Specialty Of The House: Bridgehampton Cafe and Bulls Head Bar and Grill, Bridgehampton
With the opening last month of the promising new Bulls Head Bar and Grill right across the street from the already popular Bridgehampton Cafe, you might think the culinary talents behind both restaurants would lose sleep worrying about the competition. They didn't.
That's because the same people are behind both enterprises. So instead of worrying, John DeLucie, the executive chef of the Bridgehampton Cafe, and Jon LoPresti, the chef de cuisine, were celebrating. The two had helped make the first year at the Cafe a stellar one, with raves from The New York Times, Zagat's, and Newsday, among others, and at the Bulls Head Bar and Grill they hoped to repeat that success.
The two neighboring dining spots share chefs, owners, a general manager, and floor staff. "If you were going to build a new house, it would make sense to have one of the family build it for you," Mr. LoPresti said last week, explaining the rationale behind the arrangement.
Mr. LoPresti is at the helm in the Bulls Head kitchen and lords over the wood-burning grill there, which was Mr. DeLucie's idea. Mr. DeLucie maintains his primary culinary residence at the Bridgehampton Cafe. The menus at each spot are collaborative efforts. Both woo the palate in similar ways, but the Bulls Head offers a slightly less pricey menu; entrees range from $13 to $18, as opposed to the $16 to $28 range at the Bridgehampton Cafe.
The name Bulls Head comes from an old name for the area around the triangular commons at the junction of the Bridgehampton Turnpike and Bridgehampton Main Street.
The kind of teamwork called for in operating a kitchen, or in this case two, in tandem can be difficult. But, Mr. DeLucie said, "we got lucky with the personalities."
"Jon and I are very different, but very alike in that we had both worked in quality places," Mr. DeLucie explained.
Mr. LoPresti agreed, "He's the calm, reserved. . ."
". . . focused one," Mr. DeLucie finished.
They have an easy way with each other. They spell out each other's last names ("We're used to it," they say) and sometimes finish a sentence when the other trails off. And despite the pressures of the past year at the Bridgehampton Cafe, they managed to build on the strong friendship they already had.
"I'm pretty serious. John's pretty serious," Mr. LoPresti said, "yet I've never laughed more than in the past year."
"We had a good chemistry," Mr. DeLucie said. "He trained more in a heavy-duty French tradition. Me, I'm much more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants. I would make a dish and he'd look at me like, 'Are you out of your mind?' "
But Mr. LoPresti, despite his formal training, learned a great deal from Mr. DeLucie about actually executing a culinary vision.
In New York's high-profile restaurants, where the two had worked before coming east to help open the Bridgehampton Cafe, the competition in the culinary world didn't allow for this kind of working relationship.
Both had worked in kitchens where "the chefs were in our faces," said Mr. DeLucie. They made a conscious decision that their kitchen would not be like that.
"It was a double-edged sword when I was asked to come over here," Mr. LoPresti said, sitting in the Bulls Head dining room. He will miss working side-by-side with Mr. DeLucie on a busy Saturday night. But Mr. DeLucie's guidance has also made the experience of opening and running the new kitchen a lot easier. "We were like old fish in a new pond," he said, with a nod of approval to the wait staff and manager.
"Opening a place is not fun," Mr. DeLucie said with a laugh, recalling last year's opening at Bridgehampton Cafe and all the unexpected little glitches that came with it. Thanks to that, Mr. LoPresti "was already toughened up."
At the Bulls Head, "we're not reinventing the wheel. It's variations on a theme," Mr. LoPresti said.
Both chefs come from Italian families and draw upon their backgrounds for inspiration in the restaurants. Mr. DeLucie hones in on the food he grew up on in the New York area - not only Italian but also Chinese and even kosher foods.
American cuisine, under the watchful eyes of Mr. DeLucie and Mr. LoPresti, is anything but predictable.
"It's not a melting pot anymore, it's a stew," Mr. LoPresti said of American cuisine today.
"With American food, you have to touch every continent," Mr. DeLucie agreed. The food at Bridgehampton Cafe and the Bulls Head Bar and Grill may not be all-American to some, but "it's my America," Mr. DeLucie said. "It's the food I grew up with. I cook like you're coming to my house."
The menu at Bridgehampton Cafe has changed since last year. "As a chef, I'm evolving," Mr. DeLucie said. "The food has just followed suit."
He is especially pleased that the reviews for the Cafe have been so favorable. "What we set out to do came right back at us," he said.
"Wow, they're getting it," Mr. LoPresti added with a smile.
Jon LoPresti's Marinated Wood-Grilled Chicken
With Citrus Slaw and Cranberry Bean Relish
Chicken Marinade
(one day before)
1 cup olive oil
2 cups lemon juice
1 bunch thyme
1/2 bunch Italian parsley
1/2 bunch rosemary
1/2 cup sliced garlic
1/4 cup diced onion
1 Tbsp. white peppercorns
Place three 31/2-pound Bell and Evans chickens (split, with the backs out) in marinade one day before cooking. Grill on wood barbecue or charcoal barbecue with wood added for flavor.
Citrus Slaw
2 Napa cabbages, shredded
2 carrots, julienned
4-5 oranges, sectioned
4-5 grapefruits, sectioned
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
5 Tbsp. sesame oil (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients.
Cranberry Bean Relish
1/2 lb. berlotti or red beans
2 cups dried cranberries
4 cucumbers, seeded and diced
2 red peppers, seeded and diced
2 red onions, seeded and diced
1 bunch chopped dill
2 cups creme fraiche
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Diced pickles (optional)
Cook beans in large pot, seasoning them with salt in the last two minutes. Drain and cool in refrigerator. When cool, combine with the rest of the ingredients.
Serves four to six.