Prime Your Tastebuds For A Fascinating Voyage

These East End Kitchens Are Producing The Hamptons’ Most Interesting Dishes 

If you feel like you’ve eaten everything on the East End before, we assure you — there’s plenty out there that you haven’t experienced yet, even at your favorite tried-and-true restaurants. From local fish prepared in a classic French style to a new take on linguine with clams, we’ve searched high and low for the East End’s most interesting dishes. We’ve come up with some of our favorites. Eat them and share our excitement for the diverse and ever-changing — and ever-evolving — cuisine of eastern Long Island. 

It’s hard to choose just one interesting dish emerging from Mavericks Montauk, the new and exciting Montauk space with chef Jeremy Blutstein at the helm. As ever, the hometown hero chef focuses on locally sourced seafood and produce. Some favorites include the Southampton maitake mushroom steak, an umami-forward vegetarian dish amplified with a 20-year Jerez — or Sherry — and thyme; a whole fluke, caught in Montauk and served a la Meunière, a classic preparation that has fallen out of vogue (fish is dusted in flour and sauteed with butter, which, in this case, means beurre noisette, or a brown butter made with capers, parsley, and lemon); and burnt Sagaponack carrots, served with a delicate basil Labneh. 

At East Hampton’s Highway Restaurant & Bar, where chef Justin Finney rules the roost, the linguine with little neck clams, cockles, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and chili is one of the most interesting preparations on the East End. Pliable Korean chicken buns are made with a yuzu mayo and curry pickles, and langoustines, priced per piece, are garnished with burnt lemon and arugula. The Thai chicken stir fry is unexpectedly intriguing, a spicy mix of minced chicken, Thai and fresno chilis, Thai basil, and sticky rice. Don’t miss it. 

Lulu Kitchen & Bar, in Sag Harbor, offers plenty of expected delights, including one of the most hospitable dining rooms on the East End. But some of the interesting — and less expected — hits are the reason this restaurant continues to impress diners again and again, year after year. The saucisson en brioche, garlic pork sausage served with house-made brioche, a truffle and herb salad, and a black pepper-red wine sauce, is just one stunning example of this restaurant’s breadth. The two-person serving of rack of lamb, served with harissa yogurt sauce and an Israeli salad, is another. At Lulu, dinner is always something to get excited about. 

Bridgehampton’s Elaia Estiatorio is known for its superlative and authentic Greek cuisine. And while those familiar with classic Greek dishes will flock to the taramosalata and the saganaki (good choices indeed), it’s worth taking a chance on dishes like the gigantes, large beans that have been baked in a light tomato sauce with onions, carrots, and celery (add a block of feta for just a little extra). For main dishes, the bifteki, a Greek-style Wagyu beef patty served with herbs, lettuce, onions, feta and tzatziki, and wrapped in pita is one of the best grabs on the East End. It’s a trip to Greece, minus the airfare.