DESTINATION: GREENPORT
A FLURRY OF RESTAURANT OPENINGS MAKES THE NORTH FORK ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING FOOD STOPS OUT EAST. BY BAO ONG
A flurry of restaurant openings makes the North Fork one of the most exciting food stops out East.
If the North Fork food scene has an epicenter, it’s Greenport. Once a whaling town and shipbuilding hub, Greenport is surrounded by organic farms, award-winning vineyards, and teeming waters. Its latest transformation? Culinary hot spot.
Frank Decarlo, chef-owner of Peasant in Manhattan, long dreamed of opening a restaurant here. When the former Scrimshaw space became available, he jumped at the chance to take over the red waterfront barn. His Barba Bianca focuses on local seafood, featuring ingredients like eel and conch. “I want to keep things very, very simple,” says Decarlo, who owns a house on Shelter Island. “I’ll take my truck and go to the farm and collect everything for the night. I’ll feel like I’m in heaven.” Barba Bianca, 102 Main St., Greenport, 631-333-2600; barbabiancany.com
The Lucky Bee returns for weekend pop-ups at Bruce & Son. Rupert Noffs and Matty Bennett offer a Southeast Asianinspired menu: grilled shrimp spiked with green chilis, local vegetables bathed in green curry, and poached lobster wrapped in betel leaves. The Lucky Bee, 208 Main St., Greenport, 844364-4286; luckybeenyc.com
At the Sound View Inn, a renovated 1950s motel houses The Halyard. Galen Zamarra, chef-owner of NYC’S Mas (Farmhouse), spotlights American classics (lobster rolls, fried chicken, steaks). “It’s so beautiful and low key out here,” says the James Beard Award winner. “I was surprised a lot of New Yorkers didn’t know about this area, but it’s quickly changing.” The Halyard, 58755 Rte. 48, Greenport, 631-477-0666; soundviewgreenport.com