Our 2-week long vacation, well mostly staycation, only afforded us one kid-free night, so I chose a place that had long been on my list - Tutto Il Giorno in Southampton. On a Thursday evening in late August it was hopping. Their reservation policy is only same-day reservations accepted, so I dialed right at 11AM and secured an 8PM table. When we arrived they were at least a dozen people waiting as we breezed in.
The restaurant is candlelit yet loud with tables close together and relatively hectic service. It does have a Rome meets the beach kind of vibe.
We went straight for drinks. And feeling Italian, I had a prosecco and JB had his perennial favorite, the Aperol spritz.
The menu is comprised of antipasti, pasta (primi) and meat (secondi). Many of the antipasti looked good but ordinary. Yes, the burrata and their tuna tartar were tempting, but I felt pressed to go for pasta. We opted for 2 primis and 1 secondi, all to share.
JB is a traditional pasta eater. He always wants to try the most simple dish. He's a fan of less is more. Their spaghetti with tomatoes nailed it. A few ingredients - homemade spaghetti, in season tomatoes, basil, delicious olive oil - made this a standout dish. Our second primi was a heavier dish, a wider noodle called Paccheri with a beef ragu. This dish was HOT, not spicy hot, but temperature hot. When it cooled down, the pasta remained al dente, howver the meat was overlooked and lacked seasoning.
We shared a grilled branzino as our main course. The dish came split into two plates, which always makes life easier for sharing. JB declared the fish perfectly cooked (although I did find a few fish bones). Ratatouille accompanied the fish, which after watching the movie so many times, was a pleasure to actually eat. I will say though that once our dishes were placed at our table we did not hear from our server for a very long time. This was definitely the dinner rush part of the evening. My glass of rose which I had ordered after we finished our pasta came just before dessert. JB's vodka martini came during the fish course, but still not soon enough.
Things calmed down for dessert with a well-executed molten chocolate cake and an espresso for JB. As previously mentioned, I had my rose.
Looking back, I enjoyed the meal - the scene, the food, the drinks and certainly the company. But the service was really quite bad, and for a meal that exceeded $200, it should have been better.
I should mention that one of the owners of the restaurant is Gabby Karan DeFelice, daughter of Donna Karan, and I've heard that this can be a celebrity hotspot even though we didn't see any. This is the restaurant's second location. The first is a few miles away in Sag Harbor. Come fall, a third location is set to open in Tribeca. I'm sure the food will be just as good but I hope the service improves.
Until our next Berger,
KLB
Tutto Il Giorno
56 Nugent Street
Southampton, NY 11968
631.377.3611
No website
....but some good info on Zagat.com
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