The best burrito in the Hamptons continues to be from 7-11 in Sag Harbor!

I got another round of nasty comments about the New Blue Parrott in East Hampton. Overpriced, tiny portions, bland and too much attitude are the most common complaints. Sure, Mr Bon Jovi or is it Mr. Jovi occaisionally shows up but if you’re actually going to eat it sounds like that isn’t the place where you want to go. It’s obvious the Hamptons needs a good southwestern or mexican restaurant… why can’t we get one???

I forgot a few weeks ago to mention a great place on the water in East Hampton. While I love the food and view at Bostwicks, I hate the wait. So, if you want to have food with a great view without waiting for 45 minutes, try Harbor Bistro. The prices are actually pretty decent and the menu is ecclectic and interesting without being so exotic you’re scratching your head. My personal favorit is the “seared tuna with soba noodles.” AWESOME! They also have a really friendly and competent staff. Harbor Bistro is located on Three Mile Harbor Road, next to East Hampton Point (where I recently had one of the worst meals of the summer— yes you can ruin a basic chicken breast)! The view is above left.

Finally, This Saturday… Stuff to do. Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge at Two Trees Farm on Hayground Rd, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm A portion of proceeds from the Mercedes-Benz Bridgehampton Polo Challenge will go to South Fork Breast Cancer Coalition. The VIP tent continues to play host to a large overdressed and overly liquered crowd that cares absoloutly nothing about the polo players, horses or anything else other than who else is in the tent and how much cooler they are!!

And for the un-chic set. Fireworks on 3 Mile Harbor this Saturday starting at 9pm. If you have friends on the Harbor, call now!

UGGGGH! I’ve been busy but I have some rental stories from hell!!

Sorry, I haven’t been around lately. I was busy doing this and doing that and I had a house full of Canadian Guests!!! They fly south every summer and stay for a weekend and usually bring good gifts… much easier than Canadian Geese!

Anyway, I’ve been talking to a few friends and myself included and here are a few rental stories from the war zone!

A couple has rented a 10,000 square foot house south of the highway called the land lord and started berating him!! Why?!?! Because there was NO TOASTER! Let’s just put it this way, the rental was well over $100k for A MONTH… and they’re pissed about a toaster!!! When my friend the landlord stated that indeed there was a toaster over in the kitchen, the horrified response from the renter was “Are you kidding, EVERYONE knows there’s a difference in how toast tastes from a toaster oven!”

Hmmmmmm… ok. On to the next. Things are a little slow in the purchase department lately although it IS picking up. None the less, some top agents are still taking out folks looking to rent…even short term. I recently had one who was looking at rentals up to $80,000 for July and August. When they finally found a house, where do you think they came in at?! Yup, $25,000! The landlord was gracious and declined the blue light special to his house. His comment, “I won’t travel and I’ll just stay home.”

Another story from the NW Woods where a house was infested with wood ants. Just imagine the horror of the agent who showed the house which was asking for $18,000 for the month of August, only to find piles of wood shavings all over the house and on top of mirrors and dressers (apparently that’s what happens with wood ants. When the agent apologized for showing the house in the current condition, the potential renters said, “I’ll take it but I want a bigger discount!”

A story from East Hampton, a tenant rents a house with a heated pool. The pool is heated by propane which comes in tanks and is delivered on an automatic basis. Well as everyone knows the weather has been a bit chilly lately. Well guess what happens when you run your pool gas heater all week?! It runs out of gas!!! Now the tenant who calls on Saturday is angry because she has a pool party for her 7 year old on Sunday afternoon…and the kids will have to swim in a cold pool! “You need to do something,” she yells at the landlord. Who actually can’t do anything… as anyone who has ever called Pulver gas on a Saturday afternoon can tell you! Anyway, enough for today, I have to get back to work. I promise I’m back!!

I want to go to the drive-in but Homer’s had too much fudge and I think the Bride and the Groom just broke up!!!!

My apologies. I was out of town and I in my infinite wisdom forgot the power cord to my laptop. That of course meant … NO BLOGGING! I hope at least somebody missed me. So where was I? I had the joy of visiting Saugatuck Michigan. I was kind of freaked out actually, the people there were actually friendly and said “thank you, good morning and excuse me.” It was JUST like Citarella on Saturday afternoon!!! hahahahahhahahhahha!

 I ended up staying at the Wickwood Inn, which is owned by Julee Russo, one of the founders of the original Silver Palate. It was actually pretty wonderful. The breakfast which was freshly baked every morning , a strata (sp?) one day, apple bread pudding the next and freshly baked cinnamon rolls the next. No, I didn’t go spinning and yes my pants are a bit tighter today. If you ever go there, the staff is wonderful and the overall experience made the fact I was in MICHIGAN for Independence Day a little less painful! In fact, I’d love to go back… but I’ll never admit it. http://www.wickwoodinn.com/
So I’m going to give you the highlights of my journey. Night one at about 1:00am while talking quietly in my room, I hear a knock at the door where a guy was asking through the door, “can I borrow your phone – I need to call 911.” Um, OK. Is everyone, OK? Let’s call 911 now!!! “No”, he responds, “I just need to get a hold of someone, I’m here on my honeymoon and my wife just left me. She took my cell phone, my cash and my credit cards!” Woah! Bummer. I got the dirt the next morning from the other guests that they had been bickering since the afternoon and it blew up later that night. Wow, I guess they won’t be coming back for their anniversary!!! Is it too late to put therapy on the gift registration list?!!
OK, finally… my favorite quotes from the weekend. A woman to her friend at a coffee shop in Douglas, Michigan; “You know, Harriet’s trailer is actually quite comfortable once you get used to it being so small?”
Quote two: A mother to her overweight adolescent son, “Homer, you had fudge for breakfast and fudge for lunch… you’re going to have a sensible dinner!”

Quote three: A randy teenage lad: “I don’t want to go hang out in town, I do better at bars when the girls are wasted.” Yup!!! It was an interesting weekend!!
Enough about Michigan…. One quick thing about the Hamptons. If you didn’t know head to Southampton next to the Elks Lodge! For the month of July, the Southampton Chamber of Commerce will host two Drive-In Movie Nights at the Southampton Elks property. On Tuesday, July 7, the Dreamworks animated film “Bee Movie” will play on the big screen. On Thursday, July 23, the movie choice will also be another Dreamworks animated feature, “Madagascar Escape 2 Africa.” The cost is about $40 per carload. Call the Southampton Chamber of commerce for details and tickets. 631-283-0402. COME ON… when was the last time YOU went to a drive in movie!!? Go!!!

 

They’re being mean to Boo!!!

(getting ready for action and a donut!)

Warning… danger…apparently the town of East Hampton is a little cranky these days and they’re aiming their ire at “man’s best friend.” Did they just say gat that bitch out of here!? Understand, every Saturday and Sunday my girl Boo goes to the beach to hang with her buddies; Bailey, Bailey (yes, apparently that liqueur is quite popular in the Hamptons thus many owners with booze on their brain have named their dogs) Tucker, Woody and Kipper. Well according to the town, you have to be off the beach by 9am. In the past, there was a little room for those of us who have issues with time management…. BUT NO LONGER! Slightly chunky high school students are now making their summer bucks issuing summonses to owners who fail to get their pooches of the beach by 9:01am!!! I know of a few people who have already gotten “busted” and were shocked to see that its not just a fine, YOU HAVE TO MAKE A COURT APPEARANCE! Something tells me, we’re about to buy Bill McGintee a better lawyer! Well today’s blog is short, sweet and to the point… and yes I told you so!!

Finally a real estate note… I know of a bank owned property south of the highway in the Georgica area. It orignally came onto the market at about 9 million dollars and is now about 50% off. Let me know!!!