R.AIRE at The Hampton Maid — Restaurant in Town of Southampton

August, 2024 This is an update of our review of R.Aire. Last week, we had an extraordinary dinner at R.Aire, an experience which underscored the astonishingly great - Michelin star level - cuisine served by Chef/Owner Alex Bujoreanu. Our friends raved about the impeccable chicken/chorizo/pork Paella and the mushroom and Iberia pork Fideua, the best version of this Spanish iconic dish we have had in the U. S.

Our dinner began with the fragrant Shishito peppers, the Gamba al Ajillo and the sardines, each starter delicious and perfectly cooked. From the thoughtfully constructed and fairly priced wine list, we enjoyed an elegant Cava and a rich 2008 Gran Reserva Rioja from Bogordi.

It is noteworthy that the packed restaurant was filled by large parties devouring various Paella’s - served in the enormous Paella pans the classic dishes were cooked in. It was wonderful to see such joyous celebrations at this ground breaking restaurant - with these diners clearly enjoying the authentic cooking of Spain in Hampton Bays. August, 2024

This is a May update to our review of R. Aire at The Hampton Maid in Hampton Bays. We had dinner at R. Aire on a busy Saturday night during restaurant week. Despite the packed dining room, the performance of the kitchen was seamless, reinforcing the consistently impressive performance of this ambitious restaurant.

Our dinner began with two delicious appetizers - Shishito Peppers and Tortilla Espanola (the Tortilla was a special). The peppers were fragrant and delicately cooked; the Tortilla Espanola, the classic Basque potato and egg mini “omelette” was perfectly executed.

We shared the Paella de Marisco, a Paella we had not previously ordered. The Marisco Paella was a revelation, an exquisite seafood Paella with pristine shrimp, clams, mussels and calamari; its rice cooked in an aromatic seafood stock with an impeccable socarrat base - an outstanding Paella.

For dessert, we shared the Crema Catalana and the Tarte de Santiago (almond cake); easy was superb.

This dinner served to confirm our assessment of this “astonishing discovery” as described in our earlier review. R. Aire is an outstanding restaurant helmed by a passionate chef, bringing the iconic foods of Spain to Hampton Bays in an inviting and comfortable setting. Bravo to Chef Alex and his team.

Our previous review is below:

R. Aire is a rather astonishing discovery in Hampton Bays. In a desultory restaurant landscape, Chef Alex Bujoreanu’s R. Aire is an innovative and serious culinary destination, paying homage to the classic dishes of Spain.

We were shocked to see a real Paella served at R. Aire, an authentic and superb rendition of this iconic Spanish dish, cooked to order for a minimum of two persons. The Paella arrived in the steel Paella pan in which it was cooked with a perfect caramelized “socarrat” base. We ordered the “Rustic” Paella, featuring delicious duck, chicken and chorizo. The adjoining table ordered the “Marisco”, a seafood Paella which they said was outstanding.

Most local restaurants offering Paella serve a gloopy wet rice topped with various proteins, pre cooked industrial concoctions bearing no relationship whatsoever to the authentic Paella served at R. Aire. This is a Paella worthy of Valencia or Madrid.

The entire menu has been thoughtfully designed, featuring a range of traditional dishes. The Shisito Peppers were expertly prepared as was the flavorful shrimp dish, Gamba al Ajillo. The classic Tortilla Espanola, a “tapas” standard, was perfectly executed. This is a chef who is clearly passionate about the foods of Spain and who is committed to serving uncompromising food with first rate ingredients, an integrity difficult to attain in a difficult economic environment.

We note that the service provided by the maitre ‘ d (Grigore) and our server (Patty) was warm and gracious. A once tired space (a former breakfast room) has been smartly renovated; the dining room is elegant and comfortable - and there are views of Shinnecock Bay.

Kudos to Chef Bujoreanu...

SPRING 2025 This is a follow up to our 2024 review of R. Aire at the Hampton Maid in Hampton Bays.

The cooking at R. Aire has continued to evolve and reach new culinary heights. In addition to the consistently spectacular and authentic Paellas and Fideaus which are the chef’s signatures, our recent dinners have featured exquisite seafood dishes, including an ethereal Flounder Crudo with pistachios, chiles and caviar, light and crisp Calamari a la Romano served with a bright lemon aioli, delectable deboned Spanish sardines, perfectly cooked Octopus served with a squid ink romesco sauce, pristine local sea scallops, an elegant “sous vide” salmon and a delicious Swordfish Milanese. These dishes serve to highlight the textural complexity and depth of Chef Bujoreanu’s cooking - a marriage of great ingredients and exceptionally skilled and creative hands.

In addition to the outstanding seafood dishes on the menu and the marvelous tapas, the meat and poultry dishes have been uniformly impressive, including a dry aged ribeye, grilled breast of duck, deeply flavorful Iberico pork and a Wagyu Filet Mignon.

We note that the chef has created an impressive and continually evolving wine list with a wide range of selections at varying price points, carefully chosen to harmonize with the menu.

R.Aire is a welcoming and distinguished restaurant - producing Michelin star level food at fair prices - with warm and gracious service. R.Aire is a very special place, a culinary beacon driven by a passionate and gifted chef.

SUMMER 2024 Although we have previously taken note of R. Aire’s outstanding signature paellas, the “non rice” sections of the menu offer a range of equally delicious dishes - all made with the finest (and often local) ingredients and reflecting the chef’s masterful synthesis of both classical and modern influences.

For example, Chef Bujoreanu offers an amazing Fideua - a short grain pasta dish cooked in the method of paella (in a paella pan) in a richly flavored sofrito. R. Aire’s Fideua is a textural wonder, served two ways - as a seafood and squid ink classic or a rustic wild mushroom and duck version. Fideua is rarely offered in the U.S. - these renditions are authentic and superb.

R. Aire’s appetizers and small plate “pinchos”offer an array of delectable choices, from flavorful morsels of grilled lamb (Morunos), aromatic grilled Shishito peppers, succulent octopus, airy meatballs and a lovely heirloom beet salad. One could construct a deeply satisfying dinner from these perfectly composed small plates.

In addition to the Fideua and traditional paellas for which R. Aire is known - the paellas have a perfect “socarrat” base and are cooked to order and served in individual paella pans - the non rice dishes are equally impressive. Memorable main courses include pristine local sea scallops, breast of duck, Iberico pork and a filet mignon of Wagyu beef. This is cooking at a very high level.

The service at R. Aire is warm and inviting. The restaurant’s gracious manager, Grigore, provides an attentive hands on presence in the dining room; he is clearly focused on delivering the service and hospitality which has been the restaurant’s credo since it opened.

It should be noted the restaurant’s wine list has continued to evolve, offering a range of wines from Spain and the U.S. and other wine regions from excellent producers - and at fair prices.

In a world of formulaic restaurants and homogeneous food, R. Aire stands out for its warmth, value and brilliant cooking. Bravo to Chef Bujoreanu and his team for creating a special venue in...

We were visiting friends locally and we decided to stay at the Hampton Maid and have the New Year's Eve dinner at the R.Aire. It turned out to be an absolutely lovely evening and the dinner was excellent, in my opinion.

We arrived a bit late, but the host seated us immediately. The restaurant has an air of modern with just the right hint of home details to make it perfect for a family dinner. We started with some drinks: martini and an old fashioned. Both were tasty and had just the right combination of spices and alcohol. Being New Year's Eve, the restaurant had a 3 course menu with some options.

We were served with a glass of champagne and a smoked oyster on a half shell with a lemon foam. These were complimentary, on the house and designed to clean the palate and allow for a better tasting of the rest of the course.

I chose to start with the scallops crudo which were served in a carved rock style dish and featured a mignonette sauce and fresh radishes. The scallops were smooth and sweet and the sauce was slightly hot and salty just enough to complement the shellfish.

Second, I have selected the crispy duck breast with polenta. The duck was offered medium cooked, just as I like it, and was complemented by the crispy skin left on one side. The meat was tender and moist, the sauce complementing it with just a tad of sharpness. The crispy skin was just crunchy enough and had the added salt to balance the entire meal. The polenta was baked and a bit on the hard side, but I guess I am so used eating the southern style, creamy polenta, that I am a bit biased towards my wife's cooking style.

I finished the meal with the Chocolate Hazelnut Cake which really shined in my opinion. It was not very sweet and the hazelnuts enhanced the taste and offered a pleasant addition to the rich and velvety body of the cake. We enjoyed a bottle of Petit Pissarres from 2020 which turned out to be an exciting find.

My wife had the pomegranate baby kale and goat cheese salad, the Wagyu charred filet mignon and the same cake, while my daughter had the mini lamb filet with greens, the Wagyu charred filet and the cake.

I have never seen my daughter finish a 3 course meal EVER! She loved both the lamb and the Wagyu filet and had half of my cake as well. She even cleaned up the string beens accompanying the Wagyu filet! My wife, who usually goes for more fatty cuts of meat, raved about her steak as well.

I asked the chef about the way he managed to char the filet so well while maintaining its moisture inside and he allowed me in his little secret: the meat was cooked over hight temperature coals in an authentic Japanese hand made grill. I must have one of those for myself!

The service was extremely quick and attentive to our needs, the drinks were refilled promptly and we were checked on frequently to make sure we had everything we desired.

Overall, I had a wonderful evening at the R.Aire and were truly impressed with the quality of the food and service. We will definitely return when...