North Fork Hamptons Vacation part 3

The Tasting Room

This is another one of our favorite North Fork stops! Located at 2885 Peconic Lane in Peconic, NY The Tasting Room is the region's  "only multi-winery showcase for fine, limited production, hand-crafted, boutique wines from the North Fork." The Tasting room was first established in 2003 and is owned and operated by Theresa Dilworth, who is the owner and chief wine maker at Comtesse Therese Vineyards. We had a wonderful tasting, led by the knowledgeable and informative Charles Lazarou, who manages The Tasting Room. For only $6, The Tasting Room offers a flight of 6 different wines from the lesser-known local winemakers. The flight changes weekly, but on this visit we sampled:

Christiano Family 2007 Chardonnay - A medium-bodied chardonnay with notes of pineapple and pear.

Brooklyn Oenology 2009 Riesling Finger Lakes - Crisp with lemon, pear, nectarine, and a touch of honey.

Cometesse Therese Chateau Merlot 2004 - Very fruit-forward. Cherry, raspberry, and blueberry notes. One of my favorite merlots!

Medolla Vineyards 2003 Merlot - Medolla only makes merlot; this one was delicate and full of ripe, jammy fruits. Mr. Lazarou said that 2010 was not the best vintage year for merlot because the vineyards had seen too much rain.

Schneider Vineyards Cabernet Franc - Petit Verdot 2005 - This Cabernet is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Wonderful flavors of plums, blackberries, and dark chocolate with a long finish. Try it with a grilled meat or even a piece of dark chocolate.

Comtesse Therese Cabernet Sauvignon Serve 2003 - Delicious, full bodied with the flavors of ripe raspberries, spices, plum, and mint. 

A Taste of the North Fork.

Located right next door to The Tasting Room, this unique specialty foods shop features its own "taste of the North Fork." Here you can find conventional as well as unusual flavors of home made condiments - jams, jellies, chutneys, sauces, mustards, and spreads just to name a few. I picked up a couple of my favorites: Rugosa Rose Jelly and Lemon Verbena Jelly. Try them on toast, scones, or crackers with a mild, creamy brie or a soft goat cheese. If you can't make it up to the North Fork yourself, you can order their products online. 

Also on Peconic Lane is Ackerly Pond Vineyards, where I've done several tastings in the past. I particularly enjoy their rosés! 

If you cross Highway 48 at Mill Road (near Peconic Lane) there is a beautiful spot to relax on the beach. Here, the ocean meets an inlet and an interesting current condition occurs that lends itself to body-surfing and boogie-boarding. A beautiful spot, especially to watch the sunset. 

North Fork Hamptons Vacation part 2

One of our favorite places to stop for lunch or dinner in the North Fork is Love Lane Kitchen in Mattituck, NY. As their website proclaims, you can "find your inner gourmet" at this essential stop for foodies. Love Lane Kitchen features some of the best homemade comfort food around - an eclectic mix of French bistro, Italian tratoria, and your favorite hometown diner. Love Lane Kitchen's philosophy is "source locally, prepare from scratch, and price fairly." For breakfast, try their farm fresh egg omelets or special fritata of the day. I love their rancheros - Mexican style eggs with refried beans, tortillas, homemade guacamole, and salsa. The organic eggs were served sunny side up over smokey and perfectly seasoned refried beans, and the guacamole was fresh and nicely spiced. I ordered the French Toast which was thickly sliced, batter dipped, and lightly fried to crunchy perfection. It comes with pure maple syrup, which adds big points in my book, as most breakfast places only offer sugary, artificial syrups.

Lunches are hearty and tasty at Love Lane Kitchen. Although I don't eat beef burgers very often, when I do, this is the place to get them. A delicious half pound of antibiotic-free beef served on a delicious brioche roll next to a pile of fries infused with herb-garlic oil. The sweet potato fries are also a treat, nice and crispy with a chipotle mayonnaise for dipping. Vegetarians needn't worry - there are a various offerings to please your palates as well, including a goat cheese panini with caramelized onions and sauteed veggies or a portabello and mozzarella sandwich. For a larger meal, try the roasted vegetable lasagna.

On this particular lunch visit, my husband ordered the Cuban sandwich and I had the special of the day, fish tacos. The Cuban featured fresh, high quality meats and cheese on a crusty foccacia bread. The tacos were filled with fresh-caught fish of the day and crunchy herbed slaw served in warm flour tortillas. On the side was a home made (and expertly seasoned) pickled cucumber salad made with local veggies. We finished our meal with one of their new offerings - creamy mango gelato.

Love Lane Kitchen's outdoor dining area

 Because we're such big fans of Love Lane Kitchen, we returned for dinner the very same night! The atmosphere was transformed with dim lights and votive candles. An old Humphry Bogart and Lauren Bacall movie played in the background (we learned from some local customers that Love Lane Kitchen shows classic films weekly). Service was prompt and our waiter was efficient and super-friendly. We started our meal with a fresh Mediterranean salad filled with perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes, tender green beans, buttery potatoes, hardboiled egg, and capers topped with a light vinaigrette. I ordered Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Cranberry Beans, and Sweet Italian Sausage (this is the dish that inspired my last Meatless Monday recipe! U also made a non-vegetarian version using Whole Foods Italian style chicken sausage made with wine, parsley, and cheese). The pasta was cooked perfectly - a little al dente - and the light wine and stock based sauce was infused with smokey sausage flavor. My husband had the Pappardelle Pasta with Ground Veal and Local Peas (we never really eat veal, but we saw this dish on the diners table next to us and it looked too good to pass up). The pappardelle's eggy flavor was a perfect match for the light bolognese style sauce, The ground veal was sweet and the English peas were tender. A lovely glass of Macari Vineyard Rose was the perfect compliment to our meal. For dessert we shared a peach custard tart - perfectly ripe peaches in a buttery, crumbly crust and topped with home made vanilla gelato.

Love Lane Kitchen's menu changes weekly and seasonally which, along with the laid back vibe and friendly service, keeps us coming back every time! They are open 7 days a week for breakfast and  lunch, with dinner service Tuesday through Sunday. Love Lane Kitchen is located at 240 Love Lane in Mattituck, NY.

After dining at Love Lane Kitchen, we took a stroll down charming Love Lane to check out a couple of my favorite shops. The Village Cheese Shop has an extensive array of cheese and gourmet products - and they'll let you sample anything! A great place to stock up on goodies to take on your winery visits. Love Lane Sweet Shoppe features a variety of sumptuous chocolates and other candy treats. I also like to stop in and browse at Bauer's, a quaint Love Lane shop featuring antiques, collectibles, and gifts.

North Fork Hamptons Vacation part 1

This was our third trip to the Long Island North Fork, also known as Long Island Wine Country. There are over 60 wineries in this beautiful, bucolic region, and as of now my husband and I have been to more than half of them. The North Fork looks very much like our area of Bucks County, PA except it's surrounded by water and a multitude of little coves and inlets and incredible stone and sand beaches (it's hard not to pick up too many beautiful multicolored stones). It is also the perfect Maritime climate for all those delicious wines!

We stayed at our favorite (and we think the best!) bed and breakfast, By The Bluff (I've mentioned it before), located on a quiet, tree-lined street in East Marion, New York - only a few hundred yards from the beach and just minutes from the town center of Greenport where you can find shops, restaurants, and ferries to the Hamptons. This was our third time at By The Bluff, and it's beginning to feel like visiting old friends. The inn-keepers Patricia and Morris, are wonderful hosts and make you feel like part of their family. Patricia is a retired NYC police officer and Morris was previously in the construction business - in fact he built this beautiful Victorian-style house himself. Upon arrival, we  were greeted warmly by  Pat and Morris and their two dogs, Daisy and McDuff ( a new addition to the family). The inn  common rooms, breakfast room,and the bedrooms are and elegantly furnished yet cozy and comfortable . Morris is the chief cook and always prepares a delicious and hearty gourmet breakfast, like spinach frittata, french toast, and various egg creations. You won't go hungry here!

 

This beautiful beach is just a short walk from the inn.

The first stop on our trip was to the LiV (pronounced live) vodka distillery for a vodka tasting. Surrounded by thousands of acres of potato farms, the LiV distillery is located "in the heart of the acclaimed Long Island wine region." I rarely drink vodka straight, but this liquor is surprisingly smooth and goes down easy. Distinct vanilla flavors and a creamy finish set this Ultra Premium vodka apart from any other I've tried. They paired our shots with local North Fork brand potato chips - an unlikely but pleasing combination, with the saltiness of the chip complimenting the mellowness of the vodka. LiV's goal is perfection. It is made in small batches, using only domestically produced potatoes instead of corn, wheat, or rye - which are used to make about 98% of all other vodkas. There are over 25 lbs. of potatoes in just one liter of LiV vodka! I can't wait to make my first martini with this stuff. LiV also makes  unique, potato-based liqueurs they call Sorbetta. We tried each flavor: strawberry, orange, and lemon (which tasted a lot like Limoncello). Each flavor was distinct, They are made by using hand peeled macerated fresh fruits combined with pure cane sugar and boy were they strong! They are located at 182 Sound Ave, Bating Hollow, NY

Next up was Roanoke Vineyards in Riverhead, NY, on the same road as LiV distillery. We did a white wine tasting flight, then a red wine tasting flight, featuring their own wines and a few from their friends at Wolffer Estate in Southampton. The white included:
2009 Roanoke De Rosa Rose - "luscious grapefruit, strawberry, and raspberries"  (really delicious. we bought several bottles)
2008 Roanoke Chardonnay - "crisp and vibrant, with a suggestion of fresh lemon"
2007 Wolffer Estate Perle Chardonnay- "bold fruit, with notes of pear, apricot, and melon"
2008 Wolffer Estate Diosa Late Harvest - "delicious fig and lime flavors with vanilla" (this was my favorite, and reminded me of butterscotch)

The red flight: * Long Island red wines are actually very good ,fairly full bodied and with lush fruity flavors The terroir of Long Island has a micro climate that is almost an exact replica of Bordeaux France!
2007 Roanoke Cabernet Franc - "big black cherry flavors"
2008 Roanoke Marco Tulio - "rich fruit [with] a long vanilla finish"
2006 - Roanoke Blend 2 - "39% cabernet sauvignon, 31% cab franc, and 30% merlot"
2006  Roanoke Blend One - "exotic plum and chocolate flavors"

Day at the Beach

Yesterday the weather was beautiful in the tri-state area so I played hooky and drove to my favorite beach in Spring Lake, NJ (a little over an hour from my house). Even though it's only 25 minutes from where they shoot the MTV show "Jersey Shore," it's worlds away in terms of class and culture - you probably won't find Snooki here! Spring Lake is a picturesque, upscale, seaside town on the coast of New Jersey full of manicured lawns, gardens, pretty houses, bed and breakfasts, and even a lake (albeit man-made) in a small park near the center of town. The main street, Third Avenue, is dotted with quaint shops, boutiques, and restaurants. 

Unlike many other Jersey beaches, Spring Lake is cleaner and quieter, attracting more families and fewer boisterous teenagers. The long boardwalk (which lacks rides or a carnival-like atmosphere) starts in the beautiful neighboring town of Sea Girt and is perfect for fitness buffs or those seeking a more peaceful stroll.

I grabbed a take out lunch at one of my favorite delis, Tom Bailey's Market (303 Washington Ave, Spring Lake, NJ). Here you can enjoy huge, fresh sandwiches, some hot entrees, salads, cheeses, and a few gourmet items such as products from Stonewall Kitchen and Barefoot Contessa. This is also where I first found the best packaged chocolate chip cookies I've ever had from Tate's Bake Shop (headquarted in The Hamptons, where I will visit later this summer!)

I ordered a delicious sandwich with turkey, corned beef, Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing (they call this a Sloppy Joe, though theirs has ham instead of corned beef). The market also features a selection of vegetarian sandwiches and entree selections. 

I ate outside in their newly-expanded patio area which you can see here: 

A new addition to the market - Tom Bailey's Grille (opening soon) - will featuring a more extensive dinner menu and table service. BYOB, but there is a wine shop across the street.

I also stopped in at Third Avenue Chocolate Shoppe (1118 Third Ave, Spring Lake, NJ) where candy maker Matt Magyar offers up delicious home made treats. I ate a few milk and dark chocolate caramel and rice crispy turtles (sorry no pictures, they didn't last long enough!). Magyar is a low-tech guy who doesn't even have a cell phone, let alone an official web site. The good news is, you can order treats for home delivery by calling (732) 449-7535.