I recently had the great, good fortune to spend an evening dining at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., followed by a farm tour the next morning. And I shall say right now that this was the most spectacular, staggeringly creative, delicious meal I have ever had in my life.

    I went with friends, Alexandra and Michael, who have been there eight times already. As almost everything served is from the farm and this is very early spring, I had visions of many, many root vegetables and not much else. Alexandra and Michael assured me there would be a great deal more variety than that. This was the understatement of the year.

    There are no set menus at Blue Hill. You have a choice between two tasting menus. One is called Grazing, Pecking, and Rooting, 12 courses for $208. The other is the Farmer’s Feast, eight courses for $148. We all chose the Farmer’s Feast, which is actually far more than eight courses. So many tiny, tasty delights come out of the kitchen, it was impossible to tell which were actually courses and which were merely the chef’s whimsical ideas of the day.

    Dan Barber is the executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill, but I got the feeling that if Tim Burton and Wes Anderson were ever let loose in a kitchen together, this is what it would look like. If I were to tell you every single thing we were served, it would take up 2,000 words. Some of the food came out so fast and was so varied, we couldn’t scribble notes fast enough.

    We began with a long wooden board studded with thin spikes. Arranged on the spikes were tiny pickled and salted baby turnips, carrots, radishes, and purple cauliflower. Next were squash blossoms and fighter spinach leaves, so called because it manages to grow outside through the harsh winters. I have never tasted such sweet spinach.

    Beets and carrots were big stars throughout the meal. Beets came in the form of jerky, tartare (prepared table side and topped with a quail egg yolk), Bolognese on polenta, beet liverwurst hot dog, and tiny beet burgers.

    The way the dishes were served was insane. There were big slabs of bark, slate, and tree trunks. A pot of sprouts came with scissors for snipping and was given a spritz of tarragon vinegar from a mister. Fermented vegetables came in an egg cup shaped like a chicken’s foot. Shot glasses arrived with a clear liquid, the first spring flow of maple sap. It tasted faintly resiny. There was phytoplankton and curried carrots on seed crackers, cola on corn flatbread, pickled mussels with seaweed creme fraiche, potatoes with trout caviar. A whole pepperoncini was brought out on a wooden board with an Opinel pocket knife to slice and snack on throughout the meal. One of the craziest looking dishes was a huge pizza slice-shaped slab of slate with a powder of Aleppo pepper, Parmesan, hazelnuts, and almonds as the crust. The “pizza” part was carrots, spinach, and scallions scattered about with two different sauces to drag them through. One was pale and saffrony, the other chorizo. Playing with your food is encouraged here. There was home-cured speck with juniper berries and tiny squares of pork liver sandwiched between shaved dark chocolate. Freaky weird, right? It was delicious.

    Every dish was described and explained by a never-ending parade of waiters. When I first saw the sprouts and scissors and the handsome fellow with the tarragon vinegar mister, I thought, “Oh, dear, this is becoming just a bit twee,” but it really wasn’t.

    One of the coolest demonstrations at the table was a contraption that was brought out to measure the sweetness of carrots, similar to that used to measure sugar in grapes, or the “brix measurement.” One was a big horse carrot, another was an organic California greenhouse carrot, the third was a Mokum carrot, grown at Stone Barns. The horse carrot measured 5.7 on the brix scale of sweetness, the organic was 6.8, and the Mokum was a staggering 15.6. Basically, you are getting an education about your food as you eat it.

    About three quarters of the way through our meal, our gang was escorted out of the dining room into the dark, rainy evening. We were led through a loggia and into what used to be the manure shed. It was lit entirely with votive candles propped up in old copper kettles. Dried herbs and flowers hung from the beams. Here we were served “broccoli and cheddar,” divinely charred stems of broccoli with crispy onions and foamy cheddar sauce. Next was toasted brioche with a green marmalade made from kale and spinach, and house-made ricotta.

    Then we were led back to our original table where we were served “farm tacos.” The taco shells were made from thinly shaved kohlrabi, the fillings were crispy pig’s ear, jerked brisket, seared scallops, “broccamole,” smoked sea salt with lobster roe, and watermelon and molasses sauces. After this, dainty Berkshire pork loin slices with chestnuts, rutabaga, and sour onions. Can you believe that I still haven’t described half of what we ate?

    One of the things that shocked and thrilled me the most was the $148 price tag for such a remarkable meal. A person could easily spend as much at any of our better restaurants on the East End and come away having only eaten an appetizer, entree, dessert, and a glass of wine.

    The meal was a long one, as tasting menus tend to be, but we didn’t get antsy or feel too full. We started at 6:30 and departed four hours later, sated and educated.

    By the time desserts rolled around, my notes had become frightfully brief. Dessert was a celebration of honey in all seasons, a lavender honey ice cream, spring honey with Carolina gold rice, and a fall honey cake with fennel and pistachios. The Tim Burton-Wes Anderson touch appeared again in the form of a tiny George Nakashima-style table covered with straw and what appeared to be mushrooms, speckled eggs, rocks, caterpillars, and ladybugs. These were chocolate truffles and homemade marshmallows.

    On our tour of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture the next day, we learned more about what we had dined on the night before. There were 14 baby lambs of the Finn-Dorset variety, Amber laying hens were busy in their moveable egg-mobile, and the Berkshire pigs were rooting around in the woods or sleeping happily in their barns. The fighter and ice spinaches really were growing on the cold, stony hillsides and in the comfortable greenhouses.

    The Stone Barns buildings are part of the original Rockefeller family estate, Kykuit. Grosvenor Atterbury designed them in the early 1930s. The Rockefellers enjoyed fresh milk.

    The good work done at Stone Barns is worthy of another story. The symbiotic relationship between the for-profit restaurant and 10-year-old nonprofit farm is an extremely successful one.

    All I could think about upon leaving was how soon I could come back. We had booked rooms at the nearby Sheraton in Tarrytown and they were quite reasonable.

     Between the affordable hotels nearby and the spectacular meal and education you get, I would urge any and all to take a trip to Pocantico Hills to experience firsthand how the food is grown, raised, and prepared . . .  with a touch of Tim Burton and Wes Anderson on the side.

Easter Sunday

    Numerous restaurants will offer special meals for Easter Sunday.

    At the Harbor Bistro on Three Mile Harbor, which opens tonight for the 2014 season, a $45 prix fixe will be served along with a complimentary glass of wine, sparkling wine, or Kir Royale. Sample prix fixe dishes, which are subject to change, include, for starters, shellfish bisque, warm burrata and prosciutto, and watermelon and feta salad. Entree choices may include organic chicken breast, chimichurri grilled beef short ribs, miso-glazed sea scallops, and leg of lamb. Dessert is also included. The price excludes tax and gratuity.

    At the Bistro’s sister restaurant, Harbor Grill, Easter specials will be offered in addition to the a la carte menu. They include caprese salad, herb-roasted leg of lamb, slow-roasted prime rib, steamed lobster, and lump crab-crusted swordfish.

    At Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton, Easter Sunday specials will be on offer at brunch and dinner. Spring pea soup, house-cured salmon, lamb chops, and ricotta cheesecake are among the selections.

    Cafe Max, also in East Hampton, will serve a three-course Easter dinner beginning at 1 p.m., at $30 for adults and $20 for children under 13. Appetizers include Napeague cherrystone clams, spring rolls, shrimp cocktail, mushroom soup, and salads, while entrees will be leg of lamb, chicken Milanese, pappardelle Bolognese, salmon, veal medallions, and Montauk cod. There will be a choice of several desserts.

    At the Living Room restaurant at c/o the Maidstone inn in East Hampton, brunch and dinner will be served on Sunday from the a la carte menus as well as an Easter special, available all day for $52. It will feature traditional Swedish herring, garlic and rosemary-marinated roasted lamb, and vanilla ice cream served with warm raspberries, mint, and toasted almonds. 

    Out in Montauk, Easter will be celebrated at Manucci’s with a three-course prix fixe for $32.95, with roast half duck, filet mignon, broiled fluke, rack of lamb, or frutti di mare as entrees, along with a choice of soup or salad and dessert. A children’s menu will also be available, as will some items from the regular menu. Service will be from 3 to 8 p.m.  Reservations have been recommended.

    At Sammy’s there will be a $29.95 prix fixe all day on Easter, and the regular menu will also be available.

    Inlet Seafood will be serving dinner from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Reservations would be appreciated.

    The Gulf Coast Kitchen at the Montauk Yacht Club will have an Easter buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Serving stations will offer roast turkey, prime rib, pastas, eggs and omelettes, and seafood. Pan-seared striped bass, roasted spiral ham, antipasto, salads, rice, and vegetables will also be served, along with dessert from a chocolate fondue fountain and a Viennese dessert table. The cost is $42 a person, $17.95 for kids ages 4 to 12. Those under 4 may eat for free.

    At Almond in Bridgehampton, an Easter brunch menu will be offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $30 a person. It will include biscuits and jam, appetizers such as roasted asparagus and hot and cold Brussels sprouts in a Caesar-style salad, English pea and mint soup with Maine crab, and house-made granola. The main dish choices will be grilled lamb chops, sausage and eggs, duck confit hash, and buttermilk waffles. Rhubarb ginger crisp will be served with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

    At Fresh Hamptons in Bridgehampton, specials such as Yukon potato gnocchi with mushrooms and mascarpone cream, roasted lamb, and steamed asparagus will be offered on the Easter holiday. The regular a la carte and brunch menus will also be available.

Spring Ahead

    The Clam Bar on Napeague has opened for the season. From noon to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, weather permitting, visitors can order favorites from the roadside spot such as lobster rolls, fried clams, chowders, and grilled tuna.

    The Harvest on Fort Pond in Montauk is now open Wednesday through Sunday. It will serve from 2 to 8 p.m. on Easter Sunday.

    East by Northeast, or ENE, is also open for the season and has a new executive chef, Alexander Y. Williamson. ENE is serving dinner nightly, except for Thursdays, and will also offer Easter meals from 2 to 8 p.m. A new sushi bar will be opening there soon.

At Gurney’s

    At Gurney’s Inn, changes are afoot under new ownership. Jennifer LeRoy, who took over her father’s, Warner LeRoy’s, Manhattan restaurants, Tavern on the Green and the Russian Tea Room, upon his death, has been tapped to create several dining spots at the hotel, as well as a retail bakery.

    The heat was on Saturday as hundreds of hotheads descended on a field at the Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead for the debut year of the North Fork Horseradish Festival.

    Horseradish has historically been a hot commodity in Riverhead, with its large Polish and German communities. The event began about 40 years ago as an annual backyard party where families could gather and make a condiment from the fiery root. It moved to Martha Clara Vineyards six years ago, but outgrew that space and was taken over this year by Starfish Junction Productions, a company that produces festivals throughout the Northeast.

    The festivities have traditionally been held in early spring when the root is harvested, having been left to overwinter and build full flavor. Just in time for Passover and Easter, festivalgoers were able to see demonstrations of how the root is processed, buy horseradish products, and partake of other typical festival activities, from watching a woodworking demonstration to getting glitter tattoos for the young’uns.

    Families and friends worked together to peel and chop the root, then grind it in a grinder that extruded pieces that looked like shredded mozzarella. White vinegar was added before pureeing the mix in a food processor. The finer the grind, the hotter the result, one old-timer said. The more vinegar, the milder. In this undoctored state, it can stay in a fridge about three months.

    Tom O’Neill, who has been helping with the party for decades, offered us a hard-boiled egg to halve and spread the fresh concoction on — a pure way to experience the sinus-searing plant.

    There were purveyors on hand selling jars of various flavors, including a knock-your-socks-off blend from Schmitt Farms combining the combustible duo of horseradish and jalapeno under the Holy Schmitt’s Homemade Horseradish label. Matt Schmitt, this generation’s farmer, still uses his grandfather’s recipe.

    The founders of S+M Horseradish, two brothers-in-law, Marc Appelbaum, an architect, and Seth Lehman, a lawyer, managed to sell out of their softly spiced jars of made-in-Brooklyn product within two hours — an auspicious start, as it was the first time they had introduced it. Last year at a Passover Seder they grabbed a root as it was about to be tossed, then played around with a recipe till they landed one that “was better than the competitors out there.” They also plan to launch a “kick your butt” Bloody Mary mix.

    Lines were long for the horseradish pickles, horseradish fudge (better than you’d think), and ice cream topped with the tangy condiment (strange, but palatable), both sweets made by Kilwins, a confectionery house in Babylon.

    Chris Richards, a Long Island chef who heads East End Events Catering, demonstrated recipes made with horseradish. His mixture of sour cream, mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, champagne vinegar, and, of course, horseradish made for a mild crudite dip with a pronounced tang. He also made a beurre blanc with horseradish, butter, cream, and Dijon, a versatile sauce to be served with any kind of meat or fish. And he prepared a crust of horseradish, panko, Parmesan, and mayo he said could be used to encase a fish for searing and oven-finishing.

    Entries for a recipe contest included a beet salad, crawfish-stuffed tomatoes, ham Bisquick pie, cheddar spread, and bacon-wrapped shrimp with a cream dip, all starring horseradish. The winner was the shrimp, entered by John Barci, a web designer from Babylon. His prize was a year’s supply of Cabot Cheese, a value of $312.

    The high point of the day was the Bloody Mary contest, which pitted regular folk against bartenders. Theresa Lavallo, a bartender at Gosman’s restaurant in Montauk, prepared a tongue-tingling cocktail given a kick by Sriracha chili sauce, a habanero pepper sauce, Cajun spices, and the ground root of the day. Garnished with a pickle spear, horseradish cheese, pepperoni, and pepperoncini, it packed a palate-pleasing punch. Hers was a virgin version, as she wanted the mix, which she warned was “not for the faint of heart‚” to stand on its own without the distraction of vodka. You can look forward to imbibing what she called the Bloody Buccaneer at Gosman’s soon. With vodka, please.

    Other versions of the cocktail were equally as creative, with contestants rimming their glasses with ingredients including paprika, seafood seasoning, and horseradish. One drink was doused heavily with Guinness Stout and sprinkled with bacon. Another was laced with a puree of jalapenos, tomatillos, and cucumbers.

    The winner again was John Barci, a kind of contest pro who enters many contests around the country, especially barbecue competitions. His cocktail incorporated classic Bloody Mary ingredients with the addition of two barbecue rubs and liquid smoke. He won a $100 gift certificate to BBD’s, a restaurant in Rocky Point. When asked to give a speech, Mr. Barci, who is planning to launch a Long Island barbecue championship on Labor Day weekend, said simply, “Let’s drink.”

    Alas, only the judges were allowed that honor, much to the consternation of the audience, who exhaled an audible grunt.

Cooking at Church

    Marco Barrila, the chef and owner of Insatiable Eats in Southampton, will present a program highlighting the cuisine of his native Sicily at an East End Chefs program at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor tonight at 6:30. The menu will include an appetizer of eggplant, tomatoes, capers, and olives in an agrodolce (sweet and sour) sauce, followed by pasta with tomato, basil, fried eggplant, and oven-dried ricotta. The meal will conclude with a semi-frozen lemon and strawberry dessert.

    Reservations have been suggested, as space is limited, and can be made by calling Lillian Woudsma at 553-6515. The $20 charge can be paid at the door. Wine and water will be available for purchase.

Spring Wine Dinner

    Tomorrow night, the Living Room restaurant at c/o the Maidstone inn in East Hampton will present a springtime wine dinner, with two seatings, at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Reservations have been recommended. The evening will begin with cheese and cold cuts served in the wine cellar with Chris Miller, a sommelier who will introduce guests to the wines. Diners will choose wines from the cellar to have with a five-course meal.

Asado Garden Party

    Lamb roasted outdoors, wines from the Wolffer Estate Vineyard offered by Roman Roth, a Wolffer partner and winemaker, and passed hors d’oeuvres and salad, along with dipping sauces and sides, will be featured at a Latin-style garden party beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2, at c/o the Maidstone. Dessert will also be served, and Alfredo Merat and Radio Europa will entertain with live music. The event, which begins at 6 p.m., will cost $95, including tax and gratuity for a family-style dinner, and there will be giveaways from c/o the Maidstone and Wolffer.

Wine Kudos

    Roman Roth’s Grapes of Roth 2007 merlot from Wolffer recently received a 91-point rating from Wine Spectator magazine, which recognized it as a “cellar selection.”

Navy Beach Reopens

    Navy Beach restaurant in Montauk gets its 2014 season under way tomorrow at 5 p.m. The restaurant on Fort Pond Bay will be open for dinner and lunch through Sunday. Among the new items on the menu are steamed Prince Edward Island mussels, a Montauk kale Caesar salad, roasted sea scallops with chorizo, shrimp, peas, rice, and lemon aioli, soy-glazed tile fish with red curry sauce, and grass-fed New York strip steak. New white, red, and rose wines will be available as well.

    The restaurant’s schedule for upcoming weekends is variable; information can be found at navybeach.com.

Slow Food Dinner

    A family-style Slow Food feast will be served on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Fresh Hamptons in Bridgehampton. A reception at the bar, including a complimentary drink and Peconic Pride oysters served three ways, will be followed by a dinner to include French onion soup with Mecox Bay Dairy gruyere, oven-roasted local skate, roasted organic chicken, braised Mecox Bay heritage pork, osso buco Milanese, and local greens and vegetables.

    Wines from the North Fork — Lenz merlot and Martha Clara chardonnay — and Long Ireland Celtic Ale will be served, with diners allowed a choice of two. The cost is $85, plus tax and gratuity.

Taste of Tuckahoe

    The Taste of Tuckahoe, a foodie fund-raiser for the Tuckahoe School, will be held tomorrow night from 7 to 10 at 230 Elm in Southampton. Among the participating restaurants and food and drink purveyors are 1 North Steakhouse, DeJesus Deli & Grocery, Edgewater restaurant, the Golden Pear, Palmer Vineyards, Townline BBQ, Montauk Brewing Company, and Tully’s Seafood Market.

    Regular tickets cost $25 in advance, or $30 at the door. They can be purchased at Southrifty Drug in Southampton or online at TasteofTuckahoe.com. A $50 ticket will admit one to a V.I.P. event from 6 to 7 p.m. featuring a cooking demonstration by Christian Mir, the chef and owner of Stone Creek Inn, a tasting of Palmer wines, hors d’oeuvres, a meet-and-greet with Karine Bakhoum of the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” and early access to auction items and the foods and wines.

Wine-Tasting Workshop

    A wine-tasting workshop series at Wainscott Main Wines and Spirits, the new wine shop overseen by Chimene Macnaughton, a well-known East End sommelier, will continue on Wednesday with “Know Your Producer: The Imports of Rosenthal Wine Merchants.” Blake Johnson will discuss the provider’s offerings during the workshop at the Montauk Highway shop starting at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $10. Reservations have been requested by phone or by email to wainscottmain@ gmail.com. The final workshop in the series, on May 7, will focus on sake.

    The wine shop will have a free “Pink Party” tomorrow from 4 to 6 p.m. There will be a tasting of rosés from Robert Kacher Selections with a representative on hand, and cheese and other snacks provided by the Seafood Shop. All are welcome.

For Locals

    The Montauk Yacht Club will provide a 10-percent discount on food and beverages at its Gulf Coast Kitchen, Hurricane Alley, Barracuda Bar, and Turtle Lounge to South Fork residents hailing from Westhampton Beach to Montauk, including Shelter Island, during the summer season. Those who want to cash in must register, and will receive a keychain allowing them to claim their savings. Those who pick up their keychain and have dinner at the Gulf Coast Kitchen before May 18 will receive a complimentary bottle of house wine with the purchase of an entree (one per table). The locals’ savings will also apply to lodging.

Bostwick’s Catering

    Bostwick’s Chowder House in East Hampton has debuted a clambake and catering company, led by Joe D’Angell, a chef with seven years of experience at Hampton Clambakes and Food & Co. catering.

    Bostwick’s Clambakes and Catering Co. will offer both a clambake menu and a surf and turf menu option. Selections on the clambake menu will include shrimp cocktail, steamed clams and mussels, lobsters, grilled citrus-thyme chicken, homemade tortilla chips with pico de gallo and guacamole, potatoes, corn, coleslaw, and green salad, with watermelon and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

    The surf and turf menu includes shrimp, seared Montauk yellowfin tuna with seaweed salad, steamed clams and mussels, chips with salsa and guacamole, lobster, sliced beef tenderloin, corn, potatoes, greens, and dessert.

     The new venture will be overseen by Caitlin Kalke, a catering director who worked previously in similar positions at the Hamptons Seafood Company and the Seafood Shop.

New for 2014

    Richie Notar, the New York City restaurateur behind Harlow, who served as general manager of the original Nobu and opened 19 Nobu restaurants worldwide, has reportedly set his sights on the Sag Harbor location of B. Smith’s restaurant on Long Wharf. Word is that an outpost of Harlow will open there in early May.

    In Montauk, the former digs of the Cross-Eyed Clam at the docks is set to become the Harbor Raw Bar and Lounge.

    The witty writer Dorothy Parker once aptly described eternity as “two people and a ham.”

    Chances are, if you just celebrated Easter or Passover you are now saddled with a variety of leftovers: matzoh, hard-boiled eggs, brisket, perhaps ham or lamb . . . and margarine, plus a weird selection of candies, the kind that only appear at Easter, such as the vile Peeps, little neon colored chicks made of the most obsequiously mushy marshmallow coated with sugar crystals with such a ghastly dose of food coloring you actually get a bitter aftertaste. More on what to do with Peeps later, besides just throw them out.

    Passover seders were over a week ago, so I am hoping you carved up some one-pound chunks of your leftover brisket and popped them in the freezer. Now what? Sloppy Joes with barbecue sauce on an onion roll with coleslaw. Shred some and add it to a rich, beef broth-based vegetable soup. My favorite method of using leftover brisket is to make layered tostadas with fresh pico de gallo.

    Figuring out what to do with leftover hard-boiled eggs is easy: Make egg salad or deviled eggs. Cobb salad is another good alternative. When making egg salad or deviled eggs, doll up the eggs with lots of fresh herbs like parsley and chives, or add a pinch of curry powder and mango chutney. Top them with crisp bacon bits or smoked paprika.

    Remember the delicious, salty ham salad from Dreesen’s? It was hard to beat but homemade is easy. Simply grind ham in a food processor or finely chop by hand and add a bit of mayo to bind it and some Dijon or yellow mustard. If you want to go really retro, add Durkee Famous Sauce, a vinegary concoction with just the right balance of sharpness from the mustard and egginess from the mayonnaise.

    Matzoh can be transformed into matzoh balls, best made with good rendered chicken fat and simmered gently in a rich chicken soup. Matzoh brei is another favorite but is so often made poorly. While it can be made as simply as water-soaked matzoh added to scrambled eggs, it is an outstanding breakfast or brunch dish when started with sauteed onions and served with sour cream and cherry jam or applesauce.

    Some people are perfectly happy with cold leftover lamb in a sandwich. You can make a gyro inspired sandwich with a yogurt cucumber sauce spiked with garlic. I prefer cutting the lamb into small cubes and making either an Indian curry or Thai green curry and serving over basmati or jasmine rice. Homemade chutneys on the side, such as pineapple or mango, add some sweetness to tame the heat of the curry.

    I am not prone to using margarine but if you bought some to make a dairy-free dessert for Passover, such as flourless chocolate cake, now you have leftover margarine. Fortunately, nowadays there are many tasty brands. If you have stick margarine you can make pastry crusts or any other baked goods that call for butter. This won’t work with the tub variety, however, as this has added water.

    As for those leftover Peeps (which now come in pink and purple and blue, along with the original electric yellow), a popular use, posted on the Baking Bites blog and picked up by The New York Times, is Peeps infused vodka. You put about 30 Peeps into a glass jar, fill it with 750 mls of vodka, steep for four days, then strain. You now have sweet yellow vodka, which you can serve to your unsuspecting friends in a lemon drop.

    When it comes to jelly beans and chocolate bunnies and Cadbury cream eggs I don’t think there’s much use for them. Just chuck them in the trashcan and focus on creative ways to use up your eggs and brisket and ham and lamb and matzoh. Here are some delicious recipes to get you started. No Peeps s’mores, I promise.

Click for recipes

    The joy of pork, from the snout to the trotters, and craft beer will be celebrated at Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. Local beer will be featured. The menu will include pork sliders, chicharrones, bacon, charcuterie, terrines, rillettes, grilled sausages, and pork belly sandwiches.

    Also on the board will be early season local vegetables, soft drinks from Miss Lady Root Beer, and Montauk Pearl oysters. The cost is $100 per person; guests anteing up an additional $25 can cut the line and get in at noon. Reservations have been suggested.

Get It While You Can

    Tonight is the final night for the $28, seven-selection tasting menu at Sen restaurant in Sag Harbor. Dinner is served during the week until 9:30 p.m.

    Donna McHugh, who has decided to sell her company, Fat Ass Fudge, after six years in operation, will hold a yard sale Saturday and Sunday form 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 32 Lotus Avenue in Springs at which she hopes to unload her farmers market retail setups and other equipment. She will also offer the last batches of her fudge at reduced prices.

New Wine Shop

    Lieb Cellars’ new wine shop and tasting room in East Hampton Village marked its official opening on Friday. The Mattituck vineyard was the first and, so far, only winery to set up a tasting space on the South Fork. The hours at its outpost at 26 Park Place are noon to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Rick’s Crabby Cowboy

    There is at least one advantage to being at the end of the Montauk Airport’s runway for Rick’s Crabby Cowboy: Pilots can cross East Lake Drive from the tarmac to grab a bite. Now, the restaurant has been honored by the readers of a recreational fliers’ website, 100dollarhamburger.com, with its Best of the Best Award.

    The name of the site comes from pilots’ slang for traveling to a distant airport just to get something to eat. The food may be inexpensive, the thinking goes, but getting there costs an arm and a leg.

    Rick’s was one of 26 restaurants in North America to get the award.

Bay Kitchen Bar

    Those dressed in seersucker or Kentucky Derby-worthy hats can enjoy two-for-one mint juleps Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Bay Kitchen Bar on Gann Road at Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton. Post time for the 139th running of the derby will be a little after 6:20 p.m.

    The restaurant has taken over the former Andrra space above the Harbor Marina office with Eric Miller, late of Madison and Main, at the helm. Oysters are $1 from 4 to 7 p.m. seven days a week in an appropriately maritime-themed happy hour.

    Over the last two months I have spent several Sunday afternoons with some of the most relevant and important people in our community — farmers and fishermen, brewers and winemakers, restaurateurs and shellfish growers. The reason was a series of panel discussions presented by the Peconic Land Trust and sponsored by Edible East End. The theme for the four panels was “Long Island Grown: Food and Beverage Artisans at Work.” This was the fifth year that Peconic Land Trust has presented these talks, titled “Conversations With . . . ,” at Bridge Gardens in Bridgehampton, a hidden gem.

    The first panel was called “Small Bites” and the panelists were David Falkowski of OpenMinded Organics (the mushroom man!), Fred Lee of Sang Lee Farm, and Pete Ludlow of Mecox Bay Dairy.

    Moderating a panel is easy . . . and hard. You have to be invisible but in control. You need to know your stuff but let the panel do all the talking. If you look out into the audience and see eyes glazing over and folks starting to whisper among themselves, you’ve probably lost them. They are not sheep, but you are the sheepdog. I have only done this once before.

    For the first panel, I overprepared by sending sample questions and pre-interviewing them. I also warned them that I was going to throw each of them a curveball. Dave Falkowski, one of the more articulate and opinionated farmers in our midst, was not flummoxed at all by the picture of a strange mushroom I found in a friend’s backyard in Virginia. “Ganoderma Tsugae!” he said. My curveball for Fred Lee was unsuccessful. I begged him for the recipe for the ginger dip that comes with the Fresh-Lee Cut veggies sold at local farmers markets. “No way, that’s my wife Karen’s recipe.” Pete Ludlow helped us solve the mystery of some of Mecox Bay Dairy’s oddly named cheeses. “Sigit” was his great grandmother’s nickname. “Shawondasee” is Native American for “prevailing southwest wind.”

    Honestly, though, the true highlight of being a part of these panel discussions with people I fervently admire was the food served afterward. Rick Bogusch, the garden manager of Bridge Gardens, would whip up all kinds of treats: chocolate truffles, homemade pates and dips, pickled quail eggs, grilled oysters with herbed butter, chocolate dipped crystallized ginger and apricots, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. Add this to the pesto from Sang Lee and samples of Atlantic Mist, Mecox Sunrise, and more cheeses from Pete, and every Sunday event had a feast after our Q and A.

    Sadly, I had to miss the second talk, which was with the talented winemakers Miguel Martin from Palmer, Christopher Tracy from Channing Daughters, and Kareem Massoud of Paumanok. But the panel was deftly handled by Eileen Duffy of Edible East End.

    The third panel was “Hops and Brews” with the guests John Condzella of Condzella’s Farm, Rich Stabile of Long Island Spirits, and Duffy Griffiths, brewmaster of Crooked Ladder Brewing Co. John, a fourth-generation farmer from Wading River, was inspiring because he used a modern method to keep his family farm profitable. With the help of Kickstarter (an online fund-raising tool for creative endeavors) he financed his hops-growing operation, which is now doing a booming business selling hops to local brewers. He brought a bag of freeze-dried hops for show and tell. Very cool. It looked like a big bag of primo pot.

    Duffy Griffiths was kind enough to bring us two little kegs of beer to sample, and Rich Stabile brought Liv vodka, rye and bourbon, and sorbettos, fruit-infused liqueurs, all made with Long Island-grown fruit. The youngsters from Quail Hill Farm were delighted to be able to take home the leftovers, although I made off with the excellent Rough Riders bourbon.

    Last but not least was “Fruits of the Sea” with Joe Tremblay of Bay Burger, also a shellfish grower and organizer of a Sag Harbor oyster club, Karen Rivara, president of Aeros Oyster Co. in Shirley and head of the Long Island Farm Bureau, and Sean Barrett, founder of the East End’s first community supported fishery, Dock to Dish, out of Montauk. Karen explained why raising oysters is a combination of “zen and voodoo.” Joe brought a basket of oysters and demonstrated how to open them. Sean, who feared he might be monosyllabic, was as articulate and knowledgeable as any of the panelists, although the renowned chef Dan Barber once told him “when your product speaks for itself, you probably shouldn’t interrupt.” Ha, ha.

    So the last panel of the series ended with the educated and entertained guests slurping raw and grilled oysters and clams, sampling homemade mignonettes and Holy Schmidt horseradish sauce, nibbling asparagus and crudités with bean dip, and sipping Palmer sauvignon blanc. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon in early spring.

    I did my best to alternate between schoolmarm and P.T. Barnum as moderator, but it was the panelists and guests who made it good. There were bits of controversy: “The only good deer is a dead deer!” declared one farmer vehemently. There were tales of struggles: Fred Lee and his family had to auction their farm equipment in 2004 to survive. And there were plenty of new words to learn like “rectification columns” and “Hopfen pfluckmaschine.”

    Thank you, Peconic Land Trust, for educating our community. Thank you farmers and fishermen and cheesemakers and brewers and winemakers and shellfish growers for sharing your time and expertise, and thank you Rick for making the end of each event a tasty example of what the East End has to offer.

    The irony of watching “12 Years a Slave” the night before embarking on a little tour of Charleston, S.C., was not lost on me. Nor was the fact that William Tecumseh Sherman is one of my great, great, great uncles, a fact that I may or may not have proudly shouted from one of the city’s many church steeples had I imbibed enough bourbon. But this was more of a food and architecture tour of that lovely city.

    The trip began as my treat for a good friend who has done a bucket load of work for me over the past year. It ended up being a trip with five kids in their 20s and four grownups. The organizing of meals and walking forays was like wrangling a basket of kittens. The weather, sadly, did not cooperate. It was in the 40s and raining sideways for three out of four days. But the food was a delight and a revelation.

    One of the best meals we had was our first lunch at Cru Cafe, a tiny place we stumbled upon near our hotel. Fried green tomatoes with pork belly croutons, Thai mussels, barbecue brisket, bread pudding. Oh, and salads, of course. Dinner that night was at the Peninsula Grill, a beautiful restaurant (brown velvet walls, portraits of dockworkers!) in our hotel. It is justifiably famous for its coconut cake, a multi-tiered marvel of whiteness and light. Oysters, veal, scallops, flounder, banana creme brulée. No vegetables!

    The foods and architecture of Charleston are similar to New Orleans, and the prices at the restaurants were shockingly reasonable. There were grits on every menu, biscuits, chicken and waffles, fried alligator, cream gravies, boiled peanuts, hush puppies, antelope, and oysters. Desserts are taken seriously, usually served in the form of a mile-high cake or dense and sweet pie.

    Charleston survived the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Even pirates and hurricanes have not been able to destroy its antebellum mansions, gazillion churches, and Spanish-moss-draped trees. It is the seventh largest container port in the United Stages. The first golf game in America was played in Charleston and the first public college, museum, and playhouse are here. George Gershwin composed his opera “Porgy and Bess” while living on Folly Beach and Porgy and Bess are buried in the James Island Presbyterian Church graveyard. The state dance is the shag.

    We took a brief tour of a mansion-guest house on Charleston Harbor. As some members of the family were still living in parts of the house, our tour was a bit restricted and dare I say, creepy? The chintz and Victoriana everywhere gave me the vapors, or whatever it is that Southern belles faint from. Thank the Lord there were crystal bowls of Hershey’s kisses every three feet of the tour.

    From there we were off to Poogan’s Porch for more fried green tomatoes and she-crab soup. Poogan’s is named for a stray dog that just decided to live on the porch. The house is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a spinster who died within. The local police still receive so many calls about reported sightings of her that they totally ignore them. This place had the best biscuits, along with pimento cheese balls with green tomato jam, blackened catfish, and maple syrup that has been spiked with Texas Pete hot sauce.

    In walking around downtown Charles­­ton we observed quite a few signs saying, “No concealed weapons allowed inside.” According to the Huffington Post, a new law passed last month in the state allows people with “concealed-weapon permits to carry firearms in places that serve food or alcohol, as long as they don’t drink while inside.” Establishments can opt to ban them, but must prominently display a sign in their window to that effect.

    Quite a few shops would have decanters of bourbon at the ready and zinc tubs full of ice and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. And perhaps a pitcher of sweet tea or lemonade for the ladies. Garden and Gun magazine is a bible here, a glossy publication extolling the virtues of both.

    One of our best meals was at Hominy Grill, a simple but sophisticated little place where our friend Beanie’s daughter is a waitress. We got the royal treatment (free shrimp beignets with a tart, tomato salsa) and feasted on oyster soup, fried chicken livers, triggerfish, squash casserole, creamed mustard greens, Hummingbird cake, and the restaurant’s famous buttermilk pie. The tables are set with plastic bear honey dispensers and boiled peanuts. If you’ve never had boiled peanuts, they are hard to describe and not to everyone’s liking. The peanuts are soft and mushy within the shell, and have been boiled in very salty water. They have the texture of chestnuts but with a mild peanut flavor. Most of our basket of kittens loved them.

    There are a few culinary specialties that you can bring home: stone ground grits from Geechie Boy or Anson Mills, and Carolina yellow rice. There are sweetgrass baskets for sale in the outdoor markets and they are beautiful. The baskets were first woven by slaves from West Africa over 300 years ago and were used to store rice, produce, cotton, shellfish, clothing, sewing supplies, breads, and biscuits. Some members of the African-American community of Mount Pleasant still weave the baskets that start out green and smelling of sweet hay and dry to a pale, pretty beige.

    The meticulous preservation of Charleston gives one the feeling of having truly stepped back in time. The horse-drawn carriages and people who use words like “tawdry” and “holler” add to the atmosphere, along with ancient palms and houses the color of shrimp bisque. It’s like a cleaner New Orleans without the jazz. Best of all, the chefs and cooks of Charleston are preserving culinary history while bringing low country cuisine into the next century.

Click for recipes

    Stoves continue to fire up in restaurant kitchens that had gone cold for the winter season. Friday, April 4, brings the reopening of the Dock in Montauk.

    South Edison restaurant in Montauk, which is not quite ready to open for the season, has a sister restaurant now in New York City, called Bo’s Kitchen and Bar Room. It is at 6 West 24th Street. As with South Edison, Todd Mitgang is a partner and the chef.

Fresh Eggs

    The folks at Round Swamp Farm in East Hampton have hens a-laying, and fresh eggs may be ordered by sending a text to 516-443-6834. The eggs can then be picked up at 160 Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. They cost $6 a dozen.

Weeknight Specials

    Weeknight $19.95 specials at little/red in Southampton are as follows: duck grilled cheese on Mondays, chef’s choice on Tuesdays, veal Milanese on Wednesdays, and hanger steak frites on Thursdays.

    At the red/bar brasesrie, also in Southampton, prix fixe choices offered Sunday through Thursday nights, and on Fridays between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., include two courses for $30 or three for $35. Among the appetizer choices are cornmeal-crusted calamari, local oysters on the half shell, and braised pork belly with shaved apples, ricotta salata, and a maple-cider vinegar glaze. Entrée choices are truffled chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and French beans, miso-glazed tilefish, and bucatini with littleneck clams. Choices are subject to change.

Prime Rib Night

    Thursdays are prime rib night at the Bell & Anchor restaurant on Noyac Road in Noyac. A special featuring an appetizer and an eight-ounce portion of prime rib, with vegetables and potatoes, is $34; the price for a 12-ounce portion is $39. Dessert can be added for an extra $5.

Tried and True

    Fresno in East Hampton also has $30 and $35 prix fixe choices, and offers them all night on Sundays through Thursdays, and on Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tax and gratuity are extra. Among the menu items that could be offered are, to start, chicken liver pate with pickled beets and rye toast points, smoky chipotle and chickpea hummus with grilled flatbread and marinated olives, and a salad of baby greens with pears, Manchego cheese, pumpkin seeds, and sherry vinaigrette. Entrees to be found could include chicken Milanese, rigatoni Bolognese, Fresno burgers, and mussels and fries.

Living Room Weekly

    The Living Room restaurant at c/o the Maidstone inn in East Hampton has introduced the Living Room Weekly, a different three-course special for $35 each week. The menu will be offered all night every night except on Saturdays, when it will be available only until 6:30 p.m. Sample choices include salmon tartare, biff a la Lindstrom, a main course featuring ground beef, red beets, capers, roasted fingerling potatoes, garlic butter, and bordelaise sauce, and vanilla ice cream with warm raspberries for dessert.

    Hamptons restaurant week is in full swing now, and three-course specials for $27.95 will continue at more than a dozen local eateries through Sunday. A full list can be found at hamptonsrestaurantweek.com.

    A new hotspot at the Montauk dock will open next Thursday. The old Salivar’s space has been taken over by West Lake Clam and Chowder House, and the new season is set to begin with its signature sushi bar and full menu. For now, dinner will be served from Thursday through Monday, and lunch offered as well from Friday through Sunday. Breakfast hours will be added later in the season.

    Across the harbor in the chowder house’s previous space, the old West Lake fishing lodge, Larry Kolar, formerly of the Backyard at Sole East, is opening the West Lake Fish House later this month. It will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

    Tomorrow night will bring the seasonal reopening of another Montauk harbor stalwart, the Dock.

Empanadas Always

    Gula Gula Empanadas, locally made artisanal treats that have heretofore been sold only at farmers markets, are now available at the Smokin’ Wolf barbecue takeout shop on Pantigo Road in East Hampton. The shop will offer two “empanadas of the day” for takeout or eating on site, Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

    Among the varieties of empanadas, sold fresh or frozen and in standard or hors d’oeuvre sizes, are chicken with roasted poblanos and tomatillos, chipotle puree, and spices; albacore tuna and flounder with roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, and tomatoes, and a seasonal greens version featuring kale, swiss chard, and manchego cheese.

Cocktail Tips

    The next in a series of tasting workshops at Wainscott Main Wine and Spirits will take place on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. “Mixology 101: What Makes a Special(ty) Cocktail” will be presented by J.R. Grisch of Opici Family Distributors. Admission to each of the weekly sessions is $10. Those interested may sign up by email to wainscottmain@gmail. com.

For Passover

    The first night of Passover is April 14, and Charlotte Sasso at Stuart’s Seafood Market in Amagansett has begun taking orders for holiday dishes, from her homemade gefilte fish to matzoh ball soup, chopped liver, and haroset.