Westhampton: First bites at Buoy One
Stuffed panko-crusted oysters at Buoy One, Westhampton Credit: Newsday, 2011/ Joan Reminick
One glorious spring afternoon not long ago, I stopped in for a bite at the new Buoy One in Westhampton. The offshoot is a bit better looking than the Riverhead original, a fish house within a fish market.
Passing up a table in the casual but well-appointed dining room (lots of wood, the look of a gastro-pub), I opted for a table on the outdoor patio. The view was of passing traffic on Route 27, but the air was fragrant, the sunlight warm.
And the two appetizers I ordered from executive chef David Girard’s repertoire did what every appetizer should: create a yearning for more. A signature Girard dish — panko-crusted tuna yellowfin tidbits on fried wonton chips crowned with pickled seaweed and drizzled with wasabi mayo ($10.50) — was fresh, sprightly. Then, there were stuffed oysters — first shucked, then panko-crusted and pan-seared before being set atop their shells filled with chopped shrimp, oysters and tasso ham in a cream-enriched “Bienville” sauce. Much opulence for $10.95.
Buoy One is at 62 Montauk Hwy., Westhampton, 631-998-3808 (and in Riverhead at 1175 W. Main St., 631-208-9737).
Above: Stuffed panko-crusted oysters at Buoy One, Westhampton
