Hottest Moments from Dan's ClambakeMTK at Gurney's Montauk

Overlooking the sand and surf on a Saturday night with an undeniably festive vibe, the inaugural Dan’s ClambakeMTK at Gurney’s Montauk, presented by Smartwater, took the Dan’s Taste of Summer experience to The End for a sell-out crowd. Fine food and drink flowed as celebrity chef co-hosts Marc Murphy and Eden Grinshpan welcomed guests, Ambassador of Taste Quincy Davis—brought true local flair, and a lineup of spectacular chefs and purveyors made it a party no one will ever forget. Here, we relive some favorite moments from an evening full of good times and great food and drink.

Murphy greeted attendees at the door and stayed “in it” throughout the night. Great hosting! No stranger to Montauk, Murphy said he likes to surf at Ditch Plains Beach. “I suck, but I try.”

The Beach Club at Gurney’s “Classic Clambake” brought the clams, mussels, corn and potato and onion plus lotsa butter and leeks and some crawdaddy claws.

Chef Pierre Sudre of Duryea’s himself squeezed our lemons! Over chorizo-stuffed cherrystone clams!

Overheard: “Get the little donut over the coffee custard!” Of course they were taking about the Coffee & Cream Doughnut with coconut cream filling—made by The Beach Club at Gurney’s inestimable pastry chef Keith Wallace.

DJ Aiden Jude had the VIP After-Party jumpin’!

Seamore’s NYC’s gazpacho was so fresh and hot and delightfully vinegar-y!

It was fun seeing one guest try to balance two dishes—Scarpetta Beach’s Gnocchetti clam, leek and pancetta, and the Montauk baked clams featuring local Quahog chopped clams with garlic, shallots and herbs served with a traditional lemon wedge from Gosman’s Restaurant—and two glasses of rosé.

Westlake Fish House’s chef Larry Kolar delivered with scungilli salad—the local conch perfectly chewy-tender!

Loved watching people debate which they loved more—the Ruschmeyer’s grilled clams with Sriracha herb butter, grilled corn and toasted sourdough, or 668 The Gig Shack’s charred lemon Caesar salad with grilled shrimp and chopped romaine lettuce with their signature Caesar dressing, tossed with fresh dill, Prima Donna Maturo cheese and croissant croutons—and then going back for more of each.

If there’s a better chilled seafood creation than Chef Maria Garrito’s marinated scallops with baby shrimp salad, we’ll eat our hats (as long as there’s some of that salad in there).

Montauk Rumrunners’ Tauk Loco Coco was aptly described by a patron as “the best thing on the planet!” It made people dance. And Rummrunners’ Fort Pond Bay Breeze (with coconut rum instead of vodka) didn’t hurt the dance mood, either.

Guests kept clamoring for the tasty pours from Skyy Vodka, who had a fruitful bar of their own, festively dressed up with oranges and apples.

Keith’s Nervous Breakdown Margarita Mix has made pink one of our favorite colors.

Chefs Matthew Guiffrida and Fabian Marin of Muse at The End made a cocktail of a different sort—their shrimp ceviche was beautifully presented in martini glasses, and its flavor was just as lovely.

Smokin’ Wolf’s BBQ Brisket Slider was a meaty note amongst the sea of fabu seafood. The sweet barbecue sauce and a hit of pickle balanced nicely.

Sweet Epiphany’s Valerie Hnatik made VIPs feel special with “The Montauk Cupcake,” a tasty bite of bourbon vanilla bean cake with bourbon chocolate ganache filling topped with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and a salted caramel drizzle. That’s how you end a party!

Dan’s Taste of Summer isn’t over yet! The fun continues at Dan’s Harvest East End, hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian, on Saturday, August 20 at McCall Vineyard and Ranch Cutchogue. Tickets on sale now at DansTaste.com.