East End Eats: Gordon's Restaurant

It was rather a disappointment to find that Gordon's in Amagansett no longer requires men to wear a jacket and tie.

It had become part of Hamptons restaurant lore that, even when threatened by a flood tide of Spandex cycling shorts and polo shirts, Gordon's stubbornly insisted on that old-fashioned standard.

Otherwise, apart from a recent exterior facelift, the place is exactly the same as it was the first time I went there in the early 1980s, when it was one of the few spots on the East End where you could get a decent meal.

Into The Past

They say in poker that you should never change a winning game, but there is something bravely individualistic in sticking to a chosen formula while all around you the glitzmongers are firing a gustatory scattershot of Tex-Mex, Pacific Rim, and truffle-stuffed brain of peahen.

For a start, is there any other establishment this side of Paris that still has an imposing lady sitting full-time on a high stool by the cash register? Or where the waitresses are still dressed up as waitresses?

Going into Gordon's, with its black and white striped vinyl banquettes and mismatched Victorian light fixtures, is like stepping into the past. One of our party said he felt he was back in a small hotel he had known in Minneapolis in 1970.

Fine Wine List

It's the sort of place that Garrison Keillor would like, if he visited the Hamptons. They brought individual portions of creamed spinach and rice with each entree, and you got the feeling that most of the patrons had been dining there for years.

The restaurant has only a few wines by the glass but, conversely, a really outstanding wine list, rivaled by very few restaurants of this size out here. We chose a 1994 Muscadet, which was a very good value at $16.

Also worth noting is Gordon's excellent $24 prix-fixe menu, which includes dessert and coffee.

Thoughtful Service

An example of the thoughtful service here: One guest, having ordered an a la carte appetizer, was also entitled to a salad with his prix-fixe entree. So that he would not be eating alone, the other diners were also given salad.

It was a Caesar salad, very nicely seasoned though just a little tired.

Gordon's passed the bread test with flying colors - excellent quality, crusty and hot. But it failed the martini test. It came in a wine glass, quite spoiling all the fun.

Unsinkable Clams

A guest who was craving old-fashioned escargots with lots of garlic butter was delighted with his appetizer, as was he who ordered the stuffed clams.

Stuffed clams are an absolute landmine of an appetizer; when they are overseasoned and too heavy, they can sink your appetite for the rest of the meal.

These were extremely tasty, made with fresh clams, and very light.

The fish chowder was dull.

Oh You Artichokes

Gordon's is known for its roast chicken with mushrooms and artichoke hearts, and indeed this dish was very good, with the artichokes adding a delightful piquancy to the dish.

Artichoke was once considered an aphrodisiac, and Catherine de Medici was notorious for her love of this vegetable, which women were not meant to eat. She would have enjoyed Gordon's roast chicken, even though no amorous aftereffects were noted.

The roast duck was crisp-skinned and tender, with a fine sauce, and the veal scallopine with prosciutto and cheese was snappy and pungently good.

Decaf Cappuccino!

Of the desserts we tried, a light, creamy, chocolate layer cake was the best. The blueberry pie was a disappointment, as was the ice cream with marron glace sauce, which had no taste of chestnuts and was overpoweringly sweet.

Although chestnuts were the food of the poor in Europe before the arrival of the potato, it takes 16 separate operations to make a good marron glace, so anything less than the delectable best is a letdown.

However, they had decaf cappuccino - I just love it when that happens.

A Long Voyage

Returning to that Caesar salad mentioned earlier - nicely seasoned but a little tired - it could act as a metaphor for the restaurant.

Gordon's has an old-fashioned charm that is a relief after the relentless trendiness of some places, well-cooked traditional food, thoughtful service, and it's good value for money. But it feels a little tired: a sailing ship slowed down by the weeds and barnacles clinging to the keel after its long voyage.

Here's hoping for a little keel-hauling, because Gordon's is as much a part of Amagansett as the Farmers Market and Vinnie's barbershop.