East End Eats: Winston’s Strong Right Out of the Gate

Winston’s Bar and Grill

100 Montauk Highway

East Hampton

267-5400

Lunch and dinner seven days,

breakfast soon (from 8 a.m.)

Gosh, I love it when a restaurant is a pleasant surprise! I don’t know what I expected from the new Winston’s Bar and Grill where Nichol’s used to be on Montauk Highway in East Hampton, but I just didn’t expect such good food.

Nichol’s was extremely popular for many years, serving large goblets of reasonable wine and a pretty good burger and potpie. While many of my barfly friends liked it, it was never my cup of tea. As far as appearance goes, not much has changed. Many wine crate panels adorn the walls and ceiling of the small, two-room restaurant, and British memorabilia is plentiful. A Union Jack flag is stuck on the ceiling, and there are pix galore of Queen Elizabeth. One of the few hints of change are the little Jamaican flags out front.

The rooms are cozy and comfortable with brown banquettes and some tables in the front room, higher stools and bar tables in the second room, and a nook with two large tables for bigger dining groups. There are two small patios, one close to the parking lot and one very close to the highway, which on the night of our visit was unfurnished. Maybe when our population explodes this weekend more furniture will arrive.

We dined on a Sunday night, which is billed as Caribbean Night, and since the chef, Winston Lyons, is Jamaican, I thought this would mean some interesting and unusual dishes would be offered. However, other than an oxtail special the menu is pretty much straightforward seafood and meats. We began with crispy fried oysters, a Thai kale salad (Whah? How did you sneak onto the menu?), and a grilled artichoke. All three appetizers were absolutely delicious.

Apparently, Mr. Lyons worked at East Hampton Grill (along with a few other good local restaurants) for some time, and he has definitely picked up some tasty tricks from these establishments.

The fried oysters were served on thin slices of toasted baguette with a lemon aioli drizzled on top. The crisp batter was slightly spicy and the oysters were juicy within. Kale salad is everywhere, and it can be delicious when treated properly or a frickin’ nightmare to chew and chew and chew if the leaves are too big and haven’t been massaged properly and marinated into submission. This version was kale cut into chiffonade, thin ribbons, lightly dressed and tossed with crushed peanuts. The Thai flavors, a bit salty and citrusy, came through, but it wasn’t spicy or overwhelming with fish sauce. It was so good I took the leftovers home. The grilled artichoke, definitely reminiscent of East Hampton Grill’s version, was three large globe halves, marinated and charred and served with a beautifully balanced remoulade sauce.

It’s worth mentioning here that we ordered a few specialty cocktails as well. They are worth mentioning because they were so good and only $9 each. One was a watermelon Cosmo, made with freshly pressed watermelon juice, and the other was called the Eastbound Jitney, a mixture of fresh grapefruit juice and vodka. We enjoyed riffing on what the Westbound Jitney would be if it existed, no doubt three times more powerful to make the ghastly ride back to N.Y.C. more bearable. Neither of the drinks were overly sweet, which is a deal breaker for yours truly.

For entrees we tried the jerk chicken, the Fisherman’s Pot, and crispy fried lobster. Again, all three were great successes. The jerk chicken was moist and tasted brined, it was seasoned all the way to the bones. You could detect all the traditional spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a wee bit of cayenne, well balanced. The half chicken was served on top of fried plantains, a tasty combo of soft and sweet beneath the warmly spiced chicken.

The Fisherman’s Pot was a variety of calamari, shrimp, mussels, and clams in a light tomato sauce with spaghetti. The tomato sauce was briny and spicy, and the seafood was cooked just enough.

The crispy fried lobster (we got the smallest size offered) seemed bigger than a one-and-a-half-pounder, which was fine with us. The menu said it was served with a ginger scallion sauce, which was either forgotten or perhaps had been drizzled on the lobster and just couldn’t be detected. The crispy bits clinging to the shell may have been the same batter used for the oysters, and they were fun to chomp on with the sweet lobster meat. My guests said they would have liked some lemon butter for dipping. It was served with a little dish of shoestring plantain fries, not as crisp as potatoes because the plantains have more moisture, but a nice addition.

The service on the night of our visit could have been better, but that is only because our waiter was woefully under-trained. He was as friendly as can be but continually reached all the way across the table to deliver dishes and clear the empties. Replacement utensils had to be requested and empty glasses cluttered the table, but in the casual atmosphere it wasn’t too bothersome. The busboy was super attentive, refilling our water glasses constantly, but we were pretty sure it was because he was crushing on our lovely Kerrie. Prices are moderate. Raw bar items, appetizers, and salads are $8 to $22, entrees are $22 to $43, sides and desserts are $7.

One of the things I liked best about Winston’s, besides the food, was the mixture of clientele. Admit it, there aren’t very many places out here where you see a lot of Hispanics and African-Americans mixed in with us tighty whities, but such was the case here. Quite refreshing.

The desserts are made in-house. There were only two available this particular evening, cheesecake and bread pudding, so we tried both. They were just okay. The cheesecake was New York style, simple and fluffy with no crust and was topped with a bright red cherry compote. The bread pudding was served with a warm apple compote and was a bit dense. Both had a slight taste of refrigeration fatigue. These were the only flaws of our meal.

There are rumors that the rickety old Quiet Clam/Nichol’s/Winston’s building may be torn down at some point. If this is the case I hope it is rebuilt or that Winston Lyons can find another place in our community to serve his delicious food. Or as my friend Orlando Satchell taught me in a few words of Jamaican slang, “all fruits ripe, everything cook and curry, mash it up, Winston! Irie!”