Get off your duff and do something about all of this stuff!!!

I’m going to go through today’s blog and basically type a stream of consciousness here! I can’t believe it but in a land where people can spend almost $100 for lobster salad, Bentley’s abound and a million dollars barely buys you shack people are still going hungry in the Hamptons. No, this has nothing to do with a detox program, these are people who don’t have the money to buy food. It’s women, it’s men and it’s old people and it’s young people, it’s immigrants and bonackers here who are going hungry! IN THE HAMPTONS FOLKS!!! One of the their last resorts has long been the respective food banks. But unfortunately cuts in funding and the tough economy have caused the shelves to go bare. I know we get hit with tons of charities this time of year but it takes so little to drop a can or a buck in a food pantry box. One of my agents is a volunteer at the East Hampton food bank and she said things are not good. So come on people, here’s your chance to show the Hamptons aren’t as nasty as the line at Scoop Du Jour on 4th of July! We can do it!

So after you drop that food in the food pantry box…if you’re bored head over to the 23rd annual Color theme Christmas Party on December 4th at Blue Sky in Sag Harbor. Bring another can for the food bank there and a $20 bill to get in and make sure you wear something SILVER! Why Silver I have no idea. The party starts at 7pm and you get to hear the Lone Sharks play. They’re a band in case you didn’t know. It’s all for a good cause so get on it!!!

Almond will soon toast in a new location… and I’m no longer in 5th grade!!!!

Well I heard it through the grapevine… and not from Marvin Gaye… that Almond will be moving to a new home. Apparently owner Eric Lemonides couldn’t come to terms with the landlord of what I thought for years was a cursed property. Almond proved me wrong! It’s been a hit since day 1. I don’t have any idea where the Almond gang will be moving but the current establishment will be shuttering sometime in early December. Almond is an institution in the Hamptons and I have no doubt Eric’s loyal following out here as well as in the city will follow him! Chelsea Clinton has been reported to be a frequent visitor among a slew of other celebrities but my favorite star siting was always Peter Jennings. He was pretty much a regular there every Friday night back in the day. I guess as one door closes another opens. I only hope Almond moves closer to East Hampton, it would be easier for me! OK, one quick question, with a million vacant restaurant properties (JL East, Star Room, Poxabogue, etc.) in the Hamptons, does the landlord really think now is a good time to play hardball?

Also, a game changer for me. I finally learned how to tie a Windsor Knot! My friend Paul Zweben who is the ultimate metrosexual has long chided me for tying my knots like I was still a 5th grader in Catholic School. Well now my Hermes ties will finally look presentable!! So how did I do it? The way any adult in the 21st century learns anything. I went to YOU TUBE! Ha. Here it is!!

The Sun is Shining on the Hamptons Real Estate Market!!!

In what has to be a first… the Hamptons Designer showcase house has actually sold in a relatively short period of time! That’s right! 129 Stoney Hill rd. is reportedly in contract. The 7,000 square foot home with an additional 3000 of lower level living was listed on the market for $5,500,000. While we don’t know what the actual selling price is, $5+ million asking price in Sag Harbor and not on the water was an aggressive take. Once again the Hamptons market is defying conventional wisdom! Maybe the house was actually better done than I thought? I was there when Jill Zarin was whining her way through a tour and I had to cut it short because of my headache!

Meanwhile some home improvements in East Hampton as the historic windmill on North Main street gets a face lift. I’m not sure what it’s costing but I’m sure it isn’t cheap. Wouldn’t it be greener and more economically responsible to put up solar panels instead?! I mean how much power does that thing generate anyway!?

Finally, once again the Sag Harbor Rag-a-muffin parade has come and gone. So what was the verdict! Try $250 worth of candy “packed.” Anyway, a good time was had by all and I’m a little poorer!

Sothfork Kitchen is open and it was worth the wait!

So after months of false starts and opening dates that have come and gone, Southfork Kitchen in Bridgehampton is finally open. The big question is now, was it worth the wait?! The answer is a definitive yes. Southfork Kitchen is billed as a sustainable “farm-to-table” restaurant with seafood and local produce, and boasting it’s very own on-site gardens.

Chef Joe Isidori has has created a menu that is both innovative and delicious. Some of the featured appetizers on the menu include 8 o’clock Ranch Pork Belly with breakfast radish, sea salt and Yazu, Southfork Kitchen Clam Chowder with soy cured bacon and vegtables and a amazing Garden salad with homemade buttermilk dressing and ewe’s blue cheese.

Entrees include Icelandic Artic Char with white organic miso and tonato fondue, Milowski Farm Hertiage Turkey Saltimbocca with egg, orgainic spinach and guanciale. I’m not a food writer here so I’m just copying what the menu says. So don’t ask me what guacnciale is!? I actually ordered the Chicken… yes, chicken.. but I have to say it was really quite good. Ok, I’ll be more adventurous next time.

The wines were local as well featuring Channing Daughters and Wolffer vineyards for example. All in all it was a great evening, with a few little kinks in the service but it IS A NEW PLACE! Owner and blogger Bruce Buschel has created a warm and friendly enviornment where his greetings of many of the diners will no doubt make Southfork Kitchen the hardest reservation in the summer of ‘011! Wow, I was nice… no complaints.. but I have to say SFK earned it. Good luck guys!

Southfork Kitchen is open at 203 Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton, NY 11932

Call (631) 537-4700 for hours.