Born Again Gurney’s

Two years ago a new owner bought Gurney’s Inn from the Monte family, which had owned the sprawling oceanfront resort since 1956. A trip there was always like visiting an old and beloved aunt. It was familiar and comfortable, but down at the heel. Alright, it was downright tacky. You thought about it like you did about the old Bulova Watch factory. It had oodles of potential, but when would someone come around and put a spit and polish on it?

Well, like the new Watchcase, the new Gurney’s (rebranded “Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa”) has been Hamptonized. Among other aspects of the first phase of its multi-year renovation are a chic new lobby, 38 new oceanfront guestrooms, a “refreshing” of the spa, a buzzed about new restaurant, an Italian-style coffee bar, and a redesign of the famous seawater pool. Now that the summer crowds are in hibernation, it’s the perfect time to explore the born-again old standby.

Ice Skating Rink
One of the best ideas of the year: an ice skating rink has been installed atop the Seawater Spa, at a height from which to view the breaking waves below. We arrive with visions of a winter wonderland dancing in our heads. The rink, bordered by evergreens, is aglow and the six year old in tow makes a mad dash for the glistening ice. However, we discover that until the weather gets cold enough for the real thing the surface is made of “synthetic ice.” We give it a good college try, and hobble around the rink once (holding onto the side), but our skates keep getting stuck in the plastic. We recommend waiting till the real ice is in, and warming your innards with a hot toddy from the bar.

Satellite Scarpetta Beach
The new restaurant is Scarpetta Beach, a satellite of high-end Italian eatery Scarpetta in New York’s Meatpacking District. The space is an homage to midcentury modern, replete with oversize ‘70s-era macramé curtains that separate the 110-seat dining room into a trio of more intimate spaces. Oatmeal canvas-back chairs are a subtle maritime gesture, referring to the ocean beyond the wall of French doors.

The breadbasket is a tour de force, filled with several house-made breads including ciabatta, rosemary focaccia, and two kinds of stromboli, each spiral filled with smoked mozzarella – one also with soppressata, the other with spinach and kale.  Molto bene! The handmade pastas are equally outstanding. Our tagliatelle was a jewel box filled with little gems of lobster meat and asparagus slivers.  Many of chef John Oh’s dishes are a remarkable fusion of Italian and Asian flavors. The creamy polenta contains fricasseed hon shimeju and shiitake mushrooms while the tuna “Susci” is sort of a rice-less sushi roll in which marinated granules of carrot merge with preserved truffles. In another dish, slivers of Yellowtail topped with olio di zenzero, pepperoncino and ginger oil, explode on the palate. Our waiter Nicholas Smith, who embodies staff’s the seamless service, is a walking encyclopedia of food.

“How nice is this?” someone says. “Sitting on a cliff overlooking the ocean, just like at Big Sur.”
GurneysMontauk.com

New Year’s at the New Gurney’s
From a James Bond-theme bash ($225) to a “007” three-night package ($995), there are several ways to ring in the New Year at Gurney’s.  
– Four-course dinner with wine pairings
– James Bond themed New Year’s Eve party with
  six-hour open bar, late night bites, entertainment
– New Year’s Day “Polar Bear Plunge” in
  Atlantic Ocean followed by champagne brunch
– “New Year, New Me Detox” – daily fitness
  classes and cold pressed juices