Foodstuffs: Oyster Lovers Celebration, Artists' Table Dinner, Restaurant Week Deals, Karaoke Fun and Pumpkin Time

​Shell-ebrating Long Island Oysters!

The creators of Long Island Restaurant Week have teamed up with two passionate oyster lovers to launch the first annual Long Island Oyster Week October 10 through 15. Richard Remmer of The Snapper Inn Waterfront Restaurant in Oakdale and Chuck Westfall, president of Long Island Oyster Growers Association, teamed up with Nicole Castillo of Long Island Restaurant Week to create the promotional week honoring Long Island’s tasty bivalve.

“Oyster Week is an opportunity to showcase world class oysters that are grown locally,” said Remmer. “The growers will be delivering the best they have — literally boat to table. Customers will have an opportunity to enjoy, compare and learn about oysters from all around Long Island. Chefs will have an opportunity to showcase creative recipes using the freshest local oysters.

“Oysters, just like wines, take their flavor from the location,” he continued. “Long Island has been known for over 100 years as one of the finest in the world. Just as wines from the Napa Valley and Bordeaux are great because of where the grapes are grown, so are oysters from the Great South Bay, Peconic Bay and Long Island Sound. Who hasn’t heard of Blue Point oysters?”

From October 10 through 15, participating restaurants will offer oyster specials sourced from participating oyster growers. Specials range from $1 oysters, $2 oysters and an oyster sampler to oyster appetizers and oyster entrees. Restaurants can offer one or all of these oyster specials, all of which will be listed on the Long Island Oyster Week website at oysterweekli.com. Participating restaurants thus far include: Bayberry, Calissa, Juniper, Mirabelle, Nantuckets, Oakdale Brewhouse, Salt & Barrel, Spuntino Wine Bar, Bell & Anchor, The Snapper Inn, The Wharf Oakdale and View.

Oysters are not only delicious, but extremely beneficial to the Long Island ecosystem. One adult oyster filters up to 50 gallons of water per day. Long Island Oyster farms contribute to the removal of more than 192,000 pounds of nitrogen and more than 57,000 pounds of carbon each year. This greatly improves overall water quality free to the public. Not only are oysters benefiting the ecosystem but they are beneficial to consumers as well. Oysters are full of vitamins and micronutrients such as vitamin D, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids that are hard to find in other foods and are essential to our immune health. More benefits from oysters can be found on the Oyster Week website.

“My family’s life for five generations has been intertwined with Long Island oysters,” said Remmer. “My grandfather’s first in job in America was for an oyster company. I am ecstatic that our great Long Island restaurants, and our amazing oyster growers, are getting together to celebrate the best oysters in the world.”

A key component of the event are the Long Island oyster growers. Westfall has coordinated the growers to participate allowing them to form new relationships with Long Island restaurants.

“Long Island oyster growers are proud to present to you the very best oysters from our many growing regions,” said Westfall. “We have reestablished in both quality and taste an oyster that hearkens back to Long Island’s rich oyster and shellfish industries. We are also proud of the significant environmental benefits that oyster farming provides to our local waters. Long Island Oyster Week is the very best way for oyster lovers to sample a variety of our local oysters served in a variety of delicious ways. The growers invite you to sample Long Island’s freshest seafood served by Long Island’s very best chefs. Oysters, good for you, good for the environment, and delicious to boot.”

Oyster growers on Long Island participating thus far include: Oysterponds Shellfish Co., North Fork Big Oyster Co., Founders Bay Oyster Farm, Thatch Island Oyster Farm, Eel Town Oysters, Hamptons Oyster Company, Great Gun Oyster Co. and Montauk Pearls.

Long Island Oyster Week will also support Half Shells for Habitat, is an island-wide partnership that collects waste oyster shells from restaurants for the purpose of returning them to Long Island’s estuarine waters through oyster restoration and other habitat improvement projects.

“We are very excited for Long Island Oyster Week. Any event that highlights Long Island oysters is a great asset to Long Island’s marine ecosystems,” said Maureen Dunn, director, Half Shells for Habitat Oyster Shell Recovery Program, Water Quality Scientist, Seatuck Environmental Association. “More oysters eaten means more oyster shells collected that go back into our waters to restore our water quality. We are honored to be a part of the event.”

For a full list of participants visit oysterweekli.com/participants.

Artists’ Table Dinner

The Watermill Center’s next Artists’ Table Dinner is Saturday, October 7, noon to 2:30 p.m. and features artist Kayla Farrish and chef Colin Ambrose, owner of Estia’s Little Kitchen on the Bridgehampton Turnpike, just south of Sag Harbor.

Artists’ Table is The Watermill Center’s year-round series of gatherings, inviting the public to an intimate presentation by our international artists-in-residence, followed by a farm-to-table meal by East End chefs.

Kayla Farrish is a Black American director merging dance-theater, filmmaking, narrative and sound score. During 2023, she created new works for Arizona State University, LINES dance Training Program, University of Arizona. She has been commissioned to create a reimagined archival work for Limon Dance Company, and to collaborate with musician Trixie Whitley, for her new music tour. In her next company project, “Put Away the Fire, Dear,” she is touring a group narrative work of radical imagination and liberation.

Colin Ambrose opened Estia’s in March 1991 in Amagansett. With a longtime interest in cooking and gardening, Ambrose quickly established a friendship with Scott Chaskey and in 1992 became a member at the Quail Hill farm, Long Island’s first CSA. That friendship has served him well over the years as Chaskey has been a confidant and mentor helping the Estia team to develop a two-acre garden in Amagansett that served Estia’s tables for 16 years, then the present Estia garden which can be found just outside Estia’s Little Kitchen’s back door in Sag Harbor.

The Artists’ Table Dinner takes place partially outdoors. If needed, the event will be moved to Sunday, October 8. Registered attendees will be notified of schedule changes 24 hours before the scheduled start time. Tickets are $108 at watermillcenter.org. The Watermill Center is at 39 Watermill Towd Road, Water Mill.

Restaurant Week Is Nearly Here

Fall is in the air, and Long Island Restaurant Week is ready to help fill the seats of Long Island restaurants. The fall promotion will take place from Sunday, October 29, to Sunday, November 5, with several prix fixe options. Restaurants may offer a $24 two-course lunch, a $29 three-course dinner menu, a $39 three-course dinner menu and/or a $46 three-course dinner prix fixe. Restaurants may offer one, two or all these options throughout the promotion. Each participant is required to offer three options per course (appetizer, entrée, and dessert) for dinner. The promotion runs Sunday to Sunday (except Saturday night when it only must be offered until 7 p.m.). Many restaurants will be offering the promotion for takeout as well as for indoor and outdoor dining.

“We are excited to kick off the fall season with Fall Long Island Restaurant Week,” said Nicole Castillo of Long Island Restaurant & Hospitality Group. “Going into the 18th year of offering eight days of deals at restaurants across Long Island, we are thrilled to see a variety of cuisines for diners to choose from. Long Island Restaurant Week is a win-win for both restaurateurs and diners — increased foot traffic at restaurants and affordable meals at some of Long Island’s top restaurants.

“My best advice for restaurant week? Make reservations to guarantee you get into your favorite restaurant.”

Participating restaurants on the East End include: The Preston House Restaurant in Riverhead; Stone Creek Inn in East Quogue; R.AIRE at The Hampton Maid in Hampton Bays; Saaz Indian restaurant and LUNCH/Lobster Roll Restaurant in Southampton; Calissa and Bistro Ete in Water Mill; Cove Hollow Tavern and The Clubhouse in East Hampton.

For a full list of restaurants taking part in Fall Long Island Restaurant Week and to view menus, visit longislandrestaurantweek.com.

Fall at Bistro Ete

Enjoy Long Island Restaurant Week all fall and winter a Bistro Ete which is offering a $46 three-course prix fixe Thursday and Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. (excluding holidays and holiday weekends). Bistro Ete is also offering Wine Down Wednesday in October and November, with any bottle of wine under $200 from the wine list half price on Wednesday (not offered Thanksgiving eve). Bistro Ete is located at 760 Montauk Highway, Water Mill. For details, visit bistroete.com or call 631-339-3532.

Karaoke Saturday

Almond Restaurant and Bar’s world famous karaoke is back to Saturday nights for the off season. Every Saturday starting at 9 p.m. patrons are welcome to choose their favorite tune to belt out. Hosted by DJ Carlos Lama, Karaoke Saturdays will run until midnight each Saturday.

Almond Restaurant is at 1 Ocean Road, Bridgehampton. Call 631-537-5665 or visit almondrestaurant.com.

Pumpkin Time at Hampton Coffee Company

Everyone’s Fall Favorites plus some new additions are being featured at Hampton Coffee Company’s local espresso bars and cafés through Thanksgiving.

Enjoy the always popular pumpkin pie latte (iced or hot) and pumpkin crème shaken cold brew alongside two new additions: brown sugar cinnamon latte and caramel apple shaken espresso. The brown sugar cinnamon latte is available iced or hot and combines your choice of milk with Hampton Coffee Company’s signature espresso and brown sugar cinnamon syrup. The caramel apple shaken espresso combines caramel apple flavors with their espresso and gets a quick shake before being topped-off with cold oat milk.

On the fresh bakery side, Hampton Coffee’s pumpkin muffins have returned. Baked in each of the cafes every morning, nothing gives you the warmth of the season more than a fresh pumpkin muffin. And for a great afternoon snack, give the pumpkin blondie a try. Homemade-from-scratch by the nonprofit South Fork Bakery, which gives special needs adults real-life training, these pumpkin blondies are truly a taste of fall that can’t be beat.

Making your coffee at home? Bring home a pound of Pumpkin Pie coffee beans. Freshly-roasted and more sweet than spicy, just like a warm slice of pumpkin pie.

Hampton Coffee Company’s local cafés are open every day all year from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a quick and easy ordering and pick-up experience, download the Hampton Coffee app and order with a few clicks on your smartphone or tablet.

Hampton Coffee Company features direct trade craft coffee roasted locally by their own roastmaster at the Southampton Coffee Roastery and prepared by professional baristas. Hampton Coffee Company features muffins, croissants, scones, cinnamon rolls and cookies all freshly baked each morning on the premises at each café; a complete lunch menu featuring homemade salads, wraps, and panini; and a variety of delicious desserts.

For more information about Hampton Coffee Company and the six East End locations from Montauk to Center Moriches, visit hamptoncoffee.com.