Dec 1, 2008
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Dec 1, 2008 |
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And it's the liveliest opening to reach Montauk in years.
This colorful newcomer boasts a serene setting on Fort Pond, complete with postcard sunsets. The large dining room, a handsome and restrained affair, defers to nature and kitchen for the special effects.
The place does become crowded and noisy, but as it eases from summer into fall the decibel level should dip. And the staff is likely to be less pressured, tense, advised to avoid heavy machinery and sharp instruments.
Veterans of The Harvest at full speed will recall the harried style. For the record, pre-Labor Day, a 20-minute wait was the norm for weekend diners with reservations; an hour for the unprepared. Service was a song of inexperience.
But on the plate, East by Northeast is, in some ways, more ambitious and entertaining than its Italian.ate-Mediterranean forebear, playing with fusion fare, accents Chinese, Japanese and Thai, and a few Montauk twists.
As at The Harvest, portions and prices suggest the dishes are for two or more. It depends on your appetite. But they insist the approach is not family-style.
The "small plates" are highlighted by a lush yellowfin tuna tartare, paired with avocado puree, caviar and a ginger vinaigrette. And seared, diver sea scallops are plump and moist, jump-started with mango, cashews and chiles.
"Asian barbecue tofu" brings in an East-by-Southwest touch, with flavors suitable for beef. Filet mignon lettuce wraps are tender and good, a variation on the familiar Soong productions starring chicken or shrimp. Peking duck tacos, with hoisin-spiked barbecue sauce and avocado salsa, are tasty experiments and cross-border conversation starters.
Pork-and-shrimp spring rolls, however, turn things routine. The zealously charred satays of beef and chicken, presented vertically as if impaled, surround a modest peanut sauce. Almost as dry is the "tempura lobster roll," a cylindrical number sliced into rounds and accompanied by seaweed salad, Thai basil and miso-orange dressing.
East by Northeast goes in for some hands-on show biz with its Japanese hot rock. You cook sliced filet mignon on the heated stone. The aroma of burning sweet-soy dipping sauce invariably alerts nearby tables of your choice.
Equally labor-intensive is the house's shabu-shabu teapot. Here, you dip cuts of tuna, salmon and sea scallop and several shrimp into a shiitake mushroom broth. Then, you swirl for a memorable moment.
But the roasted, 2-pound lobster is ready for its sauces of mango, butter and kimchi "essence." One serious appetite will finish this winner. Caramelized Atlantic halibut, in tamarind-orange broth with a vegetable-noodle stir-fry, also is excellent.
Oven-roasted Atlantic salmon, however, arrives overcooked and very tame. The hot-and-sour pineapple vinaigrette can't revive it. The big fish at East by Northeast is the whole snapper, very crisp, snowy and flavorful, in a spirited curry-coconut sauce. Grilled swordfish, two ample slabs atop mashed potatoes and rimmed with corn salsa, also is recommended.
For dessert, a lopsided lemon-blueberry wonton Napoleon is a witty curiosity, boosted by the fruit. A "ying-yang": chocolate-peanut butter parfait with sesame brittle materializes as a dark, deftly designed pyramid. Tastes fine, too.
But banana spring rolls are boring, despite caramel and chocolate sauces. The finales improve with coconut-tapioca pudding aided by passion fruit syrup, soft hazelnut meringue and coconut ice cream. For the Eurocentric there are an expertly made crème brûlée and chocolate cake, capped with vanilla ice cream caught in a wave of tuile.
You'll be quite relaxed and pleased at this point. Montauk has plenty of appeal in autumn. East by Northeast is another reason why.
-- Peter Gianotti