With two new hot spots added to his ever-expanding portfolio, N’Amo in Montauk and East Hampton’s Village Bistro, Italian hospitality visionary Piero Zangarini is primed to own summer out east
Piero Zangarini and Dane Sayles
It’s 8 PM on Friday night in Montauk and Piero Zangarini is working the room at N’Amo, the latest eatery in his culinary empire. The stylish, handsome restaurateur says hello to Simon Huck and his husband, Phil Riportella. Nearby he gives a big, warm hug to fashion force Jenné Lombardo and husband, Harvey Newton-Haydon. “Everyone knows Piero,” Huck declares. “And everyone loves him.”
Zangarini is swiftly becoming the Keith McNally of the Hamptons. He’s doing so under the umbrella of NSN Hospitality (The “NSN” stands for “never say no”) with his business partner, culinary guru Dane Sayles. His other restaurants include Sí Sí, a Mediterranean eatery overlooking Three Mile Harbor and the marina in East Hampton. Steps away from Sí Sí, he has Sunset Harbor, a cozy, chic sushi spot popular for private parties hosted by fashionable names like Missoni and Zimmermann. Also on the harbor is his Buongiorno bakery, where you can collect a fresh Nutella croissant or tasty grab-n-go lunch before you jump on a boat. In Southampton, Zangarini has Enchanté Bistro, which took over the famous Red Bar space on Hampton Road last spring.
The dining room at N’Amo in Montauk
N’Amo takes its name from the Italian slang word for the hook that draws the freshest catch and is in the heart of Montauk’s famed fishing port (before hipsters discovered the town, it was a sleepy enclave populated by fisherman). The long main room overlooks fishing vessels and big-boy yachts and is open and airy with a natural wood-beamed ceiling and blue-and-white awning stripe cushions. A large painting reads “Bite me!” on one wall and “Get hooked” on another. Rows of windows face the sea and beyond. Given the choice locale, the menu skews toward seafood, inspired by modern Italian coastal cuisine with what Zangarini describes as “the spirit of the far east.” At the raw bar, a bounty of oysters, whole fishes, and clams are displayed like trophies on ice.
After ripping apart the piping-hot sesame Parker buns with mascarpone and oregano butter, we dive into the scallops crudo, which arrive with melon aguachile, serrano bay leaf oil, and a little jolt of flowering cilantro. For antipasti, the cacio e pepe cannellini beans are perfect with baby kale, parmigiano, and Sarawak black pepper. “Montauk distinguishes itself from places like East Hampton through its strong connection to the sea and its fishing village heritage,” Zangarini explains as I devour the N’Amo chopped salad, a take on the famed Arthur Avenue salad with giardiniera vegetables, soppressata, and huge herb croutons. “The coastal charm and maritime culture provide a more relaxed seaside experience.”
Dishes at N’Amo
The pastas are all handmade and worth carb-loading. I normally don’t love crab, but the Dungeness crab ravioli sprinkled with English peas in saffron butter and crab oil changes my mind. The squid ink radiatori (a pasta shaped kind of like a radiator) was a close second with marinated mussels, clams, and calamari in uni butter with anchovy breadcrumbs. Kind of stuffed, we continue to dine, ordering the catch of the day: a whole branzino, grilled to perfection and served with four delicious sauces: salsa verde, brown-butter garlic emulsion, puttanesca sauce, and a lemon-y herbed Sicilian salmoriglio. For carnivores, there is a dry-aged bone-in ribeye and a simple but delicious chicken al limone with caper lemon gremolata, crispy shallots, and broccoli rabe (which has become the veggie of the summer).
Desserts at N’Amo include a tiramisu baked Alaska
By 9 PM, the room starts to fill up fast with Montauk’s PYTs. The fashion influencer/musician and DJ Bryan Griffin pops over to my table. Griffin is DJing at N’Amo all summer. The large outdoor deck has a DJ booth manned by turntable maestros like Curtis Haywood and Adam Lipson and becomes a full-on day club every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 PM. Think Mykonos meets Montauk. Already 50 Cent, Rachel Zoe, Charlotte Groeneveld, Cynthia Rowley, and Aurora James have all been seen chez N’Amo.
“The large outdoor deck has a DJ booth manned by turntable maestros like Curtis Haywood and Adam Lipson and becomes a full-on day club every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 PM. Think Mykonos meets Montauk.”
As “Murder on the Dancefloor” pumps through the room, a stylish throng of twentysomethings by the bar startsbusting a few moves. We opt for dessert over dancing. The tiramisu baked Alaska is a must. It serves two and the meringue gets torched tableside by your server. We also spoon-up bowls of blood orange sorbet and olive oil gelato. Over a double espresso (needed for the haul back home on Sunset Highway), I learn that Zangarini is opening Main Street Market in Southampton with a café, wine and coffee bar, and high-end grocery store. Citarella better watch its (high-priced) back!
Village Bistro in East Hampton
The next day I swing by Zangarini’s other new spot: Village Bistro, which took over Rowdy Hall near the movie theater in East Hampton. A year-round go-to French brasserie, the space has been spruced-up from its former Rowdy Pub days with Tiffany-blue banquettes and a long copper top bar. We order a slew of bistro classics: the French onion soup with a perfectly soggy baguette smothered in melted Gruyère cheese; the steak tartare with a mixed salad and both the croque madame with Comté cheese, bechamel sauce, bistro ham, and a fried egg; and the herb-roasted chicken with bacon lardon, mushrooms, cloud-like whipped potato, and chicken jus. For dessert, the pot de crème includes almond crumble and macerated berries and the crème brûlée has the perfectly burnt sugar crust that cracks like a thin sheet of glass when you slice your spoon to get to the vanilla custard. With N’Amo, Village Bistro, and soon Main Street Market, Zangarini is on a serious restaurant roll. Bon appetit! – PETER DAVIS
A tuna dish at Village Bistro
