Tag: east hampton

Last Call for Summer: Bostwick’s Chowder House in East Hampton

Bostwick's - counter
behind the scenes at bostwick’s

Labor Day is just around the corner, which sadly signals the unofficial end of summer. (Summer technically ends on September 21st, but no one seems to follow the seasonal calendar). What to do with the two full weekends that are left in your Hamptons summer rental? Above all else, make sure you enjoy a last supper at Bostwick’s Chowder House in East Hampton.

Bostwick’s reminds me of Pearl Oyster Bar–a focus on fresh seafood that’s simply prepared yet extremely tasty. Clams, mussels, shrimp, oysters, lobsters, fish, raw or cooked–Bostwick’s has it all covered. There are so many options, what to order? Try the plump orange steamers or the golden and crispy fish & chips. I’m usually not a fan of swordfish, but the special that was served at Bostwick’s was outstanding. The filet was grilled to perfection and didn’t taste gamey at all. Our lunch companions enjoyed their fish tacos and lobster rolls. Clearly no one was unhappy with their order, so after a day at the beach, pull up to Bostwick’s, grab a seat at the bar, order a pint and dig into your clams!

Bostwick's - steamers
steamers with a side of butter
Bostwick's - fish and chips
fish and chips
Bostwick's - grilled fish taco
grilled fish tacos
Bostwick's - special swordfish
swordfish special of the day

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Bostwick’s Chowder House
277 Pantigo Road
East Hampton, NY 11937
(631) 324-1111

Weekend in the Hamptons: Highway Diner & Bar

Highway Diner - menu

Last weekend we were in the Hamptons and decided to have lunch at Highway Diner & Bar in East Hampton. The restaurant itself is relatively new and the interior has all the de rigueur trappings of a high-end beach town establishment. But despite all the niceties, I couldn’t quite embrace Highway Diner & Bar because the place lacks character and a distinct identity. It sort of feels like a country club, other times a surf lodge, and maybe even an old-timey diner. What exactly is it trying to be? It looks like the owners tried to incorporate anything and everything that would evoke nostalgia and summer vacation. If the term people-pleaser could be personified by a restaurant, then Highway Diner & Bar would be it.

Now if the food were delicious, I would be willing to cut the restaurant some slack, but everything we had was pretty meh. It was this close to being solid, but not quite. The roasted beet and goat cheese salad I ordered was a prime example of this. Nothing about the salad was offensive, but at the same time it was nothing to write home about. The flavorful chicken andouille gumbo was a great improvement, but the ratio of sausage to soup was a little too high. While the gumbo was good, it was good in that corporate cafeteria kind of way. The fried local flounder sandwich and fries were the only items that were legitimately good and worth recommending.

Highway Diner - roasted beet and goat cheese salad
roasted beet and goat cheese salad
Highway Diner - chicken andouille gumbo
chicken andouille gumbo
Highway Diner - fried fish sandwich
fried local flounder sandwich

Most standard lunch items cost around $10-$12, whereas mains typically cost $20+. Apparently this is pretty reasonable pricing for the Hamptons, so perhaps that alone should convince you to try this place. And it is very pretty and pleasant inside. But I personally think Highway Diner & Bar is a pit stop I would skip.

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Highway Diner & Bar
290 Montauk Highway
East Hampton, NY 11937
631-324-0130