eat this

by Ben Leventhal

Clockwise from top right: Branzino tartare with avocado, sea salt and olive oil; chilled pea soup with herbed goats cheese; seafood calamarata with shrimp, mussels, and clams; and polenta with truffled mushroom fricassee.

Had this review been written in June, I would have called Tutto Il Giorno the new restaurant of the summer, hands down. When it opened in late May, it was out-of-the-gate a beachy, breezy little restaurant just a mooring line's distance from the Sag Harbor marina. The kitchen, helmed by Scott Conant, one of Manhattan's most promising chefs, was producing sophisticated yet understated Italian food, reminiscent of the chef's work at his three-star restaurant, L'Impero. Service was cheery, optimistic, and rightfully proud.

And then there was the buzz. The restaurant is owned by Steve Florio, the ex-CEO of Conde Nast, and his partners Maria and Larry Baum. Its size and media ties drew immediate comparisons to the Waverly Inn, Graydon Carter's esteemed scene in the West Village. The possibility that a big-time city chef would be cooking nearby had the East End eating set atwitter. (For the sake of accuracy, Conant is technically the consulting chef; Michael Pirolo has been hired as chef de cuisine.) I was excited; you were too, I'm guessing.

But here we are in August, and I'm sorry to say the restaurant is more of a mixed bag. It has certainly lost its new-restaurant glow. Service is uninspired and slow, and at times incompetent. Twice in as many recent visits my table was prepped for dessert one course too early. Despite a menu divided into appetizers, pastas, and entrees, this is not a place, apparently, accustomed to spaghetti as a mid course.

The spartan-style dining room at Tutto Il Giorno in Sag Harbor.

The food, though still excellent much of the time, has declined. It is now hit-or-miss. The branzino tartare--chopped avocado and sea bass crudo seasoned with sea salt and Sicilian olive oil--is an exquisite layering of fresh flavors when it hits. When it misses, as it has recently, it's overpowered by lime and salt and only an expert palate could identify the fish as branzino blind. A tagliatelle bolognese is the best of the pastas, but on off-nights you'll regret the calories of just a single bite of a bland mix of noodles and dried-out bits of braised pork and beef.

While follow-up meals never reproduced the magic of my very first visit to Tutto back in May, I still do like this restaurant a great deal and I will certainly keep it in my East End dining arsenal. Bounce from fritto misto to a simple spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, to the seasonally prepared scallops and a side of polenta with truffled mushroom fricassee, and you'll understand why Scott Conant is a great chef. He expertly (and minimally) uses salt, pepper, and herbs which allow his ueber-fresh ingredients to dominate as they should. I should also ask: where else are you going to find a softshell-crab sandwich as absolutely mind-blowing as this one? Answer: you're not.

In the end, I'm left to hope that this is Tutto Il Giorno experiencing the growing pains of instant popularity. Perhaps a few of the restaurant's early-adopting regulars (the people who hog the one great table in the restaurant, an alcove booth for six) will gently whip the staff back into shape. Maybe soon, booze will be served on the terrace. Let's hope Conant, before he leaves to reclaim Manhattan, will spend additional time training his kitchen staff. There is a great restaurant to be had here. It just needs a good top edit, if you will, Mr. Florio.

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