A Winter Taste of Sag Harbor To Kick Off HarborFrost Weekend

Over the years, Sag Harbor has earned a reputation as a destination for foodies, with several top notch restaurants offering a wide variety of culinary delights.

On Friday, food lovers and fans of the village will have a unique opportunity to sample the best the town has to offer, all at one special venue.

The Sag Harbor Cinema will host the inaugural HarborFrost Kickoff and Taste of Sag Harbor dining experience on Friday, February 3, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the third-floor event space and the rooftop Green Room Bar. The event is being put together by the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, with several different restaurants participating, each offering a special dish or menu item.

Tickets are being offered for $50 for the general public and $40 for chamber members. Click here to purchase tickets.

The Winter Taste of Sag Harbor event is essentially a new twist on the traditional Frost Ball, which, pre-COVID, was held on the Friday night before the beginning of HarborFrost, which this year is set for Saturday, February 4, with events being held all day across the village.

Chamber of Commerce President Ellen Dioguardi credited local restaurateur Jesse Matsuoka with coming up with the concept, and giving the event its name.

Matsuoka operates two Sag Harbor restaurants — Sen and K Pasa — and is also the food and beverage director of the Sag Harbor Cinema.

In the years before the pandemic, the Frost Ball would draw hundreds of attendees, and was a big event, with live music. COVID led to its cancellation for a few years, and offering a more scaled down version was a better approach this year, Dioguardi said.

“We wanted to try to slowly bring it back,” she said. “So, Jesse and [Chamber board member] Kelly Dodds said, ‘Why don’t we do something more simple?’ And Jesse suggested using the cinema.

“It will be a chance for people to go into the cinema who haven’t been there yet,” she added. “They have a nice open event space.”

Having several restaurants each contribute a signature dish or menu item rather than having the event catered by one organization is a win for everyone, Dioguardi added. She pointed out that the Saturday of HarborFrost is typically one of the busiest winter days for local restaurants, and expecting one restaurant to cater a large event on Friday night and then turn around and have one of its busiest days of the offseason the following day is a challenge for the staff. The Friday event will allow that workload to be shared, and will share the love when it comes to showcasing the best the Sag Harbor restaurant industry has to offer.

“Most of the restaurants are chamber members, and we’re always just picking one,” Dioguardi added. “This way we can get everybody, and everybody can get their names out there. It just made sense.”

The list of participating restaurants — and the food they’re making — is certainly mouthwatering.”

Sushi, Mexican food, burgers, vegetarian offerings, seafood and more will be offered from Sen, K-Pasa, Dopo la Spiaggia, Bell and Anchor, Chef Peter Ambrose of Endless Summer Catering, Il Capuccino, The Corner Bar, Lulu Kitchen & Bar, Honest Plate and Page at 63 Main. Beverages will be provided by the Sag Harbor Cinema, and beer from Kidd Squid Brewing Company will also be on offer.

Chef Jimbo Renner of Il Capuccino — which is marking 50 years in business this year — is making a classic eggplant rollatini, and gave credit to the chamber for organizing what could become a new tradition.

“I’m totally thrilled with the Chamber of Commerce for doing this kind of event,” he said. “They do a fabulous job of organizing everything. People can get a taste of everything, and if they’re not already familiar with a certain restaurant, they can go find them after this.”

That kind of extra boost was a motivating factor for Matsuoka in putting the event together.

“The concept of being able to showcase Sag Harbor businesses was the key component here,” he said, adding that it’s been nice to get back to doing in-person events. “We wanted to be able to promote this so everyone can be together and mingle again now that we can get out of our cocoons.

“Something like this,” he added. “Having all these local restaurants under one roof is really unique.”