Food Seen: North Fork Dining, Hallockville Freshness & More

Check out La Fondita salsas for every taste, a North Fork dining guide, Hallockville Museum Farm historic food workshop and more tasty bites from the East End “Food Seen.”

News from the North Fork

Red Velvet Cupcakery is taking the show on the road. The food truck out of Riverhead offers more than red velvet cupcakes. Look for cookies, brownies and other baked specialties. It even has home-baked dog treats. It’s the brainchild of Debra Underwood, who has been a baker for 25 years.

The folks that run 668 Gig Shack in Montauk have ventured to the North Fork and have launched Little Fish in Southold. The chef is Greg Ling formerly of Greenport Harbor Brewery and The Riverhead Project. Look for fish tacos, a solid lobster roll and other seafood fare.

Further west on Main Road in Mattituck, Meats Meat is a new barbecue concept courtesy of Larry “Meat” Mondello, who’s been at the BBQ game for several years. Look for St. Louis ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken, and brisket. Sides include corn fritters, fried cauliflower, brisket baked beans, and bacon-jalapeño mac and cheese.

Cutchogue is getting a Black Sheep Bagel! The Jamesport company hopes to open its doors in mid-June and will have paninis, soft pretzels — and bagels, of course.

Shelter Island will have a new restaurant, too. The Tavern, with Noah Schwartz of Greenport’s Noah’s running the food and beverage, will occupy the Chequit Inn.

Hallockville Museum Farm, on Sound Avenue in Northville, will offer a workshop on historic food preservation systems and engage participants in a hands-on class to learn the basics of home canning on Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Community gardener, home cook and educator, Susan Babkes, will lead a tour of the Museum Farm’s smokehouse, root cellar, canning equipment and food storage areas, followed by an exploration of the cultural transition of canning and preserving. The class culminates in an introduction to the basics of home canning during which participants will use local strawberries and rhubarb to create a delicious preserve. The food preservation workshop is part of the Hallockville Museum Farm’s “Turning Back Thyme: A Taste of Hallockville” program. Admission is $50 per person for Hallockville Museum Farm members and $65 for nonmembers. Tickets may be purchased online at hallockville.org.

TOMS Hospitality, which includes Shuko, Charlie Bird, Eleven Madison Park and Pasquale Jones, has opened a catering commissary called Autostrada Catering & Retail at the site of the former Breadzilla on Wainscott Northwest Road in Wainscott. Come fall, the group plans to open a store for grab-and-go food in the space, including some of the items for which Breadzilla was famous. Chef Anand Sastry leads the culinary team.

The Shinnecock Lobster Factory has launched a Lobster Roll Food Truck. Co-owners Chef Marco Barrila and Shinnecock tribal leader Lance Gumbs are betting the new vehicle is the logical outgrowth of their catering operation. Look for six types of lobster rolls in three different sizes.

Manna at the Lobster Inn in Southampton has added a “hot” tower to its menu. The “minnow tower” which feeds 2-4 people for $44 offers baked clams, edamame, popcorn shrimp and oysters Rockefeller; “The Shark” feeds 4-6 for $105 and includes baked clams, fluke Milanese, shrimp shumai, lobster mac & cheese, oysters Rockefeller, popcorn shrimp and Thai curry mussels.

Bostwick’s Chowder House on Pantigo Road in East Hampton has added several new menu items for the summer season. Look for local fluke Milanese ($30), a tuna poke bowl ($24), teriyaki salmon ($25), BBQ chicken ($20) and roast portobello mushroom ($20). Not to worry, one can still find their killer lobster roll on the menu, too.

La Fin Kitchen & Lounge — the French farm-to-table restaurant in Montauk that debuted last year — has a new culinary director in Chris Brandt. Look for such offerings as a grass-fed burger with tomato-bacon jam, cheddar and shoestring fries, a charcuterie board and cauliflower flatbread. There’s a new raw bar with caviar, a shrimp cocktail and a plateau de fruits de mer. Other selections include rose flights, an espresso martini, and curated margaritas. The restaurant is open daily from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and there’s happy hour from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. with dinner service commencing at 5 p.m.

Did You Know: You can buy bottles of La Fondita’s house-made salsas to enjoy at home, numbered in order of “hotness,” salsa verde No. 3, salsa de pipian No. 5, salsa de chipotle No. 7 and salsa de habanero No. 8.

June is National Iced Tea Month!

Bits & Bites: Arriving by train from NYC? Fresno Restaurant is a quick walk from the East Hampton LIRR station! Book a table by visiting fresnorestaurant.com … Date night idea: Avoid the crowds and pick up takeout — you can order online — from Clam Bar and beach it.

From the Rumor Mill: The former Hampton Chutney space in Amagansett Square will be a Caribbean themed restaurant called Doubles.

Food Quote: “The disparity between a restaurant’s price and food quality rises in direct proportion to the size of the pepper mill.” Bryan Miller, former New York Times restaurant critic

Got a restaurant news item or tip? Email us at dansfoodseen@gmail.com!