Bagatelle at Gosman’s Dock — Restaurant in Town of East Hampton

We've been coming to Gosman's with our children and then grandchildren for 35 years and were curious to experience the changes under the Bagatelle banner. Aesthetically, the view is still there, with the tables now having table cloths and candles and artfully decorated. The vibe is Cote d'Azur, French seaside chic. The servers seemed well trained in the Bagatelle aesthetic, including the French accents.

The menu offers a variety including some solid seafood choices. The prices are high. There's no other way to express this. The average entree price is $55 notwithstanding the catch of the day which was $135 and two steak options which were offered at a price per ounce. Sides are all additional charges. Appetizers started at $23.

The food was extraordinary in quality and presentation. Among the best French we've eaten anywhere. Portion size was what's expected with this type of haute cuisine. The wine list is well thought out with a good selection of varieties and vintages. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of offerings below $100 per bottle.

The major negative is the DJ. While we prefer no music during dinner as it's our chance to connect, light background music is fine. We requested a seat not close to a speaker and while the hostess did her best, there wasn't a seat very far from a speaker, and if the club music had not been cranked up by 7:30 PM this would not have been a problem. The early dining crowd skews older and I don't think most of us find club music during dinner desirable. Fortunately, someone must have said something as the sound was reduced 2/3 of the way through the evening. Again from what I've read, this is part of the Bagatelle vibe. Whether that works here in Montauk will remain to be seen.

All in, with tip, our dinner came to slightly under $400 for two people. It was very nice evening only sullied by the DJ. I think if the club vibe is pushed back to later in the evening and your budget allows for extravagance, then Bagatelle presents a unique, high end dining experience on...

Something sad and bad happened this year. The tide went out on Gosman’s, which since 1951 had been a lobster and seafood institution of a restaurant on Montauk Harbor. It had casual, informal charm, excellent seafood, and reasonable prices. In its space now stands an unbelievably pretentious, pricier (tres cher), would be finer dining frenchified establishment titled Bagatelle. Bag it! We arrived under the mistaken impression that nothing had changed: the signs still read "Gosman's Restaurant." Once in the door, however, it immediately became clear that something had. Between us and the cavernous, nearly empty dining room stood three hostesses, blinking blankly at a screen. One of them, Mary Catherine, asked for my name and number, which she required several repetitions to record. (Not the Michelin standard.) When we requested a table for two, we were told that everything was reserved. (Why did she need my name?) We eventually received an outside table and an apology from the manager. Opening the menu revealed that we were no longer in Gosman's at all. Not only had the atmosphere become infinitely more pretentious, but the restaurant was now Bagatelle, the dishes listed in French with English subtitles. "Les viandes" predominated. When we asked, we were told that Gosman's had closed and that this was "more refined French cuisine"; if we just wanted lobster we should go next door to Gosman's Inlet Cafe. We did, sat by the beautiful water, and got the splendid food, familiar local seafood and atmosphere we were seeking. We are New Yorkers and eat at fine French restaurants -- far finer than this pretentious place. Maybe Montauk is changing, but its charm has always rested on its informal freshness, both on the beach and in its seafood restaurants. Bagatelle is a worrisome step in the wrong direction. Rather than pay $115 (!) for a lobster there, you can get a whole and nicer meal at the adjacent Inlet Cafe for less. That's the real...

Such a strange place. Maybe still getting things worked out since it's so new. First prob- we arrived on time for 7:00 res. on a Thursday. Hostess greets us and another woman dashes up to her telling her to not seat anybody. Huh? The place is 1/3 full. An argument ensues between them being carried out literally 3 feet from us. "Even if they have reservation?" "Yes, even with reservation." There was literally no attempt to NOT have this discussion in front of us. Despite this, we were seated promptly at a nice table. Decor is breezy, beachy and airy in a lovely setting, so 5 stars there. Very good cocktails and mocktails, too. Moving on to dinner service, the food was excellent start to finish. No complaints at all. Yes, expensive but I knew that. Then after an hour or so a DJ proceeds to set up nearby. Initially plays relatively easy music but by 8:30 the volume has been cranked up (urged on by a manager?) and the music shifted to blasting club music for the final half hour we were there, but no one occupying the small dance floor. (A couple waitresses appeared to dance briefly, to give people the idea?) The place seems to aspire to nightclub status but not many tables occupied by the time we left about 9:30. So overall kind of schitzy. Is it fine dining? Is it a club? Clientele did not look like club goers (families with kids and grandparents, couples) and I only saw a couple tables of younger people seated in the 8:30-9 range. So we feel confused and maybe they are too. Excellent food. Excellent servers. Rude event at hostess stand. DJ was odd and not reading the room. I wish them well due to the excellent food. Mixed feelings overall, so going with 4 stars due to food and service, knocked down from 5 due to hostess event and club music...