To The Races

Where to Eat After the Hampton Classic

It’s August in the Hamptons, and that means one thing and one thing only: it’s Hampton Classic time. Grab your biggest and best bottle of bubbly, dress up in your polo finest, and prepare to get to the races. But once the horse-cheering and elbow-rubbing is done, there’s one more truly essential question. Where should you eat, and why? For our picks for the post-fete bites, read on. 

Would a trip to the Hampton Classic be complete without a visit to Eric Lemonides’ and Jason Weiner’s Almond Bridgehampton, the iconic restaurant that stands proud at the corner of Ocean Road and Main Street? Chef Weiner’s food has embraced the bounty of Long Island’s local farms for over 20 years now, and a rotating menu highlights whatever is freshest, best, and most reliably in season. Cool off from the intense heat of the Classic with a cocktail at the bar, followed by steamed mussels with impeccably crisp French fries. Local cheeses from Mecox Bay Dairy, produce from Balsam Farms, and seafood from bay and ocean fishermen are always on display, too. 

If Greek food is on your mind, look no further than Elaia Estiatorio, the East End spot helmed by husband-and-wife team Chris Boudouris and Sofia Crokos. The couple brings their Greek roots and background in hospitality to their School Street location in Bridgehampton, where menu items include Elaia chips — thinly sliced and fried zucchini served with tzatziki — marinated, double-cut, grilled lamb chops, grilled whole branzino and moussaka abound. The crisp, bright, and white dining room is just about as classic as it gets (if there’s a better way to toast to the races, we surely don’t know about it). 

But you don’t have to stay in Bridge to celebrate after the races. Take a long, leisurely drive out to Montauk to experience one of summer’s most talked about restaurants: Roberta’s Montauk. Although the original Roberta’s opened in Bushwick, Brooklyn in 2008, this most recent incarnation, the brainchild of Brandon Hoy and Carlo Mirarchi, is the new kid on the block, occupying the former Arbor space near the train station, on Fort Pond Road. Pizzas — including the restaurant’s signature “Ursula’s Parade,” featuring little neck clams, mozzarella, and Calabrian chilies, are on the menu, as is bread baked to order in the wood-fired oven. Natural wines and local shellfish abound, as do inventive desserts. 

Head back west to Amagansett to keep the day casual for a pie (and more) at the newly revamped Astro’s Pizza on Main Street, now under the ownership of PJ Calapa, of Scampi and The Spainard in the city. Once a place to get a late-night slice, Astro’s is now serving earnest Italian-American cuisine, with clam pizzas rich with local clams and roasted garlic, a rotating list of locally sourced daily fish and vegetable specials, and an outrageous white lasagna that will convert even the most dedicated red sauce lover among us. For dessert, indulge in the Ice Cream Saturday, a sweet that pairs chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce, graham crackers, and marshmallow fluff.