East End Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Hamptons Mouthpiece

Could Sag Harbor be voted America’s Happiest Seaside town 2013

Sag Harbor, NY Greetings Hamptons Mouthpiece Readers….Coastal Living Magazine has nominated Sag Harbor as a TOP TEN finalist in their contest for America’s Happiest Seaside Town in 2013. The winning town will be featured in the June 2013 issue of Coastal Living Magazine. There is such tranquillity in living by the sea. Another place that encapsulates that feeling is Newport Beach. I mean, no one can deny that the California beaches are stunning, and it’s no wonder that so many people live there. With so many luxurious houses and apartments overlooking a variety of stunning Californian beaches, as seen on Reali, many are drawn to living there. However, there’s no saying that these are the happiest seaside towns though, no matter how beautiful the beaches there may be! There’s no denying that there’s a lot you can get up to in California; I hear that whale watching california is fantastic. However, I love the beautiful town of Sag Harbor and I think we’ve got a big chance of winning. I have been coming to Sag Harbor for the last 22 years. I have raised my two daughters in this town and made some of the most amazing friendships. Main Street is happening all the time, even in January it is hard to find a parking spot on Main Street on a Saturday afternoon. The beach is on Main Street and there are plenty of delicious places to eat. Love Live theater, then you would definitely want to visit Bay Street Theatre, there are many productions to choose from and something for all ages. There is so much to do in Sag Harbor, and if you have never visited, please come to HarborFrost in February..click here for more information. http://sagharborchamber.com/harborfrost/

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Click here: http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/happiest-seaside-town-00414000077606/

Vote as often as you can- YOU CAN VOTE EVERY HOUR FROM NOW UNTIL FEBRUARY 28th.

GOOD LUCK SAG HARBOR, WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER!

Sag Harbor: Drug and Alcohol Abuse Presentation

Greetings Hamptons Mouthpiece Readers..There is a trend that is occurring among teenagers and drinking and drugs are on the rise. I am appalled that there are parents in our community that are hosting these parties at their home and turning a blind-side with the drinking that is taking place in their home. It’s even more surprising with how common alcohol addiction is, and how much more likely addiction is in teenagers. With the use of alcohol and drugs amongst teenagers rising, more and more people are having to find help, including rehab, for their reliance on these addictive substances. Although addicts can find more help here, it is desirable that addiction is avoided as best they can. The legal drinking age is 21. The truth is unfortunately we cannot control what happens at college but we can control what happens in middle school and High School.

If you are a parent of a teenager you may want to make the time to attend this presentation. I know you may be saying not my child, but yes YOUR CHILD. The smart kids, the sporty kids, the musicians, the quiet kids and troubled kids are drinking & doing drugs, if not now they will before they graduate from High School. It saddens me when I hear stories of an 8th grader being caught for drinking in school, putting vodka in a water bottle. Parents if your child is drinking straight vodka out of a water bottle in school then they either have a drinking problem or they seeking attention. Lets rally together as Parents to save a young persons life.

Sag Harbor community Coalition Presents Drug & Alcohol Abuse January 24th @ 7pm Pierson Middle School Gym.

Good People doing amazing things

Greetings Hamptons Mouthpiece Readers, 2012 was an eventful year and I am so happy that it is over. There were so many eventful occurances for the year like Hurricane Sandy, the Presidential elections, Sandy Brook Elementary massacre and the Movie theater massacre. Soon after “Sandy” I visited Island Park an area in Long Beach New York that was hit hard by hurricane Sandy; our mission was to help a homeowner move stuff out of her home before mold took over. A member in the East End Cares group asked us to help her neighbor who had a boat stuck in her backyard and the owner of the boat refused to remove their boat. I saw the post on Sunday morning and was moved to help out, so I said I was available to travel to Island Park and got ready and prepared to go. I put on some clothes that I did not care about and was out the door in 10 mins….I met up with a member of the group and we drove into Long Beach. I was nervous because I did not know what to expect. When we got there Rannie the homeowner was on site and apparently this was her 1st official day walking through her once beautiful home.

The very first thing I did was just hug her and let her cry because it was increasingly overwhelming. We all see these images of complete devastation on television but we are emotionally disconnected because we are not there in person, we do not know the person. We all sit in our nice warm homes and say well they should be thankful that they are alive and well, but until you are experiencing what they are going through you can never truly understand the magnitude of the situation. Yes they are material things that can be replaced but for some of these people items that they have worked so hard for and they will probably never be replaced or even re-built. East End Cares is a filled with truly remarkable people who unselfishly and generously volunteer their time and financial support. My heart is warmed knowing that there are people like this in the world.
It is now 3 months later and many that are suffering are unfortunately the people from low-income communities better known as the projects. These people had no place to go, no family to stay with and they stayed in their wet, moldy homes. They were sleeping on wet beds, dealt with no elevator service, heat or hot water, respiratory problems from inhaling the mold, and loss of income. Some of them luckily had Long term disability insurance which allowed them to carry on claiming for loss of income due to the respiratory issues keeping them from staying in employment.

Volunteers like Claudia and Wendy Tarlow work endlesslessly volunteering their time to help these victims, there is always someone travelling to one of the devastated areas. I had the pleasure of visiting one of the warming centers in Rockaway in December with my friend Cindy Cobb McGowin and her friends. We played Santa Claus for the day, giving out gifts, delivering food…her car was filled to the top. Cindy was giving out envelopes filled with money to Hurricane victims. We spent the day serving lunch and it was one of the best days of my life. I was so moved I volunteered my time on Sunday and drove with both my girls and trays of desserts…thanks Jane, Joan, Laura, Helen, Cindy.

Friends these people are still in need of our support and prayers. My friend Cindy visited the Rockaway Beach area this week and wrote on her Facebook wall:

The Red Cross has pulled out of Rockaway Beach. They made their appearance and are now gone. First Congregational Church, 3200 Beach 94th Street, Rockaway Beach, is our new contact. This wonderful church is distributing a multitude of items 7 days a week and will soon have a soup kitchen. It will take months and months to recover, if ever, from the devastation. She added the items that they are still seeking: Rockaway wish list: sm.-med. sized bottles of bleach, pinesol, lysol, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, garbage bags, qt. sized zip-locs, toilet paper, paper towels, humidifiers, bath soap, reg.-travel sized shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, diapers. Adults need socks and underwear. Kids need book bags, notebooks, and pencils. Canned food. Any quantity. All very much appreciated.

Many of you may be thinking these items are available to purchase at stores, yes they are but these victims cannot afford to purchase these items. Many of them are homeless because they have no home and nowhere to go, many are staying in their mold infested homes because they would rather stay there then live on the street. Today was a victory for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and many homeowners, but for some who were denied by FEMA because they did not live in flood zones this will take years to rebuild and some will never be able to rebuild. Without the love and support from the hundreds of volunteers many of these victims would be in worst conditions than they are. Thank you East End Cares for you’re tirelessly commitment to helping in areas like Island Park and Rockaway, we still have so much more to do.

Good People doing amazing things

Island Park visit DC 1/15/13 Photo credit..Chris Fabris

A Great Evening at Sen NYC with Warm Apple Sake

A Great Evening at Sen NYC with Warm Apple Sake…Greetings Hamptons Mouthpiece readers…I love good food, it makes me so happy. I love when I go out to eat and everything is right, the ambiance, the service, the drinks, the appetizers, the main course and finally… the dessert. I leave there wanting more, dreaming of my next visit as I am walking out of the door, not focusing on the cost only wanting the experience again. Do you know what I am talking about?

Friday I had the extreme pleasure of dining at Sen in NYC and it left me

wanting more. Jeffrey Resnick, Toranosuke Matsuoka & Jesse Matsuoka have brought their very popular restaurant in Sag Harbor to Manhattan, with Chef Bryan S. Emperor behind the stove and Head Sushi chef Hiro Sawatari. This location opened in Mid September and is centrally located in Chelsea & Flat Iron district but also easily assessable to both uptown and downtown residents.

I arrived around 6pm and was pleasantly pleased with the ambiance of the place, the colors are warm and intimate. Jesse greeted me and gave me a tour of the place as I waited for my cousin Deidre to join me. Located in the front is a lounge area that is very spacious and definitely inviting for an after work crowd who would like to just have drinks and socialize. If the bar scene is your thing than you would love this bar..it is the dominant focal point of the restaurant. It is a beautiful wrap around with real oak on the bottom that are also equipped with hooks for women to hang their bags. The back of the bar is a sushi bar, much larger than the Sag Harbor location, it reminded me of the Benihana’s restaurant. The bartenders are very good looking and for that reason alone is why I will be back. I loved the attention to detail in the design of the place, like the warm colors, the oak wood on the bar and the bark on the walls in the back of the restaurant. I personally found it extremely alluring.

As I continued my wait for my cousin to arrive, Jesse suggested that I try the Warm Apple Cider sake, I did and it was delicious. I was happy to hear that they were using products from Long Island, like the the Apple Cider, it also included cinnamon cloves, lemon & orange peel but the kicker was the spiked Brazilian rum…..YUMMMMMMMY…this totally warmed me up.

Dee finally arrived and we were seated at our table…our evening was going to consist of a variety of sampler dishes from the menu. There were items that I liked more than others and some that I personally did not care for, not that these dishes were not delicious my pallets just did not care for them.

We started our 1st course with Edamame & Tuna Tar Tar…I really liked the takuan pickle shallot & the spicy yuzu dressing in the Tar Tar.

Jesse decided to bring us a sampler of 3 different Sake drinks….The 1st one was a traditional Sake..2nd one was a sweeter Plum Sake and the 3rd one was a more mature Sake with a definite hit….I went with the 2nd choice a more sweeter Sake….Dee went with the more traditional Sake.

Our 2nd course was a Salad with Daikon Sprout, Spanish onion & Sour plum sauce…I

have to admit it was my least favorite because it contained a bitter taste but it was very tasty and one that many might like.

3rd Course: We were brought a sampler tray of various items from the starter menu….Tatsuta, marinated chicken wings, Wagyu Croquette, “Japanese Meat Balls” with Katsu sauce, & Kinchaku “Miso marinated cheese with sweet red crab. It was delicious, I thoroughly enjoyed everything, it satisfied everyone of my taste buds. Unfortunately for you my readers this sampler dish is not on the menu, you would need to order every item individually. I recommend ordering all 3.

Our 4th course was a surprise array of sushi by the piece. I warned Jesse that I did not like raw food and I have to admit I was so scared of what would be brought out for us to sample, but to my delight it was rather good. Being the adventurous person that I am I tried everything. It included raw fluke, raw King salmon, BBQ Eel, cooked shrimp & Japanese egg…I did not care for the egg but that is because I really do not like eggs anymore, I was not in love with the Fluke either but Dee loved the fluke. I was surprised that I loved the salmon, it had a buttery taste and it just melted in my mouth, who knew this would be the night that I embraced sushi…I also liked the shrimp and the BBQ Eel, it was an interesting taste and one that I would experience again.

fluke, King salmon, BBQ Eel, shrimp & Japanese egg

Our 5th Sampler was the Hawaiian Blue Prawns…these prawns are shipped overnight from Hawaii and I will say I loved it. The heads were included in this selection and this was my first time having the courage to taste one. It always felt creepy eating anything where the eyes were staring back at you. It was delightful and I think I enjoyed the head of the shrimp more so than the shrimp itself because it was full of amazing juices that captivated my taste buds. Dee was being a coward and refused to taste, but lucky for me I ate hers…yum yum

Our 6th course was from Chef Emperor’s Specialty selection…Gyu Negima “Stone-fired

Gyu Negima "Stone-fired dry-aged Prime Fillet Mignon

dry-aged Prime Fillet Mignon cooked in Kani Miso Butter and mitsuba cress. I am not a red meat fan, but this presentation was so amazing and it smelled so wonderful. The flame was still burning under the pot as it was brought to the table, and you were in control of how you preferred your steak to be cooked. Our mouths were watering with anticipation of our first bite, and to our delight it did not disappoint. It felt like we were taking a bite of heaven, it was so succulent, juicy, seasoned to perfection, tender and I know I am saying it again but it really did melt in my mouth. I could taste the miso butter in every bite and I was in my fantasy world of food.

Wow we were in overload and everyone of our taste buds were definitely being fulfilled. I thought our meal was coming to an end but Jesse came over and spoke to us about the tradition of a Japanese Restaurant and how the rice and soup are typically served at the end of a meal. I guess the best are saved for last and maybe this metaphor might make sense, at the beginning of an exercise regime you start with the warm-up, then you transition into a more aerobic high impact exercise and at the end you finish with a warm-down. Such is the case with my meal…we started with appetizers*salad*sushi*main course*rice*soup…..

It was suggested that we try the Shoyu Truffle Butter rice with mixed mushroom, soy sauce & truffle butter. The rice is cooked per order in a cedar box and I was anxious to taste it. This was different for me, I was not use to eating the rice at the end of a meal. Rice by itself is very filling and to wait until the end to have the rice is a new and interesting concept for most Americans. I have to tell you my friends, I loved it.

We ended our meal slightly nontraditional for me, instead of dessert and coffee we had a red miso soup with mushroom and tofu topped with a umami foam. I have to admit the presentation looked like a cup of cappuccino so it was a little weird. If you are a creature of visual presentation and prefer your soup in a bowl then you might be somewhat turned off. As for me I base my decisions on taste, and that is what this entire evening was for me, taking risks and trying new things. I loved it, the tofu was delicious and being in a cup was not a deterrence for me.

In Japanese tradition the evening ended as it began with Sake…but not just any Sake

the “creme de sole”…The Japanese rendition of an after dinner cognac…it warmed my body as the warm sake at the beginning had warmed me.

Hamptons MouthPiece readers, as you can see I enjoyed my Sen NYC dining experience and I recommend this place the next time you visit the city or if you live there. They will be looking to add some entertainment to the place, I personally think that would be a really nice touch. The restaurant is moderately priced, they are located at 12 west 21st Street, between 5 & 6th avenues. I would suggest calling for reservations.
Don’t forget to visit their Sag Harbor location next time you are in Hamptons..As always Hamptons MouthPiece keeping you in the know!!!!!

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Greg Grossman Teen Culinary Prodigy

Hamptons MouthPiece; I would love all of my Hamptons friends to take a look at THNKR PRODIGY on YOUTUBE series and short movie about a look at a young Hamptons friend and cook, Greg Grossman’s starting at Ross School and working around the Hamptons, his first event at 12 at Vered Gallery!

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Greg started his understanding of food, philanthropy and how the world fit together from the beginning of time at his incredible years as a student at ROSS SCHOOL, Instilled his love of always giving back and of supporting our local farms and vendors. In his 4th year at VeggieU Food & Wine in Ohio, a family farm who celebrated their 10th year of placing organic farming kits and educational packages (and worms and veggies) in over 3,000 public schools around the US Greg joins the 100’s of amazing chefs who give of themselves to help children learn about farming and eating healthy.

And he is also proud to be a part of Dr. Joanne Ruthsatz’ of OSU Prodigy Autism study, and Dr. James Watson

of Cold Spring Harbor Lab leading the DNA study. Greg cooked this summer in Southampton at private benefits for Joanne and the Southampton Arts Festival as Culinary director to raise money for this research and to bring classical masters to children and families in the Hamptons. With almost 1in 88 children born with an autism spectrum disorder, Dr. Ruthsatz is so close to finding an important key and Greg is thrilled to be part of her program. See 60 minutes math prodigy, Jake one of Joannes prodigies is autistic but graduation college at 14.

Having started his interest in the culinary arts at such a young age with a lot of his inspiration coming from being at Ross School where as you know he was so honored to be awarded the Martha Stewart Scholar Award at Club Starlight gala when he was just 13 appearing on Today Show, Neil Cavuto etc.

Then last year cooking the winning Kung Pao chicken when Times Square was turned into China Kitchen

Stadium for 2 days when NTD TV hosted a benefit gala for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 for the NY Sergeants Benevolent Association and Citi Meals on Wheels. Again Greg’s interest and so many friends from many Asian countries has special significance as his 5 years of Mandarin Chinese at Ross School led him to his incredible interest in Thai, Malaysian and all forms of Chinese cookery. Many Hampton friends attended.

Greg has been doing so much lately and has just recently been filmed as part of the Google THNKR “Prodigy’ Series on You Tube as an extraordinary teen.

A short film about his love of food and doing a tasting for a restaurant with his consulting company. Though Greg is finishing HS at the Professional children’s School in NYC, specifically there to support students with careers, where he and the most incredibly talented students work their schooling around full time careers in the arts, sports, equestrians (like Reed Kessler who made it to the Olympics), known by all at the Hampton Classic , business owners, etc. They are able to pursue their careers while advisors support them and make sure they are getting their work done. Greg has been able to continue his work and his love of food and get a great HS education in NYC. We look forward to seeing young Greg at Hamptons fund-raising events this next summer!

Even living in NYC, Greg still finds himself back in the Hamptons. “It is the place I grew up and where I will always consider my home and I am so happy to be back helping support special charities and seeing my friends”

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Greg currently works with Southampton Arts Festival and Dr. Ruthsatz prodigy/autism study all while going to school and running a business back in the Hamptons. Greg is an amazing young man, talented chef, very kind, approachable and a joy to his parents. I say to Greg, if you have time my family is more than happy to be some tasters for you, feel free to come and take over my kitchen ANY DAY….

Hamptons Mouthpiece readers…be on the look out for this up and coming Chef….This is the 1st of many more spotlight articles on people of interest in the Hamptons.