Foodstuffs: Restaurant Building Sold, Provence On Shelter Island, Jam And Honey Contest, New Springs Tavern And Cookie Day

Bay Burger Building Is Sold

Hal Zwick and Jeff Sztorc of the Hamptons Commercial Real Estate Team have announced the recent sale of 1742 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor-Turnpike in Sag Harbor. The property, most recently Ed’s Lobster House, was the former home of Bay Burger restaurant and was owned by Joe and Liza Tremblay and John Landes. It sold for $3,300,000. The buyers of the site are the owners of Goldberg’s — cousins Marc Goldberg and Paul Wayne.

The building sits just outside the village business district. The new owners will take advantage of the maximum visibility at the northern edge of Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike and close proximity to Sag Harbor’s downtown, while also appealing to the Bridgehampton area.

The building offers high ceilings and open space — 1,600 square feet interior on .77 acre with a dedicated parking lot. Per the health department, the 80 seat entity includes an outdoor seating patio and fully equipped kitchen and bar. This building was completely renovated in 2018.

“We look forward to the well-known local group returning the site to a gathering place for year-round and seasonal visitors for years to come,” said listing agent Hal Zwick.

A Taste Of Provence On Shelter Island

In August, a new restaurant is opening its doors on Shelter Island. Léon 1909 is a transportive restaurant centrally located within the heart of the island community. Run by daughter-father team Valerie and Robert Mnuchin, the restaurant is named after Valerie’s paternal grandfather— Léon, whose affinity for romantic coastal adventures abroad inform the restaurant’s setting.

Léon captures the romance of European adventures and seaside destinations and is an inviting homage to the past that beckons longtime Shelter Island neighbors and visitors alike. A wood-burning hearth anchors the restaurant’s Provençal menu, showcasing regional ingredients and unfussy, countryside French-Italian fare.

Léon’s menu showcases peak-of-season regional ingredients from both land and sea. Salads and starters such as scallop crudo with buttermilk, pepita and lime lead to a selection of handmade pastas as well as fire-kissed mains such as striped bass with spicy peperonata, Picholine olives and lemon and grilled rib-eye served with a generous helping of herbed crispy potatoes. The wine list, rooted primarily in Old World regions while reflecting select contemporary producers, is complemented by a range of other beverages including beer, signature and classic cocktails from the bar, and nonalcoholic options. The restaurant’s executive chef is Mason Lindahl, general manager is Chris Clark and the architect is Robert Kahn.

Surrounded by old brick and exposed wooden trusses on the lofted ceiling, Léon’s wood-burning hearth with its blackened steel hood and soapstone top serves as the restaurant’s focal point. In addition to rattan-backed bar seats, the 74-seat restaurant features blue canvas-upholstered banquette and booth seating in the main room, where dishes off the grill are placed on white quartered oak tables made by a mill worker with family ties to the island. Covered by a pergola, the expansive outdoor patio space is lined with bluestone aggregate, creating a setting reminiscent of seaside terraces, to enjoy drinks or a relaxed meal with family and friends over a shared table.

Léon will open for dinner five days per week, Thursday through Monday. The restaurant is taking reservations starting August 11 on Resy.com. Léon 1909 is located at 29 West Neck Road, Shelter Island. For more information, visit leon1909.com or call 631-749-9123.

Calling Beekeepers And Jam-Makers!

Hallockville Museum Farm, the historic North Fork farm homestead in Riverhead, is issuing a call for entries for its second annual Jam and Honey Contest, with winners to be announced at the 41st Hallockville Country Fair, the weekend of September 17 and 18. The fair is an authentic North Fork cultural experience that celebrates Long Island’s agricultural heritage and the pleasures of family farm life from years gone by. The Country Fair will feature traditional crafts and games, folk art demonstrations, a petting zoo, pony rides, wagon rides, musical performance, art and craft vendors, farm livestock and many other attractions.

“If folks say you make the tastiest beach plum jam or your bees produce the best honey – put it to the test,” said Hallockville Museum Farm Executive Director Roberta Shoten. “The Hallockville Country Fair is the perfect place for a friendly food competition and the winners get bragging rights for a full year!”

First, second and third-place winners will be named in each category. Winners will receive traditional ribbons and medals and the right to say their product truly is the best.

The Jam Contest is open to all Long Islanders who make their own preserves. Entries must have been made on Long Island by the individual entering the contest. Jams or jellies must be cooked preserves — not frozen or refrigerated. The Honey Contest is open to individuals who own or manage hives on Long Island.

Contestants must submit two, four-ounce, unlabeled jars of each product they are entering into the competition. There is a $10 fee per entry and each one must be accompanied by a completed entry form, available at the Hallockville website or in-person at the Hallockville Museum Farm. Products to be entered into the contests may be dropped-off in-person at the Hallockville Museum Farm office, in the Hudson House, at 6038 Sound Ave., Riverhead, between August 22 and September 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Preliminary judging will take place between September 2 and September 16. Final judging and the announcement of winners will occur during Hallockville’s 41st Country Fair on Sunday, September 18. Complete contest rules and entry form are available online at hallockville.org/countryfair.

Grab A Cocktail And Hit The Beach!

Astro’s Pizza in Amagansett is now offering large format cocktails to go. The cocktails are 32 ounces, serve up to six and are perfect to grab on your way to the beach. All cocktails cost $75 and online orders can be placed by visiting astrospizza.com. The large format cocktails include: Pineapple Express (Dos Hombres mezcal, pineapple, lime, cilantro, Tajin salt); Portofino (vodka, Ramazzotti Rosato, lemon basil syrup, Topo Chico); Margarita (tequila, lime, simple syrup); and Watermelon Sugar (tequila, watermelon, lime).

Astro’s Pizza is at 237 Main Street, Amagansett. Call 631-267-8300 for more details.

Cookie Love

In honor of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day on Thursday, August 4, Tate’s Bake Shop will be offering free chocolate chip cookies for all individuals who make a purchase at Tate’s Bake Shop in Southampton that day. The Bake Shop is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is located at 43 North Sea Road. The complimentary treat includes a bag with two full size chocolate chip cookies — the perfect dessert to share with a friend, or to fill with a scoop of ice cream for the ideal crispy, creamy summer sandwich.

If you can’t make it to the Southampton store that day, Tate’s will also be offering a 20 percent discount site-wide on tatesbakeshop.com with the code COOKIEDAY (valid on August 4 until 11:59 p.m. EST).

Spring Tavern And Grill Opens Its Doors

Springs Tavern and Grill has a new name, new ownership and a new life and is officially open for the season. The new regime is spearheaded by Alex Rossi who resides in Springs with his family and grew up in the restaurant business in New York City — his father Rubrio Rossi owned the highly acclaimed Parioli Romanissimo on the Upper East Side.

With Springs Tavern and Grill, Rossi has created a year-round eatery with affordable prices and a welcoming atmosphere. The restaurant features a revamped ambiance with a completely renovated interior and a beachy and inviting upgraded outdoor dining area and lounge. Rossi has partnered with Raul Rodas, a veteran professional of such East End restaurants as Indian Wells Tavern, 1770 House and Coche Comedor, who will manage the day-to-day operations. Chef Fabian Rodas will be the helm. The menu features starters, salads, mains and Tavern favorites, along with a delicious grilled selection where diners can chose a protein a side to enjoy. As a treat, Springs Tavern and Grill will also have some classic Parioli dishes for diners to savor. The restaurant does not take reservations. A selection of menu items includes starters like an assortment of salads along with spicy tuna tartare, steamed mussels, crispy calamari and burrata and grilled endive. Grilled items include grass-fed NY strip, Atlantic salmon, Atlantic tuna and head-on prawns. Main offerings include branzino, risotto al funghi, tortellini alla Bolognese, skirt steak, Baja fish tacos, burgers, crispy chicken sandwich and more.

Springs Tavern and Grill is at 15 Fort Pond Boulevard, East Hampton. For more information, visit springstavernandgrill.com or call 631-604-6944.

Drinking Smarter

Origen Vodka has splashed onto the Hamptons scene this summer. Billing itself as the world’s first superfood spirit, Origen Vodka is infused with a proprietary, natural blend of elderberry, artichoke, muscadine grape and green tea and is scientifically developed to harness the myriad benefits associated with these ingredients. One hundred percent plant-based with zero artificial flavors, colors, GMOs or additives, it was rigorously tested and sustainably produced, offering a new way to imbibe, sipped neat, over ice or in cocktails. Naturally pink from the combination of raw superfoods, it’s a delicious way to drink smarter.

Founded by health and wellness entrepreneur, Amy Holmwood, Origen features a sustainably produced gluten-free, white wheat base vodka chosen for its exceptional purity, mouthfeel and higher antioxidant properties.

Holmwood set out to create Origen because she was dissatisfied with the lack of innovation in the spirits space. She comes from a family of legendary thinkers — her maternal great-grandmother was genius industrial engineer Lillian Gilbreth (immortalized in “Cheaper by the Dozen”), and her paternal great-grandfather, Edward Sandell, was a beer industry mogul as director of Canadian Breweries Ltd., in the 1930s, which is now under the Molson Coors umbrella.

Having overcome a series of health issues when she was young, including asthma, premature aging, arthritis and Lyme Disease, by using holistic methods, Holmwood became interested in natural healing and nutrition. Imbued with an appreciation for the good life by her family — one of her great-grandmother’s many famous exhortations was “Be a genius at the art of living” — but left without an alternative drinking option that spoke to her health consciousness, she decided to create her own.

“As someone who overcame health issues earlier in my life, I’m acutely aware of how important our food and beverage choices are,” says Holmwood. “At the same time, social drinking in moderation is a part of my life, and there were no spirit brands speaking to my desires for a smarter way to consume alcohol. My team and I, along with brilliant research scientist, Dr. Nathalie Chevreau, created Origen Vodka to fill the void and biohack booze. We’re proud to offer this new superfood spirit as the result of years of research, rigorous testing and development.”

Holmwood holds a Nutrition Sciences Certification from the Stanford Center for Health Education, and a master’s degree in Biotechnology Enterprise from Johns Hopkins University. She has been a passionate advocate for nutrigenomics and biohacking for the past 20 years, but she needed experienced research scientists to truly bring her vision to life. After two years of R&D, working with three different research teams of scientists with doctorates in food, beverage sciences and molecular biology, Holmwood turned to Dr. Nathalie Chevreau Ph.D., to develop the final product.

Origen’s superfood ingredients include: elderberry, which are packed with anthocyanins, antioxidants and vitamins that may reduce inflammation, boost the immune system and lessen oxidative stress; artichoke leaf extract which contains flavonoids that contribute to liver health, decreasing inflammation and aiding digestion; green tea which contains polyphenols, catechins, antioxidants that may reduce inflammation and reduce cell damage; muscadine grape, which is native to the Southeastern United States and a great source of ellagic acid, free-radical-fighting antioxidants and derivatives that are not found in typical grapes.

The vodka is sourced from award-winning McClintock Distilling, one of the premier small-batch distilleries in the U.S. On the nose, Origen is delicate with subtle cherry fruit notes and a floral bouquet. Texturally there is a pleasant viscosity and velvety smoothness: a wonderful overall mouthfeel. On the palate, Origen opens with notes of gentle olive fruit and a hint of salinity with a rounded floral backbone, followed by a balanced acidity carrying through with light vanilla on the finish.

Origen Vodka is available at select high end retailers on the East End such as Sag Harbor Liquor, Wines by Morrell in East Hampton, Churchill’s in Bridgehampton and Amagansett Wine & Spirits. Origen is also available for direct to consumer shipping in New York and 31 states through the shopping site at origenvodka.com.