Hampton Style - July 13, 2007

It's not easy to find a restaurant in the Hamptons that's across-the-board appealing; whether you're a local or a visitor, eating with your parents or your kids, looking for a table a deux, or just a Pale Ale for one. There are romantic dining rooms (The American Hotel, Robert's in Water Mill); places with gouging prices (Sant Ambroeus, Nello's); and family dives (Paul's Italian Restaurant, Estia's Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor). But what's in the middle?

Meet the Meeting House, a New American, child-friendly restaurant established in March 2006, as the outdoor sign jokingly heralds. (Perhaps they realize they're going to be around for a long time.) Located in Amagansett Square, the adorable shopping center founded by Randy Lerner (who also owns the Cleveland Browns football team), where the lawn is often taken over by local skateboarders, it's a real comfort-food find that won't break your bank--or your heart.

The prevalence of Americana extends to all parts of the restaurant, but particularly the food and service. Chef Tim Bando is at his best when he doesn't overreach, and observes the limits of the genre. Macaroni and cheese is one of the more irresistible menu items. It's baked in a "be careful this is a very hot" crock, browned slightly on top, and laced with a bit of truffle oil, which, as someone at my table of eight noted, is never a bad thing. Offerings at Meeting House are especially kid-friendly--after all, adolescent skateboarders need to eat, too--and a children's mac and cheese comes sans truffle, and though not as rich, is just as good.

I liked the chicken Milanese very much. Piles of greens hid a pounded chicken breast dressed up with a light breading. It was moist with good flavor, and the taste was simple, straightforward, and clean. Nothing too heavy, which is good when the portions are so generous. When the chef went a step farther to a spaghetti Bolognese, he missed by a margin. It was an absolutely gargantuan portion of very mediocre pasta and a by-the-book blend of pork and beef. If the dish has something going for it, it's price-point. At $16, there is no way you're finding cheaper calories on this menu, or, perhaps, in all of Amagansett. The meatloaf was tasteless and oversized, but maybe it's just not my thing. I'll acknowledge that a restaurant of this type is better off having a mediocre meatloaf than no meatloaf at all.

But onto healthier territory: a pan-roasted salmon, with its subtle hints of fruit and a crispy exterior, was one of the best things around, especially when paired with a compelling potato salad that arrived with beets and apples. A skirt steak was accompanied by a divine panzanella tomato salad. Linguine with shrimp, roasted garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes was decidedly uninspired when it arrived at the table, but presented much better 24 hours later, having spent the night in my refrigerator settling into itself.

Desserts are just like the rest at Meeting House: oversized and maybe a little too safe. The only flavor I tasted in anything, in fact, from a creme brulee to chocolate cake, was sugar. If you must, close your eyes and point to something at random. Otherwise, head home and dig into a bag of homemade Oreos from Mary's Marvelous, located just across the street.

But in the end (and especially in aggregate), Meeting House turns out to be much better than it has to be, which is nothing to scoff at. The overall feel of the restaurant--with spacious dining rooms and high ceilings--speaks to our need for casual, comfortable, unchallenging eating experiences, especially when we're on vacation or just at the beach for the day.

Its fast ascent to Amagansett fixture status and spur-of-the-moment-accessible tables, make it the stuff of this column. Bring your friends, bring your wife, bring a kid. Just don't forget your appetite.

Ben Leventhal is the editor of Eater.com and editorial director of The Beach (beach.curbed.com), a Hamptons blog.