North Fork Foodie Tour, Alex Guarnaschelli's Cookbook & More from the East End 'Food Seen'

The 17th annual North Fork Foodie Tour is taking place on Sunday, September 10 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Created in 2006 by the North Fork Reform Synagogue to showcase “the finest of what the North Fork has to offer,” participants can chart their own course and explore the bounty of the region with behind-the-scenes tours of farms, vineyards and breweries.

Tour locations include 1760 Homestead Farm in Riverhead, Mattituck Mushrooms, Lavender by the Bay in Calverton, Disset Chocolate in Cutchogue and Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.

There will be special demonstrations, discussions, tastings, family activities and more. All of the talks will be held at Charnew Farms in Southold with featured speakers including Deb Kimmelman on the importance of pollinators, Harrison Tobi on Peconic Bay scallops, and Erin Latham Stanton on the history of a farming family.

In total, 20 locations will be taking part. Tickets cost $30 per person and children under the age of 12 are free. For more information, , visit northforkfoodietour.com

Food Network star and Hamptons resident Alex Guarnaschelli has released a new cookbook with her daughter Ava Clark. The elder Guarnaschelli is a mainstay on the channel, hosting Alex vs. America, Supermarket Stakeout and Ciao House, co-hosting The Kitchen and serving as a judge on Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay.

She has also been the executive chef at Butter in New York City since 2003, and is one of three female chefs who has earned the Iron Chef title on Iron Chef America. The cookbook, titled Cook It Up: Bold Moves for Family Foods includes 75 recipes such as Guarnaschelli’s famous blueberry pie, crisp potato latkes, frittatas and even dog biscuits for all of the furry foodies out there!

As the description for the book states, this fun cookbook “celebrates a mother-daughter bond that’s stronger than even the most garlicky garlic bread (the secret is​ — surprise — lots of shallots!).” Cook It Up will be available to purchase on September 5.

Cap off your summer with Harbes Family Farm’s annual Watermelon Festival on Saturday, August 26 and Sunday, August 27 from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. The festivities at the Mattituck farm include a watermelon eating contest at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

It’s first come, first served to participate. There will also be free live music in the courtyard/picnic area on both days from 1–5 p.m. Harbes Family Farm also produces some of the finest sweet corn and peaches around.

In what’s becoming a new mid-summer tradition at Sole East, the musician St. Lucia is performing on Saturday, August 12 at 4 p.m. Beds and confirmed dinner reservations get guaranteed access. Space is limited, so call 631-668-2105 to reserve your spot. Sole East, located at 90 Second House Road, Montauk, also recently launched Wine Wednesdays, featuring 50% off on all bottles of wine.

The dinner menu features clam chowder, burrata, grilled Portuguese octopus, wild tuna tartare, monkfish and linguine vongole.

Did You Know?

The restaurant at Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill was designed in collaboration with Mads Refslund, a Michelin-rated chef and co-founder of Noma, which, before closing, was considered to be “the world’s best restaurant” according to multiple contests. Don’t miss the last Summer Thursday with Executive Chef Sabdiel Cortes on August 31 at Shou Sugi, featuring farm-fresh produce found on the East End with “a dash of flavor inspired by the culinary background of our executive chef.”

Shou Sugi also has a great a la carte food and beverage menu, including onigiri, crudité, bone broths, haiga-mai rice bowls and mochi as well as freshly prepared café beverages such as lattes, ceremonial grade matcha and signature teas.

Sag Harbor Cinema has a third-floor bar and rooftop terrace called The Green Room. Live music can be heard there throughout August and you can test your cinematic knowledge and win movie tickets every Monday at Movie Trivia at 8 p.m.

Many cocktail names are a play on classic films, such as “Of All the Gin Joints,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Smokey and the Bandit” and the new “Barbenheimer” drink.

Bits & Bites:

Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa has opened an exclusive cocktail lounge to celebrate the launch of Patrón’s newest offering, Patrón El Cielo. Located on the resort’s east deck, enjoy light bites and signature drinks such as the Patrón El Cielo Royale, El Cielo Ginger Spritz and Patrón Reposado Spicy Paloma. The lounge will be open for service on weekends through Labor Day. As Jamie Foxx once sang, “Blame it on the ’trón, catch me in a zone.”

Prohibition Wednesdays at Claudio’s Tavern invite you to travel back in time to an era of clandestine speakeasies, flapper dresses and secret passwords. A half-dozen oysters and an era-inspired cocktail can be enjoyed for $25 every Wednesday from 5–9 p.m. Rumor has it that Claudio’s was a-booming in the 1920s — bootleggers would arrive by boat and drop off illegal spirits to the lively upstairs bar, utilizing hidden trap doors behind the bar.

Food Quote:

“Eggs Benedict is genius. It’s eggs covered in eggs. I mean, come on, that person should be the president.” – Chef Wylie Dufresne