The Ultimate Hamptons Event—Dan's Taste of Two Forks

Forty restaurants (and then some). Twenty wineries (and then some). One great night…and then some. The inaugural Dan’s Taste of Two Forks event brought out the top chefs and winemakers from the East End of Long Island and made Saturday night’s event in Bridgehampton the ultimate food and wine showcase of the Hamptons summer season.

Local, sustainable and organic —not to mention delicious, sublime and other accolades—were the buzz words of the evening as a sell-out crowd tasted offerings from Mattituck to Montauk in a celebration of the best that the North and South Forks of Long Island have to offer. Putting a focus on fine food and the importance of the event’s benefiting local food pantries through Have a Heart Community Trust, host Marcus Samuelsson, MC Rosanna Scotto and Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein—a Dan’s Ambassador of Good Taste, along with Real Housewives of New York star Alex McCord—kicked off the night in style, and it only got better from there. [expand]

Tunes from DJ Phresh pumped in the background, and raves rose from every corner of the tent and beautiful outdoor lounge. A duck and sweet corn tamale from Estia’s Little Kitchen. Dumplings from Scrimshaw and fish tacos from Agave. Seafood and beef tastings from Citarella, fluke ceviche from The Grill on Pantigo. “Did you have the scallop sashimi?” enthused Linda from East Hampton about the fare from Joe Isidori and Southfork Kitchen. “Those ribs were unreal,” her friend Carol added about the BBQ-sauce-laden offering from Vine Street Café. “The Turtle Crossing brisket sliders? The tuna tartare at Savanna’s—perfect!”

PHOTO GALLERY: CHECK OUT THE GREAT NIGHT AT DAN’S TASTE OF TWO FORKS

Dan’s Taste of Two Forks was not only an incredible evening for food-lovers, but for the chefs themselves. “We usually don’t get to see each other out like this,” said Deli Counter Fine Food’s Mike Mosolino. “This is obviously a great time with great food for everyone, so it’s fun for us.”

Clearly, as a number of chefs created dishes exclusively for this night. Like the strawberry and ricotta tart from Nick & Toni’s—“We don’t serve this in the restaurant,” executive chef Joseph Realmuto said. “We wanted to do something special for this event.”—or the Seared Sea Scallop, Sweet Pea Cheesecake and Lobster Foam from the Montauk Lake Club. “It came to me in a dream,” chef Keith Davidson admitted. “Or maybe a nightmare—we’ll see!” Rest assured, Keith, it was dreamlike—just like every other offering throughout the night.

To pair with all the fabulous food, there was a perfect drink for every palate, whether people were sipping a full range of red, white and rosés from local wineries, brews from Southampton Publick House or the party-starting Pisco Porton. And when it came time for sweet treats, plates were filled with magical baked goods from Sarabeth Levine of Sarabeth’s Kitchen and William Bertha of Gurney’s Beach Bakery. The towering chocolate cake at the Blue Duck Bakery table elicited a chorus of “oohs” and “aahs,” and the confections from Dylan’s Candy Bar brought out the kid in everyone.

An incredible crowd, a great community cause and the best food and drink the Hamptons has to offer. We’re already looking forward to next year. See you there at Dan’s Taste of Two Forks!

READ ABOUT FOOD REPUBLIC’S FUN-FILLED TIME AT DAN’S TASTE OF TWO FORKS

SEE WHY THE WANDERING EATER LOVED DAN’S TASTE OF TWO FORKS [/expand]