Long Island Eats Meet Manhattan Chic at Out East

Seafood is an awfully easy sell during spring and summer; especially to city-enslaved New Yorkers, desperate for a weekend respite in the Hamptons.  So although it was originally slated for January, the delay could well prove a boon to Out East — located, not in posh Montauk — but on hardscrabble Avenue A in the Village.

A partnership between chef Tim Meyers (formerly of Charlie Bird), and alums of Beauty & Essex and Stanton Social, the bi-level eatery is bound to attract scenesters, drawn to its chic beach club vibes and on-trend pink banquettes.  Still, the ocean-fresh food remains a distinct draw; such as Beer Battered Baby Octopus, Block Island Sound Porgy, and a lineup of meticulously plated crudos, including Nantucket Bay Scallop and meyer lemon, Black Bass Carpaccio with strawberry and rose, and Long Island Fluke and plum.

As with that other proudly pescatarian newcomer, Gloria, Out East lavishes equal attention on veggies, featured not just as sides (Baked Jersey Asparagus, Creamed Wild Mushrooms, Legume Salad with peanuts, favas and peas), but as entrée-worthy dishes — think Charred Leeks stuffed with sausage, Roasted Candystripe Beets spiked with chevre, and Glazed Spaghetti Squash, tossed with olio novello and shrimp.  Yet they’re not adverse to veering towards actual meat; which means carnivores are sated with Seared Culotte Steak smeared with ramp romesco, or Pan Roasted Chicken atop crimson lentils and medjool dates.

And since the East Village has become a magnet for the city’s top mixologists, the cocktail program (from Estela and Café Altro Paradiso’s Sarah Boisjoli) is on point; try the spicy “Sideroad Sumac” with blood orange and tequila, the “Whiskerstay” made with pomegranate and Campari, or the “Second Mate” featuring plantation pineapple rum and Montauk summer ale.

So who really needs the Hamptons, when you can find the best of the East Coast right here in the Village?

Out East
509 E 6th St.
(212) 509-5096
www.outeastnyc.com