How to Beat the Mid-March Blues

These East End Restaurants can Help Win the Battle

The poet T.S. Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month, but perhaps that moniker is best reserved for March. That month of snow, not rain. That month of coldest temperatures and of wicked winds. That long and unforgiving month, the one that drags on endlessly, ever so slowly trudging toward the promise of April’s crocuses. But not yet, it says. No, no. Not yet. Still, if March is not the month for spring’s largesse, it may be the month best suited for re-acclimating oneself to local restaurants. Is there a better time, after all, to sit inside and enjoy a delicious meal, while the gray world swirls from beyond a restaurant’s windows? 

At O by Kissaki, which opened last summer in East Hampton, March feels a world away. Reservations are a must at this Japanese restaurant. Creative crudos embrace international flavors from elements as diverse as gochujang, togarashi, and roasted plums, while a selection of hot dishes — some small and some large — arrives from both land and sea. Sea urchin, king crab, and whole lobster tail are just some of the bespoke delicacies served at O by Kissaki, and these luxuries are more than enough to stave off the March blues. 

Down the road, at The Highway Restaurant & Bar, stop in on a Friday night for the superlative Peking duck, a surefire way to raise your spirits on a blustery March night. (Pro-tip: if you’re not planning on dining on the early side, call to reserve the bird, which sells out quickly.) The half-duck comes with mu shu pancakes, Hoisin sauce, julienned cucumbers, and scallions, but it’s not the only cold weather comfort dish on the menu. The roasted organic chicken, dry rubbed and served with stuffing, roasted cauliflower, and chicken jus, is another cozy March meal. So is the 14-ounce New York strip, accompanied by fingerling potatoes, asparagus, and an unstoppable peppercorn sauce. 

Sagaponack’s stalwart Old Stove Pub is full of cold weather pick-me-ups. Although it’s under new ownership, the food remains as reliable as ever. Slurp away the blues with a bowl of French onion soup, or the restaurant’s traditional Saganaki: warming Greek cheese baked in a casserole dish with olive oil and lemon. The restaurant may be known for its steaks (and don’t sleep on the 20-ounce prime dry-aged strip for two, or, if you’re especially hungry, the 40-ounce, prime, dry-aged, bone-in steak for two), but the Mediterranean-veering stuffed eggplant is just as impressive. The dish features basmati rice, lentils, zucchini, tomato, Feta cheese, and tahini, all wrapped up in one starring vegetable. 

Southampton’s Dopo Argento provides the ultimate mid-March antidote, with pasta as far as the eye can see. From linguine with Manila clams in white wine sauce to ravioli cacio e pepe to tagliatelle alla Bolognese, the cozy restaurant offers irresistible, carb-heavy options that are sure to counteract those not-quite-spring blues. Linger a little while longer over dessert, and let March melt away. That’s what the Grand Marnier ricotta cheesecake is for, after all. Mid-March blues? Says who?