Sag Harbor Tavern

The famous Red Hook Tavern cheeseburger, but in the Hamptons.

The Red Hook Tavern burger is simple: it consists of a steakburger, American cheese, and white onion on a seeded roll. No fussy sauces or imaginative toppings. What is not so simple is getting to Red Hook Tavern to eat that burger. Located a long subway ride or ferry away from many places in New York, including my home in the West Village, Red Hook is quaint and absolutely worth the trip. In addition to being home of one of what many consider to be the best burgers in New York City, it boasts cute stores and coffee shops along its main drag, and some other great food options like the Red Hook Lobster Pound and Steve’s Key Lime Pie.

More frequently than I’m in Red Hook, I’m in the Hamptons. When I heard that Sag Harbor Tavern was opening out east, I knew I’d be visiting this vacation outpost of Chef Billy Durney’s beloved restaurant—and over Labor Day Weekend, I did.

Labor Day Weekend is no joke in the Hamptons. Another restaurant we visited on the final Saturday evening of August told us they were anticipating that that night’s number of covers, 600+, would break their existing record. So it was no surprise that there was already a line of walk-ins forming when Sag Harbor Tavern opened for lunch at noon. I was grateful to have made a reservation.

Seated on the patio, across from the harbor, we started with the deviled eggs topped with Kaluga caviar. There’s a phenomenon you may have noticed if you’ve paid close attention to these reviews: sometimes, a restaurant will top some food or another with caviar. The mere presence of the caviar is enough to convince me that this will be an excellent dish. Sometimes, it is wonderful (see the spaghetti I wax poetic about in my first-ever review, of The Duchess in Amsterdam, or the mini hot dogs from one of my more recent reviews, of The Bar Room at the Modern). At other times, I’m an easy victim of an easy moneygrab. Unfortunately, this was one of those latter instances. The deviled eggs were bland and unremarkable, and topping each half with an eighth of a tablespoon of Kaluga didn’t mask that. Not repeatable.

But the meal was more than redeemed by way of the romaine wedge salad and, of course, the burger. Pieces of romaine were drizzled with a runny ranch dressing; covered in a generous amount of bleu cheese, sourdough breadcrumbs, and dill; and draped with a massive piece of thick cut steakhouse bacon. The dill and crisp lettuce served as a perfect counterbalance to the savory flavors and unctuous textures of the blue cheese and bacon, making this one of my favorite wedge salads I’ve tried. (The only better one I can think of is the Peter Luger’s version, which in my opinion is the reason to go there—not for the steak.) If you like a classic iceberg wedge, you can’t go wrong with this excellent romaine version. (And if you’re not in the mood for a burger and you’re not sharing it, it’s substantial enough to be lunch on its own.)

Sag Harbor Tavern’s pièce de résistance, cooked medium rare as recommended by the chef, is one of the thickest, juiciest burgers out there, and its simple accoutrements of American cheese and rings of raw white onion enhance rather than distract from the dry-aged beef patty. This top tier cheeseburger is served on a toasted seeded roll that can stand up to the juiciness of the patty in a way that would be impossible with a potato or brioche bun, much as I love those. On the side is a half-sour pickle — which is, in this reviewer’s controversial opinion, the superior form of pickle — and the accompanying frites are flat, crinkle-cut slices of fried potato, the lovechild of cottage fries and Ruffle’s potato chips. These excellent sides are interesting and atypical enough to be memorable, but traditional enough to align with Durney’s no-nonsense approach to American fare.

This was the only restaurant meal that we thought would be worth repeating over the course of a weekend of food in the Sag Harbor area. If a hearty and delicious meal is what you seek, look no further than Billy Durney’s excellent tavern fare.

TL;DR: WHAT WE ATE

Loved: burger, wedge salad

Liked: —

Should have skipped: caviar deviled eggs

Sag Harbor Tavern

26 Bay Street

Sag Harbor, NY 11963