill was a charming, tiny spot serving original food and featured a saltwater fish tank bar. It is now situated in a primo location in Sag Harbor, in a space three times bigger and with outdoor dining. The stucco building, where once upon a time there was a gas station, has had a rotating roster of unmemorable brunchy-type restaurants over the years. It is a wonderful turn of events to have a popular local chef take over this spot.

    The interior has been transformed with blue-gray walls, enormous nautilus shell photos, bistro-modern black chairs, some comfortable banquettes, and an 8-by-4-foot fish tank in the center of the dining room. The huge windows all around and high pressed-tin ceiling give it an airy feel.

    On every visit we were greeted happily, seated graciously, and served nicely. The menu has some hits and a few misses. Upon being seated you get some warm sourdough rolls and a rectangular dish with choices of butter, olive oil, and a sun-dried tomato tapenade. On one visit, for starters we tried the tuna “ménage a trois,” the Muse In Da House salad, fall apple salad, and the apple-smoked pulled-pork beignet.

    The tuna ménage a trois is very good, three different preparations of very fresh raw tuna. The first is a tuna tartare on top of an Israeli couscous salad. The couscous had nice Moroccan flavors but seemed to have mayonnaise in it. The blackened tuna lollipop is coated with a candied wasabi crust, which gives it a delightful crunchy coating reminiscent of Indian hot mix. The third offering, the hot stone seared tuna carpaccio didn’t have much flavor other than what was added by the seaweed salad on top.

    The Muse In Da House salad was a bundle of baby romaine lettuce leaves dressed in what tasted like a good ranch dressing but is billed as Roma tomato balsamic sour. The salad brims out of a huge carved-out tomato shell and has thin slices of cucumber and a dab of Boursin cheese on the side. The fall apple salad, which the menu informs you is “as seen at the James Beard House,” has too many conflicting ingredients and reminded us of the childhood game “which of these items doesn’t belong here?”

    It is frisée lettuce tossed with Granny Smith apples, sunflower seeds, smoked Gouda, Craisins, crispy smoked salmon bacon with blood orange marmalade Caesar on crispy Gruyere bread pudding. The bread pudding part was tasty, either deep-fried or grilled and crunchy. The rest of the salad was pretty good but we agreed it could lose the smoked salmon, or the smoked Gouda.

    The apple-smoked pulled pork beignet, a “fluffy doughnut stuffed with slow-smoked pulled pork and apple onion marmalade on sherry creamed corn and maple spiked mustard” was okay. Definitely more doughnut than beignet. The pork filling was good, the creamed corn et cetera superfluous.

_____

Muse in the Harbor

16 Main Street

Sag Harbor

889-4810

Dinner, Wednesday through Sunday

Brunch on weekends

_____

    For entrees we tried the Three Little Pigs, the simply grilled Atlantic salmon, and the Wellness Foundation-approved vegetarian selection. The Three Little Pigs featured pulled pork with maple-spiked mustard on a charred scallion johnnycake (very good), XXXtra thick homemade bacon served over pimento cheddar oatmeal (whah?), and teriyaki braised pork belly on an apple onion stir-fry, three oinks, bravo!

    The Atlantic salmon was nice and fresh, cooked properly to order, and served with mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini. The vegetarian offering, I fear, would make the Wellness Foundation’s founder quite cross. It was delicious, but a bit naughty. A lemony grilled zucchini was served with spaetzle, some hummus, and a salad full of oily jarred artichoke hearts, green olives, and arugula — just a bit too much salt and fat to be truly virtuous and healthy.

    On another visit we tried the Long Island duck, which was very tender and well seasoned, and the Harbor carbonara — again, too much going on. Which brings us to the menu. Muse in the Harbor is moderate to expensive. There is a prix fixe menu, but it has many supplements added on. There are no inexpensive simple pasta dishes and no side dishes offered. Granted, all of the entrees have fillips and dabs and schmears of risotto or polenta or chopped salad, but it would be nice to have side order choices. Prices for appetizers are $8 to $18, entrees are $24 to $36.

    We sampled desserts on both visits. On the first visit we were told that most desserts are not made in-house, on the second visit we were told they are. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the chocolate lava cake and cheesecake, both just okay, are commercially made. The Grandma’s zeppole, three fresh doughnuts in a paper bag served with three warm sauces, raspberry, chocolate, and one slightly dulce de leche, are made in-house.

    I am an admirer of Mr. Guiffrida’s and want more than anything for him to succeed in this most perfect of locations in Sag Harbor. You can see the water and 7-Eleven! Whether marred by ego or enthusiasm, it just seems that the food needs a bit more finesse, and restraint. Or to paraphrase Coco Chanel’s famous fashion dictum, “Before it leaves the kitchen, take one thing off.”

    Jennifer Meadows, the chef at Fishbar in Montauk, which is at the Gone Fishing marina on East Lake Drive, is back in the kitchen for another season, and serving dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. A mention here of another chef being added to the Fishbar roster was incorrect.

    Fishbar is offering Montauk residents, who can produce ID showing a local address, a 10 percent discount. On Sunday nights, four entrees are offered at 50 percent off.

    Ms. Meadows’s second restaurant, Bliss Kitchen, is to open soon in downtown Montauk. It will serve fish tacos, burritos, specialty sandwiches and pannini, ceviche, and other specials.

Harbor Bistro

    The Harbor Bistro, which sits in a prime sunset spot on Three Mile Harbor, opens for the season tonight. The restaurant will once again offer two prix fixe deals. A $19 special menu changes nightly and features a choice of soup or salad to start followed by a pasta, fish, or meat entree, and dessert.  A $29 special that includes a choice of three courses, or two courses with a glass of wine, is available all night at the bar, or from 5 to 6 p.m. in the dining room, Thursday through Sunday.

New Chef

    East Hampton Point, a neighbor of the Harbor Bistro, reopens after its winter break on Friday, May 11, with a new executive chef at the helm. Richard Pims, who most recently cooked at Stanton Social in New York City, holds a culinary arts degree from Johnson and Wales University and fine-tuned his skills at Chez Josephine as well as at Lahiere’s, a 90-year-old French restaurant, and the Park Avenue Cafe.

The Hideaway

    Another Montauk eatery, the Hideaway, is also now open. A casual Mexican place housed at the Diamond Cove Marina on West Lake Drive, it is serving dinner from Friday through Sunday and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. For Cinco de Mayo, which falls on Saturday, there will be holiday specials.

    Also open for the season in Montauk is 668 the Gig Shack, on Main Street.

More Cinco de Mayo

    Cinco de Mayo will bring food and drink specials from noon to 5 p.m. at Navy Beach restaurant on Saturday. Three fish tacos will be offered, with a Corona beer, for $15, or with a margarita for $20. Navy Beach, which opened for the season last weekend, will add another night to its dinner service, offering dinner next Thursday, continuing through Sunday, as well as weekend lunch.

    At the Hampton Coffee Company in Water Mill, the Cinco de Mayo celebration continues through Sunday, with a menu of Mexican specialties such as chicken tamales, chile rellenos, tortas, and caramel flan. Anyone who purchases a Mexican menu item may choose a Mexican soda, including Jarritos, for free.

Conscious Cuisine

    Stefanie Sacks, a culinary nutritionist, will host a “conscious cuisine” dinner next Thursday at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton. The evening will begin with a reception at 6, featuring hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Then a healthy and nutritious three-course dinner, prepared by the restaurant’s chefs, Joe Realmuto and Ed Lightcap, will be served, paired with wines.

    Entrees will include a choice of local sea scallops served with Israeli cous-cous, mint, asparagus, and English peas with a basil-infused olive oil, or all-natural chicken with local honey-glazed baby carrots and grilled artichoke served over a spring vegetable red quinoa salad. Dessert will be a dark chocolate walnut tart with strawberries.

    Ms. Sacks will lead a round-table discussion on making conscious food choices whether dining in or eating out. The cost of the dinner is $65 per person plus tax and gratuity. Reservations have been recommended.

Taste of Two Forks

    Tickets went on sale on Tuesday for Dan’s Taste of Two Forks, a July event sponsored by Dan’s Papers that features food from dozens of East End restaurants and local wines. It will take place at Sayre Park in Bridgehampton on July 14. Additional information is available at the event Web site, www.tasteof­twoforks.com, where general admission tickets, at $150, or V.I.P. tickets, at $225, can be ordered.   

    There are a couple of springtime treats in our waters right now, often only available in spring and fall as the water temperature changes. Weakfish, also known as sea trout and by their Native American name “squeateague,” are a delicious, delicate, finely textured fish. Due to their delicacy, they must be consumed when “fresh, fresh, fresh” as Mrs. Condie Lamb instructed in the 1965 L.V.I.S. Cookbook. The name weakfish is misleading, as they are feisty fighters. But due to the weakness of their mouths, hooks often rip loose just as they are caught, allowing the fish to escape.

    The weakfish is a member of the drum family, which includes spotted sea trout, croaker, and spot. All of these fish have the ability to make a drumming sound (audible to boaters), by contracting their abdominal muscles against a resonating air bladder. It is not known what the drumming means, but only the males do it, and they are particularly loud during spawning time, so you can draw your own conclusions.

    In the years just after World War II, massive schools of weakfish were abundant along eastern Long Island from late April to July. They virtually disappeared in the 1950s, and then gradually started to recover in the early 1970s. No other fish have such extreme highs and lows in abundance. Weakfish are excellent broiled, fried, grilled, and stuffed and baked.

    Blowfish, or North Atlantic puffers, are one of our most delicious seasonal treats. As their availability in spring and fall is pretty unreliable you seldom see them on a restaurant menu. But you have a good chance of finding them at the Seafood Shop, Stuart’s, or any other reliable fish market. It is surprising how few people have even tasted blowfish, still believing they must be related to the other members of the Tetraodontidae family, like the Japanese fugu.

    Cleaned blowfish look kind of like chicken drumsticks. They have a single bone running between two tasty morsels of flesh. Blowfish are easy to cook, mild in flavor, and comical to look at, which I think makes them an ideal introductory fish for young children. They are best quickly sautéed or fried. You could include them in soups or stews but this is kind of a waste of a fleeting treat. They’re also a bit too small and delicate to bake.

    Squid, our local cephalopod, is inexpensive, nutritious, and delicious. Squid, cuttlefish, and octopus are the most advanced of the mollusks. The name cephalopod is from the Greek for “head foot” because the foot muscle is near the head.

    Buying squid whole is exceptionally cheap, and yields up to 70 percent edible flesh, 18 percent of which is protein. Squid has an unnecessary reputation for being difficult to cook. Here’s all you need to remember: Cook either no more than 2 minutes, or no less than 30. These cooking methods produce two completely different textures. Because squid has very dense flesh reinforced with multiple layers of collagen, it is almost like meat. Cooked quickly, squid is moist and almost crisp. Cooking gently for an hour or more produces a flesh with silken succulence.

    As the explanation for cleaning squid is somewhat detailed, I will leave it out. You can either buy it cleaned (like squeamish me), or find directions in any good seafood cookbook. Our first recipe is for the Star editor, David E. Rattray’s, fresh squid with rosemary and balsamic vinegar. He likes skin-on squid.

Click for recipes

    Restaurants are gearing up for the season, with a host of Mother’s Day specials this weekend.

    Andrra, a new restaurant which has opened near the Harbor Marina on Three Mile Harbor where the Boathouse was last year, will serve brunch on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $30 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

    Among the starters will be Mediterranean seafood chowder, baked clams, and fried calamari. Entrees will include soft-shell crabs with avocado brown butter, herb-crusted roasted flounder, burgers, and a lobster roll. The regular dinner menu will be available from 5 to 11 p.m.

    Sami Krasniqi is a partner and the executive chef at Andrra, whose menu has a “Mediterranean seafood and chops” concept. His partners are Noti Krasniqi and Rich Silver. The restaurant has been renovated and redecorated. Lunch hours will be added during the summer, as will a lounge with late night entertainment.

    Also on Three Mile Harbor, East Hampton Point is opening for the season this weekend, and will start the season serving dinner on Friday and Saturday, with a three-course prix fixe for $35 offered between 5:30 and 6:30. On Mother’s Day, it will have a buffet brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. costing $55 for adults and $35 for kids.

    At Indian Wells Tavern in Amagansett, Mother’s Day will bring a choice of two prix fixes: a two-course menu for $22 on an appetizer and entrée; for $25 dessert is included. Dinner will begin at 5 p.m.

Eating With Mom

    Other choices for Mother’s Day include Muse in the Harbor in Sag Harbor, where a brunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and moms will be given a complimentary mimosa. Dinner, from 5:30 to 10, will include the eatery’s $28.95 prix fixe.

    Also in Sag Harbor, Phao, a Thai restaurant, will feature a 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. holiday special on Sunday, with a $24.95 prix fixe and a half-price special on a shiraz from Australia for $22 called First Drop Mother’s Milk. The first 24 moms to dine will receive a long-stemmed red rose, and from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Kenneth Morsch will perform love songs.

    At the Living Room in East Hampton, a three-course Mother’s Day special will include a glass of prosecco for all and a rose for mothers. At $65 a person, it will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Mother’s Day at Harbor Bistro, which has just reopened in its picturesque spot on Three Mile Harbor, will bring a brunch buffet, for $29 per adult or $17 for kids under 12. Bloody Marys, mimosas, and bellinis will be $6. Beginning at 3 p.m., the bistro will serve a three-course prix fixe for $39, with entrees such as Mongolian barbecue ribs, lobster bundles, filet mignon, rack of lamb, and fresh fish. A children’s menu will also be available. Reservations have been suggested.

    At the Harbor Grill, its sister restaurant just down Three Mile Harbor Road, a family-friendly Sunday brunch will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at $19.95 for moms and dads, and $10.95 for kids under 12. Beginning at noon, mimosas and Bloody Marys will cost only $3.  Starting at 3 p.m., the Harbor Grill will serve a three-course dinner for $29.95. The menu will include baked clams, shrimp cocktail, a one-pound lobster, leg of lamb, salmon, steak, shrimp scampi, and chicken. A children’s menu will also be offered. Reservations have been requested.

    Michaels’ at Maidstone, which is near Maidstone Park, will serve a buffet-style meal from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday for mothers and families, at a cost of $35 per person. Reservations have been requested.

More Options for Mom

    Cafe Max in East Hampton will serve a Mother’s Day dinner on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. A three-course special, for $30, or $20 for kids 13 and younger, will include a choice of appetizers such as soup, salad, spring roll, or shrimp cocktail, followed by roast prime rib, grilled fish (including salmon), penne with chicken sausage, chicken Francaise, and, for an extra fee, leg of lamb. Dessert is included.

    At Nick & Toni’s on North Main Street in East Hampton, a Mother’s Day brunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. till 2:30 p.m., with dinner specials beginning at 6. Among the special entrees will be lobster ravioli with sweet pea butter and grilled king salmon.

    At Pierre’s in Bridgehampton, a Mother’s Day brunch will be served all day on Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The menu is on the restaurant’s Web site, pierresbridgehampton.com. Reservations have been suggested.

    At Almond, also in that hamlet, mothers who come to brunch — between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. — will receive a free mimosa or Bloody Mary. The brunch will include eggs, sandwiches, salads, and French toast, among other offerings. Dinner will be served, a la carte, on Sunday.

Moms in Montauk

    Montauk will have plenty of choices for dining out at the Point on Sunday.  The Harvest restaurant and East by Northeast will be open from 2 to 8 p.m. on Mother’s Day.

    The Surfside Inn, overlooking the ocean on Old Montauk Highway, has reopened for the season and is serving dinner nightly as well as lunch on Saturday and Sunday. For Mother’s Day, there will be a four-course special.

    The Hideaway will also have Mother’s Day specials. Gosman’s Dock will be open on Sunday, with Mother’s Day specials offered, and the Gulf Coast Kitchen at the Montauk Yacht Club will have a holiday buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $38.95 per adult. The cost for children 4 to 12 will be $17.95, with those under 4 free.

    The Shagwong will also have a special Mother’s Day menu. At Gurney’s Inn,  a Mother’s Day buffet will be from noon to 4 p.m. for $33.95 per person, or $19.95 for kids 12 and under. It will include not only standard brunch fare, but a Viennese dessert table.

    Also serving something special for Mother’s Day will be Manucci’s, on West Lake Drive, from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.

On Napeague, moms who stop in for a meal at the Lobster Roll on Sunday will get a complimentary mimosa.

Now Open

    Also on the Napeague stretch, Banzai Burger will reopen for the season on May 25. The burger and sushi restaurant is owned by Alex Duff and Steve Kasuba, who have added some new items to the menu and updated the decor.

    South Edison restaurant in Montauk reopened for the season last Thursday. New this season to the seafood-centric menu is expanded happy hour fare, with items such as local pickled vegetables and lobster salad sliders. Todd Mitgang, the executive chef, and Roy Wohlars, as sous-chef, continue in the kitchen.

    South Edison will be open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday through May and into June. Reservations can be made online at www.southedison. com/reservations.

    Also in Montauk, the Backyard Restaurant at Solé East reopens tomorrow night with its Mediterranean-influenced menu. It will serve dinner on Thursday through Sunday, and lunch on weekends. This weekend, breakfast will be served on Saturday and Sunday.

    Reopening next Thursday, and marking its quarter-century anniversary, is Dave’s Grill, at the Montauk docks.

Edible Gifts

    Edible gifts for moms can be found at Lucy’s Whey in East Hampton. Along with its selection of cheeses and things to go with them, the shop has put together a Mother’s Day gift box, with a round of coupole, a goat’s milk cheese, espresso chocolate-chip shortbread, and red raspberry jam. The gift box costs $50.

    Another option is a cheese of the month subscription, which can be ordered in three, six, or 12-month versions.

Slow Food Event

    Slow Food East End will host a potluck lunch as a fund-raiser, along with a tour of Mecox Dairy Farm, on June 2 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Art Ludlow, the owner and master cheesemaker, will give a guided tour, explaining the process of cheese-making, from start to finish. Afterward, there will be a cheese and wine tasting, with Wolffer Estate Vineyard wines. Lunch will be outdoors in the field. The rain date is June 9.

    A limited number of tickets will be sold, so those interested have been advised to reserve early. Attendees will be asked to bring a dish that serves 6 to 8 people. Reservations may be made by e-mailing [email protected]. The cost is $18 for Slow Food members, $22 for nonmembers, and $10 for children. The proceeds will go to Slow Food’s East End Education Fund.

    Meanwhile, the Wolffer Estate’s Hidden Cellar Society, a wine club geared for those ages 21 to 35, will have a tasting on Wednesday at the Corkbuzz Wine Studio in New York City. Laura Maniec, a sommelier, will discuss  new Wolffer releases, which will be paired with hors d’oeuvres.

    Admission is $40 and reservations can be made by sending an e-mail to wolfferwineschool.eventbrite.com.

Memorable Bread

    Keith Kouris, the owner of the Blue Duck Bakery, will present “Memorable Breads for Everyday Cooks” at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton on Wednesday at noon. He will demonstrate how to prepare some of the breads sold at the Blue Duck Bakery cafe. Reservations are a must, and can be made by calling the library or at www.myrml.org.

Cooking Class

    Peter Ambrose, a chef, caterer, and owner of the Hampton Seafood Company on Race Lane in East Hampton, will conduct a cooking class at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor next Thursday. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., he will prepare samples from his takeout and catering menus. The $30 admission will include tastes of items such as fish tacos, pulled pork, salads, and wine. Tickets may be bought at the door, although advance reservations have been suggested, as space is limited, and may be made by calling the church.

    If there’s a little more traffic near the train station in East Hampton these days, it may be because Peter Ambrose, late of the Seafood Shop in Wainscott and the owner of Peter Ambrose Events catering, has hung out his shingle on Race Lane. Hampton Seafood, with Mr. Ambrose’s catering offices next door, has opened in the spot formerly occupied by Claws on Wheels.

    “I’ve worked in a fish market since I was 14,” Mr. Ambrose said. “There’s people out there who know more about food than me and know more about fish than me, but put the two together,” he said, with a modest chuckle, “and I’m up there.”

    Mr. Ambrose enthusiastically described his new venture, which features not only lunch specials like fish tacos, freshly made sushi — with special daily rolls made to order — and the requisite lobster roll, but also fish provided right from the docks in Montauk, he said, by his partners, Butch Payne and Gerald Herlihy.

    Blackboards behind the counters show which boats have been out that morning — on a recent day it was the Panther, the Long Shot, and the Alexandria Dawn — and what the catch of the day is: scallops, flounder, monkfish, tuna, and more. Other lunchtime fare that day included an Asian-spiced tuna burger, a shrimp currasco burrito, a selection of fresh soups, and several items, including a vegan wrap, marked “W” for wellness.

    Mr. Ambrose recently completed the Winter Wellness Challenge with the East Hampton Wellness Foundation, which focuses on a plant-strong diet, and claimed a loss of almost 40 pounds, with greatly improved numbers in his cholesterol count. “This gives people an opportunity to maybe have one vegan meal a day,” he said of his “W” choices.

    The store also carries several local brands — Hamptons Water, Mali B Sweets, several products from La Capannina, with locations in Wainscott and Holtsville, and locally roasted coffees, including his own Pete’s Endless Summer Dawn Patrol.

    Mr. Ambrose began the Endless Summer brand last year while still at the Seafood Shop. It features a line of shelf-stable sauces and rubs like Grillin’ Time Marinade and chipotle ketchup. The store also has a selection of fresh vegetables, drinks, and desserts.

    But what has the locals lining up on Thursdays is “Smokin’ Joe’s Happy Hour,” a seafood extravanganza starting at 4:30 and featuring 50-cent clams, $1 oysters on the half shell, $5 sushi rolls, and two fish tacos for $6, along with other selections.

    Mr. Ambrose has expanded his catering, which he has been doing for over two decades under the name Food for Forks, to serve the length of the Island into Manhattan, but will continue catering the South Fork clambakes that garner high marks from his clients, who have offered testimonials on his new Web site, peterambroseevents.com.

    “I think we have a little something for everyone at the shop,” he said. “We have fresh fish, fried fish, prepared foods, sushi, burgers and fries, the Wellness menu. And we have a great bunch of people working here too.”

    “We’re trying to corner the market on convenience,” he said. “And we’re dedicated to local, all the way up to Cayuga.”

    “I think people will be happy with the choices we offer,” he said. The steady stream of cars and congratulations seemed to drive his point home.

    Mother’s Day is coming and I hope you are all planning creative ways to honor and remember your mothers. Creative being the operative word here. No need to buy a card, make one! No need to buy flowers, pick some wild ones. Cook for her, fold the laundry, pull some weeds. Just about any gesture will do to show her you appreciate all she does.

    Mother’s Day is celebrated many different ways throughout the world. Yugoslavia’s sounds the least appealing. Mother’s Day there is preceded by Children’s Day and followed by Father’s Day. On Children’s Day, the children are tied up and not released until they promise good behavior. On Mother’s Day, the mothers are bound until they promise to give sweets and treats to their family. On Father’s Day, the dads are tied up and made to promise bigger things like vacuum cleaners and shoes.    In Finland, the family takes a walk together in the morning, picking spring flowers to present to the mother and then serving her breakfast in bed. In Italy, La Festa della Mamma is celebrated with a feast, a heart-shaped cake, and the whole family doing chores for mamma.

    Ironically, the woman who dedicated years to making Mother’s Day a national holiday spent the last years of her life fighting its commercialization. She was not a mother herself, but a devoted daughter. When Ann Reeves Jarvis died, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, campaigned for an official Mother’s Day in honor of peace and to celebrate all mothers living and dead. Julia Ward Howe, who wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” also fought for an international day to honor motherhood. After years of lobbying by Jarvis, Woodrow Wilson signed a declaration in 1914 making the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day.

    As the mother of an only child, an awesome, grown-up, handsome, smart, and adored child, I love to see what he comes up with for Mother’s Day. For quite a few years I would get elaborately hand-drawn cards depicting Japanese anime and manga from Billy. I would try to decipher the meaning of the artwork filled with busty Japanese schoolgirls with pigtails and short skirts. One year’s Mother’s Day card needed no explanation. It was a three-dimensional card, the front being an illustration of Billy playing video games with the caption “my dream.” The inside illustration was captioned “Mom’s dream.” The video game has exploded and disappeared.

    Having been raised in a foodie household, Billy has been cooking for at least 15 of his 24 years. So my favorite Mother’s Day gift is a meal he has concocted, shopped for, and cooked himself, often Thai food. I get the pleasure of watching this young man mixing coconut milk, chopping jalapenos, and carefully adding just the right amount of fish sauce to his homemade red curry with eggplant.

    Sometimes it is another of his specialties, panzanella salad, a delicious rustic Italian bread salad full of tomatoes and onions and fresh herbs. He also knows I will probably ask him to pull a few weeds or clip some bushes, my least favorite chores. He happily obliges by popping in his earbuds, blasting the Beastie Boys, and getting to work.

    Although the flower and greeting card industries have been accused of taking full advantage of Mother’s Day guilt-inducing purchases, it needn’t be that way. Dads, if your children are small, have them help with a simple breakfast in bed — toast, cereal, fruit. Or adopt the charming Finnish tradition of a family walk, picking wildflowers along the way for a bouquet for mum. Kids, if you’re old enough, cook a whole meal for your mother, or plant a baby tree or lilac bush.

    This coming Mother’s Day we will probably indulge in the same activity as millions of other Americans: Go out for brunch and scarf down our favorite dish of eggs Benedict. Billy will dress nicely, attempt to mind his table manners, put his napkin in his lap, and try not to finish his meal in the usual 3.2 seconds. I will sit across from him and stare in wonderment. Is this strapping young man spouting political opinions really the baby I gave birth to 24 years ago? The little boy who gave me his favorite Pokemon card one year and now knows to give me my favorite lemon verbena soap?

    Some people reject these little holidays and celebrations, saying that “every day is Mother’s Day” or “every day should be Valentine’s Day.” Well, yes and no. As for me, I will be remembering how wonderful my mother, Honoria, was, and marveling at how lucky I am to have such a fine, fine young man as my son. My real and true Mother’s Day is Aug. 13, 1987. Now, how about those weeds?

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New at Montauk Harbor

    Sam Joyce, a longtime chef at Gosman’s restaurant in Montauk, is opening his own place not far away on West Lake Drive. Calling it Sammy’s, he is taking over the spot where Clemente’s used to be. The menu includes appetizers such as Montauk oysters, tuna sashimi, “Irish nachos,” which feature homemade potato chips with traditional nacho toppings, and lobster salad tacos.

    Along with soups and salads, there will be sandwiches such as a shrimp po’boy and a Wimpie burger, and dishes that can be ordered tapas or entree size, such as walnut-glazed chicken, pork tenderloin pot stickers, tempura Montauk fluke, stuffed portobellos, and grilled rib-eye lettuce wraps. The new restaurant will have a soft opening this weekend, and will be fully open for business next week.

New Seafood Stop

    The Hampton Seafood Company has opened on Race Lane in East Hampton where Claws on Wheels used to be. Fresh fish and shellfish can be purchased for cooking at home or broiled, baked, or grilled for $5 and served with fries and coleslaw. There is also a “hot to go” menu, including fish tacos, grilled shrimp, Asian-spiced tuna burgers, and a pulled chicken sandwich — as well as two-pound servings of steamed mussels, clams, or Little Necks.  Salads, pasta, and wraps are also on the menu, as are daily lunch and dinner specials.

Empanadas To Go

    Gula Gula Empanadas is selling its treats at the Sag Harbor farmers market, held Saturdays at the parking lot at Bay Burger on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike. The empanadas come in many flavors, including buffalo, and can be purchased frozen for baking at home or ready to eat. Those who send an e-mail by Wednesday of each week to [email protected] can pick up orders at the market.

Spring Hors d’Oeuvres

    Ashley Foster of Water Mill, the owner of Tasty Bites Catering, will discuss “memorable spring hors d’oeuvres” at an Everyday Cooks program at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton on Wednesday at noon. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the library or at www.myrml.org.

Estia in Darien

    Colin Ambrose, the chef and owner of Estia’s Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor, has opened Estia’s American in Darien, Conn.

    The eatery will offer cafe-style breakfast and lunch, with a juice bar, and shift into another mode for dinner and bar service. The menu will reflect Mr. Ambrose’s commitment to local and seasonal produce.

    Carissa Waechter, a co-founder of the Amagansett Food Institute who had been producing and selling breads through a business called Carissa’s Breads, will work in the kitchen at the new restaurant. She began her culinary career at Mondrian Pastry in New York City and worked as part of a pastry team under the chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud, as well as several other places, before finding her way to Amagansett.

Wine Dinner at Almond

    The wines of Paumanok Vineyards will be featured at Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton next Thursday at a dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Jason Weiner, the restaurant’s co-owner and chef, will present a three-course meal, along with passed hors d’oeuvres and dessert, all paired with Paumanok selections. The menu will include striped bass with baby artichoke and an entree of leg of lamb with fava beans, chickpeas, baby carrots, and wilted greens.  The cost is $65 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Brunch in Sag

    Beginning this weekend, Muse in the Harbor will offer brunch each Saturday and Sunday, with a menu featuring dishes on the “lunch side” or “breakfast side.” It will be served from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.    

New at Nick & Toni’s

    Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton has added some new dishes for springtime. Serving dinner from 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, the restaurant now offers an antipasto of warm asparagus and crab with pea greens, orange aioli, and slivered red onions, a first course of ricotta gnocchi with fontina, spring peas, and straw mushrooms, and, for entrees, grilled lamb tenderloins with snap peas, baby carrots, and mint, among other choices.

Watch, Learn

    A free cooking demonstration at the Loaves and Fishes Cookshop in Bridgehampton on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. will feature the preparation of sweet pea crostini.