Review: The Plaza Cafe in Southampton

For more than 25 years, The Plaza Cafe has been swimming against the current. In the Hamptons, where every season seems to bring a shuffle of new chefs, concepts and venues, Doug Gulija has stayed true to his vision: Bring in the best local seafood, lavish attention on it and serve it graciously in an environment marked by refinement. Over the years, the light-filled dining room has been stripped of its more formal elements — drapes, tiered chandeliers — but it’s no less elegant.

Between the thick white cloths covering the tables and the space between the tables, this may be the quietest restaurant on Long Island.

Another singularity: Plaza Cafe may be the only local fine-dining restaurant that has lowered its prices: Last year’s $95 two-course (starter and main) prix-fixe menu is now $85.

Gulija’s menu changes weekly but all of his creations thread the needle between complexity and clarity. There may be a lot on the plate, but it all works to complement the fish at the center. One week, local striped bass might be grilled and served with roasted tomato-fennel confit, coriander-mussel broth and pickled fennel. The next week, that striped bass is pan-seared and perched on a bed of artichokes and fava beans atop purée of sunchokes ... itself encircled by basil-bergamot oil.

Another recent dish saw slices of tender calamari playing off the earthiness of hummus, the brine of black olives, the pep of piquillo peppers and the round tartness of aged sherry vinegar.

You’ll usually find one or two of the kitchen’s signature dishes: prosciutto-wrapped jumbo shrimp on risotto and the shepherd’s pie, filled with lobster, shrimp, mushrooms and root vegetables under a chive-potato crust.

Whatever you eat, save room for room for dessert (an additional $20), lovingly made by Gulija’s mother, Maria.

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