This weekend we write to you from East Hampton. Only three hours from the great metropolis of New York City, it is one of the greatest beach vacation destinations in the world, ranking as one of top ten beaches. With few hotels, minus for the sporadic bed and breakfast here and there, it is mostly inhabited by year-round locals, and summer beach house owners/renters. Most recently we decided to join the latter, and so we plan on a summer filled with our favorite bivalve and other various local crustacean while we enjoy the beaches, sunsets, and wines of our new summer residence.

With memorial day marking the official start of the summer, this will be our first, of many,  entries sharing our experiences with you. We plan to visit some new spots, favorite oldies, and doing a whole lot of shucking right here in our back yard, just a few steps away from the bays of East Hampton Springs.

This weekend was filled with a little bit of each, and we even managed to sneak in a visit to an oyster farm in Montauk, a half hour drive east of East Hampton.

Friday, we enjoyed a relaxing three hour bus ride on the Hamptons Jitney Ambassador. With complimentary wine, and a scenic drive, it was a great way to kick off the weekend. Upon arrival, we dropped off our bags, and headed straight to Citarella’s for some fresh local seafood. After few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, and cheese (our favorite way of enjoying the sunset), we threw our purchases on the grill, and dinner was ready.

Saturday morning began with a run on the beach, a few hours relaxing ocean side, and then it was back to Citarella’s for a couple dozen oysters. Opting for variety, we picked up a half dozen Capes (blue points), half dozen Welfleets, 6 Prince Edward Islands, and 6 Kumamotos. Back at the house we shucked, drank local blue point summer ales, and took in that fresh ocean air. That evening, after another round of Wine and Cheese to accompany the sunset, we headed to the new spot Beachhouse to check out their raw bar. A new place, by the same owners as Boathouse, it was a bit of a scene, with the shrimp outdoing the oysters on our shellfish tower. Nonetheless, everything was fresh and we loved their grilled baby octopus. A restaurant worth revisiting for dinner.

Sunday was oyster fun day. After a few hours taking in the sun, we hopped in our car and headed out to Montauk. Our friend Mike, a fellow New York City Oyster Lover, had invited us to his farm to see first hand how his babies are being harvested. It was one of those special days, being right there in the water, seeing our bivalves grow, enjoying a cold Presidente, and eating oysters right out of the water. It really doesn’t get better than that. A breed of the East Coast Virginica, the oysters were incredibly fresh, with potential to be absolutely amazing come oyster season in the fall. Mike was even generous enough to give us a few dozen to take home, which we shucked and fully enjoyed with some white wine back in the house that evening.

On our drive back on route 27, we couldn’t help but stop off at Lunch (also known as Lobster Roll), for some steamers, fried oysters, and lobster rolls. Having been around for over fifty years, these guys really know what they’re doing when it comes to shellfish. Although we weren’t terribly impressed with the clam chowder, their lobster rolls are just right, with the perfect ratio of chunky lobster meat to mayo. However, with only a fried version on the menu, we couldn’t be happier that thanks to Mike, there was a bucket of fresh oysters on ice awaiting us in the back seat of our car. Cheers to a great summer ahead.