Sagaponack — Restaurant in New York

What a surprise! When it comes to trying a place for the first time, you can't help but feeling the excitement of discovering something new and exciting mixed with the reality that it might end up being a disappointing experience. When I ended up downtown this week to meet with some friends I've been making plans to see over and over again for the past year without success (do we work for a living or are we living to work?) I had new idea where the evening would bring us. My roundish belly is the proof that I am willing to sacrifice my appearance to go out eating as often as possible and let you guys know where to get the best bang for your buck, I could have been a hand model but decided that someone had to make a stand for the greater good of my New Yorkers. Needless to say that I had little expectation for a culinary experience when finally meeting some friends at the last minute (as I was thinking this would be once again cancelled and rescheduled) without even knowing where to go for drinks and a bite to eat. Against my better judgement I left the "local" friend suggest a place to go as we were near Washington Square Park and I am a lot more familiar with midtown locations. I stood corrected! My friend decided to bring us for drinks at a place hega referred to as an easy going local bar restaurant with a cool vibe (I have to admit I was kind of worried as I couldn't even understand the place's name when he said it and I had to Google the name twice just to be sure it was a thing!). Here comes Sagaponack!!!! As it was still early that evening, we got the pleasant surprise of making it for happy hours (I do not mind at all the younger crowd and being a little squeezed if it means getting a few more drinks and extra food for my budget): DOLLARS OYSTERS!!!!!!! Life is good when you end up seeing friends you thought you'll never manage to see again and unexpectedly discover a great new place to have a Long Island beer and a dozen oysters for $20 (now you know why this is the greatest city in the world ). After a few beers and making a dent on the local oyster's population while staring at the impressive single malts selection at the bar, my friends and I decided to stay for a more serious bite to eat as the happy hour crowd was winning down. Lady luck was on our side as the lovely hostess managed to find us a table on what seemed to be a busy evening for the restaurant side (the bar area is at the entrance and the restaurant's tables and dining to the back). We ended up being upstairs, on a kind of mezzanine with a great view on the bar action below in a setting that wouldn't require us to yell in order to have a long due catching up conversation. You do not leave a winning team so as I started with oysters I decided to stick with seafoods (best decision ever!!!). Seafood lovers who do not want to save up a month salary and wait another month to get a reservation at the Bernardin, welcome to paradise! Yes, I still has a little place for some more oysters and the cooked ones (two different preparations) we're out of this world. Best grilled octopus I've ever had (seriously phenomenal, I wish we could have it as a main course size but didn't want to scare my friends by ordering two just for myself). As my friends were having a parade of many different seafood tacos at the table, I decided to go with the crabs legs as main course (which were by the way really fairly priced compare to some prices I experienced in the city). To cap it all, I can't wait to get back there as there are so many dishes (especially seafood but with some attractive piece of meat too) I want to try. Cool and easygoing place, tons of drinks and cocktails to choose from including local brews and wines, friendly and unpretentious staff but most of all awesome food. Go there you won't be disappointed and I will likely be somewhere in there getting my octopus...

My friend took me to this restaurant while i was visiting NY for the first time. The moment we stepped foot in the restaurant we were warmly welcomed by the kind staff. The hospitality of the staff played a huge role in making our experience extra special. From the professional hostess, to the attentive server which refilled our water constantly and the bartender, all of them made sure to explain every dish and every drink we ordered in small detail. Even the manager, Kyung engaged with us in a pleasant conversation. The restaurant had a cozy, warm atmosphere. It was my first time having seafood and I loved every second of it. Our bartender was Alex and we started with the Buena Siesta and Harana cocktails, which were really tasty, not too sweet, not too sour, and perfectly strong, but not overpowering. Our server was Ami and she really took her time explaining all the dishes. We started off with the Dressed trio oysters. Besides the beautiful and detailed plating, the taste was phenomenal. My favorite one was the cucumber one. Then we had the roasted oysters and the Gochujang butter one has a special place in my heart. The Salmon crudo was fresh and perfectly sweet. The shrimp was so good and the bread was the best I had in the States. The star of the show was the Mussels plate. The sauce and the way they were cooked were absolute perfection. The salmon was also really good, but the rice was amazingly cooked and the sauces were really tasty and savory. We also had the brussel sprouts which were sweet, but a bit bitter. The desserts we had were some small cookies with bourbon and orange and the Thai milk cake. I'm usually not a fan of desserts, because I don't like sweet things too much, but the cake was absolute perfection. I was already full by dessert, but I ate all of the cake. It was sooo good, I fell in love with it. Overall, It was an amazing experience, the food was awesome and shoutout to the amazing staff members! I will definetly be...

I discovered this absolute gem of a restaurant in the midst of the pandemic. It is now my favorite restaurant and it helps that it's only a block away from my apartment. At this point, I pretty much only sit at the bar as I consider it to be an extension of my own living room. The staff are incredibly warm, friendly, down to earth, and attentive. Morgan at the bar always takes such good care of me and makes unbelievably good cocktails that have just the right amount of complexity without being too much and taste just as good as they look. Kyung, the owner, always comes by to chat and to make sure we are fully taken care of, with a smile. They have been extra accommodating to me on a late weeknight, which is so appreciated. Friends, family, and probably anyone else listening has heard me rave about this place. The chill vibes, decor, and bar area set the stage for a relaxing experience and a true escape from the hustle and bustle of the NYC streets (that we love, but need a break from sometimes). The music and sound is loud enough but not so loud that you can't have a good conversation. The food is gorgeous to look at (especially the fluke appetizer!) and so delicious. I have my staples but I have not eaten anything mediocre on this menu. The brussels sprouts are like crack; the kind of dish you will try and fail to replicate at home because they are so freaking good at Sagaponack. I love that you can have a light meal or dive in to something heavier depending on your mood. The best part about this place is the lack of pretentiousness coupled with impeccably high quality food and drinks. It doesn't get better than that, especially with so many NYC restaurants that are overhyped and overly pricey and not worth it, in my opinion. Make Sagaponack your new staple restaurant. It's always consistent and I'm always guaranteed to have a...