Rugosa in Wainscott closed

Rugosa, one of the top restaurants of  the 2009 Hamptons' season, didn't make it into 2012.

The sign is gone, the eatery is empty.

But I have some good memories from Bill Mammes' streamlined, stylish Wainscott restaurant, including seared duck breast with curry-spiced polenta and loin of lamb with a braised escarole, raisin and pine-nut tart.

Restaurants arrive and depart regularly in the Hamptons. Actually, the survival of a lot of joints east of Riverhead is a mystery.

Plenty of restaurants have come and gone just from the 290 Montauk Hwy. site in the town of East Hampton that housed Rugosa, a locale easily identified by the M60 army tank in the nearby yard. It used to be a VFW hall.

Remember Ristorante Capri? (Excellent) Chez & Chez? (Not so) Gulf Stream Grill? (Meh)

I'll remember Rugosa.

Gone.