The bistro at Jamesport Vineyards is officially open and it’s operating under a new name.
NOFO Pizza, from restaurateur Michael Brunetti, opened Thursday at the site previously called Little Oak.
The winery has used its wood-fired oven to offer pizzas to visitors for several years, but earlier this summer it formally opened an enclosed commercial kitchen to serve a full menu. The operating kitchen and bistro — which held a soft opening as Little Oak earlier this summer — is a first for a North Fork winery.
“We decided that we were going to make some directional changes,” Jamesport Vineyards president Ron Goerler Jr. said of the name change. “We just decided we’re going to open with something different.”
Brunetti, who lives in Aquebogue, has been in the Neapolitan style pizza world for 10 years with Brunetti Pizza locations in Westhampton and the West Village.
The menu includes appetizers such as shishito peppers made with flaked sea salt, lemon zest, herbs and olive oil, and offers a number of pies, from thin crust pizza like the “Fun Guy,” topped with wood-roasted mushrooms, ricotta, fresh and smoked mozzarella and rosemary, to Neapolitan pizza creations like the “Peconic Bay,” topped with local Long Island clams and garlic herb butter.
“This pizza that we’re introducing to the North Fork is a totally different style of pizza than we’ve done in the past,” Brunetti said. Goerler said the bistro will try to use as much local fare as possible.
The bistro will be open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m. in its beginning stages, with plans to eventually expand the hours to 9 p.m.
“I think it’s something we’ve always wanted to do in Jamesport,” Goerler said of the bistro-winery model. “It’s been exciting to be the first — my father always taught me that if you’re going to do something, try to be the first. Ultimately the goal here is to be able to give people a really high-quality experience while guests are sitting and enjoying wines at Jamesport Vineyards.”
