Pierre's Market in Sagaponack brings high end picnic food to the fore....

Pierre s Market in Sagaponack took over the rustic space of the old Sagg General a little less than a year ago.  The result is a charming, sleek and even sexy outpost that hums in the summer being near the beach and having great food and drink perfect for a beach picnic. 

The fall and winter of course brings a noticeable and pleasant slow down of the pace of life on the East End of Long Island. And, as a result, Lynn and I have enjoyed getting lunch at Pierre's on several occasions when we weren't sure what we wanted but wanted something thoughtfully and well prepared that wasn't a fortune. We are especially fond of the duck salad which is a particular treat when we are starved and desperate for something delicious.

We also get a kick out of occassionally running into Pierre himself (a giveaway is his rakish yellow coupe parked outside-impossible to miss!).  He is always charming and warm.

The young staff are also attractive and sweet natured no matter how busy the market might be.

Rockin Fish in Northport merges Pub with High End to great success....

Lynn and I had gravitated towards the North Shore of Long Island from our own home on the South Shore with the approach of the holidays.  Our recent trip toe Old Westbury Gardens saw us take a releatively easy detour to Northport a charming village with genuine throwback charm, particularly appealing this time of year.

We took a chance on a restaratunt that we had noticed called Rockin FIsh.  Rockin Fish seemed to us a kind of interesting combination of village pub and high end eatery (a gastro pub of sorts).  There are plenty of pubs on Long Island and certainly plenty of high end joints but rare to see the twain connect. 

It does here.  I had a plate of great wasabi and lime garnished oysters ice cold and hefty (AKA "Oysters Samba")  Lynn had Tuna nachos that were delicately plated with juicy hunks of tuna and were not the huge mass of goo and cheese that you typically find in restaurants.

The design was hip and low key with whimsical touches such as a neon anime/cartoonish looking fish hovering on the wall near the bar.

Lynn and I will definitely be back as we are particularly interested in the generous happy hour with $1 Oysters on the Half Shell....M&L

Artist Wendy McNaughton makes our day!

We recently reviewed the book Knives and Ink (Bloomsbury) for this site and as I am also a fan of some of the people involved in our coverage I sent my copy off to the Illustrator of the book Wendy McNaughton who was not only nice enough to sign it but sketch a knife poised above a pie on the dedication page.   Very nice!