East Hampton - Rugosa Restaurant wants diners in their seats to enjoy their vast menu offering absolutely delicious food in a comfortable, colorful setting - with prices that won't leave you running to the ATM machine! With all this restaurant has to offer - every table should be full - every night - year-round.

According to General Manager Douglas Sheehan "We are committed to this area. We are offering specials throughout the year, and are constantly reviewing ways that will want diners to grow with us." The restaurant recently celebrated its third year at 290 Montauk Highway in East Hampton.


Steak Night launched this past Wednesday and offers a pre fixe beginning at $14.95 for an eight oz. Flat Iron Steak, or a eight oz. Marinated Flank Steak at $18.95, or an eight oz. New York Strip Steak at $21.95. All steaks are served with Maitre d'hotel Butter, Potato Gratin and Seasonable Vegetables. You can substitute the Maitre d'Butter with Chili Butter for $1 extra; Red Pepper Butter or Red Wine Shallot for $2 extra, or Lobster and Shrimp Butter for $3 extra.

The large, comfortable yet elegant restaurant offers a large bar area with booths for casual dining, two large dining rooms, a fireplace for cozy winter nights, soft lighting, and artwork by well-known artist Scott Hewett, which fills every wall with mostly food images just bursting with color and appropriate scale as to enhance your dining experience. Hewett is the only artist featured in the restaurant, with approximately 25 pieces, making for a cohesive and pleasurable viewing while dining.


Due to East Hampton Village restrictions the restaurant is prohibited from offering diners live music, and Sheehan is convinced that with so many restaurants in such a small area, one needs to be creative with not only the menu, but with marketing as well.

Sheehan went on to relay "Starting this Friday [October 14], free food at the bar will be offered all night, including gumbo, the Duck Cannelloni, and other menu items, and on Sunday, we are offering a two course pre fixe for $30, that is an appetizer and entree or an entree and dessert, plus kids 12 and under eat for free."

Sheehan, who has spent almost two decades in the restaurant business in both Manhattan and the East End, is absolutely correct when he emphatically states "This food is the best in New York State."


And the man (and woman) responsible for this well-deserved accolade are Rugosa's proprietors, Bill and Yvette Mammers. Bill is also the Chef, and this man knows his way around a kitchen! With numerous years experience under his apron as the Executive Chef at many well known East End eateries, Bill has brought all that culinary skill and talent to his own restaurant, where he serves up a myriad menu of fresh, local seafood, as well as duck, steaks, pasta, and other gastro treats - some with a zingy twist representing his wife's New Orleans roots.

This is a menu to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace as to appreciate and taste every flavorable nuance Bill has added to his dishes - from the subtle layering of ingredients in the corn soup to the sea scallops with gnocchi and artichokes to the salmon with a cauliflower risotto to just about the best prepared steaks one can find in the Hamptons - you don't rush through a meal at Rugosa, you savor the meal - THEN - you start all over with the incredibly versatile and scrumptious desserts.


An evening of dining at Rugosa is an evening well spent indulging in simply wonderfully prepared cuisine that will appeal to any palate. The wait staff is professional, courteous and knowledgeable about what they are serving. In particular, Fred Kumwenda relayed the ingredients and preparation of each course he brought to the table with as much enthusiasm as we experienced while consuming the delectable offerings. His attentiveness and friendliness only added to an already pleasant evening.

The presentation of a meal at Rugosa is well thought out and does not unnoticed by anyone who enjoys a special evening dining out. The linen tableclothes, napkins, substantial flatware, simple but sturdy white plates all contribute to making an evening at Rugosa a special evening indeed.

If you've not been to Rugosa ever or even recently - run - do not walk - to Steak Night, or any other night, for a most enjoyable, satisfying meal and wonderful evening.