Almond's Christmas Eve
In what has become a beloved tradition for some faithful followers, Bridgehampton's Almond Restaurant will hold its 21st annual Christmas Eve Pig Roast on Dec. 24 from 5 to 9 p.m. The restaurant's regular menu will also be available.
The dinner features a suckling pig, which comes from Roaming Acres Farm this year, with seasonal sides and accompaniments for $49. A portion of the fee will be donated to the Pajama Program to provide pajamas and books to children in need, who may also be waiting to be adopted.
Reservations should be made by calling the restaurant at 631-537-5665. Almond will be closed on Christmas Day.
Winter Feasts at 1770
The cozy interior and outdoor patio of the 1770 House in East Hampton Village has other enticements this month including a new winter prix fixe menu in the restaurant. In addition, the restaurant's regular menu, including the Tavern burger and Tavern meatloaf, is available for takeout nightly beginning at 5:30.
The winter menu is $55 per person and has choices such as spicy yellowfin tuna tartare, Faroe Islands salmon sashimi, a Brussels sprouts and Granny Smith apple salad, butternut squash bisque, roasted Carolina quail, and seared Hudson Valley foie gras for the first course.
The second-course offerings are seared Montauk sea scallops, marinated Atlantic swordfish, semolina flour gnocchetti with smoked trout, roasted Amish chicken, braised lamb shank, roasted Painted Hills striploin, the Tavern burger, and the Tavern meatloaf. Menu items are subject to change.
Oysters and an escargot flatbread are available to share for an additional charge. Desserts, priced from $12 to $14, include a chocolate layer cake with dark chocolate sauce, ricotta cheesecake with blackberries and dried orange in a hazelnut-graham cracker crust, sticky date cake with toffee sauce and salted caramel gelato, and warm cinnamon cider donuts with roasted Milk Pail apples, rum-caramel, and vanilla gelato.
The chef, Michael Rozzi, has designed a Christmas dinner to be enjoyed at home. The holiday feast to go serves six people for $500. The entree is a trimmed, tied, and ready-for-the-oven roast of either Oregon beef tenderloin, Berkshire pork standing rib, boneless leg of free-range Australian lamb, organic Amish turkey, or three Long Island ducks. Four cooked side dishes ready to be reheated and dessert round out the meal.
The sides are Balsam Farms root vegetable gratin with potatoes, sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, and Gruyere; creamed spinach with toasted marrow-butter crumbs; truffled macaroni and cheese, and French green beans with toasted hazelnuts.
Dessert is a choice of sticky toffee date cakes or tiramisu with espresso-soaked ladyfingers.
The restaurant offers several additions to the menu such as a Mecox Dairy cheese board kit, D'Artagnan sustainable caviar with accompaniments, poached shrimp, and lobster bisque.
Orders must be made by Dec. 19 at 631-324-1770, for pickup on Dec. 23 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Flavor of the Month
Loaves and Fishes food market in Sagaponack is featuring peppermint stracciatella ice cream this month, a chocolate ribbon-y Italian take on mint chip. For those who can't make it to the South Fork, the recipe is featured in the shop's December cookbook, available through the stores or on its website.
A Correction
The Dec. 2 story "Tate's Plants Roots in the Vegan Marketplace" incorrectly spelled the name of Lauren Sella, chief marketing officer for Tate's Bake Shop.
