Hamptons Restaurant Review: A Savory Evening at 75 Main

Iona greeted us at the door with a steady smile in her indubitably courteous manner. She’s from Romania, love that accent!

My husband and I had come in for an early dinner. When we arrived, there were a few people at the bar and several families with young children at tables. By the time we left, the place was abuzz—many of the tables were filled with couples. The funky music played throughout the evening.

75 Main is special to Husband and me because it was the first white tablecloth restaurant that we visited in the Hamptons. That was a few years before Zach Erdem bought it.

What was most notable to us back then was the size of the flatware. It was huge. Husband ordered a pasta dish with tomato sauce and ruined his shirt in short order! Again, that was about 14 years before the Kardashians made 75 Main their go-to spot in the Hamptons.

Our most recent visit to 75 Main didn’t harm any of our clothes—unless you count the extreme stress placed on our waistbands.

Chef Mark Militello offers a wide range of dishes, many referencing the Mediterranean.

Husband started with his standard—a gin martini, which he declared good. Iona suggested a flute of champagne for moi. What a fabulous suggestion. A very nice brut. Local wines include those from Martha Clara Vineyards, Macari Vineyards and Roanoke Vineyards, but I stopped quaffing after
the bubbly.

Plied with bread and EVOO, Husband settled on an appetizer of Grilled Spanish Octopus with fingerling potatoes, lemon, capers, olives and smoked pimento. He quite liked it.

I was tempted to be all healthy and have the homemade hummus and salad, but other delights beckoned.

I ordered the Shrimp Saganaki, a dish that I haven’t had the pleasure of encountering in a long while. Husband thought the jumbo shrimp a tad over-firm but I found this savory dish of garlicky shrimp, tomatoes, olives, capers and feta riding on a raft of grilled bread perfectly luscious. In fact the touch of cheese and the olive oil give it a buttery effect.

Husband moved on to the flavorful Marinated Skirt Steak with creamy, olive-oil mashed potatoes. He found the steak moist and the potatoes to have a light smokiness from the meat. He didn’t share.

I had the perfectly cooked Roasted Branzino with lemon and fresh herb butter. The caponata was sweetened with golden raisins in the traditional way, giving the dish a sweet-savory mix.

For dessert we shared a standard slice of New York cheesecake with a puff of real whipped cream—“sweet.”

But maybe the best part of dining at 75 Main remains off the menu—the people watching to be had through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Even in the “off-season,” it’s highly entertaining.

75 Main Restaurant & Lounge, 75 Main Street, Southampton, 631-283-7575.