Sag Harbor: The Not so Hidden Hampton

We stayed at the Sag Harbor Inn, a quaint yet very respected bed and breakfast type of place with a nice, secluded pool and rooms overlooking the harbor and boat docks. The hotel was merely a block off of Main Street, which meant you never had to go far for all the shopping, restaurants, and anything else you could get in town. If you want quiet dinners, you have it here with Paradise and the American Hotel; If you want the "Hamptons Scene" on weekends, you have it here with B. Smith's, Rocco's and Sylvia's.

Quick Tips:

The best part about Sag Harbor is averting all the Hamptons traffic on Route 27. The trip to the Hamptons usually takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours by car, the last hour of which you spend crawling along Rte. 27 with the long single file line of cars... Not with Sag; you bypass most of 27 by taking the Noyak Rd. shortcut and you save your sanity. That, and you can take a straight shot back on Main St. to Ocean Drive, which takes you right to Bridgehampton Beach, and you again don't have to sit on 27. Its the only way to do it without losing sanity.

Best Way To Get Around:

Sag Harbor is great just for walking around. However, if you want to go to the beach, you'll need a car, and you'll need to pay for parking on the weekends. Best bet is to go down Ocean Drive straight to Bridgehampton Beach and pay the to park. It's the only Hampton beach where you don't need a beach pass as well as paying for parking. However, if you are adventurous, you can also rent a bike and bike the route to the beaches. It's a great ride and lots of great scenery and beautiful beach houses to see along the way.

This hotel/bed and breakfast is not cheap, but then again, nothing in the Hamptons or Sag Harbor is. I do have to say that the rooms are very large, very comfortable, very clean and very convenient. The building itself is a block off of Main Street, which means you can walk just about anywhere Sag Harbor has to offer, and the front of the hotel overlooks the bay and boat docks. There''s a free continental breakfast served every morning, and the pool, which is only a few feet off the veranda all lower floor rooms (of a two floor building) have, is beautiful and well maintained. There is no restaurant or bar in the hotel, but as I said above, you''re only a block from all the action in town anyway. If you can afford the $285 a weekend night bill, you should really enjoy yourself. I agree its expensive compared to some much nicer resorts you can stay in anywhere in the world, but its one of the few games in town and the place was booked when I was there, so demand is obviously not a problem.

This Bed and Breakfast's restaurant is supposed to be one of the area's best. I have to let you know that this is COMPLETELY FALSE! First of all, we did not stay here, but were eating a so-so brunch on a Friday morning when a middle aged couple asked to be seated, and were told that "only hotel guests could be served." What a load of crap: we certainly were not asked for our room key. To make matters worse, we decided that perhaps the dinner menu would be different, and went into the lobby the next day to see if we wanted to eat dinner there. As my girlfriend looked at the menu, I simply walked politely around, looking at the interesting bar decor -- very abruptly, the host walked over to me (granted, I was wearing shorts and sandals with my short sleave polo shirt, but hell... its SUMMER AND SO IS EVERYONE ELSE) and the overly snooty man stopped me and asked if I needed any help, or if I would prefer waiting in the foyer, a mere 3 feet away. I know this is the Hamptons and attitude can rule any nook or cranny -- I've been coming here my whole life, and have seen bouncers at Jet East and the Tavern treat a pack of 10 underage dateless guys with more respect. Although we still managed a reservation after I gave a polite lecture to the host, who very quickly apologized when he recognized me from brunch the day before, we gave our reservation away since we were turned off by the attitude. The result? The friends we gave the reservation to said they had a terrible time, and an even worse meal. Everything was either bland, or cold, or both, and they said they faired just as bad with the "couldn't care less" attitude of the staff. You can get attitude anywhere in the Hamptons -- at least get good food when you do. Try "Sen", the Sushi place next door, or "Paradise" across the street... Both were leaps and bounds better than this disappointment.

This place is the best Deli I have ever been to. They make all of their bagels, flagels, and sub rolls fresh, and it shows as everything I've ever ordered there tastes tremendous. Not to mention they pile the meat so high on every sandwich, you get more than your money's worth. Add to it that they serve eggs and other breakfast items all day (unlike most delis in NYC which cut off eggs and breakfast sandwiches at 10:30am) and you can get your 2-eggs-and-cheese-on-a-roll all day long -- perfect for those days you wake up after a long beach party. No matter what beach I'm going to for the day, I make it a point to stop here and fill my cooler with their sandwiches. I guarantee you'll love this place.

Although this place does not take reservations, and the hostesses have that "I want to be a Model and get discovered here so I can't give all the tables away all the time" look to them, the food and sushi here is excellent. I'm particularly fond of the Sweet Potato Tempura Inside-out Roll... Very simple, yet delicious combination for sushi. Despite the appearance of the hostesses acting all "Hamptons Exclusive", they were actually very friendly, helpful and attentive, as was the rest of the wait staff. Let's face it, with Sushi being the food of choice for the New York Weekend crowd, and Sen being the only place to serve it in the area, there's bound to be some wait and some attitude on weekend nights. Despite that, overall the food, as well as the decor, were both well planned out and made for a great evening. Definitely a great place for couples.

Though you may have dined at a B. Smith's elsewhere in the country (I'm not sure how many restaurants the Food Network personally owns), this one is likely a bit different, as its menu is not the same as the B. Smith's in NYC. I'm sure there are some standards, such as the filet mignon and some appetizers, but this location in Sag Harbor, looking right out onto the docks and boats takes on a more obvious seafood feel.

First and foremost, the bar is definitely a Scene, as happy hour here is full of people dressed to the nines enjoying the sunset over the harbor with their drinks (lots of drinks). But once the bar scene quiets down (not that when its up and running it isn't a good scene) the restaurant takes on its own buzz, and quite frankly the food and service are amazing. The last time I was there, my waitress was perhaps one of the best - nicest person I've ever had the pleasure dining with. I got the feeling that many of their wait staff project the same attitude. The food was very, very good, as I started with a tomato and roasted summer corn bisque with grilled shrimp, and moved on to the filet mignon. I was also very happy since the wine list included one of my personal favorite wines, the Clos Du Val 1997 Cabernet. The rest of the wine list was also very well put together. My girlfriend was also very happy with her oysters and her lobster. Also, as a Martini afficianado, she praised the B. Smith's bartender as well. Definite "go to" place when in the Hamptons or Sag Harbor.