Hamptons Restaurant Review: Tutto Il Giorno

What’s better than fine dining in the Hamptons? Prix fixe fine dining in the Hamptons, “of course!”

Some of the best East End restaurants are now offering weekly prix fixe specials. Tutto Il Giorno in Southampton has a three-course $33 prix fixe on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays. I happily indulged, while my husband ordered from their regular menu.

We started with cocktails—a Ginger Old Fashioned of Maker’s Mark Bourbon, muddled orange and cherry, ginger essence and angostura bitters for him, a Tutto Spritz for moi. I found my drink of Prosecco and Aperol with lemon and an orange slice light, bubbly and refreshing. If you’re a “lightweight” drinker this drink is for you. Husband said his drink was “heavy on the bourbon” and “Wow.”

We shared a charcuterie plate of speck, salami, salumi—sayummy! A plate of porcine paradise with a helping of lightly pickled vegetables. Vladimir told us that the charcuterie plate had long been a popular weekend special and had just gone on the regular menu the night we dined. He explained the key to the marvelous housemade mustard—it’s made with honey, a bit sweeter than Dijon.

I started with the Soup du Jour—a nicely spicy pea soup with andouille sausage. It had a hardy texture about it—I could have thrown bread in and made a meal of it but I refrained. Tutto’s lovely interior—all cream and taupe and dark woods and metals inspired refined behavior on my part.

In addition to classic Italian bread and extra virgin olive oil, our server brought us a fresh rosemary and olive oil-saturated flat bread that I adored. Husband, who is not partial to rosemary, had the plate removed before I hurt myself.

It was quite busy at Tutto on Sunday night with a mix of families and couples. There was a lot of Italian being spoken. Husband felt comfortable turning his wine pairing selections over to the staff and he was not disappointed. I couldn’t follow all the names of the wines but his first was described as “Sauvignon blanc-ish.” Right on. He started with the Fritto—calamari, small, local leeks and a basil aioli dip. Mostly what I heard from his side of the table was “Oh wow.” I sampled—the calamari was very tender, the leeks were delicate and tasty. The wine was very clean and mellow.

We were frequently impressed with Tutto’s fast service. Leading the friendly team is Vladimir, their manager. He’s not Italian, he’s Slovakian, and so he comes from an equally welcoming and food-centric culture.

There are lots of vegetarian options at Tutto. I ordered the Ravioli stuffed with small roasted mushrooms, creamy ricotta, covered in brown sage butter. So good! Husband went for the very manly Manzo—braised beef short ribs, garlicky-buttery crushed potatoes and local beets. It was all so tender and delish!

We were too stuffed for dessert but Vladimir assured us that all of the desserts at Tutto are homemade…so we ordered grappa and bided our time.

Husband quite enjoyed a vanilla Panna Cotta with fresh raspberries. I had an Apple Crisp with some Ciao Bella Dulce de Leche Sorbet. After all the walnutty brown sugar crisp layer was gone I was done. This is a well-prepared, standard apple crisp—it will not elate nor will it disappoint.

Tutto’s organic extra virgin olive oil is instantly addictive so we bought a bottle to take home to Sag Harbor.

Vladimir told us that the Southampton Tutto is a bit more refined than the smaller, more rustic Sag Harbor location. I’m so there—you can read about my “hometown adventure” at Tutto Sag Harbor next month.
Venga con me!

Tutto Il Giorno, 56 Nugent Street, Southampton, 631-377-3611.

Tutto Il Giorno, 6 Bay Street, Sag Harbor, 631-725-7009.