Foodstuffs: Artist's Table Lunch, Coconuts and Espresso and Musical Dinner

An Artist’s Table Luncheon

On Saturday, August 10, from noon to 2:30 p.m., The Watermill Center presents its next Artist’s Table event and a special musical performance by Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh followed by a meal created by Chef Jay Kumar and a vine to table experience by Wölffer Estate Vineyard.

Jennifer Koh, who is The Watermill Center’s Nina von Maltzahn Fellow, is recognized for her intense, commanding performances on violin, delivered with dazzling virtuosity and technical assurance. She is a forward-thinking artist dedicated to exploring a broad and eclectic repertoire while promoting equity and inclusivity in classical music. She premiered more than 100 works written especially for her. Koh is artistic director of the Kennedy Center’s Fortas Chamber Music Concerts and artistic director of arco collaborative, an artist-driven nonprofit.

Born in Mangalore, India and raised in Oman, chef Jay Kumar studied hospitality in Switzerland before opening his first restaurant, where he built a reputation for the depth and complexity of his progressive Indian cuisine. In operation for over 20 years, Jay’s in Basel, Switzerland, was a mainstay for Art Basel galleries and international artists. In 2018, Chef Kumar fell in love with a New York curator and relocated to Brooklyn, where he opened LORE on a historic corner in Park Slope. His cuisine is intended to forge a continuous dialogue amongst the diverse population of his community; a new storytelling that begins local ,but cascades into the world through its irresistible lore.

Tickets to the August 10 Artist’s Table are $135 at watermillcenter.org The Watermill Center is at 39 Watermill Towd Road in Water Mill.

Coconuts and Espresso in Montauk

Whether or not you’ve been following the “espresso” and “coconut tree” references taking the internet by storm, now that summer’s in high gear, Bluestone Lane coffee shop in Montauk is serving up a refreshing, spiked take on this moment and pairing.

The Bluestone Lane Montauk location, 786 Montauk Highway, is teaming up with Vita Coco in a special two-day event this weekend. From 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, August 9 and 10, the Bluestone Lane staff will be serving up free Espresso Martinis (recipe courtesy of bartender Channing Centeno, who created the iconic MSG Martini) infused with a kick of Vita Coco Coconut Water. For the cold brew lovers in attendance, Bluestone Lane will also offer free seasonal Spiked Coconut Water Cold Brews.

Locals and visitors above the age of 21 are invited to the Bluestone Lane Montauk location, 786 Montauk Highway, to enjoy these free coconutty drinks while supplies last. For details, visit bluestonelane.com or call 718-374-6858.

St. Lucia Heats Up Solé East

Solé East Resort in Montauk will present St. Lucia Live performing on its garden stage on Saturday, August 17, at 7 p.m. The project of Brooklyn-based husband and wife duo, Jean-Philip Grobler and Patti Beranek, St. Lucia creates 1980s-influenced, synth-driven pop.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, 10-year-old Grobler began singing with the Drakensberg Boys Choir School, a prestigious mixed-race choir that performed for Nelson Mandela and concertized around the world. He started making his own music at age 12, taking inspiration from Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins and Sting. He moved to England at age 19 to study music at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts for three years. It was there that he met Patti Beranek, who became his collaborator and eventually his wife. Following Grobler’s graduation, the pair moved to New York City, where he became a jingle writer and the couple formed St. Lucia as an outlet for their own music. Influenced by 1980s and 1990s pop as well as the artists the duo discovered at school — among them Radiohead and Mew — St. Lucia signed to Neon Gold and released a self-titled EP in 2012.

In 2013’s “When the Night,” the duo channeled the inspirations of Grobler’s youth with more contemporary influences that included tropical pop. St. Lucia’s music grew more uplifting ic with releases such as “Hyperion,” (2018) which incorporated elements as far-flung as gospel choirs and 1990s pop. The duo added further musical dimensions with “Acoustic, Vol.1” (2019) and remixed like-minded acts at the dawn of the 2020s.

Book a dinner reservation at Backyard Restaurant to guarantee your entry into the concert. Available dinner times include 5:15 to 5:30 p.m. which will allow guests to finish dinner and move to the concert area before St. Lucia begins at 7 p.m. A prix fixe menu is available from 5 to 7 p.m. An 8:45 p.m. or later reservation will allow guests to watch St. Lucia and then make their way over to the restaurant for dinner. Last seating is 10:45 p.m.

To book dinner reservation tickets visit open table. For VIP seating and property passes, email tablesales@soleeast.com or call 631-668-2105.

Backyard Restaurant at Sole East is at 90 Second House Road, Montauk. Visit soleeast.com/restaurant for more information.