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64755 NY-25, Southold, NY
Must-order: A whole fish to cook at home, or any of the prepared foods like chowder
Southold Fish Market is one of the best I’ve been to because the owner Charlie knows all the local fishermen. They bring him great stuff, and because the market is so busy, there’s a lot of turnover. The fish is as good as anything I get in my restaurant. I also love that you can pick out a whole fish and have it filleted for you. I usually buy fluke or sea bass; they have beautiful tuna right now, and around this time of year they start getting hard-shell crabs.
Two nights ago, I made a kind of paella—a rice dish cooked in a paella pan with clams, mussels, scallops, and shrimp, all from the market and so delicious. They also have prepared foods like chowders and fish and chips to take home. Everything is simply prepared, but incredibly fresh. They also own Southold Social, whose kitchen is helmed by François Payard, and is very popular.
105 Love Ln, Mattituck, NY
Must-order: A cheese from Catapano Diary Farm
The Village Cheese Shop is a beautifully curated cheese shop on Love Lane that has been a Mattituck staple for more than 23 years. It was started by Rosemary Batcheller, who ran it for decades before selling it to the current owner Michael Affatato. They have a huge selection of hard-to-find cheeses from across Europe but also artisan producers in the US. I didn’t expect to find a place like this when I moved. I like to have a variety of cheeses—different milks, hard and soft. Some Roquefort, a young pecorino, a washed-rind cheese. I love stinky cheeses—have you noticed they don’t taste the way they smell? Obviously, you need the goat cheese. One local cheesemaker that is always in heavy rotation here is Catapano Dairy Farm and I like picking their stuff up, too.
