Southampton - In pure Hamptons style, the weekend was buzzing with parties from East to West and we dropping in on a few of them:

Chef Seth Levine with tri-color gazpacho.

EMM Group Estate

What do Aretha Franklin, Blake Lively and Lorraine Bracco have in common? All three, and countless others, have partied at the EMM Group Estate in Sag Harbor.

The estate, situated on eight acres and featuring seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, six fireplaces, 10,000 square feet of living space, tennis courts and a Olympic-sized swimming pool complete with fountain has officially opened for its third season for the Hamptons A-list.

The tony digs are owned by EMM Groups Eugene Remm, Mark Birnbaum and Michael Hirstenstein, owners of celebrity haunt Tenjune in the meat-packing district.

"Less is more in The Hamptons this year, being flashy is out," said Remm. "The Wall Street money has vanished and the four-day weekend is a thing of the past, people are working harder and intimate dinners are in. This summer we'll host an array of cocktail parties and dinners for an eclectic mix of people from the worlds of finance, entertainment and business. It will be low-key to reflect the economy.

Chef Robert Heese with crab cakes.

Last summer the mansion hosted the VH-1 Summer of Soul concert where Ne-Yo and Solange performed before an audience that included Aretha Franklin, Russell Simmons and Jamie Lynn Sigler. Mary Kate Olsen, Chace Crawford and Ryan Seacrest have also partied at the estate.

Georgica Restaurant & Lounge

"Recession! What recession?" touted executive chef Robert Heese on a recent bustling Saturday night at Georgica Restaurant & Lounge, the latest East End hot spot that opened on Memorial Day in East Hampton.

The space formerly known as Sarceen on Wainscott Road serves up modern American comfort food with a gourmet twist like the white truffle lobster mac and cheese, a creation of co-executive chef and Long Island native Seth Levine.

"The Hamptons needed something less ostentatious. With the economy the way it is, the trend now is toward comfort food," said Levine. "With everything that's happening right now, everyone wants to feel that everything is okay. To me that's comfort and that's what we're doing here."

The former Goldman Sachs employee who left the investment-banking firm in 2007 has been cooking since he was eight-years-old and met his future partner while both were cheftestants on the FOX reality television show "Hell's Kitchen."

Brazil's Next Top Model Hostess Fernanda Morta celebrates her birthday at Day & Night. Photo courtesy of Shadow P.R.

"When I met him [Robert Heese] we just clicked, it was an instant rapport. He was street and I was chic, said upper-east side native, Levine of his Great Neck counterpart, Heese. "We were both New York boys and we knew it could work. We were ying and yang, spicy and sweet."

"It was forbidden, but in between takes we would talk about how we'd open up a restaurant together one day," said Heese, "And we did it."

"This kitchen is about as far from hell as you can get," said Levine. "We have an amazing staff of New Yorkers, they're all great."

The duo is now open for business and serving up tasty, American Comfort Food with a side of gourmet.

Fernanda Motta Birthday Party

Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated Brazilian supermodel, Fernanda Motta, celebrated her birthday at The Day & Night restaurant beach club, followed by an after party at The Pink Elephant in Southampton on Saturday, May 30.

The Brazil's Next Top Model host along with her husband, restaurateur Roger Rodriguez, Ramona Singer of "The Real Housewives of New York City," and an assortment of well-wishers dined on blackened sea bass with soft shell crab remoulade, oysters marinated in citron vodka and hangar steak at a private dinner before the Brazilian beauty blew out the candles on a glazed fruit tart birthday cake at the Pink Elephant.

"The girls had fun, everyone had a great time," Day & Night manager Derek Koch said. "It was a blast."

Brazilian drummers and dancers wooed the crowds at the summer soiree that lasted into the wee hours.