East Hampton

Sea’s the Moment: Moby’s Swims Into Sag & the Hamptons get Lucky

Just when you thought your summer dining spreadsheet was complete, the Hamptons restaurant scene went ahead and did what it always does—flipped the table, changed the seating chart, and added four more courses (plus a DJ). From steakhouse takeovers to disco seafood lounges, here’s your definitive, no-reservations-left guide to the new kids on the East End block. And yes, I broke the news on some of these. You’re welcome.

🍝 Moby’s (soon in Sag!?)
📍 TBA
RUMOR HAS IT… The team behind the OG East Hampton hotspot is doubling down and dropping anchor in Sag Harbor—. Moby’s 2.0 promises pizza, cacio e pepe, and just enough boat-shoe glam to keep your waterfront date night looking “effortless.” Expect a crowd that smells like sunscreen and Sauvignon Blanc.

🥩 Lucky’s Steakhouse
📍 85 Montauk Highway, East Hampton
Let us bow our heads. Cove Hollow Tavern—home to flattering lighting, low-key cocktails, and the best damn French fries in the Hamptons—has been taken over by Lucky’s, the Montecito and SoHo steak slinger. The East Hampton outpost is set to open in June, just in time to soak your summer in dry-aged decadence. Will the fries survive? One can only hope. Expect prime cuts, plush booths, and more Burgundy flowing than at a Sotheby’s afterparty.

🎉 Mary Lou’s
📍 474 West Lake Drive, Montauk
From Palm Beach to Montauk, Mary Lou’s brings a disco ball and a dream. The vibes are pure 70s/80s decadence—think caviar towers, wagyu sliders, and cocktails with names like “Studio Fifty-Sip.” It’s not so much a dinner as it is a throwback fever dream with seafood.

🌊 Gigi’s at Gurney’s
📍 290 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk
Scarpetta has sailed off into the sunset, and now Gigi’s is taking over the primo ocean-view perch at Gurney’s. Expect steak, seafood, and enough white wine to fill a plunge pool. Opens mid-June, just in time to “accidentally” order a second shellfish tower.

🧂 Sea Salt at Sole East
📍 90 Second House Road, Montauk
Melissa O’Donnell (formerly of Duryea’s fame) is helming this Mediterranean reboot, which includes bouillabaisse, crab spaghetti, and monkfish in red wine reduction. It’s like the Amalfi Coast… if the Amalfi Coast had mosquitos and TikTokers in cowboy hats.

🍽️ Swifty’s at Hedges Inn
📍 74 James Lane, East Hampton
Swifty’s has finally returned to the Northeast after cozying up in Palm Beach. Now at Hedges Inn, expect crab cakes, meatloaf, and a dining room filled with people who still own pagers “just in case.”

🍕 Camp Rubirosa
📍 31 Race Lane, East Hampton
The red-sauce royalty from Little Italy has moved in for the summer, bringing Staten Island-style pies, house-made pastas, and chicken parm that could probably double as a space heater. You will stain your shirt. You will not care.

🍽️ Crazy Pizza
📍 47 Montauk Highway, East Hampton
This is not your nonna’s pizzeria. Imported from Europe with a SoHo soft opening, Crazy Pizza features spinning dough, yeast-free crusts, and toppings so luxe they need a trust fund. Great spot if your Margherita order comes with a Cartier bracelet.

🍣 Namiro
📍 76C Jobs Lane, Southampton
Namiro mixes sushi with swagger—think raw fish, vegan rolls, Korean fried chicken, and enough mood lighting to cause a vitamin D deficiency. It’s chic, it’s sleek, and it’s probably already on your ex’s Instagram stories.

🌿 Fēniks
📍 75 Jobs Lane, Southampton
Chef Douglas Gulija and cousin Skip (yes, Skip) rise from the ashes of Plaza Café with this new Croatian-tinged culinary playground. Highlights include a $250 chef’s counter and surf-and-turf sliders upstairs. Because why not pair escargot risotto with bottle service?

🌟 Ruschmeyers Beach Grill
📍 161 Second House Road, Montauk
Ruschmeyers has ditched Placebo (both literally and metaphorically) for a new coastal menu: monkfish tail au poivre, lobster spaghetti, and a vibe that’s more barefoot-chic and less “bottle-service-in-Birkenstocks.”

🌊 Bagatelle Montauk
📍 500 West Lake Drive, Montauk
RIP Gosman’s. Bonjour, Bagatelle. The international brunch mecca has taken over Montauk’s most iconic dockside location and will soon be serving Saint-Tropez vibes, Champagne-fueled brunches, and possibly the highest heels you’ll see on a dock this side of Cannes.

🌅 Wayan & Ma-De at EHP Resort
📍 313 Three Mile Harbor Hog Creek Rd, East Hampton
French-Indonesian power couple Cedric and Ochi Vongerichten have moved their culinary empire to EHP, offering sambal-drenched sea bass, pork ribs, and crab fried rice—plus a sunset view you’ll pretend you’re not photographing.

That’s the summer scoop, folks. If you need me, I’ll be sobbing quietly into my old Cove Hollow Tavern napkins and praying Lucky’s doesn’t touch the fries.

Finally, The Hill has just published their list of the top beaches in the US according to coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman. Yes, that’s his real name and no Two Mile Hollow is not on the list but Main Beach in East Hampton and Coopers Beach in Southampton did. You can read all about it here.

Follow along at Hamptons Chatter—because I eat, drink, and gossip so you don’t have to.

Paws, Sauce & Applause: Hamptons Heats Up with Two New Pizza Joints and a Doggone Fabulous Pageant

Well, pour one out for Kizzy-T’s—our beloved little East Hampton haunt that managed to serve charm and chow without the side of theatrics. Taking its place? None other than Crazy Pizza, (click here to learn about Crazy Pizza) the flashy import from SoHo, where apparently pizza needs to be served with a show and a manifesto. According to their website, they’re bringing “an Italian oasis” to our quaint village, because what East Hampton really needed was more imported vibes and fewer local gems. While they wax poetic about “bold new flavors” and “elevated culinary visions,” we’re just hoping they don’t charge $45 for a margherita and a round of interpretive dance. Stay tuned, folks—it’s pizza, but make it drama. BTW, friends in the city have given Crazy Pizza some major thumbs up.


As you remember (you do, right?) we have two beloved pups. Bella, a black mixed breed who is now getting on to “dowager” status, and Ralphie, an incredibly dignified beagle. And by “dignified,” I mean “not really.” And not ready for dog shows. Dog agility? Ralphie jumps like a sack of potatoes. Obedience? Ah hahahaha, he’s a beagle. Of course, he is the cutest and bestest boy there is, but it’s hard to tell from a photograph.

Which is why I’m unsure whether we’ll be entering the Inaugural Baron’s Cove Doggie Pageant. Sure, Bella would have Evening Wear locked up, or would have if Chanel Chien hadn’t closed up shop, and Ralphie would win the Swimsuit competition rocking a tiny pair of Vilebrequin trunks, but I don’t want to make my dogs feel as if their only value is their looks.

Of course it’s all for a good cause–Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. If you can’t make the pageant in person on May 18, ESPN will surely be streaming it later. Click here for more details.

Finally one more bit of pizza news. Pizza Pizza is now part of Cluckman’s on Water Street in Sag Harbor. If you’re looking for a quick slice on the go… this is your spot. It’s good and hearty pizza with an eclectic and large selection of slices. The safe is also friendly and attentive. So give it a try and let me know what you think!

< Cluckman’s Pizza!

A FEW REASONS WHY 2024 WASN’T SO GREAT!

It’s been far too long since I last posted, and my brain feels like an overstuffed suitcase of annoyances I can’t zip shut. Before I can move forward, I need to vent and get the most maddening trends of 2024 off my chest. From the annoying to the infuriatingly bad, the Hamptons delivered its usual cocktail of glamour and absurdity this year. But some moments just demand a proper takedown. So, let’s dive into the highs, the lows, and the eye-roll-worthy trends (I won’t even bring up the “Housewives” of the Hamptons) that need to be unpacked before I can clear my head and move on.

WORST FASHION TREND OF 2024: There’s nothing quite like spotting a city slicker decked out in head-to-toe designer gear, accessorized with an Amber Waves Farm hat, as if they just finished milking cows instead of sipping a $30 rosé. Newsflash: it doesn’t make you look cool, and it definitely doesn’t make you look earthy. That hat isn’t a shortcut to farm-to-table authenticity—it’s a neon sign flashing “I’m trying too hard.” The vibe isn’t rustic charm; it’s urban douchebaggery with a side of performative granola. No offense to Amber Waves btw… love the place and yes i have the hat but with a Brunello Cucinelli outfit head to toe is more than I can stomach. If you want to buy a hat but promise not wear it with Prada shirt… click here!

Worst Food Trend – There’s a troubling craze in the Hamptons dining scene: restaurants with way too much attitude. You know the type—where snagging an 8 o’clock reservation feels like winning the lottery, only to arrive and find your table isn’t ready. But wait, don’t even think about sliding up to the bar for a drink to kill the time because those spots are apparently “reserved” for people with a reservation. Make it make sense! While I’ll spare actually naming the offenders , let’s call out that place in Sag Harbor for leading the charge. This might fly in NYC, where the vibe thrives on exclusivity, but in the Hamptons? It’s just pretentious—and honestly, exhausting. Honorable mention: XXXXX on Shelter Island for too much attitude.

Worst Media Trend – Another bad trend taking over the Hamptons? Those endless “Top 10” lists. Every publication, website, and influencer under the sun is churning them out, all vying for ad dollars. And surprise, surprise—guess who always makes the cut? The store, the landscaper, designer, plumber, pizza place, and yes, even real estate agent who happens to advertise with them. Shocking, right? My inbox is constantly bombarded with these “best of” compilations, and honestly, I take them with a grain of salt. The only time I really perk up and pay attention? When I’m on the list. Funny how that works.

Worst Landscaping Trend – The Hamptons has a sign problem—everywhere you look, there’s another one cluttering the landscape. Yes, we’re all used to the sea of real estate signs, but what about the ones for builders, designers, landscapers, and politicians that seem to take up permanent residence? Most real estate agents at least have the decency to take their signs down as soon as a property sells, but if the house sold three years ago, why is the designer’s sign still camped out front? This is supposed to be a bucolic retreat, a break from the hustle and bustle of city life—not a patchwork of advertisements making it look more like Long Island City.

Now that I’ve aired my grievances and taken aim at some of the more annoying trends plaguing the Hamptons, I feel like I can finally exhale. Consider it a little housecleaning for the soul—a necessary purge to clear the way for a brighter, more positive outlook. Yes, I know, I’m a bit of a Grinch. But hey, even the Grinch had a change of heart, and so can I. With the venting out of the way, I’m ready to turn my focus to the good stuff ahead: the moments of charm, beauty, and joy that make this place special. Here’s to a fresh start and a year worth celebrating—minus a few extra signs and attitude-filled bars, of course.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED… YET? GLADIATOR 2 KEPT ME WAITING IN THE ARENA. PLUS, A FESTIVE FEAST FOR THE EYES!



A battle for patience (yeah more than waiting for me to blog again) rivaled any gladiatorial combat as I found myself in the modern-day coliseum—a Regal Cinemas theater—awaiting Gladiator 2. I felt like a christian waiting for the lions. The show was slated to begin at 7:00, but instead of roaring into epic action, I was bombarded with boredom with an endless parade of commercials. From Pepsi to Mountain Dew, insurance policies to U.S. Navy recruitment ads (Don’t ask don’t tell), the arena was packed with sponsors vying for attention. By the time the movie finally started—well after 7:30—I felt like a weary Roman citizen waiting for the emperor’s signal to let the games begin. In the end, though, Ridley Scott’s epic was worth the wait, even if I had to endure 30 minutes of corporate sword-and-shield tactics first! Now, I know why people prefer Netflix.

Speaking of movies for cinephiles! The 17th annual Hamptons Doc Fest rolls into Sag Harbor from Dec. 5 to 11, featuring 32 films at Sag Harbor Cinema and Bay Street Theater. Kicking off opening night is Merchant Ivory, Stephen Soucy’s 2023 doc celebrating the legendary filmmaking duo behind 44 acclaimed films, gracing this year’s festival cover. The highlight? Oscar-winner Michael Moore snagging the Pennebaker Career Achievement Award on Dec. 7 at Bay Street, followed by a screening of his groundbreaking debut, Roger & Me. Tickets are on sale now— click here and don’t miss it!

Finally, looking for some holiday fun this season? Step into a winter wonderland at LongHouse Reserve after dark, where glowing sculptures and light-dappled garden paths transform the landscape into a magical experience. This holiday season, don’t miss the return of ZIMA! by The Neo-Political Cowgirls—a captivating theatrical adventure through the garden’s beautifully illuminated trails. Directed by Kate Mueth, ZIMA! (Polish for “winter”) is an immersive, 30-minute journey that brings to life folklore, dance, poetry, and music from cultures around the world. Along the way, guests will discover whimsical vignettes before heading to the cozy art market, where handmade gifts, festive treats, and live music await. After your adventure, warm up at the Holiday Artisan Market, supporting local artists and makers, with all proceeds benefiting the LongHouse Annual Appeal. A perfect blend of art, culture, and holiday cheer! There is a suggested fee of $45 per person. You can purchase your tickets by clicking here.