A Year of Eating Grandly

By JOANNE STARKEY
New York Times, December 31, 2006

THIS has been a banner year for restaurants on Long Island. In an average year, two or three places receive Excellent ratings; rarely has the number reached five. In 2006, six restaurants were rated Excellent, a record.

Jedediah's, Jamesport

The Jedediah Hawkins Inn should win an award for the beautiful restoration of this 1863 captain’s house in Jamesport. Its restaurant, Jedediah’s, doesn’t take a back seat to the stunning year. Tom Schaudel, one of Long Island’s top chefs and a co-owner here, has never cooked better. At his side is Michael Ross, the chef de cuisine, a star in his own right.

The most memorable dish on the menu is deconstructed beef “in the style of Burgundy,” which features a filet mignon with a pinot glaze and separate small plates of wild mushrooms, cipollini onions and the tiniest of baby carrots. The meal that lingers in my memory, though, is lunch on the dining porch, which overlooks 22 acres of gardens. The juicy Kobe burger was a treat, and the lobster roll on a split, toasted bun with lemon aioli was as delicious as promised.