Harvest Wine

    Tickets are on sale for several events to take place during the second annual Harvest Wine Auction and Celebration of Long Island’s East End, which begins on Labor Day weekend.

    On Sept. 3, the American Hotel will host one of several “wine salon” programs to be offered throughout the event. They will offer a behind the scenes look at viticulture and winemaking on Long Island, and feature discussions with some of the industry’s leading experts.

    From 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Roman Roth, a winemaker whose products have earned some of Long Island wines’ highest ratings, will present “Roman History, in Six Vintages,” a talk about his Grapes of Roth portfolio that focuses on merlots. The program will include a chance to taste all six vintages of the wines.

    Additional “wine salon” programs are scheduled for Sept. 3 at North Fork vineyards, and on Sept. 10 and 17. Among the Sept. 3 programs will be “Women of the Vine: Vintners, Farmers, and Other Pioneers of Taste,” at Gramercy Vineyards in Mattituck, “It Was a Very Good Year. . . ,” which will explore Long Island’s last 10 vintages, at Castello di Borghese Vineyard and Winery in Cutchogue, “From Sea to Shore: Pairing Shellfish and Wine” at Jamesport Vineyards, and “Cuisine of the North Fork: Then and Now,” at the Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead.

    Additional information can be found at harvesteastend.com. Tickets are $25 and can be ordered on the Web site.

    Harvest is organized by the Long Island Merlot Alliance and Long Island Wine Council and is being presented this year by Food and Wine magazine. The event also includes educational seminars, private wine dinners, and a gala dinner with a live wine auction, the proceeds of which will benefit East End Hospice, Group for the East End,and the Peconic Land Trust.

Weekend Special

    A welcome note for those who enjoy a restaurant prix fixe, but prefer to go out on a weekend night: the Harbor Grill in East Hampton is making Saturday and Sunday prime rib nights with a $22.95 dinner special that begins at 4 p.m. Included is a choice of the soup or salad of the night, prime rib with baked potato, horseradish sour cream, and the vegetable of the day. Desserts are available at extra cost.

I went to a lovely dinner party last night. The company and wine sparkled. Friends from childhood were gathered from near and far. The menu: grilled swordfish, burgers, corn, and tomato salad. At one point in the meal, a guest looked up from his plate and said, “This is really what it’s all about.”

Everyone understood. It was about the tomatoes and corn, about the perfect time in the season when they are at their peak and can be enjoyed together. Usually, I am a butter and salt fiend with corn on the cob. The butter on the table went untouched by all. The corn was that sweet and perfect. The tomatoes, a combination of big red beefsteak and bright yellow Brandywine, were dressed in a light vinaigrette and topped with basil chiffonade and crumbled goat cheese.

This has been an excellent year for corn. Some of the tomato crops, however, have suffered from blight, which makes the enjoyment of them that much more special. More on the blight later.

Maize, an ancient name for corn, literally means “our life.” This is an appropriate name considering it has been a dietary staple of many cultures. Oddly enough, Europeans ave never really taken to this “strange food from the New World,” as it was called by one Englishwoman in 1850. Other than the Italians’ love of cornmeal for polenta, fresh corn is still rarely consumed on the other side of the Atlantic.

Corn species belong to a family of grasses that originated in tropical Latin America, possibly Honduras or Mexico. Corn was found under cultivation in Cuba by scouts from Christopher Columbus’s exploration party in 1492. It is the largest crop in the United States. About two-thirds of it is consumed by barnyard animals, and about a tenth is used to make dyes, paints, starches, oils, rubber substitutes, bourbon, blue jeans, and carbon dioxide gas used for carbonated drinks and refrigeration equipment. The tiny percentage of sweet yellow or white corn that is grown, like Shoepeg, Golden Cross Bantam, and Ioana, is what we enjoy.

    The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing corn is freshness. Twenty-five percent of the sugar in corn converts to starch within 24 hours of picking. The husks should be very green, the silk at the top fresh. It’s okay if the silk is brown, but it shouldn’t feel dried out. Check the stem as well. It should feel moist, and not be yellowed or dry. You may have noticed that at the most reputable farm stands the corn is kept in the shade, covered by burlap sacks. It is often picked twice a day for maximum freshness.

    The tomato, or Solanum lycopersicum, probably originated in the highlands of the west coast of South America, then migrated to Central America. Early references to tomatoes in North America occurred around 1710 when the herbalist William Salmon reported seeing them in what is now South Carolina, perhaps having been introduced from the Caribbean. Botanically speaking, a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant, i.e., a fruit, or more precisely, a berry. Nutritionally, it is categorized as a vegetable. Since “vegetable” is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in a plant being a fruit botanically while still being considered a vegetable.

    Commercially cultivated varieties are bred mostly for sauces, ketchup, and soups. They are picked green, then sprayed with ethylene gas to hasten ripening. Now you know why wintertime supermarket tomatoes are so lame. However, it is possible to get decent cherry or grape tomatoes year round. They’ll do.

    There is nothing better than a homegrown or farm stand tomato. Heirloom varieties are available as well, from tomatoes as small as currants, to as large as the threeppound “mortgage lifters” that originated in central Appalachia. They can be green and yellow, orange, brown, purple, white, pink, mottled, and striped. Unfortunately, due to the blight affecting the East Coast this summer and last, tomatoes are a bit more expensive. The late blight, similar to the fungus responsible for the Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century, started because of the wet, cool weather of June. The outbreak is believed to have spread from plants purchased from Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Kmart.

    John Mishanec, a pest management specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, explained that “farms are inspected, and greenhouses are inspected, but garden centers aren’t, and the people who work there aren’t trained to spot disease.”

    If you have tomatoes in your garden, please check them for white, powdery spores, olive green or brown spots on the leaves, and brown or open lesions on the stems. These plants should be pulled out, sealed in plastic, and disposed of, not composted. Even Dan Barber, the meticulous chef and creative director at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., has had to destroy half of his crop because of this highly contagious disease. So there’s my public service announcement for today.

    Luckily, there are still tons of tomatoes growing happily and healthily this season. For salads, it is fun to try a variety of heirlooms. Their flavors really vary from sweet to tart and the textures differ as well. Cut some into wedges, some in thin slices. Simply drizzle with good olive oil and sprinkle a bit of salt. Recently I tried a recipe that combined plum tomatoes with ginger and spices in a Chinese noodle dish, what a revelation!

    Be sure to buy the ripest, least-blemished tomatoes you can find. And don’t forget the virtues of unripe green tomatoes, a great Southern delicacy when coated with cornmeal and fried.

    Enjoy this perfect pairing of summer — corn and tomatoes — while you can. As my friend Tom said last night over our perfectly simple and fresh feast, “This is really what it’s all about!”

Click for Recipes

    The annual Hamptons Burger Bloodbath took place last weekend at the Gilt City Hamptons house in Bridgehampton, pitting eight chefs at separate grills against one another in creating the “ideal beach burger.”

    For the second year in a row, the winner was Mo Koyfman of Manhattan, whose entry featured a sliced tomato from Vicki’s Veggies farm stand in Amagansett and slices of Nana’s bread-and-butter pickles, made by Jane Bimson of Montauk, along with melted American cheese, shredded lettuce, and a special sauce.

    Other entries included a burger made by Wylie Dufresne from ground wagyu chuck meat and short-rib patties with homemade American cheese on a potato bun, and a chorizo burger made by Marc Vidal.

South Fork Wine Salon

    B. Smith’s restaurant on the Long Wharf in Sag Harbor will be the site of a “wine salon” event on Sept. 10, as part of the Harvest: Wine Auction and Celebration of Long Island’s East End event presented by the Long Island Merlot Alliance, Long Island Wine Council, and Food and Wine magazine.

    Roman Roth, the winemaker at Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, will be the featured speaker. The discussion will center on Long Island’s dry rosé wines, and will include a tasting of still and sparkling rosés, along with light appetizers. Tickets cost $25 and are available at harvesteastend.com. 

Fall Hours

    With Labor Day soon to be behind us, restaurants will be shifting their hours for fall. Serafina, on North Main Street in East Hampotn, has announced that it will be closed on Monday through Wednesday, and continue to serve dinner Thursday through Sunday, as well as lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Navy Beach Hours

    Navy Beach restaurant in Montauk will serve lunch and dinner on Saturday through Tuesday this week, and dinner only on Wednesday and next Thursday. Lunch and dinner will be served on Friday, Sept. 9, through Sept. 12.

    Peter Ambrose has been catering everything from clambakes to elegant weddings for the past 25 years.

    “My father is a native bubby,” Mr. Ambrose said of his dad, Joseph Ambrose. His grandparents built and owned the Three Mile Harbor Inn for 40 years. Mr. Ambrose’s mother, Christine, was born and raised in Sag Harbor, where Mr. Ambrose lives with his wife, Clare, and their three children.

    Now Mr. Ambrose has a new business in addition to his Food for Forks catering operation. Pete’s Endless Summer line, featuring sauces and rubs, can be found on shelves around the South Fork.

    He started Pete’s Endless Summer because, Mr. Ambrose said, “I had a desire to find another way to market my culinary abilities.” His people-pleasing sauces, marinades, and rubs seemed to be just the ticket. “Everyone has access to quality meat, produce, and fish,” he said. “I felt that creating a gourmet line of products could allow current clientele and new clientele to experience and recreate the great foods we offer at our events.”

     “When I first started to attempt to bottle and sell products 10 years ago, farmers markets were not in existence on eastern Long Island,” said Mr. Ambrose.

    The name came, he said, from conjuring up “great summer memories” of barbecues and other fun outdoor events he has been to, or catered, over the years.

    The products use local ingredients and are bottled and produced by Jeri Newhouse at A Taste of the North Fork. The line available right now includes a tomato-ey, spicy barbecue sauce, a marinade, a chipotle ketchup, and a lime-agave mojito mix.

    Mr. Ambrose also produces fresh items on a daily basis —  a chimichurri, a grilled tomato salsa, and wasabi aioli. “We will be adding a shelf stable version of our wasabi aioli in the next couple weeks,” Mr. Ambrose said.

    Seasonal products include a rhubarb chutney and a “Hellish Relish” hot dog topping. Soon, he plans to launch a line of rubs, along with more bottled drink mixes, hot sauces, and additional barbecue sauces and marinades.

    Staying true to his original idea of marketing in the outdoors, Pete’s Endless Summer products are available at farmers markets in Amagansett, East Hampton, Montauk, and Shelter Island, where Pete Ambrose and his Food for Forks crew have been making baby-back ribs, slow smoked and on the spot. The bottled sauces can also be found at the Seafood Shop in Wainscott, Cromer’s in Noyac, and the Amagansett Farmers Market.

    It was, and still is, sort of a testing market for him. “We knew our chimichurri was really good,” he said, “but we didn’t know if it was an item people would desire on a day-to-day basis. But we now know this is indeed the case.”

Lobsterpalooza!

    The Lobster Roll restaurant on Napeague is having a “Lobsterpalooza” throughout the month of August. Featured are lobster bisque, lobster and shrimp cocktail, lobster salad sliders, seafood mac and cheese, seafood chili, lobster-crab cake sliders, and steamed whole lobsters. To wash it all down there will be lobster ale, and a dessert of strawberries, peaches, and Captain Morgan’s rum.

Class With Karen Lee

    It’s August, and for foodies this month brings an opportunity to attend a cooking class in Amagansett run by Karen Lee, a well-known Manhattan-based caterer, cookbook author, and culinary teacher.

    Ms. Lee will offer a full-participation cooking class at a private residence on Aug. 26, from 5 to 10 p.m. The all-organic menu will include grilled shrimp with Ms. Lee’s signature red ginger barbecue sauce, grilled local fluke with slow-roasted plum tomatoes, roasted baby eggplant, wild and brown rice pilaf, a seasonal vegetable dish or salad, and cherry tart with creme chantilly.

    The ingredients will be purchased from local farmers, and the class will feature a chance to learn the secret of how to grill a fragile fish. Participation is limited to a dozen students and will cost $110. Reservations can be made at karenleecooking.com.

Farmers’ Fare

    Tickets are on sale for Farmers’ Fare, an Aug. 20 event to be held at Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett. Appetizers and refreshments made from the products of local farmers and food producers will be served at dinner, which will begin at 6 p.m., with “dancing late into the night” to follow. Tickets range from $75 to $250 and can be purchased through the Amagansett Food Institute’s Web site, amagansettfood.org.

Snail Supper Picnic

    Slow Food East End will welcome both members and nonmembers to a new take on its “snail suppers.” On Aug. 21, the group will sponsor a short paddle from Shelter Island to Taylor’s Island for a picnic lunch and a tour of the historic Smith-Taylor Cabin, hosted by the Taylor’s Island Preservation and Management Committee. Participants must take their own boats, or rent one, and a bag lunch. The hosts will provide fruit and dessert. The cost is $15 per person for Slow Food members or $30 for others, which includes a one-year membership. Space is limited, so reservations have been recommended. They can be made by e-mailing tullialimarzi@ gmail.com.

Wine, Crayfish, Cocktails

    Wines from Stewart Cellars will be featured at a dinner at the Living Room restaurant in East Hampton on Sunday at 6 p.m. James Carpenter, the restaurant’s chef, will create hors d’oeuvres to be served during a cocktail hour, and a four-course dinner to be paired with the various wines. The cost is $130 per person, plus tax and gratuity. The menu will include local fluke with lobster succotash and basil sauce, seared gravlax with pickled summer vegetables, lamb ravioli with goat cheese and mint, and grilled beef short rib with potato purée, baby spinach, and smoked shallot butter.

    On Wednesday the Living Room will have its annual Crayfish and Cocktails summer celebration from 4 to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $90 for the dinner, or $150 for cocktails, dinner, and a limited-edition poster commemorating the event.

Burgers and Brew

    East Hampton’s Harbor Grill is continuing its burger-and-brew special, which offers a classic hamburger made with Dreesen’s fresh ground beef along with a glass of house wine or any beer, for $10 at the bar any night of the week. The burger is served with steak fries and a pickle. For those who don’t eat red meat, a grilled chicken breast sandwich, with cheese and bacon, can be substituted for an extra $1.50.

Cooking Class Alfresco

    Silvia Lehrer, a cooking teacher and columnist who recently published “Savoring the Hamptons: Discovering the Food and Wine of Long Island’s East End,” will present a cooking class outdoors at Bridge Gardens in Bridgehampton on Friday, Aug. 26.

    The 2 to 4 p.m. session, to be held under the arbor at the garden, will focus on techniques and tips from the new cookbook, and will be suitable for both novice and skilled cooks. Reservations can be made by calling the Southampton offices of the Peconic Land Trust, or e-mailing events@PeconicLand Trust.org. The class costs $25. It will be canceled if it rains.

Wine Spectator Award

    OSO, the restaurant at the Southampton Inn in Southampton, received a Wine Spectator 2011 Award of Excellence for its wine list, which includes 140 different types of wine and a collection of 590 bottles from France, Italy, and California. OSO is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Afternoon Tea Dance

    The Beachhouse restaurant in East Hampton is holding a tea dance party in the garden on Saturdays from 4 to 7:30 p.m. through Labor Day, featuring “men, music, and drinks.”

Cheese Sampling

    Tomorrow at Lucy’s Whey in East Hampton, visitors can sample an award-winning cheese: Prairie Breeze cheddar from the Milton Creamery in Iowa. Also to be offered for nibbling will be some of the shop’s recommended favorites for weekend appetizers — olives, roast tomatoes, and bruschetta on mini toasts. The tasting will take

    The Atlantic Ocean has historically supported generations of East End families through fishing, boating, and tourism. Now an Amagansett couple, Natalie and Steven Judelson, have found a new way to garner the gifts of the sea. They have been harvesting, bottling, and selling Amagansett Sea Salt at local farmers’ markets since the beginning of the summer.

    The Judelsons have had a longtime interest in the culture of salt, starting in the salt flats of Brazil and on the island of St. Barth’s. “We loved collecting sea salts from around the world,” Ms. Judelson said.

    One day the thought came to them. “I wonder if we can do it ourselves?” said Mr. Judelson. The answer was yes.

    “I just drive down to the beach in my Jeep,” Mr. Judelson said. After donning his waders, he heads out into the sea — “in idyllic conditions, it’s high tide on a calm day” — and starts pulling out five-gallon buckets of water. After removing sand and silt from the 100 gallons he brings in and testing for bacteria, the water goes into solar evaporators. What is left at the end can be anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds of coarse sea salt.

    The salt is not treated in any way, except to have herbs or spices added by Ms. Judelson. There are several staple blends, along with a weekly or monthly special, according to whimsy and what’s available. She’s also the one who sells the product at the farmer’s markets.

    “We questioned whether we would be able to make a commercially sellable product,” Mr. Judelson said. “And then, if we make it, would anyone buy it?”

    The salt, corked in small, square glass bottles, has indeed been selling, as gifts, for personal use, and even for use in restaurants such as Nick and Toni’s in East Hampton and South Edison in Montauk. “We ordered 2,000 labels,” Ms. Judelson said. “And we just had to order more. When we ordered them we were thinking, ‘Oh, we’ll probably have to throw these away.’ ”

    The salt is a “finishing salt,” which bears little resemblance to what comes out of red canisters. It is large and very flavorful, and a little goes a long way.

    The first blend, Amagansett Sea Salt, is unflavored. “We had a little fun with the names,” Mr. Judelson said. Montauk blend features a citrus tang from fresh lemon zest, “because when we think Montauk, we think seafood,” he said. East Hampton blend is “classy,” with herbs from Provence. Limited runs include Lazy Point, with lime and mint for evening cocktails, and Orient Point, with Sichuan peppercorn, ginger, and garlic.

    “It’s very labor-intensive,” said Mr. Judelson with a grin. The couple converted the first 50 gallons of sea water to sea salt on New Year’s Day, after eight months of researching “what is in our water.”

    “Salt needs a lot of hand-holding,” Mr. Judelson said. The couple don’t use anti-caking agents, so the salt is moist.

    The most common question they get is, “Where do you get your salt?”

    “Most people blend salt, they don’t make the salt,” Mr. Judelson said. “We get the water, we evaporate it, and get the salt.”

    Salt’s historical and cultural background goes back to pre-Biblical times. “To me, salt is one of the basics of life,” Ms. Judelson said. “I love the history and traditions.”

    The couple are also aware on a gut level of the burgeoning locavore movement — keeping food local, both to support local growers and also to save fossil fuel mileage that comes from trucking and shipping foods hundreds of miles from place to place.

    “It’s been so great to be part of the farmers markets out here,” said Ms. Judelson, who has been impressed by “the level of intellectual approach to farming, the number of Cornell graduates — it’s amazing.”

    “There is a value in knowing where your food comes from,” Mr. Judelson added. “I like having a connection with the stuff we eat.”

    “We’re going to keep doing this, just the two of us, as long as we can,” Mr. Judelson said. The couple also have a residence in Park Slope, Brooklyn, but spend every available moment in Amagansett, which has been a part of their lives for 40 years.

    Steven Judelson looked into a smoker filled with salt. “I got peachwood from John Halsey,” he said, referring to the Halsey farm in Mecox. “I wanted to try a smoked salt, but wanted to use local fruitwood. We’ll see how it turns out.”

    The Judelsons have a Web site for their product, which includes an online store. The address is www.amagansettseasalt.com.

    I believe I have eaten at Banzai Burger more times than any other restaurant I’ve tried this summer. It is not grand, fancy, expensive, or trendy. It is whatever you want it to be.

    Looking for a casual spot to take the kids for a burger after the beach? Banzai has one with a special blend of beef, topped with local Mecox Bay Dairy’s Sigit cheese. Want sushi? Banzai has a sushi chef, Isao Yoshimura, who goes fishing for his own menu specials. Like desserts? In spite of the deceptively simple menu, all desserts are made in-house and they are delicious.

    Banzai Burger is casual and fun. You can dine outdoors in a pretty garden with a view of the harbor in the distance, in the more formal dining room, creamy beige with black floors and seashell light fixtures, or in the glossy white, opened-to-the-elements bar area.

    On the Napeague stretch between the Clam Bar and Cyril’s, where you can get all manner of fried fish bits and every form of rummy fruity drinks, respectively, it is the building that formerly housed . . . oh, forget it. Nobody remembers and nobody cares; this location changes names every season.

    On our first visit, we tried the Prince Edward Island mussels, the yellowtail jalapeno, and the Banzai wasabi ceviche. The mussels are excellent, served in a briny, garlicky broth, flecked with fresh parsley and topped with long strips of grilled ciabatta bread. The yellowtail jalapeno is so good, I order it every time I visit. It is a generous portion of slices of rich yellowtail topped with little bits of chopped, pickled jalapenos and carrots, slivers of sliced onion, tiny dabs of wasabi on each piece of fish, and served in a pool of a soy, vinegar, and yuzu dressing. The Banzai wasabi ceviche, served in a martini glass, is a combination of tuna, fluke, salmon, and octopus in a tart, spicy dressing with bits of spring onion throughout. Super fresh.

    On the regular menu, we have tried the classic burger, lamb burger, burger with foie gras, mako shark “burger,” tuna “burger,” and vegan burger, basically everything offered on that menu. All are good, some outstanding. The classic burger is served with Vermont cheddar and excellent applewood smoked bacon. It’s the little things, folks, that make certain dishes shine! Spend a little more on each ingredient and you get a fine meal. The lamb burger, served with goat cheese, cucumbers and radishes is a nice change, the goat cheese adding a creamy, less-salty flavor than traditional feta cheese. The burger with foie gras was over the top. Besides a generous slab of foie, it had Mecox Bay Dairy Sigit cheese and a pile of truffled fries — more on the fries later.

    The mako shark and tuna “burgers” are not burgers at all, simply fish steaks, well seasoned and grilled. The mako is served with a savory sun-dried tomato confit and tapenade smeared on the fresh brioche bun. The tuna is served with grilled red onions, arugula, avocado, and a garlic aioli that is perfect on rare tuna. The vegan burger was enjoyed by my guest who ordered it. It is comprised of quinoa, barley, and pinto beans, served on a seven-grain bun with vegan mayonnaise and a salad.

    Back to the fries. Each burger is served with a huge pile of crispy fries, cooked with sprigs of rosemary, sage, and thyme. There are also truffle fries, another tangle of potato perfection, lightly sprinkled with truffle salt. As a side order (for $7) they come in ancient aluminum measuring cups, wrapped in parchment.

    Alan Hughes, the executive chef, fresh from Miami for the season, has said he is inspired by the local produce and fish available on Long Island. “I’ve picked up influences all over the world, but as time goes by, my food gets simpler and simpler. I like textures and maximizing flavors.” His philosophy suits Banzai Burger’s menu perfectly. Simple, fresh, and delicious. The sushi chef, Isao Yoshimura, spends his day off fishing for all things piscine to put on the menu. One night we had the freshly caught fluke sashimi special. It was a lovely presentation of thin slices of fish, lightly dressed with a tart soy citrus drizzle. Perfect. In addition, all of the sushi and sashimi items are served at room temperature, as they should be. They are not served ice cold, dulling the delicate flavors.

    On other visits, we have tried the eel dragon roll, the yellowtail avocado roll, and spicy tuna roll, and all have been delicious, especially the eel dragon roll, artfully arranged with paper thin slices of ripe avocado adorning the top.

    On all of our visits, the service had been charming and friendly. The waitresses, all Irish lasses, are dressed in pretty blue and gold silk Cynthia Rowley dresses. The owner, Alex Duff, is always on the premises, greeting guests and stepping in to help when needed.

    Prices are $9 to $19 for appetizers and salads, $11 to $25 for entrees, $7 and $8 for sides, $8 to $20 for sushi and sashimi items, and $7 for desserts. There is a good variety of sakes and a simple selection of wines, heavy on locals like Wolffer and Channing Daughters.

    For desserts we tried the peach and blueberry cobbler, chocolate bourbon ganache tarte, strawberry rhubarb tarte, and the lime cheesecake. All were good, with the peach and blueberry cobbler and chocolate bourbon ganache tarte being the best. The dough used for the cobbler and tarts is excellent, not flaky like pie dough, more like a French sablé cookie crust. The strawberry rhubarb tarte tasted like it was filled with strawberry jam rather than fresh fruit. The lime cheesecake filling was rich like cheesecake, but also lighter like a Key lime pie.

    As I said before, Banzai Burger can be anything you want it to be. An affordable place to take the family for burgers or a fun aprez-beach place for the freshest sushi on the East End. For me, it is simply a hangout where I know I can get a nice, cold glass of local rosé, chat with the funny bartender, (another Alex), and indulge in some truffled fries while awaiting Isao’s catch of the day.

    Gael Greene, the restaurant critic and author, will be on the menu along with French cuisine at a special event at Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton on Aug. 7.

    Three courses prepared by Jason Weiner, Almond’s chef, and paired with wines will be interspersed with readings by Ms. Greene from her New York Times best seller, “Blue Skies, No Candy,” as well as from “Delicious Sex: A Gourmet Guide to Pleasure for Women and the Men Who Want to Love Them Better.”

    Ms. Greene, also the author of “Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess,” will lead a question-and-answer session after the dinner.

    The cost of the evening, which will begin at 8:30 p.m., is $65 per person, including tax and tip and a downloadable copy of “Delicious Sex” or “Blue Skies, No Candy.” Reservations are being taken now by the restaurant.

Use Your Card

    Farmers markets across New York State have instituted a system through which customers can pay for fresh produce and other market items using credit, debit, or food stamp cards.

    A station for electronic transactions enables customers to use their cards to purchase $1 or $5 tokens, which function as cash within the market. The East Hampton Farmers Market, which is on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nick and Toni’s parking lot on North Main Street, is encouraging electronic transactions, its manager, Kate Plumb, reported this week.

Phao Prix Fixe

    A three-course prix fixe at Phao in Sag Harbor includes a choice of a salmon roll, California roll, or basil roll to start, followed by a mixed green salad, chicken satay, roti, or two types of soup. The third course choices are chicken pad thai, chicken or vegetable green curry, vegetable prik pao, or chicken pineapple fried rice. The cost is $24.95.

    The special is available on Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Readers at Rowdy

    The Rowdy Readers Club, a group that meets for lunch and book talk at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton, has selected the next books to be discussed. A meeting today will focus on “The Infinites” by John Banville, while Aug. 11 will bring a discussion of “The Land at the End of the World” by Antonio Lobo Antunes. On Aug. 25, the group will discuss “Open City” by Teju Cole. Members can purchase the books at BookHampton for a 15-percent discount. The hourlong meetings are held at the restaurant at 12:15 p.m. every other Thursday.

Apres Beach Happy Hour

    Refreshing-sounding special drinks are offered each day between 3 and 6 p.m. in the bar and lounge at the Living Room restaurant at c/o the Maidstone inn in East Hampton. All cocktails are $8 during the apres-beach happy hour, and items from the bar menu, such as oysters on the half shell and a cheese plate, are available as well.

Out for Lunch

    Another afternoon, out-of-the-sun option is a leisurely lunch out. The Beacon restaurant in Sag Harbor, which overlooks the water at Sag Harbor Cove, is now serving lunch on Thursday through Monday from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

    In Southampton, the Beacon’s newest sister eatery, Little/Red, named for another sibling, the Red/Bar Brasserie, is also open for lunch. Service is from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday through Sunday. The cafe is adjacent to Agawam Park.

Peach Crumble Recipe

    On Saturday, those interested in learning how to make a peach crumble may learn the secrets at the Loaves and Fishes Cookshop, when a free cooking demonstration will take place between noon and 2 p.m.

    The 2011 Great Chefs Dinner to benefit Hayground School, now in its seventh year, will be held on Sunday with its usual roster of marquee chefs from near and far — plus the designer and television personality Isaac Mizrahi, who joins as a surprise guest cook.

    This year, the art auction that accompanies the culinary action is drawing as much buzz as the tastings and wine pairings.

    Perry Burns, an Amagansett artist who is serving as co-curator of the event along with Toni Ross, said that in the three years he has been involved with the silent auction, it has only increased in quality and variety. “We had great artists from the beginning, such as Ross Bleckner and Mary Heilmann, but we figured out ways to make it bigger and better. Now, artists come to us to ask to be in the auction.”

    Mr. Burns said he was recruited to be an organizer by Liz Salaway, the sister of one of the founders of the school, Jeff Salaway, who died 10 years ago in a car accident. Ms. Ross was his wife; she is also a supporter of the school and an artist whose work will be included in the auction.

    “I came aboard as an artist out here connected to other artists out here,” Mr. Burns said. “I know a lot of artists and thought I could help her. It’s a rich time for contemporary art here.” He said that although everyone has heard about the community of painters that thrived on the East End in the 1950s and 1960s, “I’m not sure the general public is aware that so many great artists are here still.”

    Ms. Heilmann and Mr. Bleckner continue to contribute work to the Hayground fund-raiser. Also on auction this year are offerings from John Alexander, Dan Rizzie, Sally Egbert, Laurie Lambrecht, Darlene Charneco, Jean Pagliuso, Robert Harms, Jenny Gorman, and many others. Bidding will take place in a silent auction during the cocktail party, with guests wielding iPod-like handheld devices that will keep them up to date on who has bid what, as well as provide biographical information on the artists. All of the works have been posted online; those who cannot attend can register in advance to bid from afar.

    According to Mr. Burns, the estimates run from $100 to $10,000, and the artists can choose to donate the entire proceeds or keep up to 50 percent.

    Some of the contributing artists, including Bastienne Schmidt and Philippe Chang, are parents of children who are students at Hayground. “It’s a progressive school,” he said. “It attracts a lot of artistic and creative parents.”

    This year’s Meet the Chefs cocktail party will feature “tasting stations” manned by Mark Forgione, Marc Meyer, Josh Capon, Jonathan Waxman, Harold Dieterle, Michael White, Gerry Hayden, and Claudia Fleming. They will be offering hors d’oeuvres inspired by the produce of local farms and waters. A select few chefs will prepare the V.I.P. dinner, with each course paired with a wine.

    The Hayground School’s own greenhouse will be the source of some of the produce.

    The cocktail party will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and dinner from 8 to 10:30, during which there will be a live auction of luxury items. For children, there will be a separate dinner; child care will be provided by Hayground Camp counselors. The event benefits the school as well as the Jeff Salaway Scholarship Fund. It will be held at the school on Mitchell Lane in Bridgehampton. Tickets start at $175 for just the cocktail party, and $850 for both cocktails and dinner. They are available at greatchefsdinner.com and by calling the school.