Fresh blood and yet another incarnation of an old favorite are infusing Greenport’s vibrant dining scene just in time for the summer season.
At its corner on Main Street, d’Latte has expanded to make way for a new menu in the old space. Now called Bière, the restaurant features about 200 different kinds of bottled beer and eight beers on tap, including selections from neighbor Greenport Harbor Brewing Company.
On the menu are beer-friendly foods like mussels and steak frites. Or one can sit at the bar and eat chef’s choice tapas. For $25 and $35 Frank Purita will cook more than enough food from whatever’s in his head at the moment.
The bakery occupies the space next door that used to be Joe Townsend’s insurance company. The back room, which used to be Townsend’s office, has the feeling of a grad-student lounge; community groups have taken to using it for meetings.
Down the street at Vines & Branches, Rita Winkler has opened an olive oil store. All the oil is sold in bulk, poured from stainless steel urns into supplied bottles. But first, customers can taste the oils, which come from all over the world.
Winkler’s affection for olive oil is a result of her years in the wine-importing business, when she traveled the world visiting different wine regions. In many, olive oil and wine go hand in hand. Then in 2003 she got breast cancer and was surprised to learn about the oil’s healing properties. She intends to add more vinegars, especially balsamic.
Vines & Branches also serves prepared food and sandwiches. Winkler plans to be open seven days a week year-round, with a possible break in January.
The old VINe wine bar and café space has now become First & South, with a new team in the front and the back of the house. Sarah Phillips, who was last general manager at Jedediah Hawkins, and Taylor Knapp, who was the sous-chef there, have opened a modern American restaurant that will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Expect a breakfast and lunch menu with items like aebleskivers, a Danish pancake that reflects Knapp’s time cooking at Noma, the famous restaurant in Copenhagen. From 4 to 6 p.m. will be happy hour with snacks and fries. Dinner runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Local wine and beer will be served alongside old favorites, and all will be priced so locals can eat there twice a week instead of twice a month, says Phillips.
“We want to provide consistency and quality for everyone out here,” she adds. “Including us.”
Bière Bar and Restaurant, 218 Main Street; 631.477.6738; dlatte.com
Vines & Branches, 477 Main Street; 631.477.6800; vinesandbranches.net
First & South, 100 South Street; 631.333.2200; firstandsouth.com
