Even though the Hamptons isn't really my scene, I was incredibly excited to spend time with some friends, relax and most importantly eat great seafood. I haven't spent a lot of time in the Hamptons, so I let my friends take the lead on all our dinner outings. We arrived at Bay Kitchen pretty late (around 9:30) and despite that, the place was still kickin and super crowded. We ended up waiting a while for a table but it was totally fine because we just hung out by the bar and had some yummy cocktails. We were initially hoping to have gotten there for the sunset but clearly we missed that window - although I could tell that this place would be wonderful for a sunset cocktail due to its location right on the water. Oh well, next time!
The menu looked great - very seafood focused from a raw bar, crudo dishes, different ceviches, and a bunch of fish dishes. They also have a whole section of meat and poultry as well. We decided to start with the calamari ($18) and the meatballs ($12) because we were all starving and needed something in our stomachs. I had my mind set on getting the lobster roll so I was incredibly bummed when the waitress told me they were out of it. She then proceeded to tell us how they were also out of a bunch of specials. I guess it was late in the night but seriously why even bother telling us that you have specials that you can't offer them to us. So instead I opted for the mustard crusted Montauk tuna ($32) medium rare. The girls got a bunch of stuff ranging from a cold half lobster, raw clams, chicken and scallops.
The calamari was chickpea crusted and then served with roasted garlic tomato salsa - it was a pretty good starter and it was nice and crispy. I liked the use of the chickpea crust as it was lighter than your traditional breading on calamari. The meatballs were tomato braised and made with sheep's milk and served with fava beans and lemon. It was pretty moist and I loved the sauce on it but it was rather heavy for a starter. Then this is where things turned for the worse. We waited and waited and waited for our entrees that we were starting to think that maybe they forgot our food. Finally our food arrived but even after that the glass of wine I ordered also took forever to arrive. There's nothing more I hate then waiting for something like a glass of wine that should only take 5-10 minutes to show up. As for my tuna, it was covered in a tomato vinaigrette and served with a variety of nicoise vegetables. Honestly, I just thought there was too much going on the plate. The tuna itself was nicely medium rare but I generally like my fish dishes clean and not with so much stuff with it. I would have preferred less sauce and steamed vegetables or lightly sauced vegetables. I did clean my plate, so clearly I enjoyed it but I felt like I would have liked it a lot more if it was a simpler dish.
All in all, I could tell it was a lovely restaurant and the menu was great. While my dish was fine, there was a bit too much going on with it for me to say that it was a fantastic tuna dish. The service was really painfully slow, despite it being so late in the evening. I could tell that this place would be a lovely place for a sunset cocktail - so maybe get there around 6-7 for a cocktail and then either be really patient for your food or check out another place afterwards (especially if you are hungry). Total bill: $63/pp with tax, tip and drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
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