East End Eats: Food With Your Films
The festival is coming, the festival is coming, the Hamptons International Film Festival is coming! By Thursday the swarm of over 18,000 black-leather clad cinephiles will begin descending upon our lovely villages. They know where the films are being shown, East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Southampton, Montauk, and Westhampton, but do they know where to eat? Have no fear, I am here to “direct.”
When the festival began 22 years ago, it was a modest endeavor. There would be a superfamous actor or director interviewed on the last day of the festival, and it would be kept secret until that day. It became a guessing game among locals. If we happened to see Isabella Rossellini strolling through town, but she wasn’t in any of the films being shown, we would guess correctly she was that year’s “A Conversation With . . .” surprise guest. One year, young filmmakers were given a movie scavenger-hunt project. They had to find and shoot various things, one being “a famous person.” The results were hilarious because Alec Baldwin (one of our more known and visible men about town) ended up appearing in most of them.
The local newspapers and magazines have published some excellent and comprehensive guides to the film fest, but none give you the lowdown on where to dine. Let’s start in East Hampton. Probably the most obvious and closest to the theater is Rowdy Hall. This is the place where you can get the best burgers, mussels, and fish and chips in town. There are wonderful and creative salads and excellent beers on tap. John Papas Cafe is great for diner-style breakfast and lunch items. Try the Greek salad with grilled chicken and the milkshakes.
For those who like organic, Babette’s is a great choice with primo people watching. Cittanuova is the place to go for thin pizzas, light salads, and the best calamari and zucchini fritto misto. Off the beaten path but still within the village is Fresno, a charming spot with a pretty patio and sophisticated food. For those with Founder’s passes, i.e., $$$, there’s 1770 House. Upstairs is grand; the tavern downstairs is cozy and warm. Try the famous meatloaf! You also can’t beat Nick & Toni’s, one of our most famous and enduring restaurants and well worth a visit. I assure you, you will be treated just as graciously as Messrs. Balaban and Spielberg. The headquarters and press office of the film festival, c/o the Maidstone, is quirky and pretty with one of the best restaurants in town — the Living Room. It is Swedish-lite, and your doggies are welcome as well. You didn’t actually bring your dog to the festival, did you? If you have a barbecue craving, check out Smokin’ Wolf in East Hampton or Townline BBQ in Sagaponack. Bostwick’s, located on Route 27, is the place to go for simple seafood and great local clams.
For those heading to Sag Harbor, the American Hotel is a highlight, serving continental cuisine in a series of beautiful rooms. LT Burger is the place for, you guessed it, burgers. Sen has the best sushi in town. If you’re craving old school Italian fare (think garlic knots and raffia-clad Chianti bottles), try Il Cappuccino. For more high-end Italian, Tutto Il Giorno, down by the water, is tiny, beautiful, and serves some of the best homemade pasta dishes around. Start with the pan carasau, paper-thin flat breads grilled with rosemary and garlic oil, paired with burrata cheese and tomatoes. Hubba hubba!
Dockside in Sag Harbor is a popular place with a great variety of healthy choices and is across from the water as well.
Passing through Bridgehampton between theaters? Within a few blocks of each other are some of the best restaurants out here. Almond and Pierre’s both serve superb bistro fare.
The fairly new Bridgehampton Inn is one of my favorite restaurants. Think Ottolenghi meets River Cafe, with the menu changing weekly. Tom Colicchio’s Topping Rose House is grand, with impeccable food served in a lovely setting. World Pie has your pizzas and Yama Q vegetarian food and sushi.
In Southampton try red/bar brasserie or little/red. Red/bar has awesome and refreshing fluke crudo and hearty Long Island duck with lentils and butternut squash. La Parmagiana, a restaurant within an Italian market, is great for big family-style feasts.
There are plenty of places to eat between movies, from high end to low, and we can’t fit all of them in here. Welcome to our beautiful villages. Enjoy the beaches, the over 125 films being shown, and our fine restaurants.
I shall now get up on my little soapbox. Wouldn’t it make sense to forgo the two-hour parking limit for the mere five days of the festival? Just sayin’.