When the days are short and the sun is but a withering hint of itself, few things are better for the soul than the flicker of a crackling fire. Better yet, pair that with a hearty stew, a cocktail, seared scallops, or maybe a big bowl of pasta with a bracing red sauce and you’ve found a slice of winter heaven.
If we had you at fire, pull up a chair and start a tab. Here are a few spots to add to your winter dining (and drinking) circuit — one for each night of the week, and then some.
Starting with the farthest east — because we love Montauk in the winter — Inlet Seafood, all the way at the end of East Lake Drive, has two fireplaces: one in its upstairs bar, adjacent to the main dining room, and another in its downstairs lounge. In both spots you’ll be torn between gazing into the fire and gazing out at the water, even more so at sunset, when the view to the west is as good as it gets. Inlet is open all winter, with the exception of a few brief breaks, and has specials to lure in locals and families with kids. And since it’s owned by a group of fishing families, you’ll be hard-pressed to find fresher fish anywhere on the East End.
There’s something imposing and even spooky about the Montauk Manor. Perched high on a hill, the large Tudor-style structure built by Carl Fisher some 100 years ago as part of his scheme to make Montauk the Miami Beach of the North, is simultaneously one of the most visible and most mysterious of Montauk landmarks. It’s easy to picture a game of Clue taking place there; Colonel Mustard in the pantry, perhaps? What could be more fun on a chilly winter evening than indulging in that side table at Monte’s at the Manor, the classic red-sauce Italian joint just off the Manor’s lobby? In the lobby itself, the Monte’s bar has four tables by a big fireplace; or grab a cocktail and settle in to a couch at the fireplace on the opposite side of the lobby. You won’t find a spot with quite this aura anywhere else on the East End. On an early fall weeknight, the eatery’s owner, Paul Monte, was catering to two tables of 10: at one, Australian artists here to paint and draw; at the other, a group of ghost and U.F.O. hunters in town filming for a documentary.
Making your way west to East Hampton, and even farther back in time, the 1770 House. Built in the 1600s, converted to an inn in the year of its name, and maintained with exquisite attention to historical detail — check out the original tombstone paneling in the front parlor! — the 1770 House boasts three fireplaces. There’s one in the parlor, where you could have a drink while waiting for a table, another in its main-floor dining room, and a third in its ultra-cozy downstairs tavern. Chef Michael Rozzi’s menu — refined American fare upstairs, with a nod to comfort food (think burgers and meatloaf) in the tavern —- hits just the right note, no matter the time of year.
The fireplace at the East Hampton Grill is in its main dining room, a space so well designed and acoustically impressive that it can feel intimate for a party of two even when every table is full, as it often is at this spot that specializes in what it describes as “hearty, comforting dishes with a special emphasis on local produce.” Insider tip: The “heavenly biscuits” live up to their name and steal the show.
At The Palm, inside the historic Huntting Inn, the fireplace is in a wood-paneled room off the always lively tavern rather than in the main restaurant, but you can order a cocktail and light bites to enjoy fireside, and sometimes that’s all you need when the sun sets at 4:30.
On a different end of the dining spectrum, the casual counter-service TownLine BBQ in Sagaponack keeps the fireplace in the bar roaring all winter, making its happy hours, trivia nights, and live music in the afternoon and evenings all the happier. Smoked chicken or brisket, burnt ends, Buffalo fries? Yes please, then top that off with one of the more than 70 varieties of whiskey on offer. And there are seven beers on tap, too.
You never know who you’ll run into at the American Hotel, a Sag Harbor institution so perennially popular it barely needs an introduction. It’s classy, timeless, and expects some of the same of its patrons (collared shirts, please). Some make it part of their weekly rotation, while for others it is a rare but special treat to book a table near the fireplace, soak up the atmosphere, and peruse an impressive wine list that Wine Spectator has recognized as being among the greatest in the world.
There are three spaces to dine fireside at the Bridgehampton Inn, run by the family behind the lauded Loaves & Fishes food and cook shops. A double-sided fireplace warms the intimate bar in the inn’s tavern room on one side and the main dining room on the other. Another makes a little gem of a dining room an even more romantic space to enjoy what the inn describes as “thoughtfully playful” fare that emphasizes local ingredients and changes with the seasons. Bonus: The restaurant is also open for breakfast!