Chanukah Dining, Wine Gifts, Frozen Fondita & More East End Eats

Dig in to this week’s East End foodie news bites!

Deck the Rowdy Hall with boughs of holly, fa la la la la! The English pub/French bistro is offering a la carte holiday specials, in addition to their regular menu, for Chanukah and Christmas Eve. The Chanukah specials will be available Sunday, December 18 and Monday, December 19 while the Christmas Eve specials will be available on Saturday, December 24 for lunch service only. Additional dates may be announced. The specials, subject to change, include potato latkes, red wine braised brisket, seafood bisque with toasted baguette and a crispy local cod cake sandwich.

The fun doesn’t stop there either. Rowdy is also offering a la carte holiday specials for lunch and dinner for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, featuring smoked ham hock and lentil soup, Cuban sandwich, smoked salmon, baby lamb chops, crab omelet and classic eggs benedict. Visit Rowdy Hall’s website to view the menus.

Nick & Toni’s will also be celebrating the Festival of Lights, on the first night of Chanukah, Sunday, December 18 with a la carte specials. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the restaurant directly at 631-324-3550 or by visiting nickandtonis.com. The regular a la carte menu will also be available. The specials, subject to change, include beet cured arctic char, braised beef short rib and for a sugary nightcap, house-made doughnuts. Holiday pounds don’t count.

L&W Market is offering to-go meals for Chanukah. Orders must be placed by 8 p.m. on December 23 for pickup on December 26, 1–3 p.m. at Almond. Orders may be placed online or by calling 631-537-1123. Latkes and jelly doughnuts will be available starting the first night of Chanukah, December 18. Main course options include red wine braised brisket and whole roasted chicken.

If you’ve become the designated cook for your family between Thanksgiving and the holidays, Lulu Kitchen & Bar in Sag Harbor is here to offer relief with their delectable Holidays at Home takeout menu. From full dinner menus to platters, canapes and a la carte items, Lulu has your holiday meal covered. The pastry team will be preparing traditional house-made Bûche de Noël cakes, which is a chocolate sponge cake layered with dark chocolate mousse and brandied cherry and white chocolate mousse. The cakes come in two sizes that feed 2–4 people for $65 or 6–10 people for $120.

Orders must be placed at least 48 hours before Christmas Eve and there is a limited amount available. Items on the Holiday at Home takeout menu include fresh baked baguettes, oysters on the half shell, cowboy ribeye, house foie gras torchon, smoked salmon plate and truffle potato gratin. Holiday orders over $400 will receive a complimentary $50 gift card to use during a future visit to Lulu!

Another terrific holiday takeout offering is provided by The 1770 House in East Hampton. The choice for the “feast to go” includes a roast, trimmed and tied for the oven with three fully cooked sides for $500. The meal feeds up to six people and the roast choices are as follows: pastured Oregon beef tenderloin, a Berkshire pork standing rib roast or a boneless leg of free-range Australian lamb. For sides, indulge yourself in a root vegetable gratin with potatoes, sweet potatoes, caramelized onion and gruyere cheese, creamed spinach and roasted Brussels sprouts.

And last but not least, desserts will be a local crostata with vanilla gelato or tiramisu. Additionally, ​​1770 House has a couple of supplements for appetizers, such as poached shrimp with cocktail sauce for $35 per dozen and a quart of lobster bisque for $40. Orders must be placed by phone at 631-324-1770 by December 18 for pickup on Dec. 23 between 1 and 3 p.m. The restaurant will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Highway Restaurant & Bar in East Hampton is offering a plethora of holiday dining options this month. The regular menu will be served on December 23–24 and the last two days of 2022 with the addition of Peking duck and sushi for dine-in at the restaurant. For at-home dining, Highway’s takeout option is a $450 family-style meal for four people available on the same dates, featuring dim sum of spicy tuna tartar, Korean chicken buns, and pork and cabbage dumplings. Starters include kale salad and papaya and crab and for mains, crab fried rice, chicken and cashews, and roasted Peking duck.

Did You Know?

If you’re stumped on gifts, Park Place Wines & Liquors has a suggested gift list, selected by the store’s specialists and sommeliers. The list includes fabulous bottles of wine, brut, bergamot liqueur, tequila and gin, among other alcohols.

There are many great local items you can ship to far away friends for the holidays. Carissa’s Bakery, Amber Waves, Harbor Market and Springs Fireplace Hot Sauce provide a myriad of awesome gifts, such as bottles of olive oil, beach plum jelly, jams, honey, hot sauces and an array of chutneys. And Le Creuset in Bridgehampton is your go-to spot for stellar cooking equipment.

Bits & Bites:

For a feliz Navidad, snag some of La Fondita’s delicious frozen items, such as fiesta dip and sopa de tortilla, for home. They’ll be closed December 20 to January 11, so stock up while you can!

Forget fruit cake, Loaves & Fishes in Sagaponack is whipping up scrumptious desserts this holiday season. They have chosen peppermint stracciatella to feature as their December ice cream, and we can’t nod harder about that. They will also be offering roast goose, lamb chops and Bûche de Noël the week leading up to Christmas.

Food Quotes:

“If you can’t feed 100 people, then just feed one.” – Mother Teresa