Topping Rose House

Who knew one of the best new restaurants in New York would open in the Hamptons?  Bridgehampton to be specific.  I didn’t see that coming.  The Hamptons are better known for their wide beaches, grand houses and lavish parties.  Not food.  At least, not til Topping Rose House came along.  Just taste the Ravioli with Housemade Ricotta and you’ll see what I mean.  It’s a game changer – a singular and mammoth-size ravioli cradling impossibly fresh Ricotta, scattered with slivers of Shitake Mushroom, tender green Asparagus and fresh herbs. It’s glossed in a Beurre Fondue that amplifies the richness of the dish without overdoing the dish. It’s a divine pasta that will compel you to make another reservation before you even leave the restaurant.

The menu is the work of Tom Colicchio himself, who has managed to tear himself away from filming Top Chef to open a top-notch establishment, a rarity these days.  Colicchio oversees an impressive empire of restaurants, but I think the restaurant at Topping Rose House is his best yet.  All of the pastas are made in-house and much of the greens and herbs you’ll find on the menu are grown on their farm just a stone’s throw away from the dining room.  If they’re not on the grow on the farm, they’re likely from another farm just down the road.   So now you don’t have to go to French Laundry in Napa or Blue Hill at Stone Barns to eat real deal farm-to-table.  Just head to Bridgehampton and order the Topping Rose Farm Greens with Shallot Vinaigrette or Farm Radishes with Butter.    And by all means, don’t neglect the pastas, particularly a house-Smoked Pappardelle crowned with a Poached Farm Egg, or Sweet Pea Mezzaluna, accented with Fresh Mint, Pecorino Sardo and Guanciale.  But the real clincher on the menu is the Suckling Pig, an exemplary dish of crazy crispy skin that gave way to sweet, spoon tender meat, accompanied by broccoli rabe, onions and caramelized spring garlic.

The desserts are just as good as the savories, which isn’t often the case. Given I’m a sucker for peanut butter, especially when it also involves chocolate, but their Peanut Butter Chocolate Cremeux Tart is out of this world (and I rarely use that phrase).  It’s a rich chocolate tart laced with peanut butter, showered with candied peanuts, and ingeniously sided by a bruleed banana.  The combination is unspeakably good and so is the Peanut Brittle Crunch Ice Cream or any other homemade sorbet or ice cream at this beachside gem.