“It’s that time of year again.” This is the most common first sentence at the beginning of September, the start of the school year, a time when most, if not all, parents are tearing their hair out trying to come up with nutritious lunchbox and after-school snacks. It can feel like a losing battle.

First of all, if your children have been exposed to all kinds of foods, at home, at restaurants, and friends’ houses, chances are their taste buds are more adventurous, their view of cuisines more developed, and their willingness to try new things more probable. If they have grown up in a household of Tater Tots, Hot Pockets, Totino’s, and Wonder Bread, good luck. 

That being said, I have a friend who raised two boys. She tried to serve healthy, balanced meals but the younger of the two balked at everything. She would cave and cook him a separate meal, replete with white chicken, white bread, more white starch, cheese, and milk. I called this his “strict white-food diet.” His inevitable fate? He is now married to a vegan, bwah-ha-ha!

Eating out can be expensive, but you can get decent sushi rolls and edamame at various gourmet stores and even some grocery stores. Start your kids off with simple California rolls, cucumber and avocado rolls, and tsukemono, Japanese pickled vegetables. Everyone likes edamame and kids like to play with their food so popping the soy beans out of their pods keeps them busy and they’re getting some protein. 

How about Indian food? The restaurant Saaz in Southampton offers a ridiculously reasonable lunch buffet, full of chicken dishes, vegetable curries, rice, daals, raitas, and parathas. You can fill a takeout container with your leftovers and have a whole other meal at home. I am mentioning these two options because after researching Indian and Japanese lunchboxes (tiffins and bentos, respectively), I discovered that the array of healthful possibilities is endless. They are kind of like our Lunchables, those little premade “meals” with lunchmeat, fake cheese, crackers, and puny juice boxes. Whether for lunch or snack time, you can pack small boxes with a lemony brown rice, a flavored yogurt (raita), chicken salad, and cut- up fruit. Try a cauliflower and sweet pepper pasta salad, with watermelon chunks for dessert.

Wraps can be made with just about anything, and depending on the ingredients, they can often be chilled, then sliced to resemble sushi rolls. Try whole wheat tortillas with turkey and hummus, chicken with ranch dressing and shredded lettuce, apples with peanut or almond butter, or avocados with cucumbers and cream cheese. Make something you know they’ll like and sneak in the good stuff.

For those who like to bake simple quick breads, make banana muffins with vanilla yogurt in place of sour cream, along with carrot muffins, and zucchini breads. All of these can be made in mini sizes and frozen.

For soups and sandwiches, employ the Jessica Seinfeld trick: Sneak in some pureed vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli. She puts a layer of bean spread in whole wheat grilled cheese sandwiches and pureed sweet potato and broccoli in creamy tomato soup. Some people think you shouldn’t hide the vegetables, but if it gets some extra nutrition into your children, I’m all for it. Your darlings will eventually learn that you’ve lied to them about plenty of stuff.

Of course, getting your kids involved in the shopping and meal preparations can help. Let them taste a recipe as you go along. Ask them what it needs: a pinch of salt, a squirt of lemon? 

Hummus is something most children like, whether spread on a sandwich or served with toasted pita chips, carrot sticks, and celery. Store-bought is bland; you should make your own. A friend recently brought over a hummus that was made with half green peas, half chickpeas, and lots of mint and lemon juice. Hummus made with edamame is another good variation.

You could go the route of cutesy sandwiches cut out to resemble teddy bears, hippos, and ladybugs, but these still have to taste good! String cheese, dried fruit, popcorn, and homemade Chex mixes are not the end of the world, so go ahead and serve or pack those.

For a more festive weekend snack, make a Mexican seven-layer dip on the healthier side, refried beans on the bottom, a layer of guacamole, some whole milk yogurt instead of sour cream, grated cheese, and salsa. For a lunch box (insulated) make a layered Southwestern bowl with rice, chicken, corn, beans, avocado, and mild salsa.

Promoting healthy eating and combating childhood obesity were top priorities for the former First Lady Michelle Obama. This resulted in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The success of this program has been debatable, but at least it forced some compromises: more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lower-fat milks, and lower sodium content in school lunches. Unfortunately, in 2017, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue took steps to roll back many of the school lunch changes, so now we are back to high sodium foods, few whole grain options, and more flavored milks (think corn syrup) in our public schools. So, sorry to say moms and dads, good nutrition, like charity, begins at home.

Click for recipes

Beer Bash

A panel discussion on the East End craft beer industry will take place tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. Founders of the Montauk Brewing Company, the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, and the Moustache Brewing Company, which is based in Riverhead, will discuss the recent boom in the business. Following the talk, a tasting of each brewery’s products will be held in the library’s courtyard.

Grab and Go

Hooked, a seafood restaurant in Montauk, is offering a selection of already-prepared dishes for those in a hurry. The ready-to-go items include a quart-sized container of New England clam chowder for $15, a beet and arugula salad for $12, and a lobster salad roll for $25. 

Chefs and More Chefs

Tickets are on sale for the James Beard Foundation’s food and wine-tasting event, Chefs and Champagne, which will be held on July 28 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack. Some three dozen chefs will prepare dishes, Wolffer’s wines will be served, and the evening’s guest of honor will be Padma Lakshmi of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Tickets start at $300, $225 for foundation members, with proceeds supporting James Beard scholarships. They are available at squadup.com.

Tastes of Summer 

The Art of Eating catering service in Bridgehampton has introduced new to-go items for the season. The menu features appetizers such as sweet and sour watermelon salad, and savory tarts made with asparagus and smoked mozzarella. Entrees include black bean avocado burgers, southern fried organic chicken  and whole grilled salmon. Three days notice is requested for orders, which can be placed by phone.

Culinary Conversations

Florence Fabricant, a food and wine writer for The New York Times, will interview her colleague Sam Sifton, the newspaper’s food editor, on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Guild Hall. The event is the first in a series of conversations with culinary experts to be held at the venue. In subsequent weeks, Ms. Fabricant will sit down with three high-profile chefs, Masaharu Morimoto on Aug. 5, David Bouley on Aug. 12, and Carla Hall on Aug. 19. A complimentary continental breakfast and champagne will be served prior to each talk, and book signings will follow. The fee is $20 for each event, and tickets are available on Guild Hall’s website. 

Slow Food

Woody Tasch, the founder of the Slow Money Institute, which supports financial investments in local food production, will give a talk on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Marders in Bridgehampton. Admission is free. To receive a signed copy of Mr. Tasch’s book, “Soil,” which is a resource for investing in local food systems, the fee is $20. Tickets are available on eventbrite.com

Sole Special

The Backyard Restaurant at Sole East Resort in Montauk will hold a special prix fixe dinner tomorrow from 7 to 11. Stephanie Danler, the author of the novel “Sweetbitter,” will attend and there will be a screening of the television adaptation of the book. The menu includes items such as a tomato tart, a summer salad, and surf and turf with anchovy butter. The cost is $160 per person. Tickets are available at wineawesomeness.com

Tutto Il Giorno

16 Main Street, Sag Harbor

631-919-5353

—

Dopo La Spiaggia

6 Bay Street, Sag Harbor

631-725-7009

It’s the rigatoni rumble! Bucatini blitzkrieg! Fettuccini fisticuffs! Has anyone else noticed the situational irony of Tutto Il Giorno opening mere steps (275 to be exact, we counted) from Dopo La Spiaggia in Sag Harbor? It almost seems, dare I say, spiteful. The menus are almost identical.

Rather than review the new Tutto, which is in the old Muse in the Harbor location on Main Street, a friend who works within the empire suggested we get identical dishes from both restaurants and have a blind tasting at home. Genius idea.

Personally, I love both Dopo La Spiaggia and Tutto Il Giorno. Dopo has two locations, one on Bay Street in Sag Harbor, and one on Race Lane in East Hampton. Tutto has three locations — in Southampton, Tribeca, and now Sag Harbor. The Dopo in Sag Harbor is charming and cozy with a view of the water. The new Tutto is simply beautiful. It is big and airy and white with lots of windows, two outdoor lounging/dining areas, and it is melded together with Urban Zen, Donna Karan’s store of clothing, jewelry, and housewares. Ms. Karan’s daughter, Gabby De Felice is the owner of the Tuttos.

We ordered tuna tartare, burrata, pane carasau (paper thin, crisp cracker bread from Sardinia), clams and linguine, chicken “under a brick,” sautéed spinach, and tiramisu.

For the last couple of weeks, I have popped into both locations, sipped on an Aperol spritz, and attempted to elicit an opinion or information from the bartenders. Damn their discretion! They smile and say it’s all okay. The bartender at Tutto described the business breakup between chef/owner of Dopo, Maurizio Marfoglia, and Ms. De Felice as a happy divorce. When I pressed harder (Socratic irony, feigning ignorance like a regular Sacha Baron Cohen character) about identical menus two blocks apart, I got more smiles. Aperol spritz at Dopo: $16. Aperol spritz at Tutto: $18.

The blind tasting judges were Claude, Chris (a.k.a. Datenight), Ellen, and their lovely daughter, Lulu. 

We began with the tuna tartare. The Tutto tuna was citrusy and a bit spicy, with two thin slices of toasted bread, some avocado, cucumber slices, and some lightly dressed lettuce leaves. The Dopo tuna was presented on cucumber slices, with a scattering of kalamata olives, avocado, and micro greens. The Tutto version had good flavor but some of the tuna bits were quite sinewy. Dopo’s was pure clean freshness. Winner: Dopo.

Next were the pane carasau and burrata. The pieces of pane carasau from Dopo were more broken up and had more rosemary on them. Chris liked this one better than Tutto’s. Both cracker breads are grilled and brushed with olive oil, rosemary, and flaky sea salt. Winner: Dopo.

 The burrata from Dopo was also slightly creamier, the Tutto version was a bit firm, a negligible difference, as both were delicious and fresh. Winner: Dopo.

The sliced cherry tomatoes with basil chiffonade served with Dopo’s burrata were bland and unseasoned. The Tutto version had daintily quartered, multicolored tomatoes that really tasted like tomatoes. Winner: Tutto.

The chicken under a brick dishes were significantly different from each other. The Dopo version was a breast with the wing attached, nicely seasoned with crisped skin, on a bed of spinach with a delicious sauce that had capers and olives in it. Lulu liked this version the best. The Tutto chicken was a whole poussin split in half and served with fingerling potatoes, string beans, carrots, and strips of preserved lemon rind. We all agreed that we like having the dark meat option, and we all agreed that both dishes were excellent. Winner: This was a tie.

Next were the clams and linguine, or trenette in the Dopo version. The clams in the Tutto version were small but tasty and briny. The linguine was cooked al dente. We all agreed this was the most flavorful. The Dopo dish had lots of little Manila clams, which are totes adorbs but don’t have a lot of flavor. Ellen, who was the chef at Silver Palate for years and lived in the Italian part of Switzerland for many years, wasn’t wild about either pasta dish. They lacked garlic, and gutsy, briny flavor. Winner: Tutto.

The sautéed spinach from Dopo had no detectible seasoning, while the spinach from Tutto was tender, tasty, and lightly salted. Winner: Tutto.

Last but not least was the tiramisu. The version from Tutto was a pretty presentation with an assortment of berries scattered about and some little chocolate nibs. However, it tasted of little more than “whipped cream and angel food cake” according to Lulu, the budding pastry chef. Datenight declared it “East Hampton tiramisu: well dressed and fluffy, but no soul.” Ouch. I think he just likes to be quoted. The Dopo tiramisu was just as it should be, clearly tasting of espresso-soaked lady fingers, a little bit boozy, with the proper ratio of cake to whipped mascarpone/whipped cream. Winner: Dopo.

The prices at both restaurants are similarly expensive, the Tutto in Southampton being the most expensive. Our takeout from Tutto was $171. It was $153 from Dopo. I did notice that we were overcharged for the spinach from Tutto. The menu says $11, and we were charged $17. The prices at Tutto in Sag Harbor are $12 to $25 for starters, $24 to $28 for pastas, $32 to $39 for mains, $11 for sides, the dessert was $17. Prices at Dopo in Sag Harbor are $17 to $24 for starters, $25 to $28 for pastas, $33 to $40 for mains, $14 for sides, and the tiramisu was $15.

So Tutto won for three dishes, one was a tie, and Dopo won for four dishes. Ergo, the winner, by a thin filini: Dopo La Spiaggia. Complimenti, sei il vincitore!

Solé Barbecue

A prix fixe barbecue featuring recipes by Michael Symon, a chef and restaurateur, will be held at the Backyard Restaurant at Solé East Resort in Montauk on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. Menu items will include spicy grilled shrimp toast with avocado, pork ribs, beer can chicken, and assorted doughnuts from Grindstone Coffee and Donuts, which is owned by Kyle Shanahan, Mr. Symon’s son. Guests will receive a copy of Mr. Symon’s latest cookbook, “Playing With Fire.” The cost is $75 for adults and $25 for children. Tickets are available at wineawesomeness.com.

Food Trucks Galore

A Food Truck Derby hosted by Edible East End will pull into the Hayground School in Bridgehampton on Friday, Aug. 10, from 4 to 7 p.m. Among the nearly two dozen food trucks will be Chiddy’s Cheesesteaks, Nice Buns Slammin Sliders, Pizza Luca, the Sea Bean Natural Food Co., and Opa! On the Go. Wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available. The price for admission starts at $65 for adults and includes one taste from every truck, plus three drinks. Admission for children 12 and under is $20 and includes four tastes and a drink. V.I.P. tickets, allowing access at 3:30 p.m., cost $100. Advance tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com; only a limited number will be available at the door. 

The derby is a fund-raiser for the Hayground’s culinary arts training programs.

Cowboy Specials

Rick’s Crabby Cowboy Cafe in Montauk will offer specials this week including entrées such as seared sea scallops with a sautéed medley of corn, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs for $33, and striped bass broiled with herbs and butter for $29. Other menu items include baked clams for $14 and steamers for $16.95.

Maison Vivienne

136 Main Street

631-500-9276

Dinner daily from 5 p.m.

Lunch 

Thursday through Sunday, 

noon-5 p.m.

When I see that a new restaurant/hotel in Southampton has “house and deep electro French music,” I go, “Blurgh.” When I see that it offers cabanas, I say, “Harrumph.” Why are there cabanas when there is no piscine, no mer? Perhaps there is a robinet, a ruissellement from which one must seek shelter? The promise of famous D.J.s gives me agita. I just think, “Here’s another nightclub masquerading as a restaurant and it will close in the fall, and something different, yet the same, will be in its place come Memorial Day weekend 2019.”

And so it was with such an attitude (think Eeyore the donkey of “Winnie the Pooh”) that I approached my assignment to review Maison Vivienne at the Southampton Inn. I am delighted to report that I was wrong, wrong, wrong.

The restaurant is large and white and airy inside with a soaring cathedral ceiling and windows everywhere. The floors, chairs, and chandeliers are black and there are big, collage-like artworks depicting various actresses, singers, and models. There is also a pretty brick patio, and that is where we dined on our visit.

Upon being seated you are offered a basket of various rolls and a slab of good butter sprinkled with black sea salt and sliced radishes. We chose pissaladière, grilled shrimp, and tuna tartare to start. 

The pissaladière was quite good, with a rustic crust, nicely caramelized onions, black olives, and excellent anchovies on top. The grilled shrimp dish was excellent. The three jumbo shrimp were smoky and not overcooked, and the fava bean hummus underneath was minty and delicious. There were micro greens on top and dabs of mayo and olive oil all around. All of the dishes here are beautifully plated with swooshes and shards, flurries and petals and coulis. The tuna tartare was mild itself, but the pickled bits of zucchini folded into it and the gingery sauce on the plate jazzed it up.

For entrees we ordered the bouillabaisse and roast chicken breast. The bouillabaisse was presented with the fish and shellfish in the bowl, surrounded by croutons topped with rouille, with the broth poured over. The dish had Yukon Gold potatoes, mussels, shrimp, clams, red mullet, and monkfish. The broth was rich and briny and the rouille had just the right amount of garlic and saffron. 

The chicken dish was excellent, the skin crisp and the meat juicy. The best part, however, was the faro risotto, studded with bits of asparagus. It was perfectly seasoned and the texture chewy. The sauce surrounding it was very “chicken-y,” as Julia Child would say.

The service on the night of our visit was excellent. Our waitress, Nandia, was lovely and helpful. The interior of the restaurant remained empty that evening, but the patio was filled up by 7:30. Prices are moderate to expensive. Appetizers are $16 to $30, entrees $30 to $51, and no sides are offered. Desserts are $13 to $15.

The desserts are made in-house and we tried two of them, the fig tart and molten chocolate cake. The fig tart had a very pale crust, which gave the impression that it might be undercooked, but it was crisp and delicious and faintly sweet. The pastry cream and fig slices were both delicious, the pastry cream tasting lightly of vanilla and the figs ripe and sweet. The molten chocolate cake had good flavor, but it had passed from being molten to simply dense. I’m sorry, but I am always disappointed when the promise of “molten” is not delivered.

I went to Maison Vivienne with a prejudiced attitude and came away happily surprised. The food is southern French with quite a few local additions like Satur Farms greens and Catapano goat cheese, so props for that.

Staff say the place will stay open year-round, and that would be nice. After the cabanas have been folded up and the D.J.s have moved on and the deep house chill-out remix French electro musique has quieted down, this Eeyore would certainly go back.

Fresh Pizza 

Sag Pizza, which opened in Sag Harbor on Friday at the former Conca d’Oro location, offers a wide variety of toppings for its 12-inch, wood-fired pies, which range in price from $14 to $18. The menu features such combinations as mushroom and truffle paste, clams and garlic-scallion butter, and sausage, shishito peppers, and eggs. A selection of fresh pasta dishes is also available. One of the opening-day entrees was rigatoni with spicy sausage, bitter greens, pignoli, and pecorino sardo cheese for $24. The restaurant also serves wine, beer, and cocktails. 

It will be open every day from 11:30 a.m. until midnight.

Brunch Bash

The Backyard Restaurant at Solé East Resort in Montauk will have a prix fixe brunch with Alison Roman, the author of “Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes,” on Sunday from noon to 2. The menu items, taken from the cookbook, will include baked eggs with crushed chickpeas, chorizo, and breadcrumbs, as well as sour cream flatbread. The brunch will feature beer and wine pairings, and guests will receive a free copy of the book. The cost is $75, and tickets are available for purchase on wineawesomeness.com

Tea on the Go

Plain-T, a whole-leaf tea company in Southampton, will produce a series of mobile mini-bar units for making matcha and iced tea. The company plans to station the units at local restaurants, hotels, and retailers, and make them available for private party rentals.

Food Festival

Tickets are on sale for a food festival and fund-raiser for the Southampton Arts Center, to be held on Aug. 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. Signature dishes from restaurants such as E.M.P. Summer House, Little Red, Maison Vivienne, Saaz, and Sant Ambroeus will be offered. Tickets are available by emailing Molly Bishop at [email protected], and start at $500.

New at Springs Tavern

A new menu at the Springs Tavern in East Hampton includes a seared tuna appetizer for $15, a lobster roll for $25, and a chicken Milanese entree for $21.

Brunch at Dopo

Dopo La Spiaggia in East Hampton is now serving brunch on Sundays starting at noon. The menu includes scrambled eggs with frisée salad and shaved black summer truffle and a frittata with spring vegetables. A D.J. will spin tunes on the restaurant’s patio.

Backyard Get-Together

The Backyard restaurant at Solé East Resort in Montauk plans a prix-fixe dinner on Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. featuring recipes from Katie Parla’s book “Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City.” The menu will include appetizers such as rice croquettes and assorted crostini and entrees such as eggplant Parmigiana and chicken with tomatoes and bell peppers. Wine and beer pairings will be served. The cost is $160 per person. Tickets are available on wineawesomeness.com

Fresh at Fresno

Fresno in East Hampton has introduced new menu items. The appetizers include a watermelon salad for $18 and charred Spanish octopus for $19. Entrees added are spaghettini with lump crab meat, chervil, crème fraiche, toasted bread crumbs, and black caviar for $36, and black bean falafel for $26.

This story was inspired by some late-night Instagram viewing. Within a short period, the Southern food writer Julia Reed, local chef Kevin Penner, and super-famous chef David Chang had all posted their versions of the tomato sandwich. 

Julia Reed’s post proclaimed that plain white bread, a thick slice of Beefsteak tomato, and Duke’s mayonnaise were the only way to go. Kevin Penner’s was similar, simply relying on the goodness of the tomato and purity of accompaniments. David Chang’s included Kewpie mayonnaise, a Japanese mayonnaise you may not be familiar with that is used in every spicy tuna roll you’ve ever eaten. More on mayos momentarily. 

When I say “tomato sandwich,” I mean just that, and only that. White bread, mayo, salt and pepper, and a thick slice of the best tomato you can find. It takes minutes to prepare, should only be made at the height of tomato season, and is also referred to as a “sink sandwich,” as in, it’s messy and casual, eat it over the kitchen sink. Beyond that, with somewhat sincere apologies to the almost 100 people who responded on Facebook with their favorite variations: You are talking about a sandwich that has tomato in it. Red onion, bacon, cucumber, lettuce, goat cheese, cheddar cheese, pickled jalapeños, fried green tomatoes, have at it.

The research began thus: tomatoes from Round Swamp Farm in East Hampton, Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, Balsam Farms in Amagansett, Open Minded Organics in Bridgehampton, Halsey Farm in Water Mill, and a friend’s garden. Breads from Pepperidge Farm, Arnold, and Carissa’s (sourdough and honey oat). Mayos: Hellman’s, Duke’s (available down South and online), Kewpie (available at Asian markets and online), Sir Kensington, Kimchijews Kimchi mayo (local), and homemade. Hellman’s and Duke’s won in a tie for overall, basic, and easy to find condiments. Kewpie and Sir Kensington were too overpowering and tangy for this simple trifecta of ingredients.

My favorite sandwich combo of all the ones I tried was made with Carissa’s honey oat bread. This bread has the texture, moisture, and light sweetness you want for swaddling your tomato slice. Kimchijews Kimchi mayo (available at L & W Market in Bridgehampton and various farm stands and farmers markets) tasted like good mayo with some mysterious umami situation going on. One good tomato, salt and pepper. Local, local, local.

For those who don’t make their own, Breadzilla in Wainscott got numerous shout-outs and Rowdy Hall in East Hampton has been running a tomato sandwich special.

Friends like Barbara Dayton and Ellen White went on a tear making tomato sandwiches after reading the Facebook post. Ah, the power of suggestion.

I never get tired of trying tomato sandwiches. As a matter of fact, on Sunday morning I had another for breakfast (Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse bread, yellow tomato), then went to a friend’s house for lunch. The menu: gazpacho and grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. I brought a St. Lucia style salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, mango, and red onion with a garlic dressing. It was a tomatopalooza!!!

Now for some slightly bad news. By the time you read this, tomato season will be close to over. The cold, rainy June was followed by some ideal weather, then several inches of rain, causing many plants to rot and mildew. So if you want the perfect sandwich, and just as important, want to make some sauce for the winter, now is the time.

Just what is it that gives the Solanum lycopersicum its flavor? Sugars (fructose and glucose), acids mostly citric and malic), and volatile compounds that are released when the tomato is sliced, crushed, eaten. Tomatoes can be sweet, acidic, or balanced. Our perception of tomato flavor comes from the taste and the smell. The volatile compounds (there are 15 to 20 assertive ones in each fruit) are released as fragrance, which integrates with the taste to create a full flavor. Red and pink tomatoes generally have more sugar than acid, orange and yellow are less acidic and milder. Black and purple are complex with balanced levels of sweet and tart. Cherry and grape tomatoes have the highest concentration of sweetness. 

Why did so many people respond to “tomato sandwich: discuss”? Perhaps because we all know it is a fleeting and not always reliable, seasonal thing. This, along with childhood memories, Harriet the Spy, the beauty of simplicity, and more. I fully intend to try many of the suggestions: Spike seasoning from the Menus; goat cheese on toasted sourdough from Cali pal, Sarah Osborne, avocado, basil leaves, bacon, cucumbers, jalapeños, salted butter, and more. I do, however, draw the line at cutting off the crusts (this is not a tea sandwich from William Poll!) and Miracle Whip. Miracle Whip is a salad dressing.

Corn also has a short season but you can freeze corn with beautiful results. It may become slightly watery and translucent but it still tastes like summer. You can do no such thing with raw tomatoes, no freezing, no refrigeration. So enjoy them while you can, simply prepared, and consume them with gratitude and mindfulness . . . over the kitchen sink.

Click for recipes

Music at Harbor Bistro

Harbor Bistro in East Hampton will feature live bands and food and drink specials on Sundays from 5 to 8 p.m. The food specials, all priced at $8, include chicken potstickers, chips and guacamole, and oysters with a celery mignonette. 

New in Bridgehampton

The Mercado Mexican Grill in Bridgehampton has changed its name and its culinary focus. It is now the Hudson Blue Crab House. The menu has retained some items from its previous incarnation, including fish and shrimp tacos, but includes new additions such as king crab legs, soft-shelled crabs, lobster rolls, and a variety of oysters. 

Mecox Delivered

Mecox Bay Dairy in Bridgehampton will start a home delivery service tomorrow. It will be available to households from Montauk to Southampton and it will operate through August. Customers will be able to shop online at mecoxdirect.com from the farm’s selection of meats, cheeses, and other products, place an order by noon on Wednesday, and have the items arrive two days later. The delivery fee is $10 with no minimum order requirements. Orders placed after noon on Wednesday will be delivered on Friday of the following week.