Citta's Winter Wonders
Cittanuova has new prix fixe specials it is running for lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursdays. A $39 dinner has three courses with appetizer choices like soup, salad, arancini, and fried calamari and zucchini. For $5 more, beef carpaccio is an added option. The entree selections are garganelli Bolognese, chicken Milanese, and pan-roasted salmon. Pasture-raised strip steak can be ordered for a $10 supplement. Cheesecake, tiramisu, gelato, or sorbet will end the meal.
The lunch special is $23 for a "pick-two" choice of salad, soup, or a half panini. There is also a happy hour at the bar from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. with food and drink specials.
The dinner specials are available only for diners in the restaurant. The lunch special can be had on-site or to go.
Restaurant Week
The winter iteration of Long Island Restaurant Week begins on Sunday with some familiar and some fresh faces. Each restaurant that opts in must offer either a two-course lunch for $24 or a $29, $39, or $46 three-course dinner plus tax and tip. In some cases, participants will offer multiple meals or price points. Each course must have at least three options. The special pricing will continue through Feb. 4. On Feb. 3, a Saturday, the special will only be offered until 7 p.m.
South Fork restaurants that will run the promotion as of this writing are Nick and Toni's in East Hampton (menu below), Lulu Kitchen and Bar and Page at 63 Main in Sag Harbor, the Bridgehampton Inn and Restaurant, Bistro Ete and Calissa in Water Mill, and Union Burger Bar and Saaz in Southampton. Farther afield, Cowfish in Hampton Bays and Fauna in Westhampton Beach are also participating. Most of the local restaurants are offering the $46 menu only, but a couple, such as Saaz and Union Burger Bar, will offer other price points. Some restaurants will offer the menus for takeout.
More information and menus for some of the restaurants as well as up-to-date information on participants are available on the Long Island Restaurant Week website.
Wining and Dining
In addition to a restaurant week menu it will offer starting Sunday, Nick and Toni's restaurant in East Hampton has a $29 two-course menu featuring pizza and pasta on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 5 to 7 p.m. in the bar and lounge this winter. Quartinos of house sparkling, white, red, and rose wine and small negronis will be sold for $11 each.
The first course is a choice of a Caesar-style salad or an arugula and fennel salad. The second course is a choice of penne with spicy oven roasted tomatoes and cheese or a margherita pizza. Toppings of arugula, roasted garlic, anchovy, seasonal mushrooms, or pepperoni can be added for a supplement of $4 to $6, depending on the topping. A tartufo dessert consisting of caramel truffle, chocolate and hazelnut gelato, and almond biscotti can be added for $9.
The restaurant week menu, offered from Sunday to Feb. 4, will consist of three courses for $46 all night, except for Saturday, when it will only be available until 7 p.m. Appetizer choices are a Caesar or warm mushroom salad, penne (see above), or prosciutto di San Daniele with arugula and cheese. Entrees are pappardelle with cheese pumpkin pesto and pepitas, oven-roasted Arctic char, roasted chicken, and grilled hanger steak. Dessert is a choice of tartufo, tiramisu, gelato, or sorbet.
Reservations are available through the website or by calling 631-324-3550. The prices do not include tax or tip. The bar special will not be offered during holiday weekends.
Raclette at Rosie's
Now that winter's temperatures have become more seasonable, a warming evening of melty, bubbly cheese seems appropriate. Rosie's restaurant in Amagansett thinks the idea is so appealing, it is offering a raclette night every Thursday this winter. The cheese will be served with a variety of items that will benefit from some gooey goodness. Rosie's recommends calling for reservations as space is limited.
Rosie's also has some new operating hours. Mondays and Tuesdays it is open from 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday's hours are from 5 to midnight and Friday it is open from noon to 1 a.m. On the weekend, the restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Happy hour specials are available from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Rosie's is closed on Wednesdays.
Class in Session
East Hampton's Park Place Wines and Liquors will resume its wine classes beginning next Thursday with the Great Italians North vs. South -- Different as Night and Day. Italy has 20 distinct wine regions, each with its own character and varietals. The evening will provide a journey throughout the country based on its regional wines.
On Feb. 22, American wines will go up against French wines made from the same grapes. The store's sommeliers will select examples of cabernet, pinot noir, and chardonnay wines to make old and new world comparisons. They hope to surprise participants and change their perspective on what regions they prefer.
In March the shop is offering "A Night in Spain" on the 7th, and a blind tasting challenge on the 21st will pair some high-end wines with their lower-priced counterparts to see if attendees can tell the difference.
Classes begin at 6 p.m. and are about an hour. On most evenings, the Cookery will provide edibles matched to the wines served. Ticket prices vary depending on the class. More information about the classes and ticket purchase can be found on the website.
A "Good" Dinner in MTK
Naturally Good in Montauk is bringing back its dinner series with a $95 four-course set menu to be served on Friday in its dining room or outdoors in igloos. The meal starts with a green papaya salad with grilled romaine, blue crab, mango, peanuts, and a Thai chile vinaigrette. Courses of Atlantic halibut and beef short ribs follow, finished off by green-tea poached pears with a passion fruit Anglaise for dessert. For $50 more, wine pairings can be added for each course. Reservations are essential and can be made by emailing [email protected] with a preferred seating time between 6 and 8 p.m.
Snow Drops
Noyac's Bell and Anchor is back from an end-of-year break with its seasonal evening specials still in effect.
In Sag Harbor, Buddha Berry is offering a two-for-one frozen yogurt "happy hour" from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays during winter.
Calissa in Water Mill has created a ski-chalet style lounge in its restaurant with warming winter treats such as mulled wine, hot toddies, and cinnamon spiked hot chocolate, along with some other specialty cocktails. Cheese and chocolate fondues are available along with other restaurant offerings like a spicy whipped feta dip, calamari, and a cookie plate. The chalet can be reserved when the restaurant is open. A D.J. adds to the atmosphere on Friday and Saturday nights.
Award-Winning Honey
Earlier this month, Deborah Klughers, a beekeeper in Hampton Bays and the owner of Bonac Bees, won the Grand Champion Reserve award at the North American Honey Bee Expo Honey Show in Louisville, Ky. The honey show had 339 exhibitors over 72 classes of entries. Ms. Klughers's award represented placing second overall based on the number of points her honey was awarded across categories.
A Very Special Coche
Coche Comedor in Amagansett has some seasonal specials for its restaurant diners. These include a Taco Tuesday pork barbacoa with hand-pressed tortillas, a Wednesday "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!" half-rotisserie chicken with a choice of sauces, tortillas, and duck-fat potatoes. Thursdays and Fridays bring a two-course prix fixe at $40. It includes a choice of one small plate and one large plate from the regular a la carte menu.
