Always a Long Island Girl at Heart
I had been looking forward to our weekend in Quogue since we put it on our shared Google calendar. I had it all planned out in my head - we were going to pick up bagels from my favorite spot, pick up some food to grill, walk on the beach and look for beach glass, and drink some wine. Reminiscing about it now, it really was a perfect weekend, except for getting rear-ended on the Verrazano Bridge and our irritable dog being a jerk to her new friend, Ida.
As most of you know (since I assume my readers are still just my mom and maybe some friends), I grew up on Long Island. No trip to New York is complete without bagels, specifically from my favorite spot - Bagel Boss on Merrick Road. After our little hiccup in Staten Island, we made our pit stop in Merrick for groceries and bagels. If you have the opportunity, you must get an egg everything bagel. My go to toppings are low fat scallion cream cheese (but like, A LOT of cream cheese to make up for the low fat-ness) and a slice of tomato, or their amaaaazing low fat veggie tuna. I don’t know their secret, but it’s divine and nostalgic. Give me a Diet Peach Snapple or a Yoohoo, and I’m golden.
A little over an hour later, we make it to my favorite place on Earth: Shelley’s house on Dune Road. I spent countless weekends there growing up with my family. It really is my happy place. Just chill AF, no judgment, good music, and home. We introduced Sage to Ida and they played and it was so cute (this friendship lasted like 36 hours before Sage became a brat and her typical alpha self after her paws were raw from the sand and she couldn’t walk - that’s all I’ll say on it, but it was pretty disappointing for a pet parent).
sunset at Dockers
Our beyond amazing hosts, Shelley and Cory, took us to Docker’s for OMG lobsters and some delicious white bordeaux followed by Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc. Growing up on LI, this is what summer is about - lobster, clams, and white wine. I mean. Jordan’s, Paddy McGee’s, Peter’s - there’s nothing better. Man. My mouth is watering and I’m making myself homesick. Dinner was incredible.
McCall and Mattebella
Friday was our vineyard day. Shelley sent us some recommendations and we headed to the North Fork. McCall Wines was our first stop. It is a tiny, boutique vineyard in Cutchogue. I wish I could remember all of the wines we tasted (but I’m 2 months late writing this post - this whole Ireland thing has me a little behind). What stands out most is the 2010 Merlot Reserve. I’ll be honest, up until the moment I tasted this wine, I was very biased against merlots. I just don’t like the mouthfeel - it makes me feel like my teeth are furry. Anyways. This wine changed all of that. We compared it with a younger merlot and it was like night and day. With notes of dark chocolate, currant, and blackberries, I really fell in love. I’m usually a little hesitant to throw down big money for wine (still living paycheck to paycheck over here), but I didn’t even blink when she asked what we wanted. We are building up our collection. The wonderful woman who was helping us (I can’t remember her name, but I remember that she’s from Northern Virginia - small world), gave us a few more suggestions for vineyards and the place we had to go for lunch.
If you are doing a wine tasting on the North Fork, I will give you two tips.
Go to boutique vineyards and wineries. They’re so much more special than the commercial spots. Plus, who doesn’t love supporting a small business.
You MUST stop at the 8 Hands Farm food truck and get the fried chicken. I’ve never had anything like it. JUST GO.
After we stuffed our faces with fried chicken and collard greens, we headed to Mattebella Vineyards a little further out in Southold. This place is gorgeous. The kind of vineyard you just want to drink bottles and bottles of wine and hang out and laugh and just live your best life. We shared the Vintner’s Select Flight (I was driving, don’t judge the sharing). These wines were not as memorable to me, but Michael loved them. We bought a bottle of the Famiglia Red and the 2013 Old World Red. As soon as we got back to the house, we drank the Famiglia Red.
We only stopped at these two places this time, and I would highly recommend both.
Saturday was our chill beach day. Lounged around, drank rose at 9am, watched some World Cup, got a brutal sunburn (I’m v stubborn about sunscreen and will never learn), and ordered some Italian food for dinner. Then, we streamed the Dead & Company show from Jones Beach. Pure joy.
I hope you all have a happy place like I do. I know I’m loved, I know I’m welcome, and I get to do all of my favorite things (wine, music, beach). Shelley - I love you so much and am so grateful to you for sharing your home with us. And seriously, when you think about wine regions in the States, don’t count out Long Island.
