Michael's Maidstone Bar & Restaurant
28 Maidstone Park Road
East Hampton, NY 11937
631.324.0725
By Susan Galardi "Dans Paper 2008"
About a year ago, chef Luis R. DeLeora was driving around the Maidstone beach area of East Hampton, and got lost. He happened upon the 37-year-old Michael's Restaurant and went in. "I liked it," he said.
Chef Luis R. DeLeora at the new Michael's.
It seemed DeLeora was led there for a reason. "About a year later, I saw the place up for sale on the Internet. I called. I made one offer, and bought it."
The new Michael's, under DeLeora's leadership, has been open about six weeks. Its menu offers a wide selection of seafood, including Pan Roasted Salmon with Pancetta and Lentils, Risotto Del Mare, Dijon and Panko Crusted Tuna, plus some tried and true staples like linguine with garlic scampi or with clams. For landlubbers, there are classic dishes like roasted Long Island duck, grilled rack of lamb, meatloaf, chicken dishes and much more.
But if you don't find it on the menu, just ask. "What I do is what people like. Italian, French - as long as I have the ingredients, I'll make it," he said. "My approach is 'never say no,' or you'll close your doors."
True to his word, DeLeora has kept a few favorites of the 'old' Michael's on the menu. "Chicken Parmesan, fried flounder, BBQ ribs - people love it, so why change it? I took the meatloaf off the menu once. Do you know how long it stayed off? Three days. I put it back on."
The Sunday night when we visited Michael's, a cozy, rustic, very un-Hampton restaurant, DeLeora had been open "one month and 17 days."
We selected just two items from the varied appetizer list that included grilled Riverhead Keilbasa, steamed local mussels, fried calamari, and chicken wings - all priced between just $7 and $9 - very un-Hampton indeed. Only one appetizer, crab cake, hit the double digits. At $12, the burger-size crab cake, served with a sweet/spicy chili mayonnaise, was very delicious - well worth the price. Nicely spiced with whole grain Dijon mustard, and with a perfect crunch on the outside, it had to have been 99.9% crabmeat.
The Springs Salad is served on a long silver platter. I thought it was a double portion. Au contraire - this smorgasbord is meant for one. And it was great. No prissy, boring diet fare here. This salad is a fun, satisfying combination of diced smoked bacon, avocado, gorgonzola, hard cooked eggs - oh, and lettuce, beet greens, spinach and tomato. This and the crab cake would have made a perfect light dinner. In fact, DeLeora has plans for his Springs creation. "I though I'd make it a light entree for the summer. You could add grilled chicken, shrimp, whatever you like."
For main courses, we tried a special - a shellfish stew. The bowl overflowed with clams, mussels, shrimp, crab legs, lobster. It was a little saltier than I like my food to be - but just make sure to tell DeLeora how you like it. He aims to please.
And please he did with the tuna entrée. Medallions of top quality yellow fin coated in light, greaseless panko, served with a mustard cream sauce that had a very nice zing. With most entrées priced in the $18 and $20 range, Michael's is a great value - and that's just the beginning. Because DeLeora feels that there aren't many reasonable dining options out here for families, he's offering a Family Time Menu on Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. For $19.95 each, you have a great choice of appetizers and entrees served family style, plus dessert. Hit it on your way out of town and you'll be happy all along.
DeLeora is an unusual chef for the East End - he's one who listens to his customers. "At a lot of restaurants out here, it's about what the chef likes," he said. "My feeling is it should be about what YOU like."
