Monkey Bob Has Another Great Meal in East Hampton!

The gods must be smiling upon me. Never before have I struck gastronomical gold twice in the same week. Last night I had an unsurpassed meal at The 1770 House in East Hampton, NY. Tonight I dined, with family, at cittanuova, (also in East Hampton) and again the meal was superb! By the way, both restaurants are owned by the same people.

The cittanuova experience is very different from the 1770 House. While the latter provides a more formal dining environment, Cittanuova presents trattoria style dining. But that's OK too, as long as the food is good. And it was!

Zulfia, who is new to cittanuova, provided us with first class service, and was also very helpful with our wine selection. Because I am not familiar with Italian wines, I relied on Zulfia to select a full bodied red for us. She chose a Dolcetto di Dogliani, 2004, which was delightful. My first perception of this wine was of grape juice, but as it lingered on my tongue, the flavor morphed into a melange of dry and fruity sensations that were most pleasant. Cittanuova's menu describes it as "wild fruit, with a note of spice and minerality - long finish", which I think was "right on the money".

Cittanuova serves their wine in cylindrical glasses, which resemble juice cups. No Reidel at this restaurant. But this was OK, because that's the way that people drink wine in Italian trattorias. Most of the time, Italians drink table wine, which is usually served in carafes. They only bring out the bottled wine (and traditional wine crystal) at high end restaurants. I was therefore able to enjoy my wine because I understood that its presentation reflected an authentic Italian custom.

For my main course I chose the Filetti di Passera, which was described as "pan fried local fluke, brown butter, caper berries, lemon and parsley". The fish was cooked to perfection, and the outer shell of carmelized ingredients provided an excellent culinary counterpoint to the fluke's natural flavor.

I skipped dessert, because I am now at the last notch on my belt, and I don't want to cross that threshold into the next larger pants size. However, I did have a decaf cappuccino, which was most satifying, and which provided a perfect punctuation to the meal.

Both The 1770 House and cittanuova have excellent websites that appear to have been designed by the same company. They both have a polished appearance, with some wonderful photographs, which make these restaurants look very appealing.

Monkey Prose Rating: I give Cittanuova 4 bananas. If you like informal trattoria style restaurants (and good food), then you will definitely enjoy Cittanuova. I hope that Zulfia sticks around to provide her excellent service to this summer's diners. I definitely plan to be one of them!

Monkey Bob has an Exceptional Meal in East Hampton!

One of my favorite quotes is from The Buddha:

"Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care."

Tonight I had a chanced to treat my body with TLC when I had dinner, with family, at The 1770 House in East Hampton, NY. To say that dinner was exceptional would be an understatement.

My criteria for a fine restaurant are:

• Interesting and unique recipes
• An intriguing (but not intimidating) wine list
• Knowledgable and supportive staff

The 1770 House far surpassed my criteria. Andre, who served our meal, was there when we needed him and wasn't when we didn't - an important tip to "would be" waiters and waitresses who think that "hovering" is a virtue. Message from The Mother Ship - it isn't.

Andre expressed a passion for the food that was impossible not to share. The presentation was flawless, and his devotion to our dining experience made the food taste even better. He brought out each dish as if it were made of precious metal.

We "lucked out" by dining at one East Hampton's most popular restaurants in the off season. In July, there could be a long wait for a reservation. But in April, we were able to get an early seating with few other diners to distract us. In addition, The 1770 House is currently offering a Prix Fixe (3 course) Menu - for $30.00 per person, which is an exceptional bargain.

For an appetizer, I had a salad consisting of Mache, endive and Maytag blue cheese, accompanied by Cavaillon melon, bacon, candied walnuts, and sherry vinaigrette. The flavors accented each other perfectly, without any one ingredient overpowering the others.

A delicious olive bread was also served, along with a well seasoned extra virgin olive oil. This provided a nice accent to the appetizers.

My choice for a main course was roasted organic miso glazed salmon, with Soba noodles, cucumber, radishes, red onions, and "Tosa-Zu". The combination of the perfectly cooked salmon with the crisp outer shell of accent elements created a hard/soft taste experience that was new and captivating.

Capable assistance was also offered with the impressive wine list, which included some Premier Cru labels. While First Growth Bordeaux is still "just a little" out of Monkey Bob's financial reach, the wines that we did have were full bodied, with a complex blend of flavors, and nice finishes. Trudi, my wife, had the 2003 Powers Cabernet Savignon (Washington State) while I sampled the 2005 Pillar Box Red Henry's Drive Shiraz/Cab from Australia. These were new wines for both of us, and neither one of us was disappointed.

One mark of a fine restaurant is their choice of glassware. There was no commercial stemware on our table. Our wine was served in Riedel crystal, which impressed me, and added an extra level of enjoyment to our beverages.

For dessert, I selected an apple crisp with caramel ice cream, which was delicious. But I must confess that I couldn't eat much of it because I was so full from the first two courses.

If you live near (or on) Long Island, and you want an unsurpassed dining experience, then I highly recommend The 1770 House. Now would be an good time to go, to take advantage of the excellent Prix Fixe deal!

Monkey Prose Rating: I give The 1770 House 5 bananas (my highest rating). The food, service, and wine were all first class.

NOTE: Neither Monkey Bob, nor any of my primate friends, were compensated by The 1770 House for this review. I just really liked the food and the dining experience!