Browse: February 2008

There's Chinese-American food and there's true Chinese food. Wei Fun, in East Hampton, is true, spicy, delicious Chinese food. The cooking is so expert, the meat sticks to the noodles at the end of your chopstick. Take an exclusive look at one of the many participants in the upcoming Hamptons Restaurant Week.

Check out our previews of Almoncello, Legends, Matto and Desmond's as well.

Wei Fun
203 Pantigo Road, East Hampton, NY 11937\
631-329-2600
Official website

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Proving that you don't have to live in a tent to reduce the size of your home's carbon footprint, Hamptons Luxury Homes has created a coalition of East End businesses dedicated to helping affluent consumers make their home more eco-friendly: the Hamptons Green Alliance.

Already joining the roundtable:

• Connected Hearth: Internet savvy means of surveillance of your homes energy systems.
• Delfino Insulation Company: supplier/installer of energy-conserving insulations.
• Flanders Heating & Air Conditioning: designer/engineer of energy-efficient comfort systems.
• Sun Stream USA: state-of-the-art solar electric, solar pool heating, wind powered and geothermal systems.
• Treewise: leader in 100% organic ecological landscape management programs.

The primary purpose of the Alliance is to provide the resources for practice the exchange of information and ideas concerning materials, systems, best practices to build zero energy and carbon neutral footprint homes.

Expect a launch of its two websites, www.energyfreeliving.com and www.hamptonsgreenliving.com, in the coming months.

First Ira Rennert, the billionaire industrialist, created the Hummer, which is now one of the largest civilian vehicles on the road today. Then he built Fairfield off of Daniel's Lane is Sagaponack, which, as we all know, is one of the biggest houses in the country, complete with 29 bedrooms, two bowling alleys, a 120-seat theater, parking for 200 and 39 bathrooms.

Now he has turned his attention to loftier matters—namely, the compilation of all of the 613 commandments in the Torah. These will not be compiled in one book, however—not Ira's style. Instead, they will be compiled in a 20 volume set. Each volume will cost about $30, so for about $1 per commandment and a bonus 13 commandments for free, redemption is yours.

Billionaire Turns Attention to Commandments [NY Sun]

Think wealthy Europeans are the only foreigners staking out the Hamptons for a new summer home? Think again, because word of the valuable commodities of our East End has, apparently, traversed intergalactic planes and caught the attention of aliens from outer space.

That is to say, we think so after reading various online reports that there was a UFO sighting in Hampton Bays on February 20th.

In a published statement, a resident reported a "gun metal blue," soundless, unidentifiable object about 50 feet above his/her house "with no rivets or seams" and edges that "were a lighter grey blue as though worn from great heat."

The same witness contacted the state police and Air Guard at Gabreski Airport but was told there were no other reports and nothing unusual seen on the radar.

Although we're not exactly sure what that precise reason would be as to why a UFO would choose the Hamptons as a visitation spot, we do know there are limitless reasons: a reservation at Nick & Toni's, a lobster roll from Lunch, the radar dish in Montauk, Tate's cookies, an 18-acre plot of land for sale that sits opposite the Spielberg estate.

At least we can look on the bright side of this and appreciate the UFO as mode of transportation that won't clog Route 27 or County Road 39.

We just hope they aren't GIANT piping plovers come to exact revenge.

Hampton Bays Long Island New York with UFO Projections [United States UFO]

Anyone who says there's nothing to do in the Hamptons during the "off season" needs to pay closer attention.

You're up to speed on that if you've been reading our newsletter. And if you haven't been reading it, it means you haven't been receiving it. So here's some initiative for you to sign up.

We're sure that last week's article in the Times has gotten you nervous about your summer rental. Considerate folks that we are, we've come across one option for your consideration. As the blog, Down by the Hipster, writes: 

"For a small fee, you the get the house, the sun, the pool, the people, and the fun. Standard stuff. The real kicker? The party tent. That's right, this share includes a permanent party tent. It's the summer share that you never have to leave, skipping the club life for the house club life."

We kind of have mixed emotions about that last line. We can't imagine the neighbors loving this house, but as long as the renters are staying there and not actually going out... it means we won't have to see them. Stay tuned for other very appealing Summer Rentals in the weeks ahead.

Down by the Hipster recommends you click thru to seem some pictures from last year—and we have to say, you should definitely click thru to see what you're missing out on.

Hamptons Hamptons Hamptons [Down by the Hipster] 

What was once Almondito is now Almoncello, an equally-popular establishment in the same spot on Montauk Highway in Wainscott. After a brief preview of the establishment before Hamptons Restaurant Week, we recommend the braised lamb.

Check out our previews of Wei Fun, Legends and Matto as well.

Almoncello
290 Montauk Highway, Wainscott, NY 11975
631-329-6700
Official website

> Full coverage

Inspired by Radio City Music Hall and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, a 350-square-foot theater (seen above) by Pentagram Architects recently found a home in Montauk.

First the Dimming, Now for the Movie [NYT]

Want to know more about what's hot and what's not in home theater? Get expert tips from designers, builders and dreamers Plum Builders (no relation).

First you cut and melt the curd, then you correctly pour the water around it (not directly over it). After the exact amount of salt is added, there's the stretching. But if it's not made with love, then it's not mozzarella.

Chef Pasquale Langella and Manager Helen Gurrera of Tutto Italiano in East Hampton show Plum how to make fresh mozzarella. Deliciousness ensues.

Tutto Italiano
74 Montauk Hwy. #6
East Hampton, NY 11937
631-324-9500

www.citarella.com 

> Full coverage

Working 40 hours each week during the summer while surfing for 10 hours in between constitutes the identification of a weekend warrior. But when those weekends are taking place during the winter, the term weekend warrior is an insult. If you've been surfing this winter, consider yourself a chilly champion.

Believe it or not, there's still plenty of surfing going on in the Hamptons during this "off season." How do we know? Our good friend Lutha Leahy Miller and his continuous surf reports. And for this final, full weekend of February, he's forecasting perhaps the best waves of all winter.

To quote the surfing sage:

It looks like Saturday and Sunday and maybe even Monday are going to have some nice little ground-swell. Your best bet will be Saturday at breaks that work well with north and/or northeast winds (Head west). Then, Sunday the swell might still be around but we will have to deal with west winds, so one might have to find shelter from that. Good luck on your surf hunting and keep an eye on the weather vane.

So you've got your waves. Now, to survive 40º temperatures, what gear do you need? Once again, Lutha has the answer:

• One 6/5/4mm hooded winter wetsuit, preferably an O'Neill Psycho because of it's rubberized sealed seams.
• One pair of 5mm gloves or mitts.
• One pair of 7mm booties.
• One surfboard that's slightly thicker than your summer surfboard (unless you're riding a longboard) because the winter wetsuit adds up to 15 lbs when wet.
• One tin of cold water wax.
• One warm car to get back into quickly.

There's no official Dog of the Month contest for February, so you won't be seeing a victor's dogumentary today (i.e Amber, Sophie, Alice & Ellie Mae, Annabelle). But we're still going to name one pooch as our main canine for the month. And the winner is.... Rocky.

Why?

If you were the center of a custody battle between Sag Harbor millionaire and Design Strategy Corporation founder Marsh Newmark and his opera singer ex-wife Darynn Zimmer, we'd name you Dog of the Month too. But you're not.

Shortly after our forecast that the selling and placing of ads at East Hampton Airport would lead to a maelstrom of alternative advertising in the Hamptons, we find out that the Michael Allen Group has created a program called Seat Drops for advertisers to sell their stuff on buses.

Serene seascapes, bucolic beauty and humble hamlet charm: North Haven has it all, especially since you can add purer air to that list. It used to be that a New Yorker never knew what a true breath of fresh air was until visiting anywhere in the Hamptons except a strip of Route 114 in North Haven, where idle engines did the devil's work. But a new law that bans idling engines at the South Ferry terminal to Shelter Island has changed that.

New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele (R-Bridgehampton) introduced legislation last year to stop the engines, and it has recently moved up the priority ladder in Albany as, according to Thiele, "The concern has focused both on air quality and energy conservation. Several bills have been introduced on this topic."

In the meantime, South Ferry voluntarily posted "no idling" signs, noting that it's a matter of unhealthy congestion plus noise pollution. Once the bill becomes a law, there should be no concern of enforcing it, as the North Haven Village Hall (where local police change shifts) is right next-door.

Law to Band Idling Engines at South Ferry Terminal [Suffolk Life}

Sticking your corporate brand in front of wealthy people is one of the most time-honored practices of recent times here in the Hamptons. It’s the sole reason that there are 97 different publications stacked in every shop’s doorway during the summer months, it’s the reason that twenty-foot by ten-foot banners adorn the tent at polo each weekend and why every benefit invitation has a cluster of logos running along the bottom of the invite. For the affluent, the Hamptons are the weekend escape. For the marketers, the weekend is the time to reach the affluent people while they’re trying to escape.

What makes Matt Taibbi a good journalist? Find out from the man himself. In the fourth installment of our series of interviews with the Rolling Stone writer, Plum's Anthony Gray talks with Taibbi about personal reporting techniques, and other journalists, such as Hunter S. Thompson, that he admires.

Taibbi on the 2008 Election in Part 1.

Taibbi on Congress in Part 2.

Taibbi on Iraq in Part 3.

> Full coverage

What do two attorneys, two doctors, an author, and a sheriff's deputy have in common? They know how to rock, and will prove it through their band Clamor at the Westhampton Steakhouse Saturday night. Each member of the band is also a member of our East End community.

• Dr. Ray Diaz- Checks your charts for your health during the daytime, rattles bass strings for your entertainment at night.
• Dr. Mark Garabedian- This pediatrician taps kneecaps to check reflexes, and rattles drums to create good vibrations.
• Attorney Mike Garabedian-.Proving you don't have to rebel against the law to be a rock star.
• Attorney Andrea Harum Schiavoni- Effective litigator in the firm, eloquent lyricist on the stage.
• Author Zach Lazar- Great words come from his pen, but wait until you hear the "wah wah" on his lead guitar.
• Suffolk County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Dyer- When he's not patrolling the streets, he's tickling the ivories and adding vocals.

Al Giaquinto of Plum Builders (no relation) delves into What's Hot and What's Not in home theaters and media rooms. We visit a traditional style home theater, and see the evolution of technology.

Plum Builders
125 Stephen Hands Path
East Hampton, NY 11937
P: 631-329-1300
F: 631-329-5648

www.plumbuilders.com

> Full coverage

Excessive commercials touting chocolates and diamonds for Valentine's Day suggest you know what you're getting your loved one. But we'd like to suggest where you take him/her for the special celebration (or just yourself should that be the matter).

Single? Dating? Committed? Engaged? Married? It doesn't matter. Valentine's Day in the Hamptons will not be a, figuratively speaking, cold night.

Til Death Do You Part
Married for a year, 10 years, 30 years etc, renewing your vows is the tenderest way to commemorate the occasion. The view of the Atlantic at Gurney's Inn adds a nice touch. Ceremony begins at 5 p.m. on Valentine's Day.

Longest-Lip-Locking
You can prove your love is the strongest at the Longest Kiss Competition, also at Gurney's. Reserving room for potentially fierce competition, the contest begins Saturday, February 16 at 5 p.m.

Let the Music Do the Talking
A good love song can enhance the ambiance of an evening with your Valentine, and it can also fill the audible space as you gaze into each other's eyes. Local legends provide the music live at Della Femina Restaurant, as Jane Hastay on piano, Peter Martin Weiss on bass and vocalist Terry Struble perform Love Songs: A Valentine's Day Treat.

Eat to Your Heart's Content
There's prix fixe and then there's more hearty prix fixe and dining specials. Take The Plaza Cafe, for instance: a four-course meal begins at 5:30 p.m. on Valentine's Day with choices such as pumpkin-lobster bisque and Jurgielewicz Farms free range duck. Meanwhile, Matto is giving every couple a free Moet split bottle, and is offering injected Grand Mariner chocolate dipped strawberries. Fresno is including a complimentary glass of Prosecco and house-made chocolate truffles with dessert.

Dine By Duration
A newly-dating couple for a few months seeks a different date than say the married couple forever. Manners, price, and ambiance are all aspects at play in this matter. Here's a categorized list:

• Married for decades- A grand relationship deserves a grand evening. So get a table at the American Hotel, perhaps the most elegant of dining establishments.
• Dating for years- You're searching for something special, but aren't treating the day as the sole romantic one of the year. So go to Almond, it's hip and it's delicious fun.
• Just got together- The first Valentine's Day should be a memorable one. Go to the 1770 House. The privacy and intimacy of the downstairs dining makes for a beautiful experience.
• Single and happy- Sen, Suki Zuki and World Pie are filled every night with as much delicious food and drinks as there are interesting people. Their chic atmospheres are ideal for eating alone, but not lonely, and networking with the locals and socialites.