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| Something Brewing.. time to change the label! |
I can barley stand it! It has some folks hops-ing mad! Apparently the spuds will no longer be flowing on Bowden Square. In spite of an announcement back in October that the Southampton Publick House would be staying put at the current location, word has gotten out that folks will soon have to fasten their beer goggles in a new location. Since 1996 the brewery and restaurant have been a staple around town but it seems the new building owners have other plans. According to some local insiders, the location will soon be home to a “high end Mexican Restaurant.” Now if you’ve ever read this blog before… that’s a huge deal for me yet I hate to see an old favorite move to somewhere new. While the Publick house will go on… like Celine Dion’s heart…. it will according to insiders have to be in a new location. Sometimes a little change will do you good.
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| Oh is that the blood rushing to your head? |
Now for a little advice. If you want to send any real estate agent’s boiling blood further to their head just say the following sentence, “BUT Zillow said my house is worth X!” It’s the bane of many a real estate agent and brokers existence. In fact, The Los Angles Times recently tackled the issue of “Zestimantes” (Zillow’s estimate) and how many claim they’re wildly inaccurate. In fact, I have to say part of the big problem with Zillow’s “formula” is that it can’t really take into account factors like condition and location (waterfront, south of the highway, village). So how inaccurate are these “Zestimates?” Well the CEO of Zillow was recently quoted as saying they’re “a good starting point” and have a “median error rate of about 8%.” Obviously this error rate varies in different markets and Zillow even says so at the bottom of the Zestimates page. While I couldn’t locate the margin in our area, I can tell you that my own personal home fluctuated by about 
$5,000,000 in a period of 6 months. Now, I know you think Hamptons Chatter just rakes in the money but the initial high estimate they gave my home was crazy. I’d move out in hours if I could get that number tomorrow! Yep, I would guess their error rate in the Hamptons is a heck of a lot more than a 8%. It’s a big miss in the Hamptons… like an Ishtar big miss! A “Missestimate” if you will. So the take away from all of this… talk to an agent or do your homework (Zillow.com is a great source for closed prices) and don’t try let some silicon valley geek tell you what your home is worth. Besides, how could you put a price on that “Sistine Chapel” painting on your master bedroom ceiling?
Valet Service at the Hospital – Where I grew up, the only valet I ever experienced for medical treatment involved an ambulance. But here in the Hamptons we have valet service! Yes, you can drop off your BMW or Tesla as your holding your blood soaked bandages on that gushing wound and get a free claim ticket! I know, its just as glamorous as it sounds and almost as fancy as taking a “Blade” helicopter to Stony Brook.
So, last night I had the chance to visit the highly anticipated Wolffer Kitchen in Sag Harbor. So here’s the good news and the bad news. The good news is it’s pretty good. The bad news is it should have been better. Since it’s the first foray into food for the local vineyard, I’ll give them time to let this potentially fine dine breath. Located at 29 Main Street in the village, the restaurant opens with a series of folding doors that open up and make it a great place to dine and watch the world go by. The menu on the other hand is a little more closed with a smaller selection of options. The wine menu on the other hand is rather extensive and features of course Wolffer wines, numerous imports and this in addition to a few local vineyards including Bedell.
The service as I sat for dinner last night was on their game from start to finish. I started my dinner with a small Greek salad which was absolutely fantastic, a perfect size with a delicate blend of feta, olives and greens. Oh my god, do I now sound like a food critic? I have to stop! Anyway, for an entree I had fresh tuna grilled over pasta which was nice and light but a little too light on flavor. My dining companion (who you can figure out) had a vegetable platter with I believe some fava beans and he thought it was awesome. Perhaps the comment that I’m more “suited for heavier flavors”, i.e. bolognese is my favorite should be taken into account. So what I’m saying is I liked Wolffer Kitchen, I just wasnt’ crazy about it. Perhaps I’ll hit it up again once they get more time under their belt but I have no doubt it’s going to get better! Wolffer Kitchen is open daily at 5:30pm and takes reservations on their facebook page or by calling 