This time of year is wining and dining season for us. Andy’s parents were in the city this Thanksgiving for 10 (gluttonous) days and were excited to try out some of our favorite spots around town. Among many others, we hit up Kuma Inn, Buddakan, Stage Deli, and Mia Dona. But even with all these great meals, we were most excited for our weekend in Long Island’s North Fork wine region. We had planned the perfect winter weekend getaway — a stay at The North Fork Table & Inn (and dinner there Saturday night), a dinner at The Frisky Oyster in Greenport, and of course visits and tastings at several of the North Fork’s 53 wineries and vineyards. Highlights from our fantastic NOFO weekend after the jump…

Andy and I think that the North Fork of Long Island is the perfect weekend getaway from NYC.  It has everything- the beach, the wineries, the marinas, the great local restaurants, and it still has the rustic, country feel (that the Hamptons is certainly missing)- so we were excited to share our favorite weekend away destination with Andy’s parents, Donna and Charles, my Mom, Barbara, and  Jacquie and Gary. 

Day 1, Friday:  We left the city early to avoid all the weekend traffic and were in the NOFO in a couple of quick hours.   First stop on our gourmet tour of the North Fork was Love Lane Kitchenin Mattituck.   Lunch was excellent.  I had the butternut squash soup and then Donna and I split a lobster roll and grilled vegggie and goat cheese panini.  Andy and Charles split a grilled swordfish sandwich and an amazing-looking french dip. We also shared an order of sweet potato fries and garlic and rosemary fries for the table and washed it all down with some Circus Boy drafts.  Delicious!

 Next it was time to explore the area a bit before checking in to The North Fork Table & Inn.  We drove around Southold, Greenport, and Orient and watched the sun set over the water.  Once it got dark, it was time to check into the Inn and pop open some wine. 

We had all four of The North Fork Table & Inn’s rooms reserved, and it was great to have the whole place to ourselves.  When we arrived, we walked right into the restaurant as the chef was going over the menu with all the staff and they were tasting all the evening’s specials.  It looked great, but we would have to wait for our NFT&I feast until Saturday night.  My Mom,  Jacquie, and Gary arrived and we all caught up in one of the rooms over a couple of glasses of wine (the only problem with the NFT&I is that there is no Inn common area- the living room is actually the restaurant!).  Then we were off to Greenport for dinner at the Frisky Oyster.

We arrived a 1/2 hour early to the restaurant, but we were able to snag a big lounge table in the front of the restaurant by the bar.  We ordered some local bottles of red and white (including a Shinn Estate “First Fruit” White 2007 that we all agreed exemplifies the great 2007 growing season in Long Island) and and were seated in no time.  Dinner was superb.  The oysters “friskafella” were amazing- by far my favorite starter.  Fresh oysters with spinach, parmesan, garlic, and chipotle… mmmmm…. The steamed P.E.I. mussels with chardonnay cream were also excellent.  For my entree, I was very pleased with the crescent duck breast with “hash” of baby fennel, shiitake, and duck leg confit, although I do have to admit that Andy won with his braised short ribs.  We got to meet sommelier, Eileen Duffy, who recommended a 2005 Paumanok Cabernet Franc (Donna’s favorite of the weekend), and we also decided to go with another bottle of the Shinn Estate White. After some great food, great local wine, we decided to hit up the local bar across the street.  We enjoyed a few games of pool, a couple rounds of darts, and some ice cold brews before we retired to the Inn.

Day 2, Saturday: Can it get any better than waking up on a sunny crisp winter day and coming downstairs to the dining room to be greeted by Claudia Fleming (formerly of Gramercy Tavern and the winner of the James Beard Pastry Chef of the Year) with a piping hot dish of gruyere, vegetable, and bacon frittata?  Nope, it cannot. 

 The freshly baked assorted scones and muffins, the homemade granola, the fresh fruit, and the local goat’s milk yogurt were all lovely additions to the morning spread.  We all feasted on breakfast, sipped on our freshly squeezed juices and coffee, purused the morning paper, and then we were off to start our day of wine tasting.

After another leisurely drive along the water and some house hunting adventures, we were ready for our first winery. 

Stop 1:  Bedell Cellers in Cutchogue, New York. 

Andy and I loved coming to Bedell in the warmer months to enjoy their beautiful deck and outdoor tasting bar while listening to live music and making new friends.  At this time of the year, it was certainly too chilly for the outdoor tasting bar, but we still enjoyed the modern tasting room that was renovated in 2001 and that looks more like a gallery than a winery.  We did leave with a couple of bottles of wine, but Bedell is certainly on the more pricey side of NOFO wine, so we decided to save our case purchases for later in the day.

Stop 2:  Croteaux Vineyards in Southold, New York. 

Croteaux was truly a delight!  I had never been to this winery before, and boy was I in for a treat.  The tasting room is tiny and overwhelmingly charming.  There was barely enough room for us all to sit around the bar and start tasting.  Croteaux makes only rosés and I LOVE nothing more than a great rosé on a summer day (or in this case a freezing winter day).  They make their rosés in the same style as those made in the South of France and all have a nice dry balance of fruit and acidity.  All three rosés that we tasted were made from 100% merlot and my favorite (that I took home a few bottles of) was the 2007 Croteaux Merlot 181 Rosé- very light and delicate.  I envisioned myself overlooking the beaches of Nice or Cannes with a glass of this in hand.  The 2007 Croteaux Merlot 314 Rosé and the 2007 Croteaux Merlot 3 Rosé were also lovely and Donna, Charles, Jacquie, Gary, and Barbara all took home cases or bottles of all three.   Paula Croteau, who owns Croteaux Vineyard with her husband, was so friendly and knowledgeable as she lead us through our tasting.  She also told us all about her cooking school and offered us some delicious homemade white chocolate almond bark along with our wines.  They also discount the cost of the tasting to the purchase of any wine, so we tasted for free and she was happy to pour seconds and thirds as we decided on our favorites.

 Stop 3: Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituch, New York.

Andy and I have stayed at the Shinn Estate Farmhouse, the four bedroom inn on the vineyard property.  Unfortunately, it was not available for our weekend away this time, but we would definitely recommend it.  We were able, though, to make it to the Shinn Estate Vineyard for a great wine tasting.  We sat in the tasting room in their renovated barn at a big table and began tasting away.  We really enjoy these wines and took home a mixed case of red and whites.  We coincidentally had a couple bottles of the 2007 ”First Fruit” Sauvignon Blanc Semillon the night before at the Frisky Oyster and we LOVE the “Wild Boar Doe” (I mean come on- how cute).  Andy was also big fan of the 2005 Nine Barrel Reserve Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon recently reviewed by the Wine Spectator.

Next Stop: Greenport.  We got a little hungry and decided to head to Greenport for a little shopping and some snacks.  We stopped in for some sandwiches and hot soup and chili at the local cafe, picked up some more bottles of wine for relaxing at the Inn, did a little bit of shopping and then it was already time to spend some lounging time together and to get ready for dinner.

Back at the Inn, we tried some local cheeses and stuffed olives with some wines while playing Taboo.  Janeczkos vs. Freedmans, Ladies vs. Men, and it got pretty competitive.  Jacquie opened up all of her birthday presents while we had some more great wine and then got ready for the dinner we had all been waiting for.

The two dinners I have had at the North Fork Table & Innreally are up there with some of the best meals I have had in my life.  I am amazed by what incredible and inventive things they are doing out there- and they focus on local, fresh, seasonal ingredients.  I started with the pasta- a housemade ricotta cavatelli & porcini mushrooms with parmigiano reggiano, wild arugula, crosnes, and sage. 

For my entree, I had the Meyers naturally-raised grass-fed N.Y. strip steak medium rare with local yukon gold potato puree, swiss chard, baby carrots, and red wine-horseradish jus.  Just typing it now makes my mouth water.  I am not normally a dessert fan (opting for an after dinner drink or cheese plate instead), but we went all out on the desserts at this festive feast, and I do have to say that the coffee-toffee ice cream sandwich with roasted bananas and salty peanuts was heavenly.  There was also a spicy pumpkin cheesecake that blew my mind.  The service could not have been better with all of our meals presented in unison by a well-trained staff.  Our waiter was from Morocco and guided us to an amazing Moroccan red wine that I would have never though of ordering on my own.  By the time the last bite of warm sugar & spice doughnut was snatched up, we were the last people in the restaurant.  Thank goodness we were at our home away from home, because I don’t think we could have all squeezed back in our coats after such an indulgent meal. Here are some pics from our phenomenal meal at the Inn.

 Day 3, Sunday:  After so much food and wine, how could I even think of breakfast?  The steaming hot biscuits topped with a scramble of egg, cheddar cheese, onion and herbs changed my mind.  We popped open a bottle of bubbly to make some mimosas and to toast our fabulous weekend away.  After we packed up and checked out there were still  a couple stops to make…

Stop 1: Vineyard 48 in Cutchogue, New York.  Gary had a friend whose brother made wine at Vineyard 48, so we decided to stop by as soon as it opened for our first tasting of the day. 

We enjoyed the sauvignon blanc and took home a bottle, but Charles and Gary were more interested in the collection of Chess sets and challenged each other to a game while Andy, Jacquie, and I tasted.

Stop 2: Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue, New York.  Peconic Bay was our last winery stop of the weekend and it was the perfect choice.  We wanted to hit up a couple more wineries, but Donna and Charles had a flight back Atlanta so we had to make it to LaGuardia in time.  We were shocked by the renovation of the tasting room, but were so pleasantly surprised to see that our favorite wine tasting guide was still there with his famous pretzels and dipping mustard to go along with the Riesling.  The tasting bar was renovated into a long, roomy bar with wine barrel bar stools.  It was still cozy and quaint.  Boy were we surprised to see Pascal who we had met and spent time with over a year ago when he worked at Shinn.  Pascal was a delight and got us caught up on all the changes at Peconic Bay.  Everybody LOVED these wines, especially the Riesling and the late harvest Polaris.  The 2001 Merlot Oregon Hills Reserve was also a real treat.  Peconic now offers three tasting options, a Reserve Tasting, or Flight 1 or 2.  We mixed it up a bit, so we could all try each others favorites off the different flights.  After our tastings and purchases, Barbara, Jacquie, and Gary parted ways to try to find some local produce and to head back to Westchester and Connecticut.  We were headed to find our Christmas Tree, then for a last stop at Love Lane Kitchen before ending up at LaGuardia.  After an amazing weekend of the best wine, food, and company we could hope for, it was very sad to say goodbye, but we know we will all be back.  We already started to plan our next weekend getaway in the spring and to all our NOFO friends, we say cheers and happy holidays!

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