So you ran to the store and you bought all the eggs, bread and milk you could find and now you’re eating French toast for dinner. You was had people! Yep, after much hype and hoopla , the blizzard that wasn’t hit the East End.
Forecasters were so convinced of this snowpocalypse that they even gave it a name. I can’t remember what it was and it’s a good thing. As we all know, it was a big snooze here. While we did have some icing roads and a power outage in The Springs, the most significant impact of the storm I’m now calling “Fluffy” was a down tree in the middle of Main Street East Hampton. So there you have it, now it’s time for spring to begin.
Sag Harbor needs lots of things… a shoe repair shop, a great day spa, a doggy day care or even a Cheesecake Factory or Outback Steakhouse as discussed in previous blogs.
One thing they don’t need is another bank. Well guess what Hamptons folks, your prayers have once again been ignored. JP Morgan Chase has set its sites on the location once occupied by Capital One. An application has been made with the Village of Sag Harbor to obtain a “Certificate of Appropriateness from the Village Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review.” I personally will benefit from the fact I don’t have to pay a service fee for ATMs in town since I bank at Manufacturers Hanover….err I mean Chemical Bank…. I mean Chase. But a bank?! How boring… like a real estate office.
Beach Permits… you can’t live with them and you can’t live without ’em. But while Southampton Village and Flanders Village continues to sell permits in unlimited numbers, the can’t be said of East Hampton Village. So, how many are left? According to my top secret reconnaissance (i.e. I made a phone call) there are only 100 passes are left! So take two minutes and go online here and get your beach pass, otherwise you might as well go to Ocean City, MD. I would have insulted New Jersey here but my family keeps getting nasty about my blog posts! OOOPS… I meant to give you the link to get your passes online! Yep you can do that by clicking here.
So the Hamptons are more crowded this year than last. But yet, everyone from shop keepers and especially real estate agents (talking rentals) are saying that business is off. One thing I always do when I take my stroll around town trying to look better dressed than the next guy, I always ask shop owners “how was your season?” The response I keep hearing “not great.” But it’s so crowded, which leaves me wondering what gives!? Well some folks are blaming the increasing popularity of those short term rental websites for the problem. For example, you can
Finally, I got the chance to visit the new Topping Rose by Jean Georges last night and I can say is it was worth the wait. Although the reservation lines need some fixing… about 45 minutes of holds, hang ups and transfers… the total experience was great. The menu is unpretentious with everything from an amazing mini pizza to a terrific kale salad and a really solid cheese burger. Service was solid and entrees arrived within a half hour of ordering. I had the penne with meatballs and thought they were over the top awesome. My dinner guests ordered the burger and the salmon, each earning a thumbs up from each. I also recommend the heirloom tomato salad which right now is on the tail of being in season so go try it now. This is a huge step up from last year’s outing by Tom Colicchio.