Food

    Driving back and forth on County Road 39 in Southampton recently I noticed that Meson Ole was gone, and in its place is a big sign announcing the arrival of Greek Bites Grill.

    There is a Greek Bites Grill in Moriches. It is a casual, gyro and souvlaki-on-a-stick kind of place. The Greek Bites Grill in Southampton is its white-tablecloth cousin. And what a lovely cousin it is! And who better to go with than my friend Spyros, who knows his way around a Greek menu.

For Hanukkah

    Charlotte Sasso at Stuart’s Seafood in Amagansett will be making latkes and applesauce next week for Hanukkah. Those interested have been asked to call ahead to reserve their holiday goodies.

Christmas Eve

    With December flying by, it’s time to make reservations for Christmas Eve dinner, if your tradition is to have a holiday meal at a restaurant. Among the choices is Nick and Toni’s in East Hampton, which will offer a la carte specials beginning at 6 p.m. on

    Bread by Nightowl Baker, a Montauk business that creates wild-yeasted, triple-fermented, extra-tangy sourdough bread, will be available throughout the winter at White’s Liquor Store on Montauk’s Main Street, on Fridays through Sundays. Bread deliveries can also be arranged through the Web site nightowlbaker.com.

Winter Market

    Homemade food gifts for the holidays are thoughtful, economical, and original. I love making them and receiving them. They can be as elaborate as fruitcakes, stollens, and babkas or as simple as spiced nuts and infused vinegars. No offense to Williams-Sonoma, but why spend a fortune on store-bought seasonal peppermint bark when you can make your own in literally about 10 minutes for a quarter of the price? Get your children involved in simple baking and decorating the gift boxes.

Growing up, I was lucky to live close to the Chesapeake Bay. This meant an abundance of blue crabs and bay scallops.

    It’s a good bet that a lot of foodies are in their element today, having prepared a groaning board full of delicious Thanksgiving dishes. On a holiday that’s not just about food, but also gratitude, let’s hope that those with a lot have made an effort to help those without, by donating to our local food pantries so that everyone is enjoying a Thanksgiving meal today.

Learn, For Free

Teaching cooking is both fun and challenging. I have led large groups of adults through five-hour classes with labor-intensive recipes. I have taught young children beginner knife skills and how to use a blowtorch.

    East Hampton Gourmet Food, in the back of 66 Newtown Lane, has occupied the same space for the past 17 years, although its first incarnation was as a wholesale shop, specializing in baking for Dean & DeLuca’s and Balducci’s.

    “When Ina [Garten of the Barefoot Contessa] closed the shop in East Hampton, we saw it as a nice opportunity to open our doors,” said Kate Pratt, the shop’s co-owner with Michel Mazuret.

    At Food and Co. in East Hampton, Pasquale Langella, who prepared his Italian cuisine, including homemade mozzarella, there, has departed, but the takeout shop is still serving pizzas and Tuscan-inspired prepared foods. Items include organic chickens roasted on a wood fire and local vegetable dishes, including a layered eggplant parmesan. The shop has new hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Taste, Wine, and Dine

Even when dark falls early and the wind off “the End” can make a visit to Montauk feel forbidding, there are still lots of reasons to head east — the Shagwong among them.

Let us begin “Paris Part Deux” with one of the more magnificent and elaborate meals I had the pleasure of indulging in. Chez l’Ami Jean is a restaurant that Tommy and Mike had been sending guests to for years, but had yet to try themselves. Everyone would come back raving about this tiny, bustling, and rustic spot.

Spring Close restaurant in East Hampton has some new additions to draw visitors to its dining tables and hospitable bar. A pub menu has been added, as well as a new lunch menu and new items on the dinner menu. The wood-fired oven is being put to use every day to make thin-crust pizzas. Running the kitchen now at Spring Close is Justin Hoke, a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology Culinary School, who worked at Le Bec Fin, a five-star restaurant in Philadelphia.

    Green mustard, pink-flecked cakes, squid-inky-black quenelles, and oysters and crabs and scallops overflowing from sidewalk vendors. These are just a few of the sights and tastes that thrill a gourmand’s heart.

    The news for local foodies this week includes notices about restaurants one can cross off the list, either seasonally or permanently.

    Rugosa restaurant in East Hampton closed up shop for good as of last weekend. In Montauk, Dave’s Grill ended its 2011 season, and, on Napeague, the Lobster Roll will serve its final plates of seafood for this year on Sunday.

Cape Cod Scallops

    Scallop lovers can tide themselves over until local scallops are in by stopping at Stuart’s Seafood Market in Amagansett, which for now has Cape Cod scallops.

    A brunch at Nick and Toni’s restaurant in East Hampton on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. will raise money to help Allyson Wald, a local resident who recently suffered a brain injury after having a heart attack. Tickets are $100 each and will include passed hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and a performance by Tom Postilio, a singer. They can be purchased by calling the Salon at Amagansett Square. Donations are being accepted as well, including checks or items that may be raffled or auctioned off.

Red Wine, Dark Chocolate

    The Amber Waves Farm, at 375 Main Street in Amagansett, will host an Oktoberfeast celebration on Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. featuring local food and drink from a variety of producers.

    A fun destination this time of year is Hank’s Pumpkin Town in Watermill. There are corn mazes, face painting, stuff to climb on, and . . . pumpkins! Most people probably see this as a fun fall activity with children. Me? When I drive by those acres of low-to-the-ground greenery with bright orange orbs by the thousands peeking out, I think food! I see Tunisian sweets, French soups, African stews, and American cheesecakes.

    Oktoberfest continues at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton, with a special featuring weinerschnitzel on the menu today and tomorrow. Starting Saturday, the $24 Oktoberfest prix fixe dinner menu will feature kassler rippchen — smoked pork chops — with braised red cabbage and house-made applesauce, plus a Black Forest trifle for dessert. The special Oktoberfest dessert is available a la carte as well. The restaurant’s German-style celebration, which includes beer specials, will conclude at the end of next week.

Southampton’s little/red

    In the 1830s, when the temperance movement was flourishing in America, fanatic teetotalers took up axes and flailed away at whole orchards of apple trees. With no thought for the delights of warm apple pie or syrupy baked apples or roast pork with applesauce, they were bent on eliminating the evil of hard cider.

    Ellenka Baumrind of Springs, who started by handing out a few jars of her ratatouille to friends about eight years ago, never expected to make a business out of it.

    But Ellie’s Country Delights — all-natural vegan vegetable stew in original, spicy, and mushroom forms — has made the jump from kitchen to local markets, to now being offered in 400 Stop & Shop stores in the Northeast, and is a recent addition to the Whole Foods Market lineup as well. Ms. Baumrind has gone from an original run of about 360 jars in 2005 to over 50,000 jars in 2010.

    This week brings the final opportunity till spring to purchase produce and other edibles directly from farmers, fishermen, and local producers at both the East Hampton and Springs farmers markets.

    Vendors will gather in East Hampton at the Nick and Toni’s parking lot on North Main Street tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those who receive assistance through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or through the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program can cash in their coupons for scrip that can be used to purchase fresh food at the market.

    Tips for canning and preserving the seasonal produce bounty will be provided by Liz Moran during a program at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free for farm members and $10 for nonmembers. Rain cancels.

Eat, Drink, and Be Happy

    Now that fall is here, lots of restaurants are trying to lure in a bar crowd by offering specials on drinks and bar food, or even free eats.

    Colin Ambrose, the chef and owner of Estia’s Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor, will present the next program of “Cooking With East End Chefs” at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor on Wednesday. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., Mr. Ambrose will prepare roasted squash salad, striped bass, and cafe con leche flan, and will discuss his use of East End produce and goods. The requested donation for the event is $30. Wine will be served. Those interested have been asked to call to reserve a place. Payment can be made at the door.

Lobster Roll

    Here’s Ishmael, from “Moby-Dick”:

    “But when that smoking chowder came in, the mystery was delightfully explained. Oh! sweet friends, hearken to me. It was made of small, juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuits and salted pork cut up into little flakes! the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt. . . . We despatched it with great expedition.”

Oh, boy! Here is yet another red-hot Montauk spot swarming with mini-dresses and cocktails and fedoras. The Crow’s Nest is red-hot because it was taken over by the restaurateur and hotelier Sean McPherson last year. I’m not sure what this means as far as the inn goes, but the restaurant has been transformed into an absolute delight.

    The Springs Farmers Market continues post-Labor Day each Saturday morning at the Ashawagh Hall green, at the junction of Fireplace Road and Old Stone Highway.

    The market offers vegetables from five different farms, plus specialty mushrooms, cheeses, breads and other baked goods, jam, flowers, homemade dog treats, pickles, coffee, and seafood.

Supporting Farmers

    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.

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.”

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.

    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.