Fauna opens in Westhampton Beach

When I heard that the owners of Westhampton Beach’s Flora restaurant were opening a steakhouse in the same town, I quipped, “I certainly hope they’re going to call it Fauna.”

Wish granted. And not only is Fauna, which opened at the end of May, a worthy partner to Flora (a Newsday top 100 restaurant) but it’s a successor to the venue it replaced,  Starr Boggs. (Boggs, who died in March, opened his first eponymous Westhampton Beach spot in 1985; this location opened in 2004.)

Fauna is the latest venture for David and Rachel Hersh, whose Rooted Hospitality Group owns Flora, Rumba and Cowfish in Hampton Bays, Rhum in Patchogue and Avo Taco in New Hyde Park.  

Rachel Hersh said that the couple had actually considered buying Starr Boggs a few years ago but felt that the large restaurant was “a lot to chew on,” and so, in 2020, they opened the 30-seat Flora two blocks away. “But once we got Flora up and running, we felt we had something great going with Westhampton Beach and Starr’s location was still available.” 

David Hersh is corporate chef of all the Rooted properties but, to run Fauna, Rooted imported a couple from Vermont, chef Aaron Mitchell-Patrick and his wife, Kathleen Matos, who is the general manager. 

Mitchell-Patrick’s menu features four prime steaks — filet mignon, New York Strip, bone-in rib-eye and chateaubriand (tenderloin roast) — as well as other common steak-adjacencies: raw bar, wedge salad, several spud sides. 

But most of the dishes are contemporary, imaginative and season-driven, from appetizers of red-pepper gnudi (gnocchi) with foraged mushrooms, kale and black truffle cream; and sea scallops with polenta croutons, creamed corn and Dijon-truffle honey, to mains like seared Long Island duck breast with grilled frisée and turnips and radishes on a honey-carrot purée; and basil-seared halibut with baby vegetables, English peas, lobster and Newburg sauce. Desserts are made by Starr Boggs’ longtime pastry chef, Francisco Barrios (Paco) Zapon, and currently include a tender panna cotta with berries and chia shortbread. Menus will change seasonally; prices for starters range from $12 to $22; for mains, from $40 to $60.

Starr Boggs’ dining room and bar were among the most gracious on the East End. Since the Hershes were anxious to open for the season, they did little to the existing décor beyond painting and general sprucing up, but they intend to bring in new chairs and decorative elements over the next few months. With the imminent opening of the outdoor patio, seating should reach its full capacity of 175. Live jazz and weekend brunch are also in the offing.

Fauna is at 6 Parlato Dr., Westhampton Beach, opening hours are 4 to 10 p.m. daily, 631-288-3500, faunawhb.com.