Food Seen: Canoe Place Inn, Macari's Meadowlark & More

The amount of reasons to love dining out on the East End in Autumn are as innumerable as the leaves swirling down to the ground. Check out Canoe Place Inn, Macari’s Meadowlark, treats from Fauna and The Golden Pear and more from the East End “Food Seen.”

Highway Restaurant & Bar brought back their popular “Asian Cuisine Night” series on October 6, featuring Thai food. On the first Thursday of each month, Highway will highlight a different Asian country’s cuisine, while Saturdays feature a live sushi bar serviced by Shoku NYC, a Japanese restaurant in Greenwich Village. And starting October 9, Highway will have their pizza truck parked out front, serving a rotating menu of signature pies from 5–9 p.m., dine-in only.

The Canoe Place Inn & Cottages in Hampton Bays is located on the site of America’s oldest inn, dating all the way back to 1679.

For the better half of this decade, it has been lying dormant. Few restaurants in the country brim with as much history as Canoe Place; one could call it the Forrest Gump of restaurants for how much it has brushed shoulders with iconic American figures.

Everyone from Teddy and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Babe Ruth, Lucille Ball and Cary Grant to Kim Kardashian and Sean “Diddy” Combs has dined there.

Canoe Place was occupied by British officers during the Revolutionary War, served as a speakeasy during Prohibition and as a bumping nightclub in the ’80s, seeing performances from Duke Ellington, Led Zeppelin and The Ramones!

Sitting on six manicured acres adjacent to the Shinnecock Canal, Canoe Place was restored by two local developers: Mitchell and Gregg Rechler of Rechler Equity Partners. The menu makes use of the region’s bounty and indoor and al fresco dining are available. They’ve done this legendary site justice.

Macari Vineyards, the 500-acre vineyard in Mattituck, recently launched a “destination vineyard” down the road in Cutchogue, The Meadowlark.

The complex opened in July and presents a sprawling lawn with vineyard views, 20 acres of flowery gardens, and two areas for wine and dining: The Wine Bar, a small cozy, tasting room with a copper-topped bar, and The Perch, a spacious events room with high vaulted ceilings, massive brick hearth and glass doors that open to patio and lawn.

The Macari offshoot winery is managed by mother-daughter duo Gabriella and Alexandra Macari, who decided during the pandemic that Alexandra should use her own expertise to create a new type of winery experience. The younger Macari is a certified sommelier who completed her level-four diploma in wine and spirits from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.

The Hamptons International Film Festival continues this weekend! Celebrating its 30th anniversary, films such as Call Jane, She Said, Women Talking and The Quiet Pandemic are all playing this final weekend. Some great restaurants to dine at before or after your flick are Nick & Toni’s, The 1770 House, Rowdy Hall, The Palm and Fresno.

Did You Know?

The Chequit Hotel on Shelter Island celebrated their 150th anniversary last summer? Under new ownership by the Soloviev Group, the beloved establishment also recently unveiled extensive renovations.

The design is rooted in neutral tones, warm wood accents and nautical décor. The farm-to-table restaurant, The Tavern, features a menu that includes classic dishes like beef bourguignon, clams and linguini and a 16-ounce boneless ribeye. It is currently the only restaurant open at the Chequit year round.

A new Asian restaurant, now closed for the winter, Weakfish Sushi & Noodle, opened last spring on the site as well and offers sushi rolls, nigiri and sashimi, miso Montauk cod and crusted Szechuan citrus short ribs.

Charlotte Abbate, a nutritionist whose practice Thrive East brings a holistic approach to health, suggests that the fall is a good time to can or freeze the harvest. She uses a vacuum sealer for freezing veggies like corn cut from the cob, steamed zucchini for soups and chilis in the winter months, and odds and ends of vegetables to throw in a stock as a base for many different recipes.

Thanks for the great idea, Charlotte!

The Golden Pear is an A1 breakfast spot. You can get your choice of sandwich, panini, a side of salad or pasta salad and a coffee or tea all for $21. Personal favorite sandwiches include The Bridgehampton with citrus veggie tuna salad, sliced cucumber, grated carrots and lettuce on whole grain ciabatta and The East Hampton with all-natural, antibiotic-free turkey, brie with herbs, honey mustard, lettuce and tomato on a warm French baguette. Are you not sandwich-tained?

Silver Spoon Specialties is the go-to caterer for all of your holiday catering needs? Everything sold at Silver Spoon on Race Lane (aside from the bread) is made in-house and the range of meat, seafood and vegetarian options is fantastic. They cater affairs for groups as small as 10–15 people and as large as 150.

Bits & Bites:

Fauna in Westhampton Beach serves weekend brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. One favorite brunch item is the bananas foster French toast, which pays homage to the culinary legend Starr Boggs, whom Rooted Hospitality Group purchased the property from. The almond flounder dish is topped with the same rum glazed banana that Boggs prepared with it and the rum achieves a beautiful caramelization of the banana while adding a nice flavor to the accompanying syrup. It pairs well with an espresso martini or the Monkey Milk (a peanut butter whiskey cocktail).

Sag Harbor Farmers Market closes for the season on October 30, stock up while you can.

Over pumpkin spice latte? Pick up a caramel apple latte at Hampton Coffee!

Food Quote: “A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” – Barbara Johnson