Long Island - Montauk, Hamptons, & North Fork

[giradman]

Susan & I just returned from one of our many trips to Montauk, Long Island (NY state) - we've been going there for 40 years - her family has had a small house up on the eastern slope of Lake Montauk w/ deck views of the lake, LI Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean - just 6 miles from the point where the Montauk Lighthouse is located (commissioned by George Washington in the 1790s) - pic below of the lighthouse (from the web).

For those not familiar w/ the area (or those who may have a chance to visit), the eastern end of this 100+ mile long narrow island was settled mainly by New Englanders crossing the sound; some of the towns/villages date to the 1600s (e.g. Bridgehampton & Amagansett) - East Hampton & Southampton are the most famous towns for the NYC celebrities, the mansions, and beaches.

Also shown below is a satellite photo of LI (far left would be NYC) - Lake Montauk is the added blue arrow - the family house looks down to the lake and marina area w/ LI Sound & Gardiner's Island in the background. The orange arrow is the North Fork - noticed the island splits (actually @ Riverhead) into a northern & southern segment (call forks) - the South Fork has the Hamptons and is busier, more built-up, and commercial; the North Fork is much more quaint w/ beautiful villages and has nearly all of the LI wineries (more about that in a follow-up post).

SO, pics below of the Lighthouse & the view of LI from the sky, plus several of my photos - we stayed at the Yacht Club this time which is located on a small island (Star Island) that juts into Lake Montauk near the marina and channel outlet to LI Sound; we were on a 2nd level room w/ a deck that overlooked their small sandy beach & the boats docked in their marina - the family house is located on the other side of the lake; the second photo is a view from the deck of the house, as described above - over 40 years of sitting on this deck, the main change is that the vegetation/trees has really grown! So, just starters - plan to add a couple of more posts and will also post if questions arise - Dave P.S. glad to be back online!

 

[giradman]

FOOD - EASTERN LONG ISLAND! If you do not like seafood (especially shellfish), then maybe not a topic of interest, BUT if you do - THEN this will be a GREAT eating experience. Susan & I love shellfish of all kinds - and this is a place to satisfy such an appetite - By shellfish, I mean clams, oysters, steamers, mussels, lobsters, shrimp, scallops, etc.

NOW, a number of these choices seem to just be readily available in this area or further north in New England (e.g. Maine) - especially, steamers, clams, & lobsters. Steamers are 'thin shelled' clams w/ a long 'siphon' that looks like a foot - pic below showing them (how to eat - scrape off the siphon covering, then dip in warm water to remove the sand, dip in butter, and then put in your MOUTH!). Oysters & Little Neck clams on the half shell were delicious! Lobsters are one of our favorites - we had steamed & chilled (steamed) lobsters for 3 dinners & also lobster rolls for 2 lunches (we cannot get this in our locale, so MUST catch up on our addiction!) - below pictured are the usually appearance of a steamed lobster & one of the best lobster rolls that I've ever eaten - see next paragraph -

If you do go to eastern LI, then a visit to Montauk and Gosman's Dock is highly recommended! Gosman's Dock is a large complex (pic below which does not show the entire place) - there are multiple restaurant choices - an 'inside' & 'outside' choice, plus a sushi/sashimi option (we had dinner there twice - both times steamed lobster) & lunch twice (raw fish, steamers, clams, etc.) - the restaurant sits on the inlet channel between Lake Montauk & LI Sound, so boats of all sizes & types (private, commercial, tour, etc.) are constantly coming in & out - just a spectacular experience on a warm & breezy day. Well, I'll stop w/ this post - next one will be about a visit to the North Fork & the wineries there - Dave

 

[giradman]

WINERIES - North Fork​! As is typical for our visits to Montauk, we did a half day tour of the wineries on the North Fork of LI; getting there is half the fun - from East Hampton, HW 114 takes you to Sag Harbor (famous for whaling history & excellent museum) (see winery map below); a short bridge and ride gets you to the South Ferry (pic below) and onto Shelter Island - a short drive to the North Ferry (a larger boat) crosses Small Peconic Bay to Greenport on the North Fork - then head west on HW 25, the major route (a smaller parallel road nearly joins in Mattituck - where we had that great lobster roll - united by 'Love Lane').

The wineries are scattered along HW 25 w/ fewer near the other road - below a pic of Peconic Bay Winery (a stop last year) - the New England architecture w/ cedar shingles is typical although the wineries all look somewhat different. On this tour, we visited four wineries: Pellegrini, Bedell, Pindar, & Duck Walk North (the latter has a winery on the South Fork). A variety of wines are made from the usual ones using Vinifera grapes to Native American ones or hybrids; occasionally non-grape fruits are used (or mixed); wines vary from dry to sweet (w/ some Late Harvest Riesling & Vidal Blanc being quite good); sparkling wine is also made at some of the wineries - below another pic of a gazebo amongst vineyards - a number of of these places are setup for weddings. My favorite whites were the dry Chardonnays (steel & barrel fermented options) and reds Merlot, although many others are made.

SO - that was our all TOO short Montauk trip this year - please enjoy the commentary & the images - ask questions if interested in more information, and if you are on Long Island make a point to get out the the eastern end and the two forks. Dave

 

[leelai]

So many wonderful trips you've had here Dave.

I would love to come visit the area, there seems to be so much to see and do. I only ever get to read of the area in books and all that I've seen from Movies. But having a family house would just be wonderful, to just go when the mood takes you would be just so good!

Now the seafood does look very good.....I love certain types of seafood, prawns, crabs, lobster. I've tried oysters and mussels but no, they're not for me but I've never tried clams. A new food for me to try when I do happen to see it next time.

Wonderful photos also.......now on my Bucket List!

 

[suenc]

FOOD - EASTERN LONG ISLAND! If you do not like seafood (especially shellfish), then maybe not a topic of interest, BUT if you do - THEN this will be a GREAT eating experience. Susan & I love shellfish of all kinds - and this is a place to satisfy such an appetite - By shellfish, I mean clams, oysters, steamers, mussels, lobsters, shrimp, scallops, etc.

Yum! Lobsters, clams and oysters at every meal. Can't get food like this in the middle of North Carolina.

 

[suenc]

Charming countryside, tasty wines

 

[Hayles66]

My hubby and I love wine and this certainly looks beautiful. Chiraz is my favourite tipple. Pinot Noir is also lovely. Beautiful photos Dave.

 

[giradman]

So many wonderful trips you've had here Dave. I would love to come visit the area, there seems to be so much to see and do. I only ever get to read of the area in books and all that I've seen from Movies. But having a family house would just be wonderful, to just go when the mood takes you would be just so good! Now the seafood does look very good.....I love certain types of seafood, prawns, crabs, lobster. I've tried oysters and mussels but no, they're not for me but I've never tried clams. A new food for me to try when I do happen to see it next time. Wonderful photos also.......now on my Bucket List!

Hi Leelai - thanks for the comments - indeed a lovely area and just a 3-hr drive from NYC (and what a difference!) - we like the oysters & clams raw on the half shell - oysters are fairly ubiquitous in our travels, but clams are not and the raw ones are wonderful w/ a flavor & aroma of the ocean - although I've been a big sushi/sashimi fan for decades, liking oysters took me a little longer! Dave

 

[giradman]

My hubby and I love wine and this certainly looks beautiful. Chiraz is my favourite tipple. Pinot Noir is also lovely. Beautiful photos Dave.

Hi - the Long Island wine industry has been around since the early '70s, so relatively new; Merlot & Chardonnay were their early successes back then and started to receive awards; but now just a cornucopia of grapes (and non-grape) products - other red vinifera include Cabernet Sauvignon & Franc, Syrah, Pinot Noir and some others; plenty of white vinifera also - wines range from dry, through levels of sweetness, to dessert ones made mainly from Riesling or Vidal Blanc;- SO for anyone who likes wine, natural beauty, and eating lobster rolls, the North Fork is highly recommended! Dave

 

[giradman]

Update - Early September 2014 Return Visit

We have been going to Montauk in the fall for a number of years to see Susan's mother who is now 93 y/o! We just returned and pretty much repeated our previous trips, i.e. plenty of great seafood (lobsters, oysters, clams, etc.) & another tour to the North Fork (see previous posts for more details), and to some different wineries.

But I did take some new pics below: 1) We stayed @ the Yacht Club Marina again - on the 2nd floor w/ a view from our balcony looking across Lake Montauk - on the eastern shore are other marinas and plenty of private homes (the arrow points to my in-laws place); 2) The channel that leads from the lake into Long Island Sound, a right turn and 4 miles will take you to the Atlantic Ocean & the famous Lighthouse; 3) Another view of the channel and a portion of Gosman's Restaurant/Complex (a favorite) - first night there (after a long trip), Susan & I feasted on oysters, steamers, and steamed 1 1/4# lobsters; 4) That first night, we were seated in the portion of the inside restaurant seen on the previous pic - the sun was setting and the moon appeared - this was taken through an open window near our table; and 5) On our last day, we lunched on the east side of the channel (where the in-laws house is located) at the Inlet Restaurant (view from the 2nd story level; most of the buildings seen are the Gosman's Dock Complex) - we had oysters yet again, shared a local garden salad and both had lobster rolls w/ some delicious fries.

Tomorrow, I'll post about some of the wineries visited - if you are on Long Island, then definitely try to go to the east end and enjoy the Hamptons, Montauk, and the North Fork - Dave
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[scifan57]

Great pictures, giiradman! Thanks to your posts I'm seeing parts of the U.S. that I'll probably never see in person.

 

[J. A.]

Neither will I, so thank you for the update, Dave!

 

[The OB]

Unlikely that I will either but gee I'd like to. More great photos and mouth watering pit stops. Thanks Dave.
Andrew

 

[giradman]

Hi ALL! Thanks for the comments - Susan & I did most of our 'international' traveling in our younger years, so likely will not be going across oceans much anymore (she hates to even change one time zone on planes - ) - BUT, Canada is still in our future - been there at least a dozen times (probably more) - Quebec & Ontario the most; also, PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta, & BC.

However, these local trips that we now do please us and we are lucky to lived in a place that offers so much geography & history. Dave

 

[giradman]

North Fork Wine Tour + Lunch - Sept 2014

Well, we try to tour the North Fork wineries on our trips - two ferries across Shelter Island to Greenport (previously described in this thread at the start) - this time went w/ my BIL, Danny and his girlfriend who lives in Sag Harbor (famous whaling port from the old days w/ an excellent museum about its history).

First wineries visited were Rafael Winery (first 2 pics below - the tasting room was timber framed and just beautiful - good wines); then onto Bedell - a repeat visit each time I do this tour - one of the oldest wineries in the area going back to the beginning - the Merlot was superb (one of their 'flagship' wines) as were the whites, especially the un-oaked Chardonnay.

Then to Love Lane in Mattituck (central to the North Fork) for lunch - this is our third annual visit and Susan & I always order lobster rolls (pic below from their website) - NOW, I've been eating lobster rolls for over 40 years and both of us have to claim that this one is the BEST, which is saying a lot - don't miss one if you have the chance! After lunch, Magic Fountain for homemade ice cream (dozens of choices) - I had a delicious (just one scoop) butter pecan (my other 3 companions all had a different one - believe that my BIL and his girlfriend have had most of their offerings).

After lunch we headed slightly north to the parallel road for a visit to Lieb Winery which has won plenty of awards, according to Dan's girlfriend, however, we were rather disappointed (may have just been vintage differences?). Final visit for the day was Sparkling Pointe (last 2 pics) - only sparkling wine is made there from a variety of grapes, but primarily Chardonnay & Pinot Noir - all are done by the traditional Méthode Champenoise method as used in France (and of course elsewhere) - the main important step is that the secondary fermentation is done in the bottle purchased.

Back to Greenport and 2 ferries to Sag Harbor on the South Fork - another enjoyable visit - Dave
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