East End Eats: New Highway My Way

Highway Diner and Bar

290 Montauk Highway

East Hampton

527-5372

Dinner Wednesday through Sunday

Lunch Saturday and Sunday

The restaurant at 290 Montauk Highway has changed hands so many times, I believe I have reviewed something at that location more than any other. I have already forgotten what was there before Rugosa, which served sophisticated and delicious food but didn’t last. The previous Highway Diner and Bar also served darned good food but didn’t really operate on diner-type hours or have diner-ish prices, but its owners did do a nice renovation of the interior, which remains in this new incarnation of the Highway Diner and Bar. Shuko, a frightfully expensive Japanese pop-up, came and went before I had a chance to review it, and now, Highway Diner and Bar is back, but completely different. I’m telling you all of this because I approached this establishment with a grumbly attitude the other night, a kind of “Oh, well, here we go again, I hope this place sticks around for a while, better be worth it, wah, wah, wah. . . .”

Not a lot has changed inside. There is still a nifty-looking soda fountain with stools to the right of the entrance. Straight ahead is a bar area with a large wooden wall dividing it from the main dining room. There are long blue banquettes along two walls and pretty orchids and Moroccan candles scattered around, giving the large, ungainly space some degree of charm.

I’m not sure why the new owners kept the name Highway Diner and Bar because this is so not a diner anymore. The only diner-like accoutrements that remain are the French’s mustard and Heinz ketchup squeeze bottles on each table, which are completely incongruous with the food now being served. We noticed that behind the soda fountain is a big pasta-making machine, a promising sign.

The menu is short and fairly simple. We began our meal with a Caesar salad, crab cake, and the soup of the day, which was carrot ginger. All three were simply delicious. The Caesar salad was large, with lots of shaved Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons. The dressing was assertive with garlic and lemon, as it should be. The croutons were so good you could even taste the quality of the olive oil they had been roasted with.

The crab cake appetizer was one big crab cake served on a bed of arugula with a dish of dilly tartar sauce and some homemade pickles that tasted more of soy and balsamic than regular pickles. The crab cake was moist, full of lump crabmeat and flecks of sweet red pepper and lots of herbs. It had a hint of lemongrass to it. The carrot ginger soup was not a smooth and dainty version; it was more rustic, with small bits of carrots and other vegetables in it. We all agreed it was excellent, especially with the warm slices of baguette served alongside.

For entrees we ordered the eggplant Parmigiana, ribeye steak, chicken potpie, and side orders of Brussels sprouts and French fries. The eggplant Parmigiana was one of the best I have ever had and was surprisingly light. The layers of eggplant were thin and delicate. It wasn’t loaded with gooey cheese or oil at all. It had a super fresh tomato sauce and was topped with a crunchy mixture of breadcrumbs and fresh herbs. We ordered the ribeye steak because we were intrigued by the very reasonable option of getting a 10-ounce portion for $27. Two sauces were offered with it: peppercorn or bearnaise. We went for the peppercorn, which was served in a tiny pitcher on the side. Cute, they found a use for diner creamers!

The steak was very good and cooked to order. It was served with a bundle of watercress, one of my favorite forgotten greens. The peppercorn sauce was smooth with very concentrated meaty flavor. The chicken potpie came out piping hot in its own fluted ramekin and was just as delicious as everything else so far. It was full of white meat chicken, carrots, herbs, and celery. This, too, had a little pitcher of extra gravy which was a bit bland and unnecessary. The Brussels sprouts were very good, roasted just right with a few stray crisped leaves. The French fries were skin-on, hand cut, excellent.

The service on the night of our visit was pretty good. The restaurant has only been open a few weeks, and it was quite busy on the night of our visit. Our waiter was serving tables on both sides of the wooden divider, so we’ll cut him some slack. The prices are very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food and the generous portions. Appetizers and salads are $9 to $13, pastas $13 to $23, entrees $16 to $37, sides $7, and desserts $7 to $10. The wine list is short and reasonable. My only criticism about the entire experience is that this place needs a plastic entry door or a big velvet curtain between the front door and dining room. Every time someone entered, and they’d frequently stand there holding the door open for the rest of their group, an arctic blast would blow through the dining room.

We only ordered two desserts, but one of the charming managers (owners?), a woman wearing the coolest long leather coat, insisted we try the homemade pear sorbet as well. All of the desserts were as wonderful as the rest of our meal. We had pineapple upside down cake and the Highway toffee sundae. The pineapple upside down cake was just as it should be: sweet caramelized pineapple bits on a tender vanilla cake.

Sticky toffee date cake has become the ubiquitous dessert out here (you’re welcome), but this was a creative twist. The cake had been crumbled up into a sundae with layers of homemade vanilla ice cream and topped with crushed candied almonds and cashews. Naughty and divine. The pear sorbet was also excellent, it was light, tart, and sweet, a good ending on a cold fall evening.

I approached the evening with a bad attitude and rather low expectations, but all of us were delighted with our food, every single dish. I highly recommend the Highway Diner and Bar, just remember to wear your fisherman’s knit sweater and a cozy shawl.