North Fork Table & Inn — Restaurant in Town of Southold

The owner here was inspired by a place he used to work at between NYC and Upstate NY. I would rather go there than here, even though it is hours away and costs 3-4 times more. The standards of service are not met here or even attempted. They brought me in for a shift. For the bartender to have never connected that a martini is commonly known and taught to be stronger than highballs was a bit weird. It is designed to be twice the standard pour, formally. On the bar side, it was the stickiest bar I had ever worked at, even though the closing tasks ask for bottles to be wiped each night. Hand soap was only put at the sink the day I was there. So many bottles were not front facing that it just looked thoughtless. They said after that the bussers polish the glassware, but a glass ruined by soap scum sits there with the rest and is not used because it is severely stained. So probably not being polished, and every bar I have been by can do handwashing and polishing themselves, especially if it was skipped or poorly done. To be as not busy as they are, there really is no excuse. They are giving half the amount of chicken for the same price, was the motivating speech from the chef. The bartender designs the drinks but scoffs at formal training, which would really tie in a couple of things about how to understand what ice does to a drink or how to maintain cleanliness. Also some context to different drinks, how they taste and how they change over time according to trends like their fifties era martini. It is not as much vermouth as prior eras but experts from 1950 began recommending 3.7:1 instead of 2:1 before it decreased further. The closing checklist even notes the fruit fly risk, but the bar is blissfully unaware of how to find time to do the daily tasks but cannot be redirected because they shun anyone with formal training. Syrup bottles only refilled but never cleaned or wiped down, could easily be washed each night if anyone cared. I observed quietly throughout the shift, but there was added emphasis placed around the need to ice the shaker last: shaking with ice already waters it down and is the part that waters it down the most. The shake being much longer than standard waters it much more than chilling the shaker first does. They might design it to be extra-watered down by the shakes, but at least understand that and teach it so without the concern about if the ice put in first will ruin it. There is less Cointreau in the margarita because "the drink is already sweet without it". The citrus is to neutralize the flavours of a drink. It is sweet because you added two sugar-based syrups and the Cointreau would maybe combine the drink better to be left as standard, reducing one or both syrups if it is too sweet. Formal training could only improve upon learning how a bar works, how density and mechanics affect a drink, and how to integrate the risk of mistakes such as not holding a glass over the ice bin because someone else may have to waste his/her time to help you clean it if a bottle breaks or spills. When those courtesies are overlooked, it becomes less professional. It would not be hard to start introducing the menu to people as they enter, especially with such a small menu of cocktail and wine offerings. A statement or few of each wine could be learned, but is not known by even the head bartender. Menus carelessly dropped in front of people before walking away, even sitting slanted as if it was not worth it to just have them match and orient towards the guest sitting there. I would expect better attention to service even from corporate restaurants. Texting on shift and sticky bar, not knowledgeable about drinks, but also threatened by formal training. They also refused to pay for my time, and refused to respond to the one message in which I asked about it. A lot more passion for the craft exists but not from this location. For several years, I worked with the place they emulate, on a priority team of people they choose for large event assistance. I will refer everyone I know of to that...

After all the hype from reviewers and locals, I must say I was expecting more.

The good: Menu looks and sounds great. The food is creatively done, overall well-presented and professionally-executed. The service is good, although our servers could have been a bit more knowledgeable. The restaurant staff called me a day in advance to confirm reservation and called me the day of to invite us to come earlier, because it was starting to snow heavily outside and they were concerned about their patrons. The desserts were outstanding.

The bad: It is WAY overpriced. I have had much more amazing meals in the city for a lot less. And with two options (a $75 prix-fixe per person or $150 tasting menu per person), there isn't a whole lot you can do about that... The food is NOT that great - it was just OK. My meal was overall good. However, my girlfriend's appetizer was mediocre and the main dish with scallops and chorizo was extremely salty - I had a single bite, which left my tongue cringing for the next 36 hours and I have never had an experience like that at a restaurant (high end or not...). I did raise this as an issue with the server later and he offered us an extra complimentary dessert (to counteract the salty dish, as he put it) and gave us cookies to go for free, but I think this was a pretty lame way to compensate for a dish that was just not prepared right. We ended up eating four desserts, instead of actually enjoying a proper tasty dinner. The ambience is OK, but I really could have done without all the white (made me feel like I am at a hospital lobby) and the imitation fireplace. Would have been much nicer if they actually had a real fireplace at such a high end establishment... The server - as attentive as he was (remember that was part of the Good), made a couple of major blunders that left me even further disappointed - first, he brought my first glass of wine maybe 7-8 minutes a little too late. I went to wash my hands in the bathroom, so he missed me, but then completely forgot about me and I basically had my whole first dish without the wine. Second, he almost cried when I told him the scallops were salty. He kept repeating 'I'm sorry' as if he was 3 years old and those were the only words he knew in his vocabulary. And he was so visibly shaken that it prevented him from doing his job for the rest of the night. Luckily, there weren't too many tables to take care of at that point in the night, as we were the last reservation to come in. I get it that he was emotional (but it's not like I yelled at him, I just pointed out the obvious shortcomings of the dish he served), but the reaction and the follow up/cover up to a terrible meal was so poorly executed that I couldn't help but smile a little.

The only reason I am giving this a 2-star rating is because they really DID try and 40% of the dinner was good.. Did they deliver though...? I certainly don't think so. At such an establishment, I would expect the chef or someone else to come and address my concerns with the dish that they just served my girlfriend for $75 that, to me, was not worth more than $15 for the dessert, which was the only tasty and well-prepared course in her prix-fixe. I could have made a much bigger fuss out of this situation, but I chose not to...

I am definitely not coming back to this place, as it turned a special post-Valentine's occasion (which involved a lot of effort, planning, and actually driving through a snowstorm to get there), into a mediocre attempt at a...

My wife and I both stayed at and ate at the North Fork Table & Inn for our anniversary. Each experience was fantastic, but need to be reviewed separately. Starting with dinner, a reservation is definitely required for a Friday or Saturday night. The Inn has a varied wine list and small list of featured craft cocktails. The Stone Fruit Old Fashioned is delicious albeit a little sweet. It’s definitely a one and done drink. The I Came, I Saw, I Concord is a vodka base with fruity touches which was tasty. The French Apple Seventy-Five, however, is a champagne base with tea and fruit and was the table favorite by far. When it comes time for the meal, the staff is highly adept at recommending a complimentary wine. Tyler was full of great recommendations throughout the meal. We shared two appetizers, the broiled clams and the Shinnecock scallops. The scallops were tender and paired very well with the blackberry compote. The broiled clams were out of this world. One perfect bite. I would eat a thousand of these and happily order more. I cannot recommend these little treasures highly enough. The filet was definitely petite, but it was perfectly cooked with an outstanding flavor. The filet leaves plenty of room for more clams 😋. The lamb chops were tender and extremely flavorful and paired very well with the farro that accompanies it. Overall, the meal was exquisite. The prices are definitely not for the faint of heart, but you get what you pay for so it was worth it overall. We hear they offer chef’s tastings so we will definitely be back to try that. ||As far as the actual Inn and its accommodations, the stay was enhanced a million times over by Rosemary, the wonderful innkeeper. She greeted us immediately upon arrival and walked us through the many food and drink options we were welcome to during out stay. Additionally, she was full of knowledge of the menu offered at the Table and provided us with several recommendation for dinner the next night. The room was a combination of modern and colonial. They are not huge but certainly spacious enough to live comfortably for a day or two. When we went into the room we were also greeted with a surprise bottle of wine compliments of the house. The rooms are right above the restaurant and we were in the furthest room from the crowd, but the restaurant could barely be heard. The bed is extremely comfortable and you have plenty of temperature control options. The best part is walking down to grab dinner and heading right back up when you’re done. Not having to drive is a nice bonus. As with the restaurant, you can expect to spend a little more than you would at a chain hotel, but the overall experience makes it worth it on a special occasion. We can’t wait for...