East End Eats: The Laundry

Race Lane, East Hampton

324-3199

Open for dinner every night from 5:30

Reservations requested for six or more.

Photo: Doug Kuntz

There has been a lot of curiosity about whether the Laundry, an East Hampton hangout loved by one and all, has changed since the head chef and manager moved on last year.

The first thing to know is that it's still the Laundry, with its blast of welcoming heat that melts the ice as you duck in from the shrieking winds of winter and its raw wood buttresses, warm brick walls, and comfortable couches around the fireside. The wonderful design, done years ago by the late Norman Jaffe, hasn't dated in the least.

Knowing that the Laundry does not take reservations but not that it prefers to be called ahead for parties of six or more, we arrived at 7:30 on a Saturday and for a minute it looked as if we would have a long wait. But the staff went into bustling action, rearranged tables, and we were seated almost immediately.

The service was excellent - personal and thoughtful. The wine list is huge (though they had run out of the Corey Creek merlot we ordered by the time we wanted a second bottle) and those important dollar numbers tend to be larger rather than smaller. The wines by the glass, $5 to $7.50, are carefully chosen for variety.

Appetizers vary in price from $5 for soup to $11 for a choice of two tapas. Three out of four of the tapas scored very high: The calamari, served with a spicy marinara sauce, were perfectly tender and the grilled beef, which had been marinated in scallions, ginger, and soy sauce, was spicily delicate.

The crostini came with a topping of roasted peppers and white bean garlic puree which provided a perfect combination of taste and texture. The chicken quesadillas, on this occasion, however, were somewhat scorched and a little heavy.

We tried two salads, both fairly removed from the conventional green stuff. The vegetable salad was an invigorating combination of garbanzos, scallions, and diced tomatoes and cucumbers in an eye-opening cilantro and lemon vinaigrette.

The spinach salad, on the other hand, was dauntingly rich, too much so for an appetizer. Served with grilled shiitake mushrooms, spiced pecan nuts, and some very sweet pieces of crunchy smoked bacon, the salad was full of interesting flavors but had far too much oil.

Although not tried on this occasion, enthusiastic reports have filtered Starwards of the cornmeal fried oysters. Also, the Malpeque oysters on the half shell looked wonderful. I can't tell you how they tasted, though. I tried to pull rank as the restaurant critic, but their recipient refused to share them.

Exotic Plumes

Main dishes, and the portions are hefty, run from $12.50 for a hamburger (any style) to $27 for a sirloin steak. The presentation is more artistic these days than we remember. The kitchen seems to have adopted the vertical approach, where many dishes arrive like little stacked-up castles, topped with pennants of exotic greenery.

The braised shortribs illustrate the kind of food the Laundry has always been known for - heartwarming comfort food at not too high a price. The huge plate of ribs, great value at $19.50, came with mashed potatoes and tiny baby sprouts and was delicious.

The calf's liver, served with mashed sweet potatoes, bacon, and caramelized onions, is also a great plateful at $18.50. For a little less you can get an enormous helping of pan-roasted chicken with garlic and rosemary-flavored mashed potatoes.

Exotic Flavors

This is a highly regarded staple on the Laundry's list, but this particular poulet did not have its recipient leaping over the table with enthusiasm. Rather, she poked at it with her knife and looked disappointed. We were puzzled.

The Japanese-style crab cakes came accompanied by a carrot and jicama slaw that some people will find too hot. The cakes themselves, beautifully cooked, moist inside and crisp outside, are flavored with wasabi mustard. This gives them an unusual flavor that took a little getting used to.

When it came to the Muscovy duck, however, there was no doubt that the exotic flavoring had gone over the top. The taste of the Chinese five-spice powder was overpowering. It came with a red sauce that turned out to be a rather superfluous reduction of beetroot juice.

Butter Is Better, But

We've been deluged in the past few weeks by Science Times pieces telling us that butter is better, oil is terrific, and obesity doesn't kill you after all. But the experts may change their minds again at any minute and it has to be said that a number of the Laundry's dishes were, at least on this occasion, too rich. This included the risotto.

Studded with chan ter elles and black trumpet mushrooms, this gleaming bowlful, as dark and oily as the River Styx itself, had the taste buds crying "Yes!" while the stomach cried "Mercy!"

Perhaps with some more aggressive guidance from the waitstaff, we would have known better than to pair the spinach salad with it.

Gossamer Desserts

When it came to dessert time - so often the moment at East End restaurants when you should just grab your hat and get out - the Laundry put out the bunting and let off the fireworks.

There was a gossamer pear Napoleon filled with a caramel pastry cream and decorated with warm caramel that was a joy to eat as well as behold. A little mound of featherlight chocolate cake with a warm liquid center was simple and perfect. (The secret, we were told, is in the pure Carib chocolate.)

Those who had eaten too much were delighted with the champagne granita made with blood orange juice and served with ruby grapefruit slices and pomegranate seeds - pretty and refreshing.

Winning Game

And, lastly, the Laundry's cookie plate was a work of art - nothing too fancy, just simple, butter-based cookies that your grandmother would have sold her whalebone corset to know how to make.

The changes at the Laundry are not that noticeable, though the prices seem to have risen a little. You can still get a hamburger and I'm sure you can still order just an appetizer or split an order of pasta. But it's a bit grander now and the food is more elaborate, not always wisely so.

Since everyone loves the Laundry just the way it has always been, we don't think it needs to jump on the Pacific Rim bandwagon or compete with the newest places in town. The restaurant has played a winning game for years, and, as poker players know, it's tempting fate to change it.