Georgica Restaurant and Lounge
Georgica is one "Hell" of a restaurant. Chefs Robert Hesse and Seth Levine, who competed on hyper-cook Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen" TV show, heat up dining out a la Hamptons. Last year, Hesse earned three stars for transforming the restaurant at the Inn at Quogue. His and Levine's current stage: the pond-side site vacated by Saracen and, before that, celebrity-fueled Sapore di Mare. Georgica has a summery feel, in white and blue plus the view. The pre-recession tab may cut into your seasonal-rental plans. Loud music induces MTV fatigue. All-smiles service can be erratic. But the food is very good, sometimes better, always fun.
THE BEST
There's a lot going on here, each plate a mini-performance. Seared diver scallops arrive atop country-corn pudding, capped with a sunny-side up quail egg, maple-glazed bacon alongside, apple cider reduction for company. Manchego cream and sage accent ultrarich white-truffle, four-cheese ravioli. Terrific tricolor gazpacho, a three-way palette for yellow, red and green heirloom tomatoes, with swirls of cilantro-shot creme fraiche, refreshes and entertains. Tempura-style shrimp get a Thai-peanut boost. Worth sharing: thin-crust pizzas, from the puritan Margherita, with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella and slices of heirloom red tomato; to the deliriously "truffl'd" pie, with sliced black truffle, truffled manchego cheese, white-truffle "mist" and wild mushrooms.
The full-flavored excess peaks with a thick, excellent strip steak crowned with a lump crabmeat and panko crust and Stilton-horseradish cream. The juicy veal chop, with Cognac-sage jus and crisp pancetta, seems almost demure by comparison; and the white-truffle tagliatelle tossed with wild mushrooms and roasted cherry tomatoes, merely immoderate. The headliner dessert: Hesse's "Kitchen Sink," a brownie-laden extravagance in ice cream inspired in equal parts by Jahn's and "Jurassic Park."
THE REST v Almost-there local bouillabaisse; satisfactory blue crab-and-corn chowder; a Napoleonic salmon Wellington; overdone lobster-three cheese macaroni; room-temperature cinnamon-sugar churros.
THE BOTTOM LINE
"Hell"-raiser. --Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti, 6/18/09.
