Year in Review: A Fruitful 2023 for East End Food & Wine

Arguably our first “normal” year of the 2020s, 2023 saw the return to the East End’s bustling summer scene, especially in the realm of food and wine. There were some major developments and trends this year. Let’s review five of the big ones.

Happy 50th to Long Island’s Wine Region

The most momentous highlight of 2023 is easily the 50th birthday of the Long Island wine region, which was born when Louisa and Alex Hargrave planted the vines that established Hargrave Vineyards on the North Fork in 1973. Today, nearly 60 wine producers exist across Long Island, and at least half of them have sprouted up in the fruitful soil of the North Fork, proving the incredible foresight of pioneers like the Hargraves in Cutchogue and the Mudd family in Southold.

“Early on, the region was just getting started, and there was a lot of trial and error, exploration and research,” longtime winemaker Richard Olsen-Harbich told Dan’s Papers in May. “When establishing a wine industry in a new place, you can’t just take things that have been done before and plug them into the new area.”

Over the years, Long Island winemakers have sharpened their understanding of the region’s unique terroir and best-suited grape varieties, and new discoveries are made regularly. In the eyes of oenophiles and critics alike, local wine producers’ dedication to the development of their craft has garnered respect and praise for the region.

“Hundreds of Long Island wines have been awarded 90 or more points by wine critics, which is validation of the quality of our wines and says a lot about how far we have come as a region,” Kareem Massoud, winemaker and Long Island Wine Country president, told Dan’s Papers. “We still have some work to do, but our wines are generally accepted as being of high quality.”

To celebrate the region’s incredible history, the Long Island Wine Country group hosted a grand event in August that brought together more than 35 winemakers and food purveyors for a showcase of local flavors at Peconic Bay Vineyards. An exclusive auction, special guests and a who’s-who of wine industry giants in attendance made it one of the hottest events on the North Fork this year.

Summer of Can’t-Miss Dan’s Taste Events

As for the biggest highlight of the Hamptons summer event season, that description best fits the Dan’s Taste Series. Yes, it’s true that there were many fabulous one-off events in 2023, such as Edie’s Backyard BBQ and the Bay Street Theater Gala, but Dan’s Taste 2023 delivered one can’t-miss culinary experience after another.

The series began with Rosé Soirée’s return to Memorial Day weekend, reinstating it as the official kickoff to summer in the Hamptons. Held at Southampton Arts Center in the heart of Southampton Village, Dan’s Rosé Soirée offered its guests dozens of curated rosé wines from the East End and Europe, as well as bites of top chefs’ best dishes.

The second event, Dan’s Chefs of the Hamptons, was defined by “exquisite eats, divine drinks, stunning sunset views and celebratory tunes” as reported after the June event. Upon arrival, guests needed a minute to take in the breathtaking atmosphere at EHP Resort & Marina’s Sí Sí Restaurant, and once the party got going, it really got lively as attendees danced to live music and noshed on cuisine prepared by chefs from the Hamptons’ most popular restaurants.

Dan’s Clambake made its triumphant return to the Dan’s Taste Series in July. Hosted by Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, the oceanfront event treated foodies to an exclusive dinner prepared by Gurney’s renowned chef, Christopher Watts.

In August, the ever-popular Dan’s GrillHampton saw a crowd of hundreds vote for their favorite grillmaster in the ultimate barbecue grill off and jam to the music of East End rock band The Realm. Hosted by celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli at The Clubhouse Hamptons, GrillHampton honored Marc Bynum with the Judges’ Choice Award while Peter Ambrose secured the audience votes to win the People’s Choice Award.

The 2023 Dan’s Taste Series culminated in the one-of-a-kind Dan’s Taste X Gurney’s fine dining event that debuted later in August. The six-course pairing dinner left attendees yearning for more, but they’d be left to wait until the 2024 series kicks off with Dan’s Rosé Soirée on Sunday, May 26. Tickets and info about the 2024 event lineup can be found at DansTaste.com.

The Rise of Celebrity Bartenders

The Hamptons is no stranger to celebrity sightings at area businesses, but this summer, we witnessed a surprising number of famous actors making appearances at local restaurants to tend bar. The trendsetter appeared to be Sí Sí at EHP Resort & Marina in East Hampton, which made it a point to host no less than one celebrity bartender a month. In June, Sí Sí shocked Sunday brunch patrons with a visit from movie star Mark Wahlberg, who was there to serve and promote his Flecha Azul Tequila.

In July, the restaurant hosted Outlander star Sam Heughan, who stopped by to pour his new Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin, and in August, Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein took his turn behind the bar.

Sunset Harbor, another EHP Resort & Marina restaurant, welcomed Emmy- and Tony-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris to play bartender in July. Harris, who owns an East Hampton home with husband David Burtka, came to Sunset Harbor to promote Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits’ ready-to-sip, Kosher craft cocktails, specifically The After Hours espresso martini.

Before the Water Mill pop-up of Japanese restaurant Kissaki closed its doors, they gave brunch-goers the opportunity to have their cocktail served by Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle fame. Naturally, the drink of the day was Kissaki’s Smoky Paloma made with the actor’s Dos Hombres mezcal.

Kelsey Grammer, beloved by multiple generations for his iconic Frasier character, pulled a double shift of bartending duties this year. He first clocked in at 75 Main in Southampton to introduce Faith American Brewing Company beer to those lucky enough to secure a table to the exclusive August event. Then, returning to the East End in November to attend the North Fork TV Festival, Grammer picked up a shift at Sound View Greenport for another round of beer promotion (in good faith, of course).

International Cuisines, Foreign Concepts

The East End sees numerous eateries debut each year, but the restaurant concepts aren’t always as fresh as the ingredients used. Competition is high for burger joints, Chinese takeout and other cultural staples like Italian and Mexican cuisine, so in order to stand out, restaurateurs need to either strive to replicate the basic formula better than anyone around or, preferably, offer a new experience. In 2023, the East End saw a refreshing rise of the latter strategy.

On paper, the simplest way to shake up the food scene’s status quo is to offer a type of cuisine not readily available in the area. Fisher’s Montauk achieved just that when it introduced the South Fork to the flavors of Sweden’s west coast with dishes such as Toast Skagen (cold-water shrimp salad on toast) and Wallenbergare (veal patty with potato purée and lingonberries). Over the summer, What The Falafel set up shop in Sag Harbor and excited tastebuds with falafel prepared in the traditional Lebanese style, falafel salad bowls and more.

Ruby Murray’s Launches Indian Takeout Kitchen in Sag Harbor is unique in both cuisine and concept. When the business came to the Hamptons last winter, it did so as a reservation-required, takeout-only ghost kitchen serving Anglo-Indian dishes that take up to 48 hours to prepare. Flavor-wise, the British take on curry is less spicy and more tomatoey. The brand’s intriguing test run was an unbelievable success, so when the owners established a brick-and-mortar in Sag Harbor, they kept a reservation-based takeout model.

Japanese food may not be the rarest cuisine on the East End, but the team behind Kumiso prides themselves on opening East Hampton’s first Izakaya — an informal Japanese bar that serves food and drinks in a casual setting. Though Tokyo-style street food is the name of the game, Kumiso also offers private omakase sessions.

The most surprising take on the omakase concept to debut this year is Taylor’s Sushi Suite in Westhampton Beach. The eight-person sushi bar above Sydney’s “Taylor” Made Cuisine debuted with a puzzling reservation system: After a reservation had been placed, the person who placed it would be texted a riddle they must solve to access the passcode that unlocks the building’s side door. Despite the air of mystery up until this point, once inside the bar, the atmosphere is bright, the décor is chic, and the chef is friendly.

Kidd Squid’s Community-Based Collabs

Described as the “king of collabs in Sag Harbor,” Kidd Squid Brewing Co. lives up to the title. When they opened in 2022, they already had local partnerships on the mind, releasing a German-style gose made using salt from the Amagansett Sea Salt Co. that year. By the end of 2023, it’s as if collaboration has become the driving force of the brand’s identity. Kidd Squid has worked with a number of Hamptons businesses and organizations to release limited-edition craft beers that encapsulate the distinct flavor of each institution. Previous partners include Sag Harbor Cinema, Grindstone Coffee & Donuts, Parrish Art Museum, Sage & Madison, Dreamy Coffee Co., Sag Harbor Garden Center, Sen Restaurant, Long Island Brewers Guild and Bay Street Theater.

These partnerships aren’t gimmicks to simply drive beer sales; they’re frequently used to raise proceeds for organizations that need it, such as The Church in Sag Harbor. For their pilsner collab, Kidd Squid called upon renowned artist Eric Fischl, the nonprofit art center’s cofounder, to provide the art for the beer (and even to sign some of the cans).

Just this month, Kidd Squid partnered with the Cornell Cooperative Extension to launch a limited run of the Brew for the Bay Sag Harbor IPA, and all purchases of the IPA are going to the CCE’s initiative to restore Sag Harbor’s native eelgrass and oyster beds. Locals who drink beer and would like to support local nonprofits should really check out Kidd Squid.