Tutto Il Giorno
Conde Nast CEO Steve Florio decided to give the very humble Sag Harbor its own chic Italian eatery of its own. Southampton has Sant Ambroeus (and now a new Tutto Il Giorno outpost opened by Donna Karan‘s daughter), East Hampton has Nick & Toni and Sag Harbor has Tutto Il Giorno. Its basically the place to be when in Sag Harbor. The all white wood interior gives a very Hamptons feel to this intimate (38 seats to be exact) Italian restaurant. Tutto Il Giorno is also a great place to people watch as the upscale clientele ranges from those living/renting in the Hamptons to those in the fashion industry (Betsey Johnson was having lunch in the bar area during my visit). The menu is a very “Hamptons Italian” menu featuring more refined, light, Italian dishes such as Kobe Beef Carpaccio and Spaghetti in a light Pesto sauce.
To start I had the Papardelle with Bay Scallops, Roasted Peppers in a spicy “Sette Fratelli” sauce. The papardelle was a homemade tri-colored pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with a good amount of fresh scallops. The peppers in the dish were a bit overpowering though the freshness of the ingredients did make up for that. As an entree I ordered the Branzino which was a fresh sea bass poached in a white wine and light tomato sauce. The fish was buttery and obviously very fresh and the white wine sauce made for a very light and simple dish. I would much rather have a very simple dish be excellent than a more complex dish where the flavors don’t work well with one another. Another thing I noticed about the food at Tutto Il Giorno was that the portions were very generous. I ordered a half portion of the Papardelle and quite frankly the full portion didn’t differ much from the half portion.
While I did enjoy my visit to Tutto Il Giorno, I did feel that there was something a bit off about each dish to give it that extra boost to make it my regular spot. The peppers in the Papardelle probably should have not been included and the branzino was simple though not anything you couldn’t make at home. This restaurant is a great place to go if you happen to be in Sag Harbor and want to eat decent food in a very elegant setting, but don’t go expecting anything out of the ordinary.
Ambiance: 7
Food: 6
Service: 6
Overall: 6
Verdict: Mirage
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