East End Eats: Festive and Tasty

Zigmund’s

203 Bridgehampton-

Sag Harbor Turnpike

Bridgehampton

631-919-5340

Daily from 5 p.m. 

Sometimes reviewing restaurants is fun and swell and delicious and sometimes it is a chore and a bore and requires a good supply of Bromo-Seltzer. (That’s old-school lingo for antacids.) Reviewing restaurants when our season is in full cry requires the driving skills of Mario Andretti, the military acumen of Gen. George Patton, and the stamina of an illegally fortified Lance Armstrong.

When I attempted to review a place last weekend, I showed up super early to get a table. I’m talking Palm Beach Shores Assisted Living Facility early. No tables. “How about if we sit at the bar?” No. “How about if we come back in two or three or four hours?” No. No room for you. 

This has happened only once before in the approximately 15 years I’ve been doing this, so I was taken aback by the inflexibility of this joint. And I suspect the chef/owner may be none too pleased when he eventually hears about it. But so it goes. I scrambled to think of a suitable substitute for a column, hence the eggplant story of last week, which I had to pull out of my, um, brain.

I had hoped this week would be easier, but when I heard that Winston Irie was performing at Zigmund’s the night I was going to review it, I panicked again. “It’ll be packed!” I thought. “I won’t be able to get in! It’s August!” So I showed up even earlier than the Ladies Auxiliary of Minneapolis Macramé  Club meetings. I showed up so early I scared the bejesus out of the bartender on duty. 

Lo and behold I was the only person there. Two of my reviewing guests had already bailed on me and left town. No biggie; my friend Steven was joining me, and that would be enough to sample the food on what turned out to be more of a mezze selection than actual restaurant menu. Then I got a message from Steven saying he didn’t feel like going out. I shamed him into joining me. I was all alone, my other guests bailed, blah-blah-blah. . . . Like a true friend, he showed up, although a wee bit begrudgingly.

In the meantime, I made lemonade out of lemons. The band was starting to set up, the drinks were half price because it was happy hour, and there is a pool table. I made a new friend in Obi, the bass player, who insisted I give him a kiss in exchange for a photo. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Or in my case, an old bat’s gotta do what an old bat’s gotta do.

Zigmund’s is the new establishment on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike where Fresh had been for the last few years. Long ago it was the Wild Rose, and for a while it was South Fork Kitchen, opened by Bruce Buschel, the writer who blogged about the trials and tribulations of opening a restaurant. It was Mr. Buschel who transformed the space into a beautiful barn-like interior, rustic and industrial at the same time. There is a full garden in front, and now there is a piano and the aforementioned pool table inside. 

Zigmund’s is brought to us by the fine fellows Eric Lemonides and Jason Weiner of Almond, and is named after Jason’s wife, Almond Zigmund. The food is somewhat Greek, perhaps in a nod to Mr. Lemonides’s heritage.

I began my early bird “meal” at the bar with a dish of spanakopita, a glass of crisp Paumanok chardonnay, and a solo game of pool. The spanakopita was most excellent. It was a creative riff on the traditional spinach-feta pie wrapped in phyllo dough. This version was fresh, creamy, garlicky spinach with a bit of cottage cheese mixed in, wrapped in just a few sheets of phyllo and topped with crumbled feta and fresh dill sprigs. It was served in its own little cast-iron ramekin, piping hot and crisp. 

When good sport Steven arrived we ordered the eggplant dip, octopus, lamb chops, deviled eggs, and lentil with garlic spread. Every single one was delicious. The eggplant dip was spread out on a plate and topped with diced, true summer tomatoes, feta, and fresh herbs. The coolness of the dip combined with the hot, grilled pita bread served alongside was a tasty contrast. The warm octopus was as tender as could be, accompanied by a few wedges of roasted potatoes, two kinds of pickled peppers, and what looked like a sprinkling of Aleppo peppers. Even the potatoes seemed to say, “I am local, I am fresh, I was dug out of the ground just yesterday.” 

The lamb chops, one per order, were good-sized, tender little rib chops, nicely seasoned and served with a chunky cucumber tzatziki salad. A small bowl of what looked like harissa was also served with the chop. It was red and oily, but upon tasting, it seemed more like a hot, smoked paprika condiment. All great flavors together. The deviled egg was very good, mild but a bit peppery at the same time. 

The lentil with garlic spread was pale, almost more like an Italian white bean spread or chick peas, but it was full of flavor and served with more great, grilled pita. It was topped with a drizzle of fruity olive oil, fresh herbs, and had a nice whisper of cumin.

By 8:15 people started coming in to hear the music, there were a few folks eating at the bar and at some tables, and my original, unnecessary fears of not being able to get in at all were allayed.

Our waitress (the bartender) Kristen was excellent. She knew where every local ingredient on the menu came from. While many restaurants out here claim to use local produce, fish, cheese, wines, etc., these guys don’t just talk the talk. You can taste the difference and the freshness in the food. Prices are reasonable: $1 to $22.

The dessert being offered on this night was a simple, also quite Greek, assemblage of a fresh peach (Halsey’s!), with Greek yogurt, drizzled with honey and topped with toasted walnuts. It was a good combination, but alas, the peach was about four days too early for ripeness. Kristen kindly took the charge off our bill.

So I accidentally reviewed a bar that serves food rather than a restaurant. And I mistakenly feared I would not be able to get in. It ended up being a pretty festive and tasty experience. The place started to fill up, the music was lively, and the food savory and absolutely delicious.

Zigmund’s will be open year round with karaoke nights, live piano evenings, bluegrass, jazz, reggae, you name it. I’ll be going back for the food.