Ina Garten's 2 Favorite Hamptons Restaurants Are Not To Be Missed
When Ina Garten recommends a restaurant, people perk up and start taking notes. And for good reason — she's one of the most celebrated culinary experts in America, reaching across food-centric genres from chef to cookbook author and host of the "Barefoot Contessa" brand. So it shouldn't come as a surprise for her to dole out dining recommendations, and any trickle of insider info on where to eat gets gobbled up with glee.
Garten's home base stomping grounds in the Hamptons lend even more credence to her recent restaurant reveal to the Wall Street Journal. Her chef's-hat tip for outdoor eating goes to two local spots: The 1770 House in East Hampton and a Bridgehampton favorite, Jean-Georges Restaurant at the luxurious Topping Rose House hotel. The easily embraceable chef, known for simplicity, flavor, and no-fuss cooking, doesn't elaborate on why these two eateries in the Hamptons pull her culinary heartstrings. But it's not hard to figure out why.
Ina Garten embraces Jean-Georges at Topping Rose House
First up for Garten's favorite outdoor Hamptons dining spots is Jean-Georges Restaurant. It nestles within the impressive Topping Rose House hotel, a mansion estate from the 1800s, edging the town of Bridgehampton in the peninsular South Shore heart of the Hamptons. Topping Rose House holds its head high in this playground of the rich and famous, with a dining menu to match its prestigious architectural history.
The restaurant, aptly named for French chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who conceptualizes, designs, and curates menus for 60 worldwide restaurants, fits easily into the laidback vacation vibe of the well-heeled Hamptons. Like Garten's approach to food, the eatery in Bridgehampton leans toward "sensible fare" with a contemporary twist, sourcing seasonal ingredients from local farms, orchards, and fishermen as well as growing vegetables in the hotel's one-acre farm.
Guests can dine in an onsite lounge or formal dining room, but it's the outdoor patio that Garten recommends. It features large communal-style farm tables and chic bistro tables draped in white tablecloths. The menus offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, matching the ambiance of Jean-Georges Restaurant: casual with fresh, understated elegance. Dinner choices range from a black truffle and fontina cheese pizza to roasted Maine lobster, artichoke and basil fondue chicken, and an entire cauliflower infused with pomegranate, herbs, and turmeric tahini. There's also a tasting menu for experiencing multiple aspects of this venue's culinary persona.
Dining with history at The 1770 House restaurant
Another one for the history books, The 1770 House literally places itself within the early days of America's story. The hotel has served guests since 1770, seven years before the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America. The cozy inn, perching prettily near East Hampton Village, hosts an onsite restaurant helmed by chef Michael Rozzi and lauded by Ina Garten.
In addition to a downstairs tavern dishing out upscale pub grub, the main dining room at The 1770 House shares a contemporary fine-dining menu with its outdoor patio. A stone pathway winds through lush gardens to the umbrellaed patio tables, canopied by verdant trees and twinkling lights. It's easy to see why even a chef of Garten's acclaim would enjoy the delights of Rozzi's carefully curated menu.
Guests order from a two-course prix fixe menu, with recent meal components such as first-course offerings of spicy Montauk fluke tartare, chilled Dutch white asparagus, and razor clams from South Fork beaches. More local morsels populate the entrée selections, including Montauk sea scallops with preserved lemon soubise and brioche crumbs. There are also options like Long Island duck breast and sharing plates of Montauk pearl oysters.