Restaurant Review: Madison & Main
What’s new at Michael Gluckman’s Madison & Main restaurant? Just about everything. It opened just four months ago in the former New Paradise Café space on Sag Harbor’s Main Street—but the interior paint job makes it look like this eatery has been there forever. They plan to remain open seven days, year-round. The bar already has a bustling fan base.
By now the menu should include a lot of local produce, in addition to local fish and seafood from Gosman’s Dock in Montauk. I was happy to see Amagansett Sea Salt on every table!
My husband and I went to check it all out a couple months ago, before the bold-face names started pouring in.
There’s a distinctly European vibe—the music, the candles, the dark wood and exposed tabletops. The wine list offers choice picks from France, Italy and California as well as our own Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack. Plus Long Island beers including Long Ireland’s Celtic Ale and Blue Point’s Hoptical Illusion.
Chef/co-owner Eric Miller popped round to say a friendly “hello” to all the diners.
I took M&M’s Drinks Menu advice to “relax and sip our special creations” to heart and ordered a Sag Harbor Triple Rum Punch. The Pyrat rum, peach schnapps, Malibu rum, Meyers rum and fresh-squeezed orange was pretty served in a tall glass—and tasty.
Husband went with a Madison & Main Single Malt Old Fashioned with 12-year-old McCallans whisky, a cube of Brazilian sugar, artisan bitters and a splash of Maraschino liqueur. He commented that “it’s unusual to have a mixed drink made from whisky—but this one works.”
We started with some light bread and a savory spread.
Husband ordered the Wild Giant Shrimp Cocktail from M&M’s Raw Bar, served over ice with freshly grated horseradish cocktail sauce and pepper salsa on a tall silver dish. It was an impressive presentation. He found the shrimp a tad overcooked to his taste.
I had Charleston Wild Giant Shrimp with creamy grits and crispy shallots. Good shrimp, tame grits.
Then came my favorite dish of the night—Petite Ravioli of Fresh Peas in a braised summer vegetable broth topped with North Fork microgreens. The riced sweet pea and scallion filling was still very hot when served and it had a vibrant flavor and great texture.
Husband’s entrée was a generous serving of Montauk Tuna served with roasted, Sicilian-style eggplant, garlic and pine nuts. He quite liked it.
French press coffee, anyone? No, thanks, but we did indulge in a glass of a substantial port. And we shared a Homemade Fresh Berry Shortcake with blueberries and strawberries and a generous amount of whipped cream. It was a two-person job. Buttery.
I asked co-owner Michael Gluckman what his favorite dishes on the menu are. He said,
“I like the tuna and our aged steaks. We want to be a local favorite year-round. We’re child-friendly and we have a kids menu, everything’s homemade!”
Now’s just the time to sit out on Madison & Main’s patio at the back. Manager Alfredo Merat told us he’ll be hosting acoustic happy hours and poetry readings…
Madison & Main, 126 Main Street, Sag Harbor, 631-725-6246, madisonandmainrestaurant.com