Greeted by a smiling staff, my mother and I walked into Stone Creek Inn, a high-end restaurant located in the small town of East Quogue with high hopes. With its antiquated atmosphere, we felt comfortable and homey as we were seated in a corner by the window, overseeing the lush gardens in front of the inn. The first thing we noticed was the friendly, polite staff. They were all so happy and kind to us right off the bat, and it was absolutely genuine.

Before we ordered, we were surprised to be served truffled egg with shaved black truffle on top. When I tell you this was the most amazing creation I had ever seen, I am not kidding. The top of the eggshell was carved out into a quite perfect circle, with the truffled egg and black truffle inside the shell. It was a piece of artwork; I almost didn’t want to eat it as not to ruin the beauty! As I was eating it, I thought, ‘Wow, the ability to cook really is an art.” Not only did it look amazing, it tasted decadent. Absolutely delicious. The texture was rich and the combination of truffle and egg had my mother and I smiling from ear to ear (literally).

For starters, we split tuna tartar served with fresh ginger, soy sauce, chives, wasabi caviar, and Lavash cracker and the grilled Portuguese octopus, which was served with roasted tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, lemon confit, and Taggiasca olives. Both were to die for. The tuna was served like artwork (once again) on my plate and had just the right amount of soy sauce and wasabi. It melted in my mouth. The grilled octopus was even better. The consistency was brilliant and grilled to perfection. We wondered if our dinner could be any better than this.

For dinner, my mother ordered bouillabaisse and was so excited to try it. The bouillabaisse contained an amazing combination of local fish, mussels, shrimp, and lobster in seafood broth. The lobster was so juicy, as was the rest of the seafood. It contained just the right amount of spice to tingle our senses. For my entrée, I ordered bison steak, served with truffles and grilled potatoes in a creamy sauce. Never have I ever eaten a steak like that. It was juicy and tender, and just seemed to soak up the sauce. I couldn’t stop eating. The potatoes were cooked to a perfect crisp, as were the mushrooms. By far, it was one of the most amazing meals I’ve had.

Just when we think we can’t eat another ounce of food, the dessert menu comes. We were served a ricotta mousse, with strawberries, aged balsamic reduction, and black peppercorn. I was skeptical about trying a dessert with a balsamic reduction, but it was absolutely perfect. It was creamy, rich, thick, and sweet, and made our taste buds water. It was a perfect combination of sweet and tangy; just call it heaven.

Stone Creek Inn offers cooking classes in the upstairs section of the inn. Great for upcoming holiday gifts, you can find out more about these classes online or by calling their number: (631)- 653-6770. Thank you to Stone Creek Inn for an unforgettable dining experience!