patrick mclaughlin

BEACH BLANKET BINGO BUST! PLUS, ONE MAN’S JOYRIDE IS ANOTHER MAN’S INSURANCE CLAIM.

No beach pass for you!

Sad news Frankie and Annette won’t be able to take their shenanigans “BACK TO THE BEACH” on the groovy sands of Main Beach East Hampton. The mad rush to the Summer surf of ’22 has begun and if you don’t have an East Hampton Village Beach Pass, you’re S.O.L! Just one day after sales of the coveted permits (all 4100) went on sale at midnight February 1st, they’ve sold out! YEP! You heard me right. According to the website, there’s already a waiting list of about 400. But don’t totally despair, there are still town beach passes available and you can always buy daily passes at certain locations like Main Beach and Two Mile Hollow. SInce they went so quickly, one would hope the village would open up and make more available? But don’t hold your breath. If you want to see for yourself, village the village website now.

Sushi and Dosas on Newtown Lane.

Elsewhere some notable restaurant shuffles are happening around town. A few weeks ago the rumor was an established sushi joint was going into the other half of the old Mary’s Marveloous now Hampton Chutney Co. in East Hampton. Well I was half right, it’s going to be sushi but instead of who I thought was going in, the folks behind the old Zokkon and Suki Zuki will be the ones truncating tuna and whisking wasabi on Newtown Lane.

Also, while rumors have swirled about who was going into the old World Pie in Bridgehampton it’s become official Doppo La Spiaggia from Sag Harbor and East Hampton will be bringing their Bolognese and Fritto Misto to the Main Street location. From what I’ve heard, the new restaurant will be serving a more casual menu along with gourmet pizzas.

Finally, if you visit any of the local chat boards you’ve probably noticed the topic of conversation has moved from squatters to car thefts. But nobody is talking about that crappy Angelina Jolie/Nicholas Cage camp fest “Gone in 60 Seconds” even though the timing seems to be pretty accurate. Yep, you heard me right. Cars are being stolen around town from driveways in both East and Southampton towns. In most of the cases, the owners had left the keys in the cars in their driveways (some even on long secluded drives) and the thieves were in and out before the owners knew it. One poster said by the time they noticed the car missing, the GPS had already been disabled. So in closing make sure you are the key master and keep them out of the car!

A FUN CURE FOR THE SUMMERTIME BLUES… BINGO!!!

BORED? Maybe it’s time for you to play HAMPTONS BINGO! What better way to commiserate …..errr i mean CELEBRATE Summer ’21… with your friends at the next get together. Simply, print this card for hours and hours and hours of fun at your next dinner party! Sadly, I think I have all but 3 boxes filled.

BTW, I thought I was so orignal with this blog but alas they did it on Curbed.com about 10 years ago. So, this is the new and improved version of Hamptons Bingo. As Curbed editor at the time Laura Euler suggested, feel free to laminate this collectors piece of Hamptons life 2021.

CHIRPING FOR CHICKEN IN SAG AND DON’T PHO-GET THIS PLACE!!!

Sag Harbor Baking has gone to the BIRDS.

Sad news…. apparently the gang behind Sag Harbor Baking Company kneeded a break and have closed up shop. The confectionary establishment which was a favorite with locals for the past few seasons closed last fall and apparently decided not to reopen. But the news isn’t all bad. Going into it’s place at 51 Division Street will be a new gourmet chicken cafe called “Lil’Birdie.” Featuring brined 24 hour fried or rotisserie chickens along with sandwiches, side salads and a promising menu of fries this could be just want this village needs. They currently have their menu online but I haven’t receieved any information yet on opening day. I’ll keep you guys informed.

Meanwhile, if you didn’t try it last year you need to go this summer and try V-Cafe located at 172 Buckskill Rd. in East Hampton. Operating out of the former snack stand at Hampton Raquet the cafe orders a limited but perfect array of Vietnamese goodies. The chicken and shrimp summer rolls are my personal favorites. You can order to go or actually dine by the courts. This may also be the best deal in town with salads starting at $8 and chicken and steak satay’s going for $10. While they don’t have a liquor license, feel free to bring your own favorite wine or beer! Open every day from 10 am to 8pm (except Sunday till 3p) the V-Cafe should be on the must list for Summer 2021! You can find them online or give them a call at 347-217-0944.

Shrimp Summer Rolls…. Perfect for a light summer bite!!

MOBY’S SWIMMING BACK TO THE SCENE! PLUS CLEANING THE COBWEBS ON MAIN STREET.

BACK IN ACTION! Moby’s after last month’s fire!!

East Hampton’s great white whale of a restaurant—whatever that means—Moby’s just opened for their eighth season on Wednesday. After a fire last month the Italian and wood-fired pizza joint, and market, has returned to its circa 1880 home at 341 Pantigo Road between East Hampton and Amagansett. Apparently they took my advice (see my previous blog) and are operating primarily out of their backyard tents (which are really awesome). They have good food to-go and outdoor and patio dining with a toasty fire that I just love, as well as bottled cocktails and wine. Check them out for dinner Wednesday–Sunday. It’s fun and worth the visit.

One, apparently, is no longer the loneliest number, at least not in East Hampton! I recently received an email asking for coverage of “one,” a new retail concept opening this weekend at, you guessed it, ONE Main Street.

Tahari no more…. it’s now “one.”

This is no one-of-the-mill store. Located in the building, formerly occupied by Elie Tahari, one was conceived as “an open-ended space for brand, artist, designer and artisan pop-ups” under a single curated umbrella. The 5,000-square-foot marketplace is spread out across two floors (and 2,000-square-foot basement with VIP salon) and features more than 70 fashion, design and jewelry brands, various home goods, contemporary art, indie magazines, art books and other treasures from around the world. As the name suggests, one is basically a one-stop shop for chic Hamptonites, especially anyone who might be in the process of dressing up a new home or looking for a fab summer wardrobe, complete with sparkly accessories.

And along with what sounds like a satisfying experience for even the most prolific spender, one is planning a variety of special events, including artist talks, book signings, trunk shows and capsule collections throughout the summer. It’s all about the bringing back the joy and pleasure of IRL shopping in the age of Amazon and online retailers. And let’s face it—after the last year of forced virtual commerce, we could all use some time browsing and buying physical items in person at a brick-and-mortar location.