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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.

PLANTS, PINTS AND PASTA!

Buds and Spuds in Sag Harbor!!!!

With warm weather around the corner, the worker bees are buzzing to get all the hives ready in the Hamptons. Sag Harbor is no exception. One of the more interesting new concepts coming to town is taking place right off Main St. The home of the former old train station aka Sag Harbor Garden center is getting a facelift along with two new tenants. From what I’ve been told, one building will be occupied by a new garden center. The other will become what is best described as a tasting room for Kidd Squidd Brewery. The new suds spot already has an instragram account and is hoping to have the harbor hopping with hops. According to their own IG posting expect things to start brewing in the Spring.

I’m a right in assuming there will be clamari on the menu?

Meanwhile, East Hampton is getting yet another Italian-menued restaurant. Down the street from Serafina, Sam’s, Doppo La Spaggio and behind Citta Nuova will be a new outlet for the Karan (You know the DKNY lady) family eatery Tutto Il Giorno. Oh wait, I forgot there will be Sant Ambroeus (French-style in name only) around the corner too at the old Babette’s. I guess EH Village will be now known as Little Italy by the Sea. Anywhooo, the new Citta… er.. I mean Doppo… or wait Tutto will be located in the surliest little parking lot on the East End behind the Stop and Shop. The location is across from the Ralph Lauren store. No, not the Purple Label store. No, not the Polo store. No, not near the childrens one. The OTHER one. You know the vintage one. According to signs posted, the name will be TUTTO CAFFE (see photo) and they’ll have a liquor license. While I have no doubt the food will be good, I only wonder how expensive it will be for a bowl of pasta? Will it be fifty dollar fusilli? It’s the Hamptons so anything is possible.

Around the corner from Fierro’s, Sams, Citta, Serafina, Villa and Doppo.

YOU CANOLI IMAGINE THE CHANGE IN WAINSCOTT…. TAKE A PEEK! PLUS A TALE SO STUPID IT HAS TO BE TRUE!

Makeover Mangia!

If you’ve been through Wainscott lately,  you’ve probably noticed there’s a whole lot of something going on at the former location of Georgica and Saracen restaurants.   The location is now the home of Osteria Salina and the inside has been given face lift that would make Cher green with envy!  Its been a much needed change for the 130 year old building that was more recently the home of ruckus night clubs catering to the hard partying “bottle and banquette” crowd.    Instead neighbors now have a traditional Sicilian restaurant in one of the most charming locations around.   In fact, if you ask me it looks like they spent a pretty penne to make it look good!  Sorry for the pun.

The Georgica Room with a view!

The restaurant which was formally located on School Street in Bridgehampton has now been expanded by purveyor Tim Gaglio and his wife Cinzia (the chef) into a larger 225 seat venue overlooking Georgica Pond.   The menu will remain the same and feature old favorites like Charred Octopus, Polpette (amazing italian meatballs), Mezzi Rigitoni alla Siciliana, fresh seafood specials but with the addition of pizzas cooked in the brick oven that was a staple back when the restaurant was “Sapore di Mare.”     If you don’t remember back that far then you certainly don’t know the reason Route 27 is so close to the site!?  Well I’ll tell you, it’s owed to two feuding brothers, one who designed highways for the state and the other who owned a house in Wainscott!

Classic design meets chic renovation!

Well enough about the location, the food which comes with a Sicilian pedigree (Cinzia comes from a long line of Italian restauranteurs) that goes all the way back to Sorra Italy has been earning raves from local celebs like Billy Joel, Alan Alda and Howard Stern to name a few.   In fact, I bet next door neighbor Ron Perlman will soon swing by for some Bucatini con Sarde … the smells will get ’em and I heard he loves to walk everywhere!   There’s no doubt it will be attracting the same crowd plus a few new ones with the expanded dining room.   Osteria Salina will open it’s doors quietly this Thursday (5/21) night at 5pm and be open for business year round.   It’s a great addition to the area and if you have any doubt they’re aiming for a different crowd than the last establishment, stop by on Sunday’s from 1 to 9pm when they’ll be serving traditional Sophia Loren sized “family style” dinners.    If you want a reservation and my guess is your going to need them… check out the restaurant on OPENTABLE.COM

As any real estate on the east end will tell you, dealing with Summer rentals is never easy.    This Friday will no doubt too be another hair raising experience for agents all over as tenants start to move into their seasonal rentals.  Yes, I’ll soon be getting calls about defective toasters, noisy neighbors and even the occasional call asking for an address (write it down before you go out drinking).

Well it’s a few years later and now enough time has passed to tell a tale I from a few years ago when one tenant called me complaining about the wireless Internet.   I explained I wasn’t an expert but I would swing by and take a look.    Apparently the code for the wifi wasn’t working and I thought I’d give it a shot.  When I arrived I input the code and bing!  It worked!   What was the problem?   Well, when I gave them the code in the e mail I wrote “the password is case sensitive xyz.”  Yes, you got it… they wrote “CASE SENSITIVE” when inputting the code.  By the way, English was their first language and it was a $200k+ seasonal rental!    Only in the Hamptons!

HIGHWAY DINER…. NEW LOOK… NEW OWNERS…. NEW ATTITUDE!

The best pot pie ever!
Ginormous salads!

So, a quick blog post is better than no blog post at all (at least according to me).   After being a sushi restaurant with financing by Wells Fargo, SHUKU the Highway Diner has reopened.   In the first restaurant opening of the season, they did it quietly but carried a big culinary stick!     While I don’t have many of the details on the chefs and owners etc., I can tell you the staff seemed to be experienced and ready to take on the task of breaking the curse of the tank!     So what did we have?  A chicken pot pie which is quite possibly the best one I ever tasted!!!!   My of my dinner companions had freshly made pasta where they said they can “actually taste the difference.”  I started with a Caesar salad that could have been a meal itself.    Also gone is the sterile cold interior that had diners sitting on edge as every new customer walked in the door.  Now, the old diner’s food wasn’t bad but I think the management and staff were in over their heads.  My favorite or least favorite experince I should say was when they ran out of bagels for breakfast at $10 a pop.  HELLO, THERE IS A BAGEL STORE TWO DOORS DOWN!    Anyway, for a first night the Highway Diner was a hit with me and everyone else at the table!   I think it has what it takes… good food … good service….a full bar and good prices!

Home made pastas!

It’s about time to have some good restaurants in the Hamptons.  Meanwhile, Nichol’s is really shuttered for renovations and who knows if it will ever return.  Meanwhile, I’m doing a death watch on about 3 different restaurants on the east end.  More on that coming soon, I promise!