Celebrated NYC restaurant Il Buco pops up at Montauk's Marram

While the summer traffic to the East End can move slower than molasses, even midweek, those who emerge blinking into the gilded sunlight of Montauk have reached the end of the rainbow, as far as food and drink are concerned this season. In the age of coronavirus, the eastbound exodus of New York City chefs, owners and beverage directors has been epic, especially while many city restaurants remain closed.

Among them is award-winning chef Justin Smillie, who left New York City's Upland this spring to rejoin owner Donna Lennard of the celebrated NoHo restaurants Il Buco and Il Buco Alimentari e Vinetari. Earlier this summer, the pair decamped to the luxury oceanfront resort Mostrador Marram for the season to take over the kitchen.

For a place where rooms run $700 and up per night, Marram is remarkably laid-back; finding it requires walking or biking a few blocks east of downtown Montauk (parking is tough at Marram). The outdoor café is set up on a sunken patio in the heart of the complex. The handwritten menu of sandwiches, small plates and grab-and-go salads, which change daily, is deceptive — almost everything we had during lunch this week, from carnitas tacos to a charred beet salad with goat cheese to a lobster roll on sturdy focaccia fino, startled with flavor.

They also seemed prepared by someone who might be really vibing on summer in Montauk.

"Justin is outside smoking and grilling meat, fish, and fruits and vegetables all the time," said Lennard, who added that the Il Buco team had "extensively" adapted their usual menu, "but with a lot of our New York City favorites."

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the kitchen dishes out cast-iron pizza, and in the evening, parties of four or more can reserve in advance a private, multicourse dinner; so far, slow-smoked short ribs with salsa roja and lime or grilled Japanese cauliflower have been in the rotation. At an all-day, outdoor bar in the middle of Marram's courtyard, Il Buco beverage director David Giuliano has put together a rota of summer cocktails, such as a basil paloma and Il Buco's Contratto spritz — slightly more bitter and savory than the usual Aperol-based version. (The fresh-squeezed juices used here also mean a steady stream of interested bees, one of which the bartender was shooing away during lunch).

Breakfast is served daily from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch from noon until 3 and dinner from 3 p.m. onward; Lennard said an end date is still to be determined. "We're having a lot of fun out here," she said.

Il Buco at Mostrador Marram, 21 Oceanview Terrace, Montauk. 631-668-2050. marramontauk.com