How to get away from it all without really going anywhere at all: A “phase-3” guide to the East End.
Exactly 100 days after the initial lockdown here on Long Island, I’d finally lost my damn mind. It’d been a long time coming, and while I was lucky enough to not lose any of my jobs during this time (in fact, I had been working more than ever!) the monotony of going to work and coming home on repeat everyday with no other excursions to break it up had finally driven me to a point where I needed a getaway, even if by “away” it meant I’d be staying about 2 hours from my home, and not even leaving the county. Ahh 4 blissful days of not working; and instead enjoying many of the delights that our Island’s East End has to offer…even if it meant wearing a mask more on “vacation” than when I go to work, I’d take it!
Everyone knows you (as a “local”) don’t try for Montauk weekends over the summer unless you’re prepared to spend your arms, legs, and first born, so I figured why not take a look at the North Fork instead? Yeah, because it’s SOOOOO much cheaper (cue eyeroll). $1100+ for 4 days, to not leave the state wasn’t exactly what I’d been hoping for, but AGAIN, the desperation of being stuck at home had really done a number on me, so I gratefully booked a gorgeous room with a private deck at a little boutique hotel in Greenport. Situated pretty much smack in the middle of town, I thought this would be the perfect location so that we could easily go to and from some of the best restaurants around, the local beaches, the waterfront, and fingers crossed..a vineyard or two. I was right 🙂
We began our journey with a leisurely drive Eastbound on 25A, because if you know anything about the North Fork at all, it’s that 25A is littered with vineyards, farmstands, berry picking, etc, so why not take advantage of all these home grown beauties on the way to our destination? Our hotel room had a fridge (yes I made sure in advance) so any yummies we picked up on our way could be easily stored.
First up , the Riverhead Ciderhouse and if you’ve been following me in my food journey, you’ll have read all about how much I loved this place when we first visited last year…now in much nicer weather than February can offer, and with outdoor seating kind of being de rigueur, it seemed only right to return to this haven of cider for a little day drinking. Upon arrival, we were the only people there, and compared to the packed interior, cramped quarters, and desperate search for seats we had last time, the entire place was ours for the taking! We took our time debating a lovely selection of drinks; I went with a 5-pack taster of cider which included “Plumbs Up”, Blackberry Habenero, “Fruits of the Forest”, “Pot O’ Gold”, and Crannie Apple, and a sangria too because I wasn’t driving. He did Great South Bay Blood orange beer and then proceeded to try all of mine as well.
I like that they have a lot of the cider flavors year round, while others are seasonally appropriate, and perfect for warmer weather and their beautiful outdoor seating area. Fun backstory on the “Pot O’ Gold”, (which is a yummy apricot/apple cider flavored with raisins and currants) it was slated to debut for the St. Patrick’s day festivities and to celebrate their 2 year anniversary, but then along came COVID and ruined their plans, so it’s a late bloomer so to speak, and I’m glad for it; this was my favorite flavor that we tried this time. We also really liked the “Fruits of the Forest” with it’s raspberry/cherry/apple flavors.
One of my favorite places to visit anytime I’m in the area is Schmitt’s Farmstand on Sound Ave (25A). If you’ve never been you’re missing out, they not only have their own homegrown veggies and flowers, but they also offer their specialty, Holy Schmitt’s Horseradish! This stuff is NOT to be missed, I’ve created several delicious dishes with it being a key ingredient (Lemon Dijon Horseradish Salmon, and Apple Cranberry Horseradish Pork to name a few) and up until this COVID-19 came along to disrupt supply chains everywhere, I’d been lucky enough to find it at my local King Kullen supermarket..I’m hoping it comes back again soon, but in the meantime I stocked up while we were here. I also got a flavor I’ve been dying to try, the BBQ Horseradish; imagine in meatloaf, in Bloody Mary’s, or even a simple dip?? Ugh can’t wait to eat it! While you’re here they also have yummy fresh mozzarella, arugula and tomatoes for the perfect quick caprese, so don’t sleep on those! Another not-to-miss is their Horseradish Dill dip; we bought a box of sugar snap peas to dip in it and they were a perfect combination. This would also work really well as sandwich spread or even with some nice pieces of meat, so be sure to pick up a container or 4!
Next up was Briermere Farms to peruse their pies and other tasty treats! This farmstand has been open for almost 60 years and is always my go-to when I think of pies…even if I can’t actually get out to them, I THINK of them first. Their pies…OMG, I could wax poetic about my favorites, Strawberry-Rhubarb, Cherry Peach, Raspberry Peach and the list would just go on and on. safe to say, there are no bad choices, unless you choose to not stop! This time I didn’t think we needed to get a whole pie or two, so we opted for a bag of their chocolate chip cookies and two of their rhubarb squares. These are kind of like blondies, but instead of chocolate chips or nuts, they have chopped rhubarb…the flavor combo of the sugar and butter with the tart rhubarb is excellent, and we knew we made the right choice.
The Jamesport Farm Brewery only opened a few years ago, and I’d heard about it on News 12 during one of their “East End” segments, and since it was right on our route, I thought we might as well check it out (plus even though I’m not partial to hoppy craft beers, I know Jacob enjoys it so this seemed like a good bone to throw you know?) They have a great set up outdoors, a “beer garden” under a greenhouse type covering, plus plenty of little groupings of chairs and tables around a huge expanse of lawn, many of which were under or near very shady trees…perfection in the midday heat. They also have three “reserved” spaces with large picnic tables and chairs, nicely separated from each other by vines of hops, so you could see having a nice group outing (at some point in a non-social distancing future).
Inside there are 2 bars with LOTS of choices , as well as a pretty big corner space devoted to a stage, where in more festive times they have lots of live music. Recently they’ve been videoing local bands for the upcoming “CraftAid“; a virtual streaming concert that airs July 2nd and 3rd and will allow viewers to donate money to local breweries and bands impacted by closings and cancelled events during COVID, so be sure to check that out for your own peek inside the brewery! We enjoyed the “Prancing Pony” which is a Blackberry Wheat beer and the “Pineapple Express”, which is a pineapple flavored cider; both house-made.
Past noon now, and cue me being starving (shocker, I know) so we veered off 25A to take a trip to Mattitaco‘s home base. After enjoying their amazing tacos many a time via their food truck, I was dying to visit them “at home” to get the full experience. Honestly, we almost drove right past it, it snuck up on us, and the building is very unassuming if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for! Ah road trips, am I right? Once inside I was delighted in having so many options to choose from and I managed to narrow it down to ONLY 4 tacos, the BLT (which despite their menu advertising this as a hot lobster roll taco, it’s actually cold lobster salad for summer!) Bang Bang Shrimp, Al Pastor, and Land and Sea. Jacob jumped at the daily special, the Surf and Turf burrito with lobster and steak…the selling point though? Bacon Guacamole; yeah, let that sink in. It was stellar.
NOFODOCO: North Fork Doughnut Company (for those not in the know), is another place that we could have driven right past if GPS hadn’t been doing my work for me. Its bland stucco storefront exterior hides true doughnut genius, and up until now I’ve only experienced their baked goodness through a delivery team-up they had been doing during the lock down with Sail Away Coffee. And while it was no hardship to have donuts and cold brew coffee delivered to my door for a few weekends in a row there, it was definitely nice to choose my own flavor and eat it fresh from their shelves. We got a maple bacon, a lemon strawberry (topped with candied lemon), the cereal killer (frutti pebbles) and a jelly. It’s probably a good thing they aren’t offering more delivery right now, because I could definitely get hooked back on it.
Mattebella Vineyard: charming gardens, a fig grove, an original barn, bocce courts and really really good wine. And lucky us, at 2ish on a Thursday, we had the whole of it to ourselves for about an hour before another person wandered into the oasis. They make an excellent Steel cask Chardonnay, and we don’t even LIKE Chardonnay! While they weren’t offering tastings, wine was still being served by the glass and bottle. We enjoyed several glasses of the sparkling rosé and I especially enjoyed a glass of the special reserve “Blanc du Blancs” which was unfortunately not available by the bottle (although for $60, maybe that’s for the best?). They also offered wine cocktails, and I especially like the Lemon Twist, a blend of wines, lemonade, and mint.
Croteaux Vineyard finally reopened to the public after a ridiculous battle over connected acreage with the Town of Southold, and honestly, thank god! This is one vineyard you MUST visit if you love Rosé and hate crowds…oh wait, that’s probably everyone! No groups larger than 8, no limos, no weddings…just beautiful old barns, a lovely garden, and delicious rosé wine. It’d been a while since our last visit so we did a tasting of their 6 still Rosé offerings so we could remember which we liked best…Chloe and Jolie came with us.
As an unexpected addition to their lite bites menu, they were offering french macarons from The Cookie Shop LI, and since I’d been drooling over their Instagram posts for ages now, I decided that we needed to try them out as well. Birthday Cake, Brie and Apricot, and Strawberry Cheesecake all paired nicely with our Rosé sips.
Greenport is a beautiful town that has just the right amount of historical remembrance alongside it’s very hip and now restaurant and bar scene. Smack in between the Long Island Sound and the Peconic River, this incorporated village boasts a waterfront boardwalk experience, a quaint main-street, and some gorgeous old homes, many of which have been restored into professional offices, storefronts, or even hotels like ours, The Gallery Hotel. This boutique hotel offers 10 rooms for guests 21 and up…yes you read correctly, there will be no toddler tantrums, no jam hands, and no being awakened by a lead-footed child who runs down your hallway at a too early hour for no good reason. We opted for a room with a sundeck in the off-chance that social-distancing restrictions forced the closure of the beautiful common garden space. Our king sized bed room offered little else in the way of space aside from the bed itself, a wine fridge (mini-bar), a rolling rack (no closet), and a dresser under the TV; but the important thing was the deck, which was way bigger than anticipated, it has plenty of rooms for 4 rocking chairs with tables and space to move around comfortably. We used it a lot, enjoying it at both the start and end of each day with a drink in hand, it was the perfect place to just relax and enjoy….the whole point of our mini vaycay.
The hotel also has an in-house restaurant and bar, Kontiki, which offers an ever-changing selection of asian/hawaiian fusion dishes to tempt and treat your tastebuds. Since most of the “nightlife” was seemingly being put on hold or just ending earlier than we’d expected (again, COVID), there were nights where we wanted to eat dinner after 8:00pm, but found our options severely restricted. Thankfully, Kontiki came thru as they’re open til 10:00pm and despite being leisurely with service, the food and drinks were quite good. We enjoyed several dishes including Kimchi Fried Rice, Shrimp Tempura and Tuna Tartare.
Sadly, many “places of interest” in the area were closed due to the pandemic and the ensuing restrictions. We were surprised to see many shops that COULD have been open but chose to remain closed…not sure how they can afford to do so, so my assumption is that they won’t reopen at all. Touristy places like the Carousel, Lavender by the Bay, and the local museums all were still closed, so our activities were mostly snacking and hanging out by the pool at the Greenporter Hotel where my sister and friend stayed when they met us out there. While the rest of Long Island has embraced Phase III of re-opening, in Greenport, you were constantly reminded that they are operating by their own rules and were not ready for you to be on the sidewalk without a mask on…even if you were all alone. They seem to be taking a much more cautious and gradual approach to rejoining the rest of the world in “back to normal”. When it came down to it, our “long weekend” felt much to short by the time we had to pack it up to return to life. This is the place to be if you want to experience a break from reality while still staying in the relative safety of home. Below are all the other places we enjoyed during our stay…yes I swear it was only 4 days, but what can I say, with the lack of other activities available to us, noshing was (and is always) my prime focus.
Where we went…
Crazy Beans: It surprised me that there weren’t more people vying for tables inside this corner spot in prime downtown, but maybe that’s more commentary on how not ready the town is for Phase 3 interior dining? They have no outdoor tables so if you want this yummy breakfast, you either suck it up inside (where they go above and beyond with the distancing and barrier methods) or you get it to go. We happily claimed a table for 4 and wedged ourselves in between plexiglass partitions hanging from the ceiling. Now you might have noticed, we like to drink, and so of course breakfast is no exception to the rule; we started with double mimosa’s and breakfast sangria (a lovely cocktail with prosecco, white wine, cranberry, OJ, and triple sec). Having visited their one of their locations in Stonybrook, I knew their coffees and specialty drinks are hard to miss, but I just didn’t need coffee at that time (weird I know). I got probably one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever had, the Avocado Breakfast Wrap with over easy eggs, friend avocado slices, bacon, tomato and chipotle sauce in a flour tortilla. WOW. I’ll say it again, WOOOOOOWWW. I want to eat this everyday for breakfast and have it miraculously be healthy and not make me gain weight, reasonable request, right? If you go to any Crazy Beans location, get it and get it often and then send me one to-go as a thank you for recommending it.
In addition to my new obsession, the Cannoli French toast was another huge hit, as was the corned beef has we got the share for the table. Omelets rounded out our choices but I’m just not a person who can get excited about an omelet…seen/had one, you know how they are. One additional thing to keep in mind here is that while you can pay with a credit card, you MUST tip only in cash, so make sure you have some handy because these girls earn their tips!
Lucharitos: This yummy little spot jumps right out at you from the sidewalk with it’s brightly colored windows adorned with the masks of the Luchador, right now they are open only for take out….which can be taken to the 4-5 conveniently placed tables just outside the restaurant if you’re lucky. but don’t let those tables fool you, there is truly no service to you once you pick up your food from their window. Now as you know, I have a healthy appreciation (bordering on obsession) of tacos so I was so ready for this place! We ordered a real smorgasboard; Jalepeno poppers stuffed with cream cheese and bacon, Lucha Fundido cheese dip, the El Santo nachos with pulled pork, steak quasadilla, burritos and tacos. Since the food is all given to-go style, we dug into everything at once, and boy was it delicious! My favorite was the coconut shrimp taco and the BBQ duck taco….not flavors you normally see offered so I had to try them. My sister liked her burrito so much that she took the part should couldn’t manage at lunch and saved it for a late night snack…with the queso fundido that she heated up by giving it a hot water bath in her hotel room (genius!).
It’s worth noting that despite the food quality being top-notch, the service at the ordering/pick up windows need help. When paying, we noticed only when signing the credit card slip that an 18% gratuity had been tacked on…ok no big deal except we’d already put cash into their tip jar. And yeah, we weren’t’ about to be those people who reach in to fish it back out, so when we mentioned that to the person at the window, no one seemed particularly moved by our suggestion that a note indicating that gratuity would be automatically collected should be posted. Then, while waiting for our food, we realized we hadn’t been given our beverages either. At the pick up window, when asked for our margaritas and waters (hello, it was 1000 degrees out), the person manning that space made it very clear that I was interrupting his conversation and time spent with his phone…along with the 10 other employees sitting inside chatting, eating and just generally hanging out. The food is stand out to be sure, just prepare yourself for the ‘tudes…or maybe you’ll be luckier than we were.
The Frisky Oyster: Now this place was one of the very very few actually open past 9pm, and it boasted one of my favorite things: no kids under 6 after 6:30pm….they could probably make everyone happier by saying no kids under 12, but at minimum, it’s an adult atmosphere that you can enjoy. We went for late night (second dinner) after trying and being unsatisfied with a neighboring restaurant earlier at dinnertime; no I’m not naming names, I’m not here to bash. We had a lovely round of pricey cocktails that were very inventive and superb. Being that it was so late, full meals weren’t happening so we got oysters and dessert to go with our drinks. Little Ram oysters (raw) served with a coconut mignonette was the hands down winner of best oysters for the whole weekend…in fact it could very well have been the coconut mignonette that secured the top honors…we thought about getting it to go, that about sums it up. The Oysters Friskafella (rockefeller) were also very good.
Dessert was a Tres Leches cake and a Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake…their in-house pastry chef does not disappoint, they even make their own ice cream! Everything was perfection, and finally, with this second dinner, we were very happy.
The Lowtide Beach Bar at Sound View Greenport: Thanks 100% to a suggestion that I follow the Northforker, I was served an article about this new beachside pop-up bar that specialized in weekends and sunsets right on the sandy shore located just behind the Sound View Hotel. Reservations are required, as “hanging” isn’t allowed, you must be in/around your Adirondack chairs at least in this time of social distancing. With a limited bar menu that offered up Margaritas, White Sangria, Montauk beer and Bridge Lane wine cans, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but to simply sit by the Sound with a refreshing drink and cooling breeze as the sun sinks into the horizon and literally lights the sky on fire, what’s a limited menu to stop you??
10/10 recommend this, although be warned, this is NOT the place for fancy footwear! RIP to the poor women I saw wearing heels, I hope you survived it. Once the sun sets, the staff come around to offer throw blankets (in sealed plastic, so yes, they’re clean!) and we were lucky enough to have our own private fire pit that was lit for us to continue to enjoy as it got darker.
Billy’s by the Bay: Friend who has visited Greenport a few weeks prior to us found this gem and said it was a must for fresh seafood and tasty lunch…just on the other side of the inlet, by the marina is this completely unsuspecting restaurant, smack dab in the middle of a boatyard. With a covered deck, technically it’s all outdoor seating, so on a nice day it’s a great place to escape the heat, and on the not-so-nice gray day that we went, it was the perfect place to avoid the raindrops. Lots of fried seafood, lots of just caught shellfish, and the juxtaposition of lobster rolls (hot vs. cold), this place has it all…and some really potent cocktails and frozen drinks to boot! I went with the Crabby Mary (a bloody mary topped with a fried softshell crab) and we also tried their rum punch, mango margarita, and frozen Key Lime.
We snacked on a bunch of apps including raw oysters and clams, baked clams, and the highlight, bacon wrapped scallops…because everything is better with bacon! If I could go again, I would just get those, the baked clams were good, but a bit too bready for my liking, I prefer the whole clam to chopped pieces. The raw items were great, tasted like they were the days fresh catch, just a little too stuck in the shells to slurp out, but that’s ok.
Jacob and I always find ourselves on opposite sides of the Lobster Roll debate, in that he prefers Hot while I prefer Cold. To me, if I want hot lobster, I don’t need a bun or anything else, just give me the meat and the butter (and maybe a fork? but who am I kidding it’s even better with your fingers!) To me a true lobster roll needs to have the cold salad, with a meat heavy ratio to celery, mayo and anything else you want to add to it, and there’s a certain finesse to getting the perfectly buttered and toasted bun….anyway, once again we chose our favorites, and once again we both ended up firmly in our own camp of which was best. It’s a good day when that’s your biggest problem, hot or cold lobster, am I right? We also had the fried shrimp BLT and crab cake sandwich….both served on toasted white bread. Everyone walked away from this lunch quite full and very happy.
Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant: as a Huntingtonian I will always compare all Greek food to the Mediterranean Snack bar (now Parea) and that’s even with my time spent IN GREECE! But so many people chimed in to recommend this place, that I knew there was no way we could not give it a try. located just outside of town, it was our lifesaver as we attempted to eat a late dinner in town following several hours of rain…many places weren’t open and those that were had no availability, or were closing soon. So we headed to the snack bar, and were seated immediately at their covered patio. After agonizing over which dishes to choose we settled on a special appetizer, broiled octopus served with lemony cucumbers and pita triangles, and Skordalia which is like hummus but with garlic instead of chickpeas , over fried zucchini and eggplant slices. OMG OMG OMG so good, I should have gotten some of the garlic sauce to go because I could eat that schtuff on everything! Even jacob, who hates eggplant loved it. The octopus was equally delicious and was made even better by dipping it into the leftover garlic sauce.
For dinner Jacob surprised me by going with a cheeseburger….seriously, all this great Greek food and a cheeseburger??! He said after a single bite, that he knew it was the best cheeseburger he’s ever eaten and that we need to make regular trips to Greenport JUST so that he can have more…this burger has ruined him for all other burgers. Ok wow, so my bad, not just a cheeseburger: The Grecian Burger is an 8oz patty that had marinated peppers, onions, and garlic mixed into the burger. So don’t dismiss as just another burger.
I can’t resist Lamb Shank, especially not when you tell me its paired with tomato and orzo, so I went with that. Fall off the bone meat that was perfectly seasoned over juicy tomato orzo….I took my last few bites to go because it was too good to leave even a single orzo behind…but I wanted dessert too, so I had to leave room for their housemade Rice Pudding. So yummy, so worth being way too full after. Pro tip: we tried their Greek Rosé “Zoe, Domaine Skouros” as it was designated an outstanding vintage, and no lie, it was the best Rosé we had outside of a vineyard all weekend.
Blue Duck Bakery Cafe: who doesn’t love a good small town bakery? If the answer is you, just leave right now, because there is no way we can remain friends. Housed in one of the many historical homes on front street, this is an adorable bakeshop that has too many treats to choose from, and each one looks better than the last! Having to narrow down my choice was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and despite wheedling for a mini (read: personal-sized) rainbow sprinkle cake that would have been PERFECT for my birthday only 3 days later, I settled for chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie whoopie pie, apricot and raspberry thumbprint cookies, a cranberry chocolate chip cookie and a ginger snap. No pics of those as I ate them too fast, not sorry, but drool over my options from their cases…
Goldberg’s Bagel : Long Islanders love bagels, it is a stereotype and a fact. They’re so versatile, cream cheese, egg sammies, regular sandwiches com lunchtime, you cannot beat a Long Island bagel and that is yet another fact. The line out the door here was a dead giveaway that this was THE spot for bagels, so we had to check them out. the line goes quick, thankfully, and in no time, we were enjoying our bagels at one of the little tables on their front porch (because pretty much every storefront in town used to be someone’s house). I got an everything and chose their Cucumber dill cream cheese with sliced tomato…I should have added lox because this yummy spread was just begging for smoked salmon and capers but it was really hot and I didn’t want to be too full too early. Jacob got an everything with scallion, and although it’s a go-to, you can never underestimate how good this combo is.
In closing, we had a great time, and I really would like to return again, once they’ve fully embraced being back open for business. Despite only having gone a few hours away, this trip was exactly when I needed to recharge my batteries and lift my spirits. Of course it didn’t hurt that I went with some of my favorite people, hell we make my driveway exciting for happy hour every Friday! One last shout out, I have to urge you to join the Long Island Restaurant Group or Long island Foodies on Facebook; honest reviews and experiences shared with other food lovers for all the greatest spots to dine on LI. The suggestions made by members of those groups truly helped me enjoy my time in Greenport!
Nosh Your Average Food 