Dan's Hamptons Review of B. Smith's Sag Harbor Restaurant

Why do you go out to dinner?

Why does anyone, particularly now?

I go because I want to relax, be served and eat food that I don't make at home (duck, lobster, anything French). Other people go for an evening's entertainment in a happening atmosphere that may include (in the Hamptons at least) a celebrity sighting.

Some go for ambiance - design, décor or setting that can't be found anywhere else. Diehard foodies care little about anything else but what's on the plate.

You can go to B. Smith's, which just reopened for the season on Long Wharf Marina in Sag Harbor, for a few of those reasons and be happy. First, the setting is unparalleled in Sag Harbor - right on the pier. Funny, the inside is lovely with its dramatic yet simple black and white décor; and the deck is pretty basic (white plastic tables and chairs). But why bother doing anything else when you can offer a dining experience that's like being on a boat deck out on the bay?

That's where we sat. It was cool and grey out, but who cares? The water sparkled and the air felt like summer. Swallows flitted by, crows squawked, gulls perched on posts. I dined with another adult and a six-year old boy - a good reason to opt for outdoor seating.

The service on this early Saturday evening (only the second night the place was open this season) was laid back and friendly. Who knows what will happen on a Saturday in July, but at that moment, all was well.

The dinner entrées at the restaurant range from $26 for Pan Roasted Free Range Chicken, to mid-$30s. A little high even for the Hamptons, but did I mention you're right on the water? Appetizers are $12-$18 (for the mussels, which could be a light entrée).

You can go one of two ways with food at B. Smith's: keep it simple and go for the great selections from the raw bar (from oysters to crab legs) as appetizers, mussels and salad for the meal; or go all out and dive into the bold offerings of chef John Poon.

If you opt for the latter, you'd better not be a timid eater. Poon, a native of Hong Kong who has studied both classic French and American cuisines, lets it rip with his flavor-packed offerings. We went that route, but next time, I'll probably change it up and go with some simpler dishes interspersed as a palate cleanser.

We started with a rack of ribs for the boy, shrimp dumplings and crab cakes for us. (The restaurant doesn't have a kid's menu per se, but they were willing to do that order with fries; and when we left I think I saw a kid eating a quesadilla.) But the boy didn't like "B's Sweet Moppin Sauce" on the ribs, so we ate those too. I found them to be moist, meaty and fall-off-the-bone tender. The sauce, made in house, was mildly tangy with a touch of clove. We requested a plain order for the child and oddly, they were dry - maybe due to opening weekend kinks in the kitchen. The corn just shouldn't have been served. Wait for the local season.

Shrimp dumplings were delicate and tasty with shards of ginger, and the Thai dipping sauce did the trick as a contrast. I wasn't wild about the Low County Crab Cake. It had a nice, mild flavor and a good crunch - but I like more crab and less cake.

For entrees, I opted for Pan Tanned Spicy Jumbo Scampi with coconut black rice and fresh mango glaze - enormous meaty salty shrimp, perfectly cooked. Forget the glaze, they were wading in a mango/cream sauce - like a warm mango sorbet. So decadent and deliciously over the top. The rice was too soft and the flavor too heavy for my taste - I'd have preferred plain rice maybe with a little saffron to set off that sauce.

All the seafood we had was fresh with good texture. But the sauce for the Pan Fried Block Island Swordfish knocked my socks off. In fact, Poon should bottle some of these concoctions - the BBQ sauce on the ribs, the mango dream sauce, and this one, called "spicy sour sauce." It's complex. Plenty of heat tamed with richness. Our server, Cornelius, found out it had chili powder, onion, ginger, lemongrass, chicken stock - and I'm sure a lot more. The swordfish was served with a plantain hash - tasty on its own, but for me, again, the powerful flavors fought the main course.

For dessert ice cream and sorbets were serviceable. But the warm Bourbon Street Bread Pudding was a winner: Smooth creamy texture - more like a soufflé - buttery/bourbon-y sauce. It rendered me helpless.

B. Smith's has an adequate wine list - I think the place is more about lovely summer cocktails to enjoy on the deck before the meal as you savor the sunset.

B. Smith's, 1 Bay Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963

(631) 725-5858

Lunch and Dinner, Friday through Sunday