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In Italy, food and wine are meant to go together, each connecting and enhancing the flavors of the other. Grappa Wine Bar, the latest of restaurateur Edmond “Jean-Luc” Kleefield’s forays into East End dining, embraces that concept.
The Sag Harbor restaurant on the site of the former Mumbo Gumbo has 30 wines by the glass and various specials drawn from the cuisine of 16 of 20 regions in Italy.
“We are designed for wine lovers and enthusiasts,” Grappa wine director Vincent Rotolo said.
Grappa’s goal is to help people evolve in their choices and knowledge of wine, and to discover new ones, no matter how much experience a patron already has. So every Sunday at 7 p.m., the staff opens a select bottle and offers a taste to patrons dining at the restaurant that night.
“We try to casually introduce people to different wines,” Mr. Rotolo said.
Mr. Kleefield opened Grappa Wine Bar in late June in the space formerly occupied by his Cajun restaurant, Mumbo Gumbo. Mr. Kleefield also owns JLX Bistro in Sag Harbor, Madame Tong’s in Southampton and Prime 103 in East Hampton.
Grappa has wine by the glass for $7 to $38 and bottles range from $26 to $145.
Not only does Grappa feature an extensive wine list, but it also has a large menu with more than 30 items.
“I created a menu to please everyone,” chef Brian Cheewing said.
Chef Cheewing trained at the New York Restaurant School and began his career at George Martin in New York as the sous chef, then moved to James on Main in Southampton as executive chef. Since then, he has worked at Nick and Toni’s and JL East in East Hampton. More recently, in 2006, he was chef at Desmond’s Restaurant and Lounge in Wading River. Grappa is Mr. Cheewing’s first foray into Italian cuisine.
The menu at Grappa is also wallet friendly, according to the chef. None of the entrées costs more than $28.a
Grappa’s “antipasto” features vegetables including fire-roasted peppers, caponata, grilled zucchini, roasted cipolline, marinated olives and artichokes for $7.75 for a choice of three, or $12.75 for a sampler of all the vegetables. Cheeses include gorgonzola, taleggio, Parmigiano, Reggiano, mozzarella bocconcine and fontina for $8.25 for three or a sampler for $13.50. Lastly, cured meats include dry salami, prosciutto di Parma, bresaola, hot sopresata, mortadella and coppa for $9 for three or $14 for all.
Appetizers range from $6.75 to $13 and include wild mushroom bruschetta made with grilled Tuscan bread, white truffle oil and crumbled Gorgonzola and polenta-crusted calamari with spicy tomato and roasted pepper aiolo. But Chef Cheewing said the baby veal meatballs with rustic tomato ragout, shaved Reggiano and crispy basil is the best-selling appetizer.
Salads at Grappa are $8.50 to $11. The menu features a baby arugula salad with hearts of palm, fire-roasted peppers, shaved Reggiano and white balsamic vinaigrette; a grilled asparagus salad with a poached egg, crushed black pepper and roasted garlic vinaigrette; and a Caesar salad with baby romaine and garlic croutons.
Grappa’s grilled pizzettes are a popular menu item, according to Chef Cheewing. “This is something no one else is doing,” he said. The chef takes pizza dough and grills it instead of baking it, then he finishes it off with light toppings. Choices include the Capri, with oven-roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil for $8; the Milano, with caramelized onions, pancetta and gorgonzola for $9.75; and the Torino, with arugula, wild mushrooms, shaved Reggiano and white truffle oil for $11.50.
Pasta offerings range from $9 to $12 for a small portion and $18 to $20 for a larger portion. Pastas include rigatoni with house-made fennel sausage, broccoli rabe, cannellini beans, pancetta and extra virgin olive oil; and black linguini with wild shrimp, imported cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes and fresh basil, among others.
Mr. Cheewing said one of the most popular pasta dishes is the braised lamb ravioli with roasted golden beets, sage, brown butter, toasted pine nuts and lemoncello. The chef said he makes as many as 20 orders of the handmade pasta and sells out every night.
Other entrées at Grappa include roasted free-range chicken with golden Swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, capers and lemon rosemary jus for $19; grilled wild shrimp with baby arugula, white beans and basil oil for $22; and local black sea bass with roasted zucchini, artichokes, fennel, tomato, olives and capers for $26.
Sides are $6 and $7 and include broccoli rabe, sautéed baby spinach, roasted fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus and creamed cavolo nero.
62 Main Street, Sag Harbor; 725-0055
Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight
All major credit cards except Diner’s Club
No reservations
Handicapped accessible
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