Come for the Vibes, Stay for the Bites
Every September, the village of Greenport kicks off shoulder season with one of the most food-centric events to hit the North Fork of Long Island. Hosted by the East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation, the Maritime Festival, which runs from September 23rd through 24th (though it also includes a kick-off gala on September 22nd), includes classic boat displays, kayak races, music, activities for kids, maritime demonstrations, sea shanties, and, yes, plenty of food, including 100 different vendors from around Greenport, offering both hand-crafted goods and delicious things to eat. With September afoot, it’s time to embrace one of Greenport’s most storied — and, yes, most delicious — annual traditions.
The Land and Sea Gala itself is a good way to get familiar with the local culinary landscape. Hosted this year at Crabby Jerry’s Dock and Restaurant, this Mardi Gras-themed affair runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (with VIP access offering early entrance at 5:30) and features food from a host of local restaurants. Last year, vendors in attendance were plentiful: 1943 Pizza Bar, American Beech, Little Ram Oysters, Claudio’s, Stirling Sake, Kontiki, Ellen’s on Front, Kate’s Cheese Co., Anker, Pearl Restaurant, Lucharitos, and more.
Libations were poured from local wineries Bedell, Macari, and Peconic Bay Vineyards, and breweries Greenport Harbor and Montauk Distilling Co. also made a distinguished appearance. Although the lineup this year has not yet been made public, guests of the gala can expect another delicious event, hosted by some of the area’s top establishments. General admission for the gala is $175 and includes a tasty walk through some of Greenport and the North Fork’s most talked-about restaurants.
As for the festival’s two main days, hungry visitors can expect to congregate on both Front and Main Streets, where local restaurants set up booths boasting tasty bites. Oyster-shucking demonstrations, bespoke sausages and tasting plates, food trucks, and even cocktails in a can have all been known to make an appearance at the festival. Wine and beer tastings that reflect the broad food and beverage community of the North Fork round out this bountiful festival.
If a taste from the street vendors — places like Noah’s, owned by Greenport veteran Noah Schwartz, traditionally participates in the festival, with culinarily progressive bites for sale — aren’t enough to eat, consider sitting down afterwards at one of the village’s delicious restaurants. Sit down for a pie at 1943 Pizza Bar, where weekly specials highlight whatever is fresh at the local farms (fresh salads, pizzas topped with local veggies, sourdough bread beneath — you guessed it — more vegetables). House-marinated olives, Nonna Lucille’s wood-fired meatballs, and the burrata plate are also great picks to enjoy at this perfect Greenport pizza spot.
Across the street, at Stirling Sake, stop in for a September-perfect bowl of tonkotsu ramen, springy noodles served in a broth made from 8 Hands Farm pork broth, and served with braised pork belly, kikurage mushrooms, red ginger, scallions, and a boiled egg. Enjoy some of the restaurant’s curated shochu selection before heading back onto the streets. The Sea Shanty Concert, in Mitchell Park, closes out the festival each afternoon.
