Dan's Papers - May 23, 2008

The hardest test for a Hamptons restaurant to pass must surely be the test of time. To succeed in such a seasonal arena requires patience and ability, yes, but the most important thing appears to be a willingness to evolve along with culinary trends without losing your signature style. Husband and wife team Christian Mir and Elaine DiGiacomo, co-owners of the stately Stone Creek Inn for over a decade, are masters of such evolution.

A recent renovation brings a crisp feel to the elegant taupe and white dining room, which is greatly enhanced by unseen baffles that make conversation a breeze. A large glass cube in the foyer, a whimsically modern touch, houses an impressive wine collection in climate-controlled comfort.

The wine list is extensive and carefully composed, with many "hidden gems" recommended throughout. Among the whites consider the 2001 Trimbach Riesling "Cuvee Frederic Emile," a personal favorite affectionately known as "Cuvee Freddie," for $74. If your menu calls for a medium-bodied red, the classic 2004 Santenay La Comme Dessus, from Domaine Jean-Marc Morey, is well-priced at $75.

Service is seamless under the watchful eye of manager Ariel Lacayo, who has a reputation for being "the best maitre d' in the Hamptons." Ariel spent nearly ten years with restaurateur Pino Luongo and chef Mark Straussman at Sapore di Mare in Wainscott and Coco Pazzo in Manhattan. Here at Stone Creek he brings grace and diplomacy, two invaluable skills on a restaurant floor, to bear on these elegantly casual surroundings.

On a recent, rainy Friday evening David and I had the pleasure of dining with Chris Miller, senior wine writer for this section. Whenever we get together with Chris we all bring wines to taste blind, and so we asked Christian, a native of Toulouse in the south of France, to pair our courses with the wines we had brought, something he accomplished with astonishing skill.

We all love older wines, especially those from Burgundy, and we began with a 1996 Domaine Chavy Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru Folatieres that was dark golden with age. Christian sent out a goat cheese stuffed ravioli in a black truffle and mushroom sauce. The richness of the tiny pasta was a perfect match for the aging white wine, as was a first course of poached lobster floating in an ethereal truffle broth with small bits of root vegetables.

Next came an oven-roasted local monkfish in a pinot noir butter sauce worthy of gracing a table at that Manhattan seafood mecca, Le Bernardin, whose renowned chef/partner, Eric Ripert, also hails from southern France. The wine, a slightly rustic though rare 1983 Maison Leroy Santenay we had found at Morrell in East Hampton, was the surprise star of the evening. Though the fruit had retreated a bit as is often the case with older Burgundies, the wine was delightfully nuanced and proved to be such an impeccable companion to the monkfish that it prompted Chris to exclaim, after a bite and a sip, "this is perfection."

Our next course, pan-seared American Waygu beef sliced rare with onion crisps in a Choron sauce which, Elaine explained, "is a classic French sauce similar to béarnaise but with tomato and shallots," accompanied a 1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou, a second growth Bordeaux from a legendary 20th century vintage. The wine was shockingly youthful even though it had been decanted nearly an hour before. We were amazed at how, after twenty-six years, it is clearly set to age for another decade with ease. Still, it was beautifully balanced with smooth, silky tannins. A truly spectacular effort from this Chateau.

Swirling the last of the great Bordeaux we sampled three artisanal cheeses, a Roquefort, an aged raw-milk goat's cheese from the Basque region, and a camembert from Normandy that was meltingly ripe.

Dessert was succulent roasted apricots escorted by warm financiers and Greek yogurt sorbet. We each raised a glass of 2006 Tiefenbrunner Sauvignon Blanc Kirchleiten from Alto Adige, which had a surprising but refreshing lychee nose recalling classic Gewurtztraminer. It was a splendid finale to an unforgettable evening.

- Susan Whitney Simm

Stone Creek Inn is open six days a week (closed Tuesdays) for dinner at 5:30. A prix fixe menu is available all evening Sunday through Thursday.