Our Mid-Summer Report Card

We’ve compiled our favorite places, trends, and hosts for summer 2018.

Summer is flying by, and as we seem to be half way through the season, it feels time to take note of the best of this summer so far. This week, we focus on our favorite places by the water for socializing, the four trends which define summer 2018, and those hosts without which the summer would be far less fun.

“Oh, We Do Love to Be Beside the Seaside”

Duryea’s Lobster Deck. A dose of the South of France in Montauk, Duryea’s offer a raw bar with seating alongside the theater of the team at work preparing the oysters, clams, and seafood in front of diners. Outside, the deck has those hard-to-get tables by the waterfront where you can take in that sun, sea, and those magnums of rosé wine. www.duryealobsters.com

Gurney’s Montauk Yacht Club. Under new ownership this season, Gurney’s Montauk Yacht Club offers some 107 luxury waterfront guest rooms, suites, and villas inside 15 acres of grounds boasting outdoor amenities such as a swimming pool by the yacht dock, restaurants, and bars. New this year, registered boat owners at the marina can place services on their account. www.gurneysresorts.com

Navy Beach. Inside, the antique 35-foot wooden bar and décor screams old-school, though a modern wine list and Signature dishes including the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Hamachi Ceviche, Charred Portuguese Octopus, Local Clam & Corn Chowder and the eponymous Navy Burger make for a fun time for all. Outdoors, there is seating and tables directly on the beach to take in the scenery. www.navybeach.com

Sunset Beach. The clue is in the name. Sunset is the ideal time to watch the world go by and let the stresses of the day flow away with the tide. Created by owner Andre Balazs, Sunset Beach itself is a hideaway, with 20 hotel rooms and a restaurant on three floors. Feel the sand between your toes on the ground floor, hang out at the second-floor bar, or rise above it all to dine on the upper deck in the fresh air and take in the view. www.sunsetbeachli.com

Four Trends this Summer

Seafood Towers. 2018 seems to be the summer of the seafood tower. One tier or two or three? Great for sharing and a taste of the freshness of the sea, with clams, oysters, crab, lobster represented in the hit dish this summer in the Hamptons.

Frosé. The adult slush puppy has arrived with a vengeance. Guaranteed to induce brain-freeze and an instant feeling of “party on,” frosé, mixing crushed ice, rosé wine, and sometimes other fruits, such as strawberries and lemon, is the social drink of the moment. Remember to try it responsibly, at Gurney’s Montauk Yacht Club and Sunset Beach, just to name two.

Cocktails in Copper Vessels. From copper gnomes (which can be purchased separately for $100 from EMP Summer House) to a cocktail in a copper pitcher at Nick & Toni’s to a copper swan serving vessel at Surf Lodge, cocktails in copper is this season’s trend. Will it survive into the fall? Who knows?

BBC. Rumors of the demise of Cyril’s roadside bar on the road to Montauk’s favorite cocktail are greatly exaggerated. The BBC is alive and well (a potent mix of Bacardi, Bailey’s and Cointreau) and can be found at Gurney’s Montauk Yacht Club, among others.

Hosts with the Most

Brunch at Sea with Michele Rella. Founding board member of Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation Angel Ball in New York (this year, it’s October 22), Rella is one of life’s generous people and with her husband, Frank, she can be found at sea in the Hamptons on their boat where the food, rosé wine, and conversation flow naturally with warmth whilst winding their way to brunch at local favorite restaurants Claudio’s or Sunset Beach. www.gabriellesangels.org

Breakfast with Debby Sroka. Wife of international real estate guru Neal Sroka, Debby combines a sharp mind with a lifetime’s sense of how to cater to her guests. Breakfast is the family affair, combining a homely feel with a table full of platters of everything your stomach was looking for and more than a few things you forgot existed — salted gravlax, anyone?

Lunch with Lawrence Scott. The Founder of Lawrence Scott Events, whose work has placed the phrase “It’s a Larry Party” on everyone’s lips, entertains at home for his guests simply and exquisitely, bringing his skills as an elite events planner to the needs of close friends around his table. It is definitely a Larry Luncheon. www.lawrencescottevents.com

Dinner with Henry Lambert. The powerhouse behind Pasta & Cheese and the restaurants at Bergdorf Goodman and author of Amazon hit The Kitchen Sleuth, Henry Lambert’s table is the invitation to receive this summer. Lambert takes a genuine pleasure in cooking and endlessly refining and seeking new recipes to surprise his guests. His gazpacho, grilled steak, and duck spring rolls are not to be missed. Remember to bring conversation — Lambert’s mind is as inquisitive as his cooking skills.