Daniele at 21 Water
Fantasies drive Daniele. Sip a Bellini. Dine alfresco. Enjoy a water view. Rate suntans. Carissima, where did you park the Maserati? Dressed for the part, Daniele tries to turn West Water Street into Via dell'Aqua. What it does is fuel Sag Harbor's makeover to Saghampton. The entertaining spot succeeds Rocco de la Playa, and definitely transforms the address. It also provides a show of sorts, courtesy of the Saturday night bar crowd.
You can observe the festivities from a dining area of molded plastic chairs and yellow-and-white Miscela d'Oro umbrellas. The blue canopy is big enough to allow you distance, and a bench or metal bentwood-style seat near the flapping, Italian-flag windsock.
Extracurriculars aside, the kitchen of chef Massimo Esposito sends out some very good Italian food. He's a veteran of the Bice group. Daniele cultivates both a buzz and an easygoing, summertime style. Your perch actually is across the street from the water. But when the sun is setting, the roadside line of SUVs seems somewhere else.
Besides, the Bellini tastes fine. So does panzanella, the bread salad here juiced up with plump, sauteed sea scallops and basil-infused oil. Or try the combo of arugula, baby artichokes and Parmesan cheese.
Arugula salad caps a respectable carpaccio, with tender beef. Equally satisfying: a plate of blond fried scallops, shrimp, squid and zucchini. Pennette, which look like the oversize offspring of penne and rigatoni, arrive tossed with sauteed shrimp and zucchini, in a sauce hinting of pesto and saffron. Linguine with clams and roasted garlic in white wine sauce, improves on the last 10 you've had.
And an adroit, seasonal version of fettuccine Bolognese proves the dish can be light. The al dente risotto of shrimp and scallops does the same thing. Red snapper Livornese announces itself with Gaeta olives, capers, tomatoes and snowy, moist fish. The grilled salmon, with roasted garlic and vegetables, while well done, does seem pretty puritan.
On weekends, there's sushi. Consider it crudo east. The basic rainbow roll, topped with assorted uncooked fish, stands out, as do any with beefy red tuna. Desserts won't tempt the imperially thin. Cioccolatissimo sounds better than it is: a routine mousse. Daniele e la Nonna will remind you of a Bindi import. Better are the baked apple pie and the espresso-driven tiramisu.
But you may be content with a cool glass of limoncello, the lemon liqueur of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. Dream on.
Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti for Dining Out 06/26/05
