Last week I was in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This week it was Greenport, Long Island -- on the North Fork -- where I dined at Alpina, a wonderful new wine bar, sporting what may be the town’s most ambitious culinary thinking, executed by an equally ambitious and gifted young chef, George Musho. With stints at the four-star Del Posto and three-star Marea, Musho brings intelligent exuberance to the food of Ticino (an Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, where owners Christoph and Robin Mueller are from), which evokes the spirit of the menu.
Spending a few days on the North Fork with our friends, the Adlers, we thought it would be fun to take a 20-minute ride from Mattituck to Greenport. Searingly hot, we opted to sit outside anyway, even though the dark cool look of an alpine ski-chalet beckoned one inside. But our spacious table with comfortable chairs, under an ample umbrella shielding us from the waning sunlight flickering over the nearby Sound, we didn’t miss a minute of the street life of Greenport, which starts early and feels like the passiagiata one experiences in Italy. We made new friends and bumped into a few old ones – including Josh Tupper from Russ & Daughters, who with his wife and dog, were stealing a few days away, as were we. The lucky dog would later become the recipient of a leftover bone from an enormous and fabulously-cooked wiener schnitzel. Clearly this was the place to be.
Chef George Musho
What we appreciated so much about the schnitzel was, of course, its perfectly crisp and bubbly crust, but also its seductive flavor heightened by a sprightly parsley side-salad that was suggested as a “go-with.” It was a felicitous pairing, especially when a lemon wedge was squirted about. And this is precisely what we appreciated about so much of the food – the careful attention to exciting, yet balanced flavors, with acidic verve and yin-and-yang dulcet notes. Cheese toast raclette blanketed homemade cherry mostarda; a salad of melon, goat cheese and basil (thinned with a bit of whey from the cheese); the best steak tartare I’ve ever had (made from Piedmontese beef) with a welcome dosage of chardonnay vinegar and shards of parmesan cheese. The chef is best known for his delicate homemade pastas and we were enthralled with the ‘agnolotti, cacao e pepe’ (filled with veal and pork), ‘spicy gricia’ with guanciale, red onion and peperoncino, and were sorry not to have enough room in our bellies for ‘orecchiette with clams and emmental.’
It’s an interesting feat to combine casual with sophistication, but nonetheless, here it is, and despite being open only 3-1/2 weeks, the execution of the menu was flawless. Ditto the superb and attentive service by our waiter and highly knowledgeable somm who recommended a Chasselas from the wine list comprised almost exclusively of Italian and Swiss wines. Another feature of the restaurant are wine flights – and one can go just for that a nibble from a menu that features ‘toasts,” “small plates,” and cheese and charcuterie (many choices imported from Switzerland) for sharing. Or you can opt for a bubbly or fortified wine to have with dessert – bomboloni, an Alpine tort, or excellent gelato. The chef sent out “pine” gelato for us to try.
Needless to say, there is more to do in Greenport, a historic seaport, than eat. One can stroll the streets at dusk and peek into delightful clothing shops, enjoy a ride on the antique carousel, take a ferry to Shelter Island, or rent a house for next summer.
Other North Fork attractions: the private beach in Mattituck, Rose Hill Vineyards for lunch (former Shinn Estate), Paumanok Vineyards, pies from Hallock’s Cider Mill, Castello di Borghese Vineyards (for wine tastings and music).
