Dan's Papers - July 3, 2009 - Review: Georgica Restaurant & Lounge

New to Wainscott, replacing Saracen, is Georgica Restaurant & Lounge on Georgica Pond. This season, the dining room is headed up by not one but two executive chefs: Robert Hesse and Seth Levine, who both competed on Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen." Hesse was last seen out here at Q, a highly regarded restaurant at the Inn at Quogue. Levine is an accomplished chef from the city. Together, they offer some fine cuisine.

The décor has maintained the white/cream look, adding dark blue leather bankettes and feeling very country elegant - a la Ralph Lauren.

There are many seating rooms in the restaurant, allowing diners to choose their ambiance. We were seated by the lounge, where music was more front and center than background. On the early side, we dined to good jazz, giving the place its lounge-y feel. But by 8 p.m., it had changed to disco. To us, it felt like a cool Soho eatery - like I Tre Merli - where the place is a combo of food and scene.

For those who don't like the high-charged lounge feel, there are other rooms where the music was barely audible. For a quieter, more romantic dinner, I'd suggest one of the two porches - one of which is right on the pond.

The food at Georgica can be summed up as this: The parts are as great as the whole. There is a tremendous amount of detail to every element, so a good strategy is to taste each separately, then all together.

Hesse's food reminds me of a story about a third grade art teacher whose students produced amazing work. Asked how she manages that, the teacher answered, "I know when to take the paper away."

The same is true of Hesse's creations. He builds flavor upon flavor, texture upon texture, and somehow stops short of overloading the palate. His food isn't OVER the top - but at times right at the top.

This is not a place for penny pinchers. "Starters" range from $16 to $22 for a Seared Diver Scallops appetizer ($22) - Hesse's signature dish, which he presented on "Hell's Kitchen." It's breakfast, lunch and dinner on one plate: a stacked meal starting from the bottom up with perfectly textured country corn pudding, richly flavored maple glazed bacon, a perfectly seared huge scallop, topped with a sunny side up quail egg and surrounded by an apple cider reduction. It will blow your mind.

Soups/salads range from $11 for Gazpacho Sunrise to $18 for an Asian Duck Salad. We tried the Watermelon Heirloom Tomato salad ($15), which is a basic Caprese salad taken to a new level with an elegant country twist. It's a stack of thick, firm tomato and juicy watermelon, with feta (instead of mozzarella) and micro-basil on top. Very well balanced - a surprisingly good combination.

Gerogica also offers as appetizers brick oven pizzas, with fresh mozzarella, black truffle and forest mushroom and lobster.

Entrées are creative. There are a few (Grilled Chicken Pailliard and Grilled Pork Tenderloin) that are under $30. Most are between $34 and $39, and two, at $48, are for those who are recession-proof. We tried one of the latter - Dijon Panko Crusted Colorado Rack of Lamb, with roasted garlic and white truffle honey. The lamb had the perfect crunchy char on the outside, warmly rare and juicy on the inside. The truffle honey, made by hand by Hesse, was a stroke of genius.

Because Hesse was there the night we went, we leaned toward his dishes. But there were two that came from elsewhere, a winner being Executive Chef Levine's signature dish, White Truffle Lobster Mac and Cheese, a Side, at $16. It is three cheeses infused with truffles, including gouda, aged cheddar and truffle manchego, with big chunks of lobster that's fresh poached every day. How could you possibly go wrong?

Another very interesting dish, a special that night, was actually created by a sous chef. Hesse encourages young chefs to experiment and present dishes, which he and Levine hone. This one was a tempura crab creation that includes benoise bacon bits, sautéed sugar snap peas, fried capers and hollandaise sauce. Instead of the typical lemon wedge for tang, the dish came with candied lemon zest. Again, flavor upon flavor, stopping at the top.

For dessert, we had Chocolate Decadence, a warm lava cake with a chambord drizzle. It was good, but not as stunning as the other offerings on the menu. The food at Georgica is well thought out, presented by master chefs who are passionate about their work.

The restaurant plans to offer a chef menu - this is essentially what happened the night we went, and I highly recommend it. Our meal went from the light fresh watermelon/tomato salad, to the rich robust lobster mac and cheese, then the complex diver scallops, stronger tempura crab, and finally the lamb. It was a perfect sequence of events. They also will offer wine pairing with each dish. Speaking of wine, Georgica has an impressive winelist with offerings from California, Italy, France, Australia and beyond.

Georgica Restaurant & Lounge, 108 Wainscott Stone Road at Montauk Highway, Wainscott, NY. 631-537-5603. Dinner daily, from 6 p.m., brunch Saturday and Sunday.