Tate's Bake Shop

I've had a long love affair with Tate's. Our long distance relationship began in 90's and has only grown in strength since. Before my parent's set up shop in East Hampton, NY in 2002 my Mom used to take me for a week trip to the Hamptons in the summer. We would stay at the Ocean Dunes in Amagansett and would spend the week indulging in local food and bumming at the beach.

On the drive out, we would always stop at one of the many local farm stands to load up on fresh produce. At each register, they offered local favorites from surrounding businesses...one of which was Tate's. It was nearly impossible to pass up the fresh cookies in a cute little plastic bag. Upon first taste, I knew that these cookies were something special.

How to describe these gems...they are thin, crispy at the edges, slightly soft in the middle with chocolate chips that melt in your mouth. There is definitely plenty of butter in these puppies, you can taste the smoothness on your tongue. I find that they go best with coffee and can make a great breakfast (for those of that do not have rules against chocolate for breakfast).

Of course, it was a bummer on all levels to find out that I was gluten-free and was going to have to say goodbye to a lot of old favorites...but how was I going to survive the Hamptons without my Tate's? This summer is my first summer gluten-free and therefore my first gluten-free trip to the Hamptons. About a week before I left Chicago for one of my annual trips, I received a phone call from my Mom. No joke...Tate's, this year, has started to offer Gluten-free cookies! Unbelievable. I was in shock. What's more, they are even making gluten-free brownies as well. Please note that they are only selling these in their Southampton flagship store (not at the farm stands...yet).

One bite into a Tate's gluten-free cookie and I was in heaven. These cookies did not taste gluten-free. They tasted like the tried and true cookies I have loved all these years.

Thank you Tate's. You allowed me to keep my tradition and in turn I will continue to eat your products year in and year out.

Table 52

Upscale casual dress. This is how the hostess described the dress code at Table 52. A southern comfort restaurant that offers the tastes and smells of the south mixed with a sleekness you've come to expect from a downtown establishment. The exterior of the restaurant is very nondescript. It actually looks like a house from the outside. I say sleek because there is not any of the extra fanfare created by some of the overexposed restaurants you find closer to Michigan avenue.

We arrived a little early for our reservation (called a week ahead and could only get 9pm)...and were greeted by a smiley hostess with a southern accent. A charm that we found throughout the entire meal. They gladly sat us early and outside (per our request). Next up our enthusiastic waiter asked what we'd like to drink and without pause I ordered the Rose' flight and the boyfriend ordered one of his favorite wines Conundrum. This was a special meal as the boyfriend had just been promoted. I was quite pleased with my choice when I saw the mini little pink glasses arrived. Too cute for words. I loved the first 2 I tried however for some reason the third was absolutely undrinkable. I shared my distaste with the waiter in the nicest way possible and without even a bat of an eye he was like "no problem, i don't like that one myself either." Awesome! I mean not only did he accommodate my request, he also didn't make me feel bad about it.

OK, on to the food. For starters biscuits were brought to the table which the boyfriend devoured and went on to say that they were the best biscuits he's ever had. With his look of complete satisfaction I believed it. Then we were served an amuse bouche (a small gift from the chef) of deviled eggs. This is a classic food item that I didn't grow up eating but that I have grown to appreciate. I mean what's not to love about hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise and paprika. To give the waiter even more credit, I had at first forgotten to take a picture of the eggs...so I asked for another set, again I was given a quick yes which was soon followed with a huge grin by me.

For an appetizer, we ordered the risotto to share. This was a potato risotto served with an over easy egg yolk on top. Yes more egg...as this was a southern meal, it was expected that our cholesterol would be at a high level at the conclusion of the meal. When the risotto arrived I was surprised to see that there was no rice in the risotto. Being an Italian girl, I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it. I figured it was going to be a mix of arborio rice and potato...yes an odd combo but you never know. I later found out from the waiter that risotto is a method of cooking and not only made with rice. I thought the overall flavor of the dish was good...but i was left yearning for the rice. I found that the potato did not sop up the juices as well as the traditional dish.

For my main course I had the pork chop with a side of roast sweet potatoes. The boyfriend ordered the short ribs with sides of mac & cheese and cornbread (drizzled with honey and sprinkled with bacon). My potatoes were great...but I must say I felt saddened by my gluten restriction as the boyfriend dove into the melty goodness of the mac & cheese. He loved it so much we went back a week later!

For dessert, I ordered a set of ice creams, one of which was made with goat cheese. I was once again pleased with the presentation (served in little cups) however the ice cream had melted by the time it was served. I have to applaud their efforts though as the ice cream by itself wasn't listed on the menu.

Overall it was an amazing dinner on the front patio of Table 52...a beautifully warm summer evening, great company and wonderful comfort food.