It's that time of year when some of the best food purveyors on the South Fork offer up holiday feasts for those too busy or disinclined to do so themselves. All that is required is a fat Christmas purse or some Hanukkah gelt and you are on your way to memorable meals spent with loved ones and not in the kitchen. After a preview last week, here are some more restaurant options, from their kitchens to yours or to be savored on site.
Meals Fit for Santa
Although closed on Christmas, East Hampton's Nick and Toni's has Christmas Eve covered with a celebratory dinner complete with roast Christmas "beast," in this case prime rib steak. But that's not all. The $125 three-course set menu has a passel of choices beginning with antipasti such as a crab, fennel, grapefruit, and Marcona almond salad, panzanella al mare, burrata tartufata, bagna cauda (roasted vegetables with a warm lemon and white anchovy bath), and agnolotti with chestnuts and ricotta.
The second course options are many: pappardelle with beef brasato; risotto with lobster, clams, mussels, and white wine; polenta with wild mushroom and Barolo ragout; halibut with tomato-fennel broth; whole roasted sea bass; roasted chicken with truffled sunchoke puree; broccolini, wilted greens, roasted seasonal mushrooms, green beans, and toasted almonds, as well as the previously mentioned beef entree with kabocha squash, and wild mushrooms. Dessert is either tiramisu, budino al zabaione, apple torte, or tartufo for two. The meal is preceded with salted cod croquettes.
For the little ones, an a la carte menu features two salads, Berkshire pork and Wagyu beef meatballs and polenta, mac and cheese, penne pomodoro, chicken Milanese with French fries, and pizzetta with tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese. Dessert is a brownie sundae, apple cake, or gelato and sorbetto.
Dinner will be served from 5 to 10 p.m. and reservations can be made by calling the restaurant at 631-324-3550 or through Resy.
Lulu of a Christmas
Sag Harbor's Lulu Kitchen and Bar has some choices of full meals to take home for both Christmas and New Year's Eves.
Its "celebration feast one" consists of fresh baked baguettes, oysters on the half shell, house foie gras, and cowboy ribeye steak with truffle potato gratin, kale and exotic mushrooms, and truffled red wine sauce. Black Forest buche de Noel is for dessert. The meal is $325 for two and $650 for four people.
For the same cost, the second feast has a seafood focus offering the same bread, oysters, and dessert, then pivoting to shrimp cocktail, a smoked salmon plate, and mussels, as appetizers, and grilled lobster pasta with garlic kale for the main event.
In addition, Lulu has two sizes of buche de Noel cakes that can be ordered separately. Their version is a chocolate sponge with dark chocolate mousse, brandied cherry, and white chocolate mousse layers for two to four people for $65 and $120 for six to 10 people. They also have platters of cheese and charcuterie, priced at $46 and $92 for two or four people and a raw bar platter for $195. Canapes are offered by the dozen for $42 for things like tuna tartare, roasted beet and goat cheese, cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, cauliflower skewers, mini grilled tomato confit, house smoked salmon with potato blini, octopus skewers, mini crab cakes, seared tuna, grilled shrimp cocktail, escargot, and foie gras mousse.
Orders of more than $400 will receive a $50 gift card to use for a future visit to the restaurant. Lulu will be closed for service on Christmas Eve, but open to pick up the take-home orders. It will be completely closed Christmas Day and open and serving dinner in addition to take out meals on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day it will be open for brunch and dinner. The holiday dinners can be reserved by calling 631-725-0900 or emailing [email protected].
Rowdy for Lunch
Rowdy Hall in East Hampton will be closed for Christmas Eve dinner, but will serve lunch with some special a la carte options such as seafood bisque, a crispy local cod cake sandwich served with butter lettuce and remoulade on a toasted brioche with a side of sweet potato fries. The dessert special is a milk chocolate hazelnut cake.
Merry Pig Roast
Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton will offer its traditional pig roast for Christmas Eve this year in addition to its regular menu from 5 to 9 p.m. The featured meal includes a Berkshire suckling pig from Roaming Acres Farm with seasonal sides for $49. The restaurant is donating part of its proceeds from the night to the Pajama Program, pajamaprogram.org, which provides new pajamas and books to children in need around the world. More information and reservations are available by calling the restaurant at 631-537-5665 or on its website.
Ham for the Holidays
Sagaponack's Townline BBQ will have house smoked hams for the holidays available for pre-order. Bone in half hams are about 10 to 12 pounds, serve 12 to 14 people, and cost $160. The hams come with heating instructions and a glaze. Orders will be taken until the hams sell out, with only a limited number available. They will be available for pickup from Wednesday through Dec. 24 between noon and 5 p.m.
A Cookery Christmas
The Cookery store and caterers in East Hampton have holiday dinner options that can be pre-ordered until Sunday. Appetizers are roasted figs with gorgonzola cheese, skewered grilled shrimp with a tamarind lime dipping sauce, or spicy chicken or shrimp cashew dumplings with a green curry sauce. Main course options are beef Wellington, grilled double herbed lamb chops, and seafood pappardelle. Desserts are buche de Noel, frozen tiramisu cake, roasted chestnut cheesecake, Valrhona flourless chocolate cake, or artisanal cookies. Pricing and ordering information is available by emailing [email protected].
And for the Big Day
L&W Market in Bridgehampton has a catering menu for Christmas Day with a la carte pricing. Hors d'oeuvres are a dozen deviled eggs or lobster roll sliders, shrimp cocktail, antipasto with marinated vegetables, mozzarella, tuna stuffed peppers, olives, and pickle with rosemary, and a charcuterie board with pate, salami, sausages, and prosciutto with pecorino, olives, and pickles. The appetizer course is a lobster pumpkin bisque. Main dish choices are a honey-mustard-glazed Berkshire ham, roast Long Island duckling, or roast rack of lamb. Side options are Parker House rolls, roasted rosemary fingerlings, mac and cheese, and sauteed Amagansett greens. The dessert choices are Milk Pail apple crisp or pot de creme.
Orders must be placed by next Thursday at 8 p.m. online or by calling 631-537-1123. Pickup will be available on Dec. 24 from 1 to 2 p.m. at Almond.
Breaking Bread
Loaves and Fishes will close after business on Dec. 24 for the holidays and the month of January. Now is the time to stock up on frozen dinners, soups, and other staples to last until February. The Sagaponack market will also feature its Swedish meatballs today through Sunday. The recipe is in the store's December cookbook, which highlights the beef and pork at Goodale Farm.
